Coronavirus live updates July 7: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
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.
These Fort Worth-area companies saved more than 200,000 jobs with coronavirus loans
At least 4,000 companies in Tarrant County received federal loans of $150,000 or more to help stay afloat throughout the pandemic, with about 500 of those companies receiving over $1 million.
The Trump Administration released data Monday on companies that received loans through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Paycheck Protection Program, offering a glimpse into how many Tarrant County businesses have benefited from federal assistance.
For Tarrant County companies, at least 204,350 jobs were estimated to be retained due to the loans — although not all companies listed that data. Besides payroll, companies and nonprofits could use a portion of the loan for rent, utilities and other expenses.
The companies span a wide swath of industries, from nonprofits like Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth, to popular restaurants, like Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, to law firms like Kelly Hart & Hallman, and dozens of private schools and churches. Catholic Charities, Kelly Hart & Hallman and Joe T. Garcia’s all received loans between $2 million to $5 million.
Other notable recipients include Billy Bob’s Texas, the Colonial Country Club, Kimbell Art Foundation, The Fort Worth Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association and the Tarrant Area Food Bank which all received loans between $1 million to $2 million.
Roughly 30 companies received loans between $5 million to $10 million — the largest tier. It included notable businesses like Whitley Penn, the accounting firm co-founded in 1983 by Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, and Classic Chevrolet located in Grapevine, which touts itself as the “largest Chevy dealer in America,” according to its website. Whitley Penn listed that the loan would help retain 486 jobs, and Judge Whitley left the firm in 2015. Cotton Patch Cafe, the Texas restaurant chain, also received $5 million to $10 million.
Texas Rangers will open the 2020 season at Globe Life Field, but likely without fans
Some goods news arrived Monday evening for the Texas Rangers hours after they revealed a positive COVID-19 test for their best player, Joey Gallo.
They will open the abbreviated 2020 MLB season at Globe Life Field on July 24 against the Colorado Rockies.
There’s a catch, which many will also consider to be good news: Fans will likely not be allowed at least on the opening homestand.
The Rangers are playing 60 games, 40 of which are against the other four teams in the American League West. The five teams in the National League West fill out the schedule, with the Rangers playing their “natural rival” Rockies six times.
“Knowing the schedule itself, knowing we’re going to play 40 against our division and 20 against the National League West, we’ve already started our preparation on those teams and knowing what we’re going to expect and what we’re going to be up against,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I know nobody’s ever played in our place, so that’s got to be a little bit of an advantage on our part.”
The Rangers will play host to the Rockies on July 21-22 in exhibition games that fans will not be allowed to attend. The Rangers are anticipating that fans won’t be permitted until August.
Estimated active cases over time
Coronavirus daily active case estimates by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Texas Rangers All-Star Joey Gallo tests positive for COVID-19
Joey Gallo has no symptoms of COVID-19, and he and the Texas Rangers hope it stays that way.
But the All-Star has tested positive twice in the past 10 days despite being asymptomatic, and is out indefinitely from summer camp. The Rangers, though, expect their right fielder and best player to be ready for the start of the 2020 MLB season, which is still expected to begin July 24.
General manager Jon Daniels said that Gallo waived his HIPAA rights, allowing the team to announce his positive test and reveal a timeline to outline his unexplained absence from the first three days of workouts.
In between the two positive MLB-mandated saliva tests, Gallo actually tested negative via a nasal-swab test.
“Our mindset going into this was it’s not a matter if guys tested positive but when,” Daniels said. “Obviously, this thing doesn’t discriminate whether it’s a star player or somebody trying to make the club.
“The key thing for us is Joey is asymptomatic and feels good. Based on that and some other experiences, we have read about or been told about, he should be good to go once he is cleared, assuming and hoping he doesn’t develop any symptoms as we go.”
Tarrant County reports 820 new coronavirus cases over 3 days, and 2 more deaths
On Monday, Tarrant County reported 820 new COVID-19 cases — which includes three days of data — and two new deaths.
