Welcome to another episode of About Mansfield, I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell, who is now a pro at social distancing by broadcasting from home. Thank you for being here. This is special coverage of COVID-19 and how the coronavirus is affecting the lives of those who live in Mansfield. Coming up on this episode, news and local weather for the upcoming week.
Let’s take a look at this week’s headlines:
• MISD school board approves to donate medical supplies
• Area couple welcomes 18 pounds of joy
• MISD schools to remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year
• Police chief publishes a note of thanks to the community
• Haven’t received your stimulus check? The IRS has a way to track it
• The Mansfield Parks and Rec department offers some fun stay-at-home tips
• City leader does a happy dance!
• Area high school seniors talk about school, prom and graduation
Alexa is here with the weather and we have an in-studio interview with mayoral candidate Michael Evans. And, as always, we will conclude this episode with the trivia question of the week for a $25 gift card to MaryLou’s Coffee and Sandwich Shoppe. We are Mansfield’s only source for news, talk and information. This is About Mansfield.
Hi, this is John with Pool Aid, your local pool care specialist. With the exceptional amount of rain that we’ve experienced so far this year, spring is a vital time to clean pool filters, skim leaves and debris and keep skimmers clean to ensure proper circulation as well as keep your pool sweep in good working conditions. If you have any questions or concerns or need a certified professional to help keep your pool safe and clean. Visit us on the internet at PoolAid.net. That’s PoolAid.net. We’re here for you.
NEWS
Welcome back to about Mansfield.
The MISD school board last week approved the donations of needed supplies to area healthcare workers. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that 43 MISD campus nurses gathered up around 85% of the district’s medical supplies, including masks, gowns and latex gloves, and will be distributed where they are needed most. The three primary cities served by MISD schools, Mansfield, Arlington and Grand Prairie, will likely be highest on the priority list.
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Midlothian parents Robert and Stephanie Stokes doubled their joy on Friday, after their twins were born, breaking a record at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center.
Babies Andee Grace and Baylee Sue weighed in at a combined 18 pounds, 3 ounces. Andee Grace was born first at 9 pounds, one ounce while Baylee Sue emerged one minute later at 9 pounds, 2 ounces.
WFAA reports that parents Robert and Stephanie were excited to welcome their sixth and seventh children into the Stokes family.
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Based on the executive order given by Governor Greg Abbott in a press conference on Friday, Mansfield ISD schools, offices and facilities will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. The Governor previously closed all schools in the state until at least May 4 in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However, he later announced that it is safer for our communities if schools across Texas stay closed for the remainder of the school year.
Distance learning will continue for all students. Meanwhile, the MISD is actively seeking guidance from the Texas Education Agency to determine the logistics of graduation and many prominent student events. More information about providing access to schools for students and staff members to obtain their personal belongings will be given by campus principals once a safe process is determined.
Please remember that during this closure, the use of MISD facilities, such as playgrounds, tracks, basketball courts, etc. is prohibited in an effort to prevent large gatherings.
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About Mansfield spoke with four local high school students who offered their thoughts and emotions about Distance Learning, prom, graduation and beyond. We’ll have that story at the end of this news segment.
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The Internal Revenue Service has created a website where you can check the status of your Economic Impact Payment (or the stimulus check). The IRS website will give you information about:
• Your payment status
• Your payment type
• Whether they need more information from you, including bank account information for direct deposit
To access the IRS “Get My Payment” website, log onto our website and click on LINKS.
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Among all the bad news that the coronavirus has brought to the world comes this ray of sunshine from Mansfield Police Chief Tracy Aaron, who wrote on Facebook on Friday:
“Only in Mansfield! So, I went to pick up my dry cleaning at the Comet Cleaners on Broad yesterday and the clerk said that someone noticed the Mansfield Police uniforms and paid my bill. I wanted to thank the person who did that act of kindness…he or she was over the top! During this time our community has delivered meals, fed our Officers, Dispatchers, Jail staff, members of our department and taken great care of us. Y’all are the best. Thank you, Mansfield!”
Mr. Aaron, we are Mansfield Strong!
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Just because you can’t gather in person, doesn’t mean that you can’t spend time together with friends or loved ones. The city’s Parks and Rec Department has come up with a list of fun ideas on how to celebrate or pass the time safely with others. Ideas include:
• Scheduling a virtual dinner by video conference
• Surprising your neighbor by leaving a fun decoration in their yard
• Becoming pen pals with your friends, or
• Creating a virtual game night with video conferencing
For more creative ideas, log onto the Parks website at mansfieldparks.com
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MISD school board trustee Raul Gonzalez got into the spirit on Friday by video recording himself doing a happy dance to Flo Rida’s hit song Low, and then released it on his Facebook page. If you’re looking for a little “pick me up” or perhaps something to brighten your day, here’s an example of a city leader who stepped out of his comfort zone to bring joy to our community. To view the video, we have a link on our website under the LINKS tab.
