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.
And, as always, we will conclude this episode with the trivia question of the week for a $25 gift card to El Primo’s Mexican Grill and Cantina.
Let’s take a look at this week’s headlines:
• Blue Angels and Thunderbirds set for a Metroplex flyover
• Mansfield Parks and Rec offers a unique Mother’s Day gift
• Mansfield ISD superintendent is named to a nationwide coronavirus task force
• Mansfield ISD sets high school graduation schedule
• Eight MISD students nominated for Betty Buckley theater awards
• It’s Teacher Appreciation Week in Mansfield!
• Have you had your dream vacation dashed by the coronavirus? Today we start a new segment titled “Broken Vacations.”
Alexa is here with the weather and we have an in-studio interview with school board candidate Courtney Lackey Wilson. 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 Navy Blue Angels are set to present a joint flyover as part of Operation America Strong, an effort by the military to salute healthcare and essential workers across the country. The high-flying precision team has announced a flyover in the Metroplex set for Wednesday May 6 starting in McKinney at 11:00 A. M. and ending in Fort Worth around 11:35. Mansfield residents should be able to see portions of the flyover around 11:15.
The Blue Angels, along with the Air Force Thunderbirds, first presented a very rare joint flyover of New York City and Philadelphia last week as well as over Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Atlanta on Sunday.
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This Sunday is Mother’s Day and here’s a chance for you to give mom a special keepsake that doubles as a fun activity that you and the family can do at home! The Mansfield Parks & Rec Department is offering a Mother’s Day Craft Kit for a nominal fee, which includes the supplies and instructions for making a unique gift featuring a tree ring taken from one of Mansfield’s own parks. The Parks and Rec Department assures you that no trees were harmed in the assembly of these party packs; all trees used were already fallen or removed for essential use Each kit includes one tree ring “cookie” if you will, in a variety of thicknesses, as well as paint, paintbrushes and instructions for a variety of personalization options, including hand prints, photos and more. The finished tree cookie can be used in a garden, as a doorstop or book end, or just placed on display. For more information on this do-it-yourself craft, visit our website and click on the LINKS tab.
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The School Superintendents Association, or A-A-S-A, has launched an advisory panel to provide assistance to district leaders as they grapple with the challenges caused by the coronavirus that has forced the shutdown of tens of thousands of schools across the country. Mansfield ISD superintendent Dr. Kimberly Cantu has been named to the 27-person, nationwide task force. The panel’s kick-off meeting is scheduled to focus on reopening schools effectively during the COVID-19 environment. Topics will include student/staff safety, and online instruction and learning. A-A-S-A was founded in 1865 and is the nation’s premier organization representing school system leadership.
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Following the state mandate issued by Governor Greg Abbott on April 17, all scheduled MISD May graduation ceremonies have been canceled and will be moved to mid June at the Center for the Performing Arts. It is the desire of the MISD administration to host a traditional graduation on the rescheduled June dates. However, the safety and well-being of the community is most important; and ultimately, the district’s decision may be directed by local and state officials.
Frontier High School has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 18
Legacy, Summit and Timberview will walk the stage on Friday, June 19, while
Lake Ridge and Mansfield High commencements are on Saturday, June 20
For more information on graduation start times, visit our website and click on the LINKS tab.
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Eight Mansfield ISD high schools students have been nominated for Betty Buckley theater awards within the categories of Best Actor, Best Actress, Costume Design and Choreography. Mansfield High School has been nominated for Best Student Orchestra while Legacy High is in the running for Best Musical for their production of Seussical the Musical. Named after Fort Worth’s own Tony® Award-winning Best Actress, Betty Lynn Buckley, the scholarship awards program has stood to promote and celebrate excellence in high school musical theatre in Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Tarrant Counties since 2000. The program culminates in a Tony® Awards-style ceremony at Casa Mañana Theatre on May 21. For a complete list of nominees, log onto our website and click on the LINKS tab.
