A few months ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning to make its way to Texas, Hannah Smilie heard a joke on campus about how, if they got sick, students would probably keep coming to class. Classmates didn’t think it was anything to worry about, because the only people…
Dallas police are investigating incidents in which police officers used force against two people Sunday, putting both people in the hospital. Both incidents occurred on Main Street in downtown Dallas during Sunday’s protest against police brutality. The first incident happened at 4 p.m. near Pegasus Plaza. The second was at…
Today’s the day you can finally take your dog back to the park. The city of Dallas is reopening dog parks, skate parks and disc golf courses starting today. Those facilities had been closed since late March in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Those openings are…
As Texas eased another round of coronavirus restrictions Monday, people across the Dallas-Fort Worth area — some of them, at least — headed to the gym. Gyms and fitness centers were allowed to reopen Monday with a number of precautions in place, including operating only at 25% occupancy, keeping at least 6 feet of…
Dallas County officials are reporting 14 new COVID-19 related deaths Tuesday, the largest single-day death total in the county since the pandemic began. Dr. Philip Huang, the head of Dallas County Health and Human Services, told the Dallas County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning that the county would be making the…
Eduardo Flores was looking forward to next. He was looking forward to getting his cap and gown and sitting in a roomful of his friends, hearing his name called, walking across the stage and getting his diploma. He was looking forward to having proud family members take his picture. Flores,…
Texas’ mandatory end-of-year tests are canceled this year, but state education officials have come up with a way for parents to make their kids take them anyway. The Texas Education Agency is rolling out an optional online end-of-year test that school districts and parents across the state can use to…
Dallas County reported 253 additional cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, tying its single-day record for new confirmed cases of the disease. The county also reported two new coronavirus-related deaths. Both people died at long-term care facilities where they were residents. The first, a woman in her 60s, lived…
During normal times, when schools aren’t shut down, Patricia Tamayo’s office is just off a busy hallway at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth. It could get noisy, said Tamayo, the school’s junior class counselor, but the location helped her build relationships with students. She could stand in the…
Gov. Greg Abbott modified his executive order outlining the state’s coronavirus pandemic response to bar counties from jailing those who violate those orders. The move comes a day after a Dallas County judge ordered Shelley Luther, the owner of a North Dallas hair salon, jailed for seven days after she…
The number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County continued its upward march Tuesday, as county officials announced yet another record-breaking total. County officials confirmed 253 new cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus Tuesday, as well as seven new coronavirus-related deaths. Tuesday’s new case total…
For a third time this week, Dallas set a new single-day record for new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Friday. The county reported 187 new cases of the disease Friday. The total tops the county’s previous single-day record of 179 new cases, which it set Thursday. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins…
Students at colleges and universities across North Texas can expect to head back to campus at the beginning of the fall semester. Officials at several universities across the Dallas-Fort Worth area announced Thursday that they expected to be able to reopen their campuses at the end of the summer. Colleges…
A day before large segments of Texas’ economy are set to reopen, Dallas County health officials announced the county’s largest-ever single-day tally of new cases of COVID-19. The county confirmed 179 additional cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus and five coronavirus-related deaths Thursday. In a statement posted…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to re-open the state will start with restaurants, movie theaters, malls and retail stores. At a press conference Monday afternoon, Abbott unveiled a three-phase project to get Texas back to business. Phase 1 begins Friday. Thanks to Texas’ continued available hospital capacity, its relatively low…
Every weekday morning, Laura Currey gets up before her kids. She looks through weekly lesson plans from their teachers, then sits down at a whiteboard and writes out their assignments for the day. By 8:30 a.m., class is in session. Currey talks to her daughter, a third grader, about what…
State budget shortfalls associated with the COVID-19 economic slowdown could put state prekindergarten programs at serious risk, according to a report released Wednesday. In the report, researchers with Rutgers University’s National Institute for Early Education Research warn that cutbacks to state-funded pre-K programs could have long-lasting effects, not only on…
Beginning Thursday, Dallas Park and Recreation officials are restricting weekend use of the Katy Trail to certain people each day based on the first letters of their last names. The plan is part of an effort to reduce congestion on the trail and enforce social-distancing measures the city and Dallas…
Dallas ISD officials hope to return to school at the beginning of the next school year. But even if they do, they won’t be returning to normal. Dallas schools have been closed since March 16. On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order closing schools statewide for the rest…
Beginning Saturday, anyone going into a Dallas County business or riding public transportation will be required to wear a mask, County Judge Clay Jenkins announced Thursday afternoon. In a tweet, Jenkins said he expected Dallas County residents would comply with the new requirement without law enforcement needing to take action…
When WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon launched the second iteration of the XFL this year, he sounded confident that the league could outlast the original version, which folded after a single season. As it turns out, the new league didn’t even last that long. The XFL suspended operations Friday…
As hospitals in Texas and nationwide face a dire shortage of protective equipment, volunteers are stepping in to try to fill the gap. Volunteers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are manufacturing plastic face shields to donate to hospitals, senior centers and healthcare workers who are on the front lines in…
