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.

How a Fort Worth suburb became the ‘Mecca for conservatives’ that led Texas’ reopening

The weekend Colleyville reopened ahead of Texas, more than a dozen people gathered outside the Latin restaurant Gloria’s under a radiant spring sun, waiting two hours to enjoy margaritas al fresco. A few couples, sitting in the parking lot’s grassy medians, brought lawn chairs. They had come because Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton signed a proclamation allowing on April 24 for people to dine at restaurant patios, gather at churches if they followed social distancing guidelines and book appointments at gyms and salons.

The rest of Texas was shut down. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, both Democrats, were even attempting to add further restrictions by requiring residents to wear masks. In Tarrant County, Republican Judge B. Glen Whitley suggested it could be two to four weeks before Tarrant reopened, saying on April 21, “Now is not the time to relax.”

A majority of Texas agreed: A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll showed two-thirds of Texans approved of the shutdown of nonessential businesses and three-quarters approved of stay-at-home orders. But Colleyville showed something else. A mixture of visitors and residents at Gloria’s that Saturday said they were out to stimulate the economy or to escape the boredom of their houses. Or, as a middle-aged Springtown woman named Patty Kelley put it, “I feel like we’re proving a point.”

Three days later, the Colleyville model won out. Gov. Greg Abbott announced April 28 he would start Phase 1 of reopening Texas on May 1. He also did not challenge Colleyville’s early reopening, even though his executive order said “people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants and food courts, or visiting gyms.” (Newton said he coordinated his plan with the Attorney General’s Office.)

That Colleyville led the way to reopening was predictable — and popular — for many of its residents, and a sign of an influence that far outweighs its size of 27,000. The suburban city 15 miles northeast of downtown Fort Worth has maintained a strong sense of conservatism and liberty more common among rural towns, making it an outlier among the Metroplex’s rapidly growing and changing suburbs — and a barometer of the Republican base.

“When you get Colleyville up on its hind legs, Abbott is going to see that and think primary,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at SMU and author of “Lone Star Tarnished.”

Response to Amarillo outbreak shows how Texas will target COVID spikes, Abbott says

As more Texas businesses begin to reopen, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the state is preparing for waves of coronavirus outbreaks and touted teams that will be used to respond to spikes.

“We are prepared and preparing for second and third-level expansions of COVID-19. Second level would be as we go about this opening up process, we realize there could be spikes like what we have seen in Amarillo,” Abbott said Wednesday during a press conference from Amarillo City Hall.

Abbott pointed to the state’s “surge response teams” that he unveiled earlier this month as an example of how the state will target outbreaks and “tamp down any type of flare-up using the model of what we have seen in Amarillo.”

Counties in the Panhandle have seen some of the highest rates of infection across the state, with outbreaks largely tied to meatpacking plants. Both state and federal officials have been sent to the area to help investigate and contain the outbreaks.

“Then there’s talk about a potential second flare-up or third flare-up in the fall or wintertime when the regular flu occurs and COVID-19 could occur if we have don’t have medicines to take care of it,” Abbott said.

Texas Supreme Court: Voters don’t qualify for mail-in ballots due to lack of COVID immunity

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday afternoon that a lack of immunity to the novel coronavirus does not make a voter eligible for a mail-in ballot under Texas law.

Attorney General Ken Paxton had asked the state’s highest civil court to weigh in on the issue to prevent local election officials in some of Texas’ largest counties from processing mail-in ballots for voters who cite the disability category and normally would not qualify.

While the court agreed with Paxton that a lack of immunity to the virus alone would not qualify a voter for a mail-in ballot, they declined to order local election officials to investigate mail-in ballot applications they have received and said there is no evidence election officials have processed faulty ones.

“We agree with the State that a voter’s lack of immunity to COVID-19, without more, is not a ‘disability’ as defined by the Election Code. But the State acknowledges that election officials have no responsibility to question or investigate a ballot application that is valid on its face,” the opinion written by Chief Justice Nathan Hecht read.

The court took no side in the debate over expanding access to mail-in ballots, which has recently ping-ponged back and forth in the courts. The Texas Democratic Party, voters and civil rights groups have launched a slew of legal challenges in state and federal courts seeking to loosen the state’s vote-by-mail restrictions amid the pandemic. Groups challenging the state have raised concerns over voters risking their health by visiting polling places while the virus spreads.

Waiting for your coronavirus stimulus money? Check your mailbox for a debit card.

Willow Park resident Libby Afflerbach had been waiting to receive her stimulus check in the mail. So when she got a prepaid Visa debit card in her mailbox, she thought it was a scam.

On May 18, the Department of the Treasury announced that it had started to send nearly 4 million coronavirus Economic Impact Payments by prepaid debit cards instead of checks, according to a U.S. Treasury press release.

