Monday, the Trump administration announced it would be shaving four weeks off the deadline for people to respond to the 2020 census, effectively ensuring certain minority communities will be undercounted. Democratic lawmakers nationwide have complained that the move could hurt their chances of reelection since the census alters the way congressional…
Water balloons, rockets, snow cones and slime get top billing in most kids’ pantheon of summer vacation favorites. Luckily for children in Dallas’ high-poverty Frazier neighborhood, they now get to experience mainstays like those every Wednesday. After the pandemic hit, multiple Dallas nonprofits teamed to throw Pop Up Camp, a…
Since this summer’s resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests began, calls for racial justice have reached far and wide. Now, the music theory community is reckoning with its own white supremacy issues following a controversy stemming from the University of North Texas. Up for debate is the legacy of late…
Denton mom Tina Bennett likened last spring’s semester to a skirmish. After the coronavirus pandemic forced people into isolation, she would work her IT job from home while her two sons did their best to adjust to virtual learning. Her younger son, Koda, had an especially tough time. “It became…
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission slapped 18 club owners with suspensions after they participated in Freedom Fest, Saturday’s statewide bar protest that aimed to challenge the governor’s latest pandemic shutdown order. Organizer Chris Polone, who owns The Rail Club Live in Fort Worth, said he’s also under the gun. This week,…
Annemarie Aldrich is hunting for answers. At the coronavirus pandemic’s outset, her store, Denton’s Rose Costumes, began sewing masks for inmates and staff at the Denton County Jail. Dubbing the effort “Project Mask Makers,” Aldrich said volunteers delivered thousands of handmade cloth masks that were tailored to jail officials’ specifications. Then,…
Since the pandemic began, health experts have heralded future coronavirus vaccines as potential godsends. But skepticism surrounding immunization may prevent some from embracing them. No matter how foolproof a vaccine is, it won’t properly work if people don’t get it, said Dr. Eric Bing, professor of global health at Southern…
Dallas students are starting school three weeks later than previously expected. Thursday, Dallas ISD trustees voted unanimously to begin the school year on Sept. 8 instead of Aug. 17. The move comes after Dallas County Health and Human Services issued an order that prevents private and public schools from holding…
There weren’t any hiccups in Freedom Fest, Saturday’s statewide bar protest, according to its organizer. More than 300 bars said they would be joining the demonstration by hosting benefits that day in defiance of an order from Gov. Greg Abbott closing bars on account of the pandemic. Organizer Chris Polone,…
Soon, single mother Kimberly Brock will likely be evicted from her Denton home. A federal law that had shielded her from displacement expired on Saturday. That same day, Brock, who has a 5-month-old daughter named Emery, said she received an eviction notice. She hasn’t been able to afford her full…
Black mold, raw sewage and neglected trash piles are plaguing inmates stuck in one of Denton County Jail’s so-called “quarantine pods,” according to a local activist and scholar. Coronavirus-infected inmates are also allegedly deprived of functioning masks; they often must reuse the ones they do have, some of which are filled…
Saturday, more than 300 bars across the state say they will participate in Freedom Fest, an event its organizer has dubbed “the biggest bar protest in Texas history.” Chris Polone, the owner of Fort Worth’s The Rail Club Live, arranged the festival to challenge an executive order that forced the…
Texas’ Capitol grounds could soon lose seven Confederate memorials if Democratic state lawmakers have their way. In a letter sent Monday to their Republican chairs, eight Democratic members of the state’s House and Senate administration committees called for the memorials’ removal. The letter comes after protests over the police killings…
Another racist monument will soon be dismantled. Last week, Gainesville City Council voted unanimously to uproot a Confederate statue from a local park. Over the past few weeks, PRO Gainesville, a local grassroots organization, has protested for the removal of the town’s two Confederate statues. Founder Torrey Henderson said she…
Mask mandates are slowing the spread of the coronavirus in North Texas, a new report shows. Dr. Rajesh Nandy, a biostatistics and epidemiology professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, will release the report by Monday. He said his findings indicate that mask mandates are working to…
Scott Danbom slides behind the ivories and takes a seat. During any given summer, the former Centro-matic pianist might be sharing the stage with the likes of Sarah Jaffe or Alejandro Escovedo. They could be playing any number of sold-out festivals in New York City or Europe. In normal times,…
MJ Hegar is aiming high. Tuesday, the decorated Air Force veteran won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate with 52.1% of the vote, defeating Dallas state Sen. Royce West by more than 4 percentage points. She was confident she’d win the runoff, but Hegar said during a phone interview Wednesday…
MJ Hegar will battle Republican incumbent John Cornyn for his U.S. Senate seat in November. Tuesday, Air Force veteran Hegar defeated Dallas state Sen. Royce West in the Democratic runoff for Senate. The last time Texas sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate was in 1993. But Hegar told her…
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke endorsed the ambitious economic recovery plan unveiled by his one-time opponent, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, during a Zoom conference call Friday. Announced Thursday, the “Build Back Better” plan aims to create 5 million new jobs in the U.S.’ manufacturing and technology sectors. It…
Coronavirus cases in North Texas continue to soar, setting new record highs nearly every day. Yet some health experts have noticed a surprising trend: a divergence in the rate of additional cases and COVID-related deaths. That shouldn’t be cause for celebration, though, said Dr. Erin Carlson, an associate clinical professor…
Texans could soon grab a freshly poured pint from their favorite watering hole. Wednesday, several club owners filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott that demanded the state’s bars be allowed to reopen. Brandon Hays is joining the suit on behalf of his Dallas establishments The Whippersnapper, Tiny Victories and…
Since the George Floyd protests began, calls for the removal of statues deemed racist have reached as far as Belgium, the United Kingdom and South Africa. They’ve also crescendoed in Gainesville, a town 85 miles north of Dallas. Gainesville, which has a population of fewer than 17,000 people, is home…
