We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Check back for updates.

Who are your COVID-19 Hometown Heroes? The Star-Telegram wants to tell their stories

The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll in many ways: on human life and health, jobs and the economy, people’s moods and mental health, family, religion, politics — and much more.

This is an easy time to feel scared and hopeless. But amid it all, Fort Worth, Tarrant County and North Texas are full of unsung heroes who have risen to this challenge.

• Parents and guardians have stepped up to be on duty as parents, friends, educators, and employees — all at once as they worked from home.
• Grocery workers, truck drivers, manufacturers, delivery drivers and many more have played integral parts in our supply chain.
• Local charities, businesses and other associations have stepped up to offer support to other businesses or to raise money and distribute supplies.
• Hospital workers and other healthcare personnel, first responders and elected leaders have worked selflessly to keep us safe and protect our families.

But many of these stories go untold. That’s why the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Lockheed Martin have teamed up to shed light on some of these heroes and their stories over the next 28 weeks through a series called Hometown Heroes.

Beginning next Sunday, and for the following 27 weeks, we’ll feature a different hero, nominated by you, with a story in print and online. And as a show of community support, Lockheed Martin has made it possible for each of the featured Hometown Heroes to receive $1,000, which can be used to address personal financial challenges created by COVID-19 or donated to the charity of their choice.

But first we need your nominations. Please go to star-telegram.com/nominate to nominate a hero in your community who you think has a story that needs to be told. It could be a neighbor, employee, co-worker, first responder, healthcare worker, teacher, store clerk or pastor — anyone who has been a positive influence during this difficult time.

You’ll be asked to give us your name and contact information, the name and contact information of the person you’re nominating and a bit more about that person.

If you don’t have access to the Internet, you may mail that information to our editor, Steve Coffman, at Fort Worth Star-Telegram, PO Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101.

Tarrant County reports coronavirus deaths of Arlington man in his 30s, 11th person in Keller

An Arlington man in his 30s and a Keller man in his 70s died from coronavirus-related issues, Tarrant County officials reported Saturday.

Both men had underlying health conditions, according to health officials.

The county confirmed 52 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 4,951, including 143 deaths and 1,832 recoveries.

Of the 143 confirmed coronavirus deaths in Tarrant County, 87 have been in Fort Worth, 15 in Arlington, and 11 in Keller.

Keller’s overall case total is 101, including 27 recoveries. It’s 10.9% mortality rate, however, for those who have tested positive is higher than the more infected cities in the county.

Fort Worth’s mortality rate for 2,631 cases is 3.3%. Arlington, with 916 cases, is at 1.6%.

COVID-19 cases over time

Coronavirus daily case counts over time by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Tap the arrow button to replay the animation. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services and local counties.

Steve Wilson swilson@star-telegram.com

Dallas County judge urges residents not to focus on ‘what is legal, but on what is safe’

Dallas County reported 172 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Saturday.

The latest deaths included residents of Richardson, Seagoville and Mesquite. A Richardson man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility had been hospitalized and had an underlying health condition. A Mesquite man in his 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility had underlying health conditions and died at the facility. A Seagoville woman in her 80s with no known underlying health condition died in an area hospital.

Although the total new COVID-19 cases are slightly down from last week (200 a day compared with 233 a day), there have been more confirmed deaths: 40 this week compared to 27 last week.

“The hospitalizations for COVID-19, ICU admissions, and emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms have remained flat over the last week,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release and on social media. “Overall, this week has been good news and we will hopefully begin to see a decline, but that is entirely up to you.”

Judge Jenkins urged residents to continue to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines as set by the CDC and state and local health officials.

“We must all make good decisions and focus not on what is legal, but on what is safe,” he said. “Avoid crowds, when you must be in a crowd, wear a face covering and maintain six foot distancing and practice good hygiene by washing your hands regularly. And remember, the safest thing to do right now is #StayHomeSavesLives.”

Memorial Day weekend at Fort Worth Stockyards: Smaller crowds, new safety measures

Nora Wallace asked whether she could compare a few of the belt buckles sitting out in the glass display case, emblazoned with cowboy imagery like a sheriff’s star, a steer’s horns and the outline of Texas. The employee obliged, pulling them out of the case and handing them to her.

Wallace then held each one up to her waist to imagine what they might look like.

It was a small interaction for the Grand Prairie woman who wanted to spend the Saturday of her Memorial Day weekend shopping at Fort Worth’s iconic Stockyards. But, after spending so much time “cooped up” indoors due to the coronavirus, it meant everything.

Browsing the merchandise at Cavender’s was just one part of her day at the Stockyards with her husband and her friend visiting from Los Angeles. She said she wanted to support businesses that have been struggling over the past couple of months and get a bite to eat at H3 Ranch.