The debit cards are being distributed to individuals without bank information on file with the IRS, and whose tax return was processed by either the Andover or Austin IRS Service Center, the press release stated. The card allows funds to be sent efficiently and securely to recipients, the releases said.

“[The] Treasury and the IRS have been working with unprecedented speed to issue Economic Impact Payments to American families. Prepaid debit cards are secure, easy to use, and allow us to deliver Americans their money quickly,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “Recipients can immediately activate and use the cards safely.”

Although the envelope Afflerbach received stated her Economic Impact Payment Card was enclosed, she was suspicious. Two weeks ago she checked the status of her funds on the IRS website, and it stated that she would receive her check on May 22, she said. The card appeared a day earlier.

“This comes from some money company that you’ve never heard of and it looks just like all the junk mail you get to sign up for credit cards or various discounts,” she said. “All kinds of junk stuff that I throw away.”

Fort Worth kids could be left open to abuse with child care options scarce, experts say

Some parents who have been at home for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic face a daunting decision as the Texas economy gains traction.

When parents are recalled to work, who will take care of their children?

Who do you trust?

Child care advocates and law enforcement veterans who were already expecting a surge of child abuse cases in the fall when masses of children return to school, now anticipate additional abuse cases because some parents will not make careful child care choices.

Abuse cases typically increase after long school breaks, and children have already been separated from friends, extended family, teachers and educators during the forced isolation efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

For many families, there has been no school and some level of isolation since spring break.

“There are probably a lot of kids right now who are physically abused who are not showing up in the system,” said Sgt. Rachel DeHoyos, of the Fort Worth Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit.

Texas offers subsidized child care through the Tarrant County Child Care Management System to parents who qualify. But 1,986 families were on the waiting list for state-subsidized child care in Tarrant County in March, and the wait can be weeks, if not months long, according to state records.

Given few options that fit their budgets, some families turn to relatives and family friends who may be unsuited to provide child care. Other workers may leave their youngest children in the care their slightly older children, or worse, leave their children unattended, advocates say.

Tarrant County reports record high 11 coronavirus deaths, and 151 new cases

Tarrant County reported a single-day high 11 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday.

Of the latest COVID-19 deaths, six were residents of Fort Worth, including a man in his 60s, two women in their 70s, and one man and two women in their 80s.

Other deaths include an Arlington man in his 80s, a Keller woman in her 80s and a Keller man older than 90; a Mansfield man in his 70s and a White Settlement woman in her 90s.

All but one had underlying health conditions, according to county officials.

Wednesday’s totals include pandemic data reported to the county on Monday and Tuesday. The county had not publicly reported any deaths since Sunday.

Tarrant County has confirmed a total of 5,190 COVID-19 cases, including 155 deaths and 2,010 recoveries.

Of the total confirmed coronavirus deaths in the county, there have been 94 in Fort Worth, 16 in Arlington, 13 in Keller, five each in Grapevine and Benbrook, three each in Mansfield and rural Tarrant County, two in Haltom City, Forest Hill and Azle, and one each in Hurst, Grand Prairie, Bedford, Southlake, White Settlement, Watauga, Sansom Park, River Oaks, Kennedale, and Lakeside.

Of the county’s hospital beds, 181 were occupied by confirmed COVID patients as of Wednesday. Hospitals had 412 of their total 617 ventilators available and 2,200 available beds out of the total capacity of 5,703, according to the county’s website.

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 reports 8 COVID deaths, including man in 30s with no underlying issues

Dallas County reported eight coronavirus deaths and 197 new cases on Wednesday.

Five Dallas residents and three Mesquite residents have died of COVID-19, including a Dallas man in his 30s who was found dead at home. He did not have underlying health conditions, officials said.

The other Dallas deaths include a man his 40s, a man his 50s and two women in their 70s. One of the women was a resident of a long-term care facility and did not have underlying health conditions.

Two women and a man in their 80s died in Mesquite. All three were residents of a long-term care facility and had underlying health conditions.

“Today’s numbers are a somber reminder of the need to continue with the ‘Stay Home Stay Safe’ safety measures that have proven effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release and on social media.

Dallas County has confirmed 9,385 COVID-19 cases, including 221 deaths. The county is not reporting recoveries.

Coronavirus deaths top 100,000 in United States. ‘Too big for us to comprehend’

Coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 people in the United States, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday.

There have been 5.6 million confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus worldwide, with more than 353,000 deaths, according to the university. The United States leads the world in deaths, with the United Kingdom following at more than 37,000 deaths.

The United States has had more than 1.6 million confirmed cases, and nearly 15 million in the U.S. have been tested for the COVID-19 virus, Johns Hopkins University reported.

More than 77,000 people have been hospitalized with coronavirus in New York, where more than 29,000 have died, according to the university.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the 2019-20 seasonal flu has killed from 24,000 to 62,000 people nationally. A 2009 swine flu pandemic killed more than 12,000 people in the United States.