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And, finally… let me just take a second to wish all of the teachers in the Mansfield ISD a happy Teacher Appreciation Week. This would be the week where your students would flood you with gift cards, treats and hugs and we here at About Mansfield salute you for the hard work you’ve been doing with both Distance Learning while simultaneously taking care of your own family at home.
NEW SEGMENT: Broken Vacations
The coronavirus has shattered many dream vacations for Mansfield residents, including my own. With that, we start a new segment today on About Mansfield call Broken Vacations — stories of once-in-a-lifetime holidays that were dashed by COVID-19. Listener Martha, where were you going and when were you supposed to leave?
MARTHA: We were going leave DFW on April 9 in the evening and arrive in Lima, Peru at 5:00 in the morning the next day. Then from Lima, we were going to catch another flight to Cusco and arrive there April 10. So while we were there, we were going to do a five-day, five-night hike through the Incan trail. And we found out that the borders were closed at the beginning of March. So we’re just kind of waiting and waiting to see if we should cancel and then when things just started developing more and more, we just decided to cancel. So, I called my travel agent and she was able to get a full refund for our flights.
ABOUT MANSFIELD: Do you plan to go back to Peru?
MARTHA: Well, it was once in a lifetime trip. We were going to backpack the entire time. There were going to be porters and they were going to cook for us and all that so all we had to worry about was the trek. Yes, I would love to go sometime in the in the future. I do know that there were a few people that went ahead, they did not cancel, and they had to stay there for two weeks, and could not leave the hotel. So, the only way I would go back is if I knew that that was not going to be the case or a possible scenario.
ABOUT MANSFIELD: If you had a dream vacation dashed by the virus. Send us an email to news@AboutMansfield.com that again is news@AboutMansfield.com. We’ll get you on the telephone and talk about your story.
WEATHER
Let’s check the weather forecast. for the upcoming week with Alexa:
ALEXA: Here’s the weather in Mansfield for the next seven days:
Wednesday – 85º and mostly sunny
Thursday – 86º and lots of sun
Friday – 75º and lots of clouds and thunderstorms
Saturday – 75º and intermittent clouds
Sunday – 80º and lots of sun
Monday – 81º and mostly sunny
Tuesday – 84º and lots of clouds
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@aboutmansfieldfield.com. Again, that’s news@aboutmansfield.com.
Just a reminder 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 AboutMansfield.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 2nd election for three city council seats, the mayor’s place and two school board seats. May 2nd has come and gone and the school board elections have been postponed until November. After the break, we will air an in-studio interview with school board candidate Courtney Lackey Wilson, an incumbent with whom we spoke in early March and you will notice that the interview refers to the May election date.
And don’t forget, we have the Trivia Question of the Week a little bit later in the episode. Stay with us. I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell and this is About Mansfield.
INTERVIEW
[Please LISTEN to the interview]
Hi, this is John with 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 funguses. That is a byproduct of the lack of cleaning in 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.
LISTENER COMMENTS
We welcome all feedback about the program, whether it’s about a specific news story or feature that you heard. 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.
TRIVIA WINNER
Congratulations to Cindy Cantera who was the first person to email the correct answer to last week’s trivia question — What year did Vernon Newsom Stadium open and what is its official seating capacity? According to the Mansfield ISD website, Newsom Stadium opened in 2006 and can seat 11,134 football, soccer or marching band fans. Cindy 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.
TRIVIA QUESTION of the WEEK
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 El Primo’s Mexican and Grill and Cantina, located on the corner of Matlock and Country Club Drive. It’s where the locals go! You can find them on the Internet at ElPrimos.net.
Let’s get to this week’s question. Coleen?
[YOU MUST LISTEN TO THE SHOW FOR THE QUESTION!]
Good luck and thanks to Todd and Robert at El Primo’s for the gift card.
CLOSING
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 Chad Lovell. The show will be released on Wednesday May 13th. 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.
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