Coronavirus News

Latest reopening in Texas includes bars, sports, summer school classes

Bars can open at 25 percent capacity.

Texas bars are back in business, part of the state's latest reopening phase in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press conference on May 18, Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled the latest round of reopenings, which can take place in May.

Businesses allowed to open include bars, professional sports, and summer school classes, as long as they follow safety procedures.

Bars can reopen open May 22 with 25 percent capacity, along with wine tasting rooms and craft beer breweries.

Restaurants, which were allowed to reopen on May 1, can now increase their capacity to 50 percent, doubling their previous capacity of 25 percent.

Those capacity limits do not extend to outdoor areas.

Entertainment venues including bowling alleys, drive-in movie theaters, zoos, and aquariums, are also allowed to reopen on May 22, also at 25 percent.

The full list of businesses allowed to reopen can be found on gov.texas.gov/opentexas.

"COVID-19 still exists in Texas," Abbott said. "Our goal is to find ways to coexist wtih COVID-19 as safely as possible, including maintaining safe distances, wearing a mask, and sanitizing your hands. It is a fact that these safe practices save lives."

"Another safe practice that must be followed is protecting our most vulnerable populations," he said. "As we move into phase 2, the safest strategy for those people is to continue to stay at home."

Child care services, including boys and girls clubs and YMCA programs, will be allowed to open.

On May 31, youth sports camps, little league programs, summer camps, daytime and overnight camps, scouting camps, vacation Bible school camps, and 4H camps can reopen.

Abbott said that some professional sports can return on May 31 — but without in-person spectators — including golf, auto racing, baseball, softball, tennis, football, and basketball.

Summer school classes can begin June 1.

"All of these can open as long as they follow safe distancing practices," Abbott said.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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