The new cases are from positive test results reported by labs to the county on Friday through Sunday. The county didn’t publicly report new cases on Friday or Saturday because of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. On Sunday, the county reported test results from Thursday.
The total number of cases in the county rose to 14,828 and 238 deaths with Monday’s report, according to the Tarrant County COVID-19 statistics. There have been 6,187 recoveries reported.
The two new deaths were an Arlington woman in her 70s and a Fort Worth man in his 80s, according to a Tarrant County Public Health press release. Both had underlying health conditions.
Arlington and Fort Worth have been hit the hardest. Fort Worth has 131 deaths and Arlington has 37.
About 67% of the county’s total hospital beds are occupied as of Monday with 16% of those being COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 patients are using about 10% of all available beds in Tarrant County, a sharp increase from 3% on June 1.
Tarrant County hospital capacity
Hospital capacity by available beds and ventilators for Tarrant County. Data provided by Tarrant County Public Health.
Dallas County sees record 1,214 new COVID cases, largest increase in hospitalizations
Dallas County reported a record-high 1,214 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths on Monday.
This marks the fourth day in a row when the county has reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases, according to a Dallas County press release. The county has reported a total of 27,054 cases and 401 deaths.
The new deaths include:
A man in his 40s from DeSoto.
A woman in her 50s from Dallas who had an underlying health condition.
A man in his 60s from Grand Prairie who had an underlying health condition.
A man in his 70s from Dallas who had an underlying health condition.
A woman in her 80s from Dallas who had an underlying health condition.
A woman in her 100s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in Dallas.
According to the release, half of new cases reported since June 1 are being diagnosed in young adults between 18 to 39 years old. Many of these cases have been connected to large gatherings, which includes house parties.
County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted that Dallas saw its biggest jump in hospitalizations Monday. The county has 105 more hospitalizations, a 16% increase from Sunday.
“It’s the hospitalizations number that we must watch closely,” Jenkins tweeted. “Think of hospitalizations as the sickest of the sick, the part of the iceberg above the water.”
Fort Worth women’s prison faces coronavirus outbreak; 12th inmate dies at men’s prison
As of Monday, 51 women and two staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 at the women’s federal medical prison in Fort Worth. And at Fort Worth’s male prison, a 12th inmate died from the virus on Friday.
FMC Carswell, the only federal medical prison for women in the country, houses 1,390 women, many of whom have medical conditions.
In April, Carswell inmates talked to the Star-Telegram about their fears of the virus spreading in the prison. In a letter to Warden Michael Carr, several inmates asked him to release all elderly and sick nonviolent offenders to home confinement and said a single case of coronavirus could have the effect of lighting a match on a book of matches.
“If there was ever a time to show mercy and compassion, this is it,” they wrote.
FMC Carswell administrators and the Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to comment about Carswell’s outbreak.
DEATH AT FMC FORT WORTH
Robert Hague-Rogers, 83, never tested positive for COVID-19, but he was hospitalized with shortness of breath in April and had a positive antibody test, the Bureau of Prisons said in a press release.
Hague-Rogers tested negative for coronavirus on April 21 and April 23. On April 27, he was taken to the hospital for breathing problems. On July 3, he died at the hospital.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations over Time
Coronavirus daily hospitalization counts in Texas and the larger Trauma Service Areas, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Did you protest Tarrant property values? It might take a while to resolve
Tarrant County property owners who have protested valuations are encouraged to work out a settlement over the phone or expect delays for in-person hearings as the Tarrant Appraisal District works to balance safety in the midst of rising coronavirus cases while it processes the 158,000 protests that were filed.
“We will not deny anyone their right to protest,” said Jeff Law, the chief appraiser. “We are trying to be as cautious as possible.”
He said his goal is to certify the property tax rolls, as required by law, by July 25. To do that, at least 90% of the protests filed must be resolved.
