Your Daily Coronavirus Update. Yesterday, Dallas County added another 537 cases and six deaths, continuing a downward trend. This was a much better day than Wednesday, when the county added 704 cases and a record 36 deaths. We know deaths often lag new cases, so the jump isn’t totally unexpected. But it’s terrific news that we didn’t set another record. Hospitalizations jumped to 658 and about a quarter of all ER visits are related to COVID-19. Statewide cases dipped below 10,000 to 8,800. County Judge Clay Jenkins is urging residents to purchase takeout and stay out of restaurants. This feels like a holding pattern; let’s hope the dips continue.
Texas Superintendents Are None Too Happy With Ken Paxton. The attorney general’s new guidance “muddied the waters” after Gov. Greg Abbott gave local health authorities permission to push back the beginning of school at least until September 8. Paxton sent a letter contradicting that, saying public health officials could not keep campuses closed indefinitely to slow the spread of coronavirus. As such, if schools don’t open, they risked losing state funding. Here’s the quote from the Texas Association of School Administrators: “We believe schools should have the authority to work with local health officials to determine when it is safe for schools to be open for in-person instruction without the threat of funding cuts by the state.”
Dwaine Caraway Is Staying In Jail. A federal judge denied the disgraced councilman’s request to spend the remainder of his sentence at home due to his health problems and the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. The judge found that Caraway’s argument was not enough, that it did not present any “extraordinary and compelling” evidence that he should be granted home confinement. Caraway’s co-conspirator, Robert Leonard, also was denied his request to be sent home. They’ll both probably petition the Bureau of Prisons for the same thing.
We Got Ourselves a Cold Front. Even if that only means that our high is just 92, it’s a nice deal. Less humidity is in the forecast, too. As I type this, it’s 75. It’ll be 84 by noon. Maybe take a morning walk.