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The coronavirus has disrupted many lives in Mansfield including high school seniors that were preparing for prom, graduation and beyond. About Mansfield spoke with four area seniors: Shelby from Mansfield High, Brinley, who attends Legacy High, Nick, also from Mansfield, and Mansfield resident Robby, who attends Pantego Christian Academy in Arlington.
[Please LISTEN to the senior interviews]
WEATHER
Let’s check the weather forecast for the upcoming week with Alexa.
Here’s the weather in Mansfield for the next seven days:
Wednesday 83º and thunderstorms
Thursday 85º and partly sunny
Friday 84º and mostly sunny
Saturday 76º and mostly sunny
Sunday 79º and partly sunny
Monday 79º and mostly sunny
Tuesday 84º and mostly sunny
That’s a look at news and weather. If you have a news tip that you would like us to follow up on, send us an email to news@aboutmansfield.com. Again, that’s news@aboutmansfield.com.
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I’d like to remind you to follow this podcast so you will be automatically notified when a new episode is released. The easiest way is to log on to our website at About Mansfield dot com and enter your email address under the “Follow Podcast by Email” heading on the home page. About Mansfield can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart Podcasts and many more platforms.
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak the City was prepared for a May Second election for three city council seats and the mayor’s place. After the break, an in-studio interview with mayoral candidate Michael Evans, with whom we spoke in early March. You will notice that the interview refers to the May election date, which has since been postponed. Stay with us. I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell and this is About Mansfield.
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[Please LISTEN to the Michael Evans interview]
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We welcome all feedback about the program, whether it’s about a specific news story or feature that you heard.
Jim writes: I have enjoyed the City Council candidate interviews. I hope to hear them all. Then I would like to hear new interviews with them closer to the election and after the current virus issue. I think I would have a better understanding of who would best be able to lead Mansfield through tough times. I hope you would consider doing a second round of interviews.
Jim, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, About Mansfield had interviewed eight of the 15 mayoral, council and school board candidates. We had planned to run the interviews in bunches. For example, there are three school board candidates for Place 6 and you would have heard all three candidate interviews back-to-back in one episode. It is our intention to bring you fresh, post-virus interviews prior to the elections (including “do overs” from each of the eight that we are currently airing). The school board has set their elections for November 2 while the council has simply stated that their elections will take place no later than November 2 but could happen in July, if the governor approves the date. Thank you for your email.
Bridgette writes: I realized I need to be more informed. I’m excited to listen to this podcast to be more engaged in my community.
Well, Bridgette, we’re glad that you’re listening. The biggest compliment that one can give us is to share your feelings about this podcast with your friends. And, we thank you. In advance.
Got a comment? Feel free to chime-in by email at comments@aboutmansfield.com or by voicemail at 817-435-2938. That’s 817-435-2938. We’ll read or play back some of the comments in a future episode.
Hi, this is John from Pool Aid, your local pool care specialist. The CDC has determined that pool maintenance services are an essential business due to the added threat of bacteria, algae, mold and fungus that is a byproduct of the lack of cleaning and a chemical imbalance. Allow us to be an essential part of your pool. If you have any questions or concerns or need a certified professional to help keep your pool safe and clean, visit us on the internet at PoolAid.net. That’s PoolAid.net. We’re here for you.
Congratulations to Sydney Cowan who was the first person to email the correct answer to last week’s trivia question “What was Highway 287 called prior to its name change in 1940?” According to the Visit Mansfield website, 287 was called State Highway 34. Sydney receives a $25 gift card to MaryLou’s Coffee & Sandwich Shoppe.
After the break, this week’s trivia question of the week. I’m Coleen Daniell and this is About Mansfield.
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It’s time for the highly-coveted, wildly popular, Trivia Question of the Week. The first person to email the correct answer to trivia@aboutmansfield.com will receive a $25 gift card to MaryLou’s Coffee and Sandwich Shoppe, located on the corner of East Broad and Waxahachie Street in Downtown Historic Mansfield. Open for take-out and curbside pick-up every day except Sundays, you can find them on the Internet at MaryLous.net.
Let’s get to this week’s question. Coleen?
[Please LISTEN for the Trivia Question of the Week]
Good luck and thanks to Melissa and Ca’Lee at MaryLou’s for the gift card.
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Coming up next week on About Mansfield: continuing coverage of the coronavirus and how it affects the lives of Mansfield residents and we’ll talk in-studio with school board candidate Corinne Fiagome. The show will be released on Wednesday April 29th. Until then, don’t forget to follow to this podcast, if you haven’t already, so you never miss an episode. It’s free and easy. Just enter your email address on our website, AboutMansfield.com. We will never send you any spam, we promise. Thanks for listening. For Coleen Daniell, I’m Steve Cosio and this is About Mansfield.