The certification gives cities, counties, school districts and other taxing entities information about the revenue they’ll have before they set tax rates that will be used to calculate tax bills later in the year.
Law said workers are focusing first on the 103,000 protests filed by tax agents on behalf of property owners and then will move on to the 55,000 protests filed by property owners.
If there’s no resolution, hearings may begin in August or September. And those hearings will either be on the telephone or in person. TAD offices are closed to the general public.
TCU hoped to postpone commencement ceremonies to August. Now they’re canceled.
TCU has canceled its commencement ceremonies for spring 2020 and August 2020 graduates, the school announced Monday.
The university postponed spring commencement ceremonies from May 9 to Aug. 8 during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic, but has been forced to cancel amid the surge of positive cases across the country.
TCU’s latest COVID-19 positive case count was 27, released Monday afternoon. Of those 27 (21 students, six employees), only eight are deemed to have direct on-campus impact (the individual was on the TCU campus within two days of symptom onset or receiving a positive test).
“We have spent the last three months planning, reimagining and doing everything in our power to create a safe event for our graduates and families to celebrate your incredible achievements,” TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. said in a video message. “We created a plan that followed all CDC, state and local guidelines. But, after meeting with public health department officials, we realized that the event, no matter how well planned, poses too much risk for our graduates, their families, friends and our campus community.”
TCU also canceled its “Senior Toast,” which had been scheduled for Aug. 7.
The ceremonies were expected to take place at Schollmaier Arena with 50% capacity.
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.
Fort Worth-area paramedic goes beyond her daily duties amid coronavirus pandemic
Amy Yang decided as a child that she wanted to be a paramedic after she saw how health care professionals treated her uncle with kindness and compassion when he was ill.
Yang shows that same caring and compassion as a mobile health care medic for MedStar as she works with patients to help prevent visits to the emergency room and hospital stays.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Yang never wavered in her efforts to help her patients and other MedStar co-workers as she delivered over 150 food boxes to people in need and helped with drive-through and in-home COVID-19 testing.
“Everyone at MedStar and her patients think of Amy as their best friend,” said Matt Zavadsky, chief strategic integration officer for MedStar.
Zavadsky nominated Yang for recognition in the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Heroes series. Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each to the 28 people selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the weekly series.
A restaurant owner who helped others now needs help: ‘I cried a couple of tears’
Rosako Bailey has a chance at a break, and he deserves one.
In the pandemic, the persevering owner of Rosako’s Soul Food & BBQ has gone from the Food Network and the Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise” to barely paying the rent on his Bedford home-cooking restaurant.
“At one point I cried a couple of tears,” Bailey said on a recent Eats Beat podcast on iTunes.
“Customers were bringing me money. .... I have a huge support base — I’m very appreciative for that.”
On top of business cutbacks and meat prices, a blown transformer and then a leaking gas line cost him both work days and a freezer full of food.
He’s still open daily except Mondays, selling plenty of rib tips, jerk wings, jalapeno-cheddar sausage and pulled pork, along with sides such as candied yams, collard greens and mac-and-cheese.
Now, his work feeding the homeless has made him a finalist for a $10,000 “Cheers to Heroes” award.
Seattle-based Sparkling Ice is conducting the voting in connection with the Virginia-based Honor Flight charity. The voting is online at sparklingice.com.
Texas high school coaches convention going online due to COVID-19
Coronavirus has taken away one of the biggest events in the state.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas High School Coaches Association canceled its 2020 in-person coaching school and convention in San Antonio and moved it all virtual for the first time in its 88-year history.
The three-day conference, which averages an attendance of 13,000 coaches, athletic administrators and exhibitors, offers a wide range of education sessions on both boys and girls sports, athletic administration, as well as health and safety topics.
“We had hoped for a decrease in the spread of the coronavirus as we neared the convention date, but the situation has evolved rapidly and we are committed to do our part to protect our attendees, sponsors, vendors and staff,” the THSCA stated in a press release.