Amon Carter Jr. Downtown YMCA to reopen Monday, unveils coronavirus safety protocols

After being closed for about two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Amon G. Carter Jr. Downtown YMCA is set to reopen Monday with new safety measures and procedures.

The location will be open from 6 a.m to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and closed on Sundays.

Although Gov. Greg Abbott allowed gyms to reopen May 18, Tony Shuman, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth, said the YMCA is a trusted organization in the community so they took the extra time to open safely for members.

“It took us a little bit more time to make sure that we’re following all of those regulations to get all the PPE stuff and everything ready,” Shuman said during a media tour Wednesday.

Jacklinn Sotello, associate vice president of member experience and healthy living, said the safety of members and staff is the priority. Before entering the building, staff will have their temperature taken and are required to wear masks and gloves.

Members must sign a waiver that states they are healthy before entering. Although it is encouraged, the YMCA is not requiring members to wear masks or gloves.

The facility is also implementing these guidelines.

Deadliest place in Texas during the pandemic? Nursing homes, long-term care facilities

The scariest place to live during the coronavirus pandemic in Texas is a nursing home or long-term care facility.

More than 700 residents of Texas nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died from the coronavirus as of Wednesday.

That’s 45% of the 1,562 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the state.

Of the 488 nursing homes and long-term care facilities with confirmed COVID-19 deaths, 147 are located in the North Texas region. That’s the most by far of the state’s eight regions.

The North Texas region — Tarrant, Dallas and the surrounding counties up to the Red River and as far west as Scurry County — has confirmed 229 COVID-19 deaths in these facilities, roughly a third of the total of 704 deaths across the state. The next closest region in deaths at nursing home and long-term care facilities is the Houston area with 156.

Dallas-based Tuesday Morning becomes 5th big retailer to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Discount goods retailer Tuesday Morning has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the fifth major retailer to do so since the pandemic, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

As part of the bankruptcy reorganization, the Dallas-based chain said Wednesday it plans to close approximately 230 of its 687 stores over the summer to focus on high-performing locations and will do this with a phased approach.

Tuesday Morning joins J.C. Penney, luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus, J.Crew and Stage Stores in filing for Chapter 11 since the virus was declared a pandemic in mid-March that forced many stores that sell non-essential goods to close and resulted in evaporating sales. Pier 1 Imports, which filed for Chapter 11 in February, is now liquidating its business.

Like the other retailers that filed for Chapter 11, Tuesday Morning was already weakened before the pandemic. The chain’s business has been hurt by a lack of exciting merchandise and stiffer competition from off-price peers like TJX Cos., which operates such chains as T.J. Maxx and Home Goods, as well as Macy’s new discount concept Back Stage.

“While consumers do not expect off-price discount retailers to have a perfectly curated selection of merchandise, they do demand that the range is reasonably coherent and contains interesting finds,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of Global Data Retail. “Unfortunately, Tuesday Morning often fails to deliver this. Many stores are not so much an Aladdin’s cave of exciting treasures as a jumbled flea market of whatever buyers could seemingly get their hands on.”

COVID-19 has forced Mike McCarthy to lead Cowboys from the heart of Packers’ country

Never in his wildest dreams did Mike McCarthy envision he would be prepping for his first year as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys from his home in the heart of Green Bay Packers’ country.

Following his hiring by the Cowboys in January, McCarthy initially traveled back and forth from his new home in Frisco to see his family in Green Bay, Wis., where he coached for 13 years before being let go in 2018.

But with the NFL shutting down in-person operations in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, McCarthy has done his work from Green Bay, including holding his first team meeting to start the virtual offseason program, the 2020 NFL draft and continued meetings with coaches and planning for training camp.

Suffice it to say, McCarthy is ready to come home to Dallas and get together with his team, as well as move his family to Texas.

Oakland A’s to stop paying minor-league players. Will Texas Rangers follow suit?

Move over, Los Angeles Angels. There’s a new cheapskate atop the MLB heap.

The Oakland A’s took the mantle Tuesday when they told their minor-leaguers they will no longer receive a $400-a-week stipend after this week. The A’s surged past the Angels, who will begin furloughing employees (including amateur scouts ahead of the amateur draft) Monday.

The Texas Rangers will continue to pay their minor-leaguers at $400 a week through June but will evaluate compensation over the final two months of what would be the minor-league season.

Other teams are committed to paying minor-leaguers, though not necessarily at $400 a week.

In April, Rangers designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo gave each Rangers minor-league player $1,000, a gesture that cost the 2018 All-Star around $200,000.

MLB teams are losing money with no games being played during the coronavirus pandemic and no revenue from TV contracts. Owners and the MLB Players Association have entered negotiations on safety and player compensation for a 2020 MLB season.

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.