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That Rocks/That Sucks
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Gov. Greg Abbott’s continued efforts to reopen the Texas economy, the state reported 1,801 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday — the largest single-day jump in cases since the pandemic began. Much of the increase is the result of an outbreak in the Texas Panhandle, where testing at an Amarillo meat packing plant revealed 700 new cases.
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Alamo Colleges District recently responded to the coronavirus pandemic by waiving summer tuition for all currently enrolled students, so long as they have a 2.0 GPA. Full-time students who took class during the spring are eligible for up to nine free credit hours, while part-timers are approved for up to six.
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Texas has the 13th-lowest census response rate, with just 51.2% of the population filling their forms, according to study by the financial site SmartAsset. Among the 50 most populous cities, San Antonio ranks 32nd, with a 53% total response rate. The 2020 U.S. Census will determine how many congressional seats each state gets and inform the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funding.
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The Trump administration announced Friday that it is waiving several regulations in order to fast-track construction of nearly 70 miles of border wall and roads in Webb and Zapata counties. The order allows the Department of Homeland Security to circumvent numerous federal regulations that protect the environment and animal habitats. — Sanford Nowlin
Tomas Gonzalez
ASSCLOWN ALERT
Reopening Militias It’s reasonable for people to disagree about how to reopen the economy amid a deadly pandemic. Given the stakes for people’s individual health and incomes, it stands to reason some will exercise the right to protest enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Still, it’s hard to imagine a more assclownish display of our country’s partisan dysfunction than the gangs of heavily armed enforcers popping up around Texas to force business reopenings to occur at their preferred pace, public health be damned. Media outlets have documented at least a half-dozen incidents around the state where militia-style protesters have “guarded” small business owners as they throw open their bars,
gyms and tattoo parlors in violation of state orders — and at the risk of spreading COVID-19 infections. Around the country, far-right anti-government protests have become synonymous with theatrical displays of firepower. Ask the participants, and they’ll tell you that’s because gun rights are tied up with every other individual liberty they’re fighting to protect. But that’s a smokescreen. Those individuals know what the rest of us do: a loaded weapon of war is a threat, a means to enforce your will when you’re not smart, articulate or brave enough to do so in the marketplace ideas. “People are nervous enough as it is, and then to see people walking around with AR-15s in public places, gathered together like that, is unnerving and upsetting,” Ed Scruggs, president of firearms control group Texas Gun Sense told the New York Times. “The entire goal is intimidation and attention.” — Sanford Nowlin
YOU SAID IT!
“We knew that we easily could do this, because instead of putting tchotchkes in a bag that is going to go to a conference attendee, this is the same exact thing except it’s just food going into a box.” — Gregorio Palomino,
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CRE8AD8 owner explaining to the Express-News why his wedding planning company is qualified for the controversial $39.1 million federal contract it won to distribute food to needy families
Despite the State of Texas’ unwillingness to reveal the names of nursing homes with COVID-19 infections, San Antonio health officials last week announced they will release daily data on testing at individual local care facilities. At press time, Metro Health had recorded 66 new cases in local nursing homes and three deaths. Last week, the total number of cases across the state jumped to more than 3,000.
The San Antonio Regional Alliance for the Homeless this week released the results of a new data analysis showing a year-over-year rise in the city’s homeless population. The total of 2,932 homeless people surveyed in January represents a 2% increase over the count conducted a year ago. This year’s numbers also reflects a 7% increase in unsheltered homelessness.
San Antonio City Council last Thursday voted 6-5 to reject District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño’s proposal to give tenants an extra 60 days to resolve overdue rent during the pandemic. That rejection came as the Texas Supreme Court ruled to end its moratorium on evictions and debt collections, clearing both to resume this week. Jade Esteban Estrada