Even though the sidewalks and red brick streets of the historic district were emptier than she was used to, it felt like something of a return to what life was like before.

“It just feels really good to be out here, seeing the people, giving business to all the local shops and just enjoying the day,” Wallace said. “And being normal.”

It wasn’t quite business as usual at the Stockyards on Saturday morning, without the wall-to-wall crowds of a typical holiday weekend, and with businesses capping capacity at 25 percent per Gov. Greg Abbott’s re-opening plan. There were also to be no cattle drives.

Many of the stores throughout the district were able to reopen on May 1. On Saturday, though, the Stockyards was celebrating grand openings for two new stores located in the newly renovated Mule Alley: Lucchese Bootmaker and MB Mercantile & Supply.

Nightlife returns to reopened Fort Worth, Arlington bars amid coronavirus pandemic

After months of relatively empty streets and sidewalks, Fort Worth’s West 7th bars came back to life in the wee hours of Friday morning and again Friday night.

Bars there — like many across Texas — turned on the music, lit their neon signs and started pouring drinks for crowds of customers at midnight Friday. These bars have been closed since Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order in March, restricting restaurants and closing bars in efforts to lessen the spread of coronavirus.

Most of the bars in the West 7th district were back up and running. The Durty Crow, The Local, Concrete Cowboy, Your Mom’s House, Reservoir and Bodega hosted between 10 and 40 people at any given point during their first two hours back in business Friday morning.

While bars in the area experienced a low turnout between midnight and 2 a.m. Friday, the next night brought lines of people waiting to get inside the establishments, which are restricted to 25% of capacity.

Friday night and into Saturday morning, more Tarrant County bars returned to some semblance of normality.

Outside the West 7th area, some bars waited until Friday night to reopen. The Usual, a bar on the Magnolia Avenue, was one of only a few such establishments to open in the district.

Manager Tommy Fogle said The Usual didn’t want to reopen this early for public health concerns, but needed to financially.

“It’s early for the type of bar this is, too,” Fogle said. “This is a bring 10 of your friends with you and socialize type of bar.”

He said to make sure the bar is doing everything it can to keep its patrons safe, The Usual is overstaffed. The extra staff are being used to regularly sanitize everything customers touch. There will be two employees every day to watch the front door, check IDs and use a hand towel to open the door so customers don’t have to touch the handle.

In Arlington, local staples like J Gilligan’s, Kool Keg and Tanstaafl Pub opened up their bars.

J Gilligan’s has been offering takeout food and cocktail kits since the bar was forced to close because of the pandemic, and Kool Keg has been selling kegs and frozen drinks to go.

Mel LeRoy, manager of Tanstaafl Pub, said their business hasn’t had that luxury. They were able to make it the two months they were closed in part because of their more than 40 years in the community, LeRoy said, but the business wouldn’t have lasted much longer.

Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes addresses Texas Tech’s class of 2020 ... virtually

Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes made a guest appearance during Texas Tech’s virtual graduation ceremonies on Saturday.

Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, told the future generation to “go out and win your Super Bowl” during a speech that lasted less than two minutes.

“I’m beyond excited that I get to share this celebration with my fellow Red Raiders,” Mahomes said. “I know this isn’t the graduation ceremony that you and your families had envisioned but that doesn’t change the outcome or all the hard work, long hours and sacrifices that you made to achieve this milestone.

“I know this is for sure not how you imagined spending your last days as a student. I’m sure you’d rather be hitting up Chimy’s or Broadway to celebrate this day, but the world is in a different place today than it was just a few weeks ago, and as Red Raiders, we’re built to persevere in difficult times.

“We’ve all had to take a moment and learn to adjust to these new challenges, and when the odds are stacked against us, we make a play, and I can tell you, this is going to make us all more competitive and hungrier than ever. Remember, this is still a day to celebrate — to look back on your friends you’ve made, the professors who have changed your life and the memories that you will cherish forever. Whatever plans lie in front of you, I have no doubt you will go out there and show the world what it means to come from Lubbock, Texas. Go out and win your Super Bowl. Congrats, class of 2020. I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

Mahomes played at Texas Tech from 2014-16, throwing 41 touchdowns his final season in 2016. He’s since become a star in the NFL, winning the league’s MVP award in 2018 and leading the Chiefs to the Super Bowl last season.

Editorial: Confused on coronavirus numbers game? Here’s the data to look for

Pop quiz: Is the coronavirus pandemic getting better or worse in Tarrant County and Texas?

A blizzard of statistics is available to make either case. Daily reports of case counts add to the confusion, as they offer little detail of when someone contracted the virus or in what circumstances. The numbers might seem reassuring or scary, depending on how many tests have been conducted.

It doesn’t help that some politicians, media figures or even your friends on Facebook grab onto any number that bolsters their preferred side of the reopening debate. A huge number of new cases surely means that Texas and other states are sacrificing people in the name of the economy. A small share of tests turning up positive and a low death rate must be proof that power-hungry leaders are taking advantage of a chance to snatch our liberty for no good reason.

And it doesn’t help when there are errors or even outright manipulation in the reporting of COVID-19 data. Texas leaders acknowledged Thursday that the state’s testing numbers included both nasal swab and antibody tests. The first indicates current cases, while the presence of antibodies in the blood indicate someone has had the disease at some point.

Conflating the two is a problem, epidemiologists say, because we need to know how many people have the virus now to determine if it’s spreading. And when state health officials began calculating the numbers a different way, sure enough, the share of positive tests rose.

Texas is hardly alone in this mistake. The federal government’s health authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is doing it, too, along with several other states.

So, where to look? Remember that the priority of “flattening the curve” was to protect the health system. That remains the case. We can’t let our hospitals be overwhelmed. So one of the most important metrics is hospital-bed availability. So far, so good in Tarrant County and statewide, but the full impact of the first wave of reopening probably hasn’t been felt yet. And it’s good news that we haven’t needed all the ventilators available.

TCU to enter Phase I, reopen campus to select employees, football staff next week

TCU will reopen its campus to select employees, including its football staff, starting next Tuesday.

The school announced plans to enter what it’s calling “Phase 1” with a few employees being able to return to campus while maintaining social distancing and other safety protocols on campus amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“A limited number of leaders and department heads will return in Phase 1 to prepare the campus for succeeding phases and ultimately the return of students in August,” the school said. “All members of the TCU community should wear face coverings when in public (each employee will receive one machine washable cloth face covering).”

As far as the athletic department, the entire football staff is expected to be part of those returning to campus. No other sports staff is expected to return.

The NCAA has approved voluntary workouts for football and basketball players as early as June 1, and the Big 12 said Friday that football players can return to campuses on June 15.

TCU is slowly building toward a return for more of its staff with Phase II expected to start on June 8.

Most Johnson County coronavirus cases have been in rural areas

Johnson County is up to 173 confirmed coronavirus cases through Friday.

Most of those cases have been residents in rural areas of the county. Of the total COVID-19 cases, 61 have been in unincorporated Johnson County, 53 have been in Burleson and 30 in Cleburne. Other cities have seen fewer cases, including eight in Alvarado, six in Mansfield and Keene, five in Venus and three in Joshua.

Johnson County Emergency Management coordinator Jamie Moore said residents can help keep the pandemic numbers down by continuing to adhere to the safety guidelines urged by the CDC and state and local health officials.

“One of the ways we are going to be able to get, and keep, this virus in check is for people to do their part and participate in the things we know can be impactful,” he said. “Social distancing, wearing a face mask for a short time when in a public building, and of course sanitizing common surfaces and hand washing all can help limit the virus spread and ultimately help keep our vulnerable populations more safe during this pandemic.”

The county has reported 118 recoveries. Of the 55 active cases, there are 22 in rural areas, 16 in Burleson (according to city officials), eight in Cleburne and six in Alvarado.

There have been four pandemic-related deaths in the county, including one that happened in California after a Johnson County resident died in a hospital after contracting the virus on a cruise ship.

Are North Texas firefighters at risk of losing jobs from COVID? This might help

As many as 30,000 firefighters across the country could lose their jobs this year as the novel coronavirus cuts into department budgets, but changes to a federal grant program announced Friday in Fort Worth aim to help prevent that in some departments.

That estimate came from a International Association of Fire Chiefs survey that found nearly 1,000 firefighters had been laid off or furloughed by mid-March due to the coronavirus recession, which the association deemed the “largest cuts to fire service in modern times.” Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf, flanked by a group of Fort Worth Fire cadets at the city’s training facility, announced he would waive requirements for local fire departments to qualify for federal grants that help supplement the cost of hiring or retaining firefighters.

“We want to make sure that our firefighters and our first responders are getting the access and getting the resources they need,” Wolf said.

The money, called SAFER grants, helps cover the cost of salary and benefits for new firefighters for three years. Typically a city must match at least 25% of the grant. Wolf waived that, along with other minimum budget requirements, he said, as way to help cities pay for a growing list of coronavirus-related needs. He described the waiver as a “first step,” indicating more relief could be in the works for cities that have borne the brunt of combating the outbreak.

This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 7:34 AM.