Welcome to another episode of About Mansfield, I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell, she is broadcasting from home today, along with the entire About Mansfield news team. Thank you for being here. This is Episode 30 and coming up on this episode, Mansfield news and 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 360 Brunch House.
This week’s headlines:
• COVID-19 continues to spread in Mansfield
• Tarrant County health department orders county schools to go online-only until the end of September
• Local home centers band together in requiring their shoppers to wear masks
• Five easy tips will have you wearing your mask comfortably all day
• It’s time to take out your old tax returns. Shred Day is just around the corner
Alexa has the 7-day weather forecast and we’ll talk in-studio with guitar luthier and Mansfield resident Chris Jenkins of Lame Horse Instruments. We are Mansfield’s only source for news, talk and information. This is About Mansfield.
NEWS
STEVE: Welcome back to About Mansfield. COVID-19 continues to spread in Mansfield. About Mansfield’s roving science reporter Dennis Webb has the story as well as a followup on the comet Neowise.
[DENNIS]
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STEVE: Mansfield ISD released a statement on Tuesday confirming that all MISD students will begin the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 12 in a virtual setting. The order, mandated by Tarrant County health officials in conjunction with the cities of Arlington and Burleson, said that student instruction must be conducted solely online until Sept. 28. The decision was made in an effort to control and reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise in Tarrant County.
There were some exceptions to the order that include administrators, teachers and staff being able to conduct remote learning processes while on campus as well as all school-sponsored events and activities such as clubs, sports and bands as long as proper six-foot social distancing is practiced and coincide with safety protocols set forth by the school district.
The order went into effect immediately and will continue through 11:59pm on September 27, 2020 and affects all public and non-religious private schools in Tarrant County for all students pre-K through grade 12. To view the county order, log onto our website, AboutMansfield.com and click on the LINKS tab.
http://www.tarrantcounty.com/content/dam/main/covid-cares/JOINT-CONTROL-ORDER.PDF
COLEEN: Home improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s have joined the growing list of major chains that require all shoppers to wear masks in light of COVID-19 concerns. Lowe’s announced on Friday that their mandatory mask policy will go into effect in U.S. stores starting Monday July 20, while Home Depot’s will go into effect on Wednesday July 22. Customers who don’t bring a mask of their own will be given one while supplies last. Home Depot said small children or people with a valid medical condition will be exempted from its mandatory mask policy. Both retailers noted that curbside pickup or home delivery are options for consumers who would prefer not to shop in-person. Other retailers that have announced mandatory mask policies include Target, Best Buy, Costco, Starbucks, CVS, Kohl’s, Walmart, and Kroger. The CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all public settings when around people outside of their household.
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COLEEN: Wearing a facemask day-in and day-out can have some daunting affects on your skin, if you’re not wearing the right kind. Five simple tips for choosing the right mask include:
- Choosing the right material for the mask — you should be able to breathe comfortably when wearing your mask, otherwise you’ll swiftly tire of it. You also need a fabric that is soft enough to sit against your skin without irritation or discomfort. Make sure the inner layer of your mask is something gentle on the skin and absorbs moisture, such as cotton.
- Make sure your ear loops are comfortable — Simple elastic bands might rub behind the ears and cause discomfort, so look out for softer materials such as cotton or silk. Ones you can tie up, or adjust with a toggle, may be more comfortable over the non-adjustable, over-the-ear type.
- Take care of your skin — by cleansing your skin properly, using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer during the day, and use a night cream in the evening to protect the skin so that any friction from a mask is rubbing up against a well-moisturized and healthy skin barrier
- Change your face covering regularly — and as soon as it gets damp as a moist mask won’t filter virus particles or droplets, can be less breathable and it will create more of an uncomfortable humid environment on your face. If you’re going to be out and about, bring a backup mask with you.
- Combat foggy glasses — by washing your glasses in soapy water, covering the whole lens and either letting them air-dry or gently drying them off with a microfibre cloth. This leaves a thin layer on the lens, which may help to prevent the lens from fogging up.
In a recent poll taken on the About Mansfield social media page, 93% of those who responded said they wear a mask in public.
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STEVE: Still holding on to your tax returns from 1997? About Mansfield’s Robby Terry has a solution.
ROBBY: The City of Mansfield is hosting Shred Day on Saturday, July 25 with a few changes in drop-off procedures from years past to ensure the safety for both residents and staff:
• Residents will be required to stay in their vehicles during drop off, and are requested to wear a mask covering both the nose and mouth.
• Staff will also wear masks as well as gloves and maintain social distancing as much as possible.
• Residents are advised to place materials to be shredded in disposable containers such as boxes or bags as non-disposable containers will not be returned.
• In order to be as contact-less as possible, staff is evaluating the best method to verify residences without the need to physically touch a person’s driver’s license.
The City is anticipating some delays throughout the day and is asking for your patience. Shred Day will take place from 9 a.m. to twelve noon at the Environmental Collection Center located at 616 S. Wisteria St. Reporting for About Mansfield, I’m Robbie Terry
WEATHER
STEVE: Monday is National Take Your Houseplants For a Walk Day, and if you’re brave enough to leash up your Golden Pothos and lead it around the block, we applaud you. Let’s see if the weather is going to cooperate! Alexa?
[ALEXA]
IRRIGATION TIP
COLEEN: The Tarrant Regional Water District recommends that you irrigate your lawn with three-quarters of an inch of water this week and suggests that you run a sprinkler cycle, let it soak in, and start another cycle 30 minutes to an hour later to reduce runoff. Spread your watering over two days as deep and infrequent watering builds strong grass roots. For more watering and irrigation tips, log onto WaterIsAwesome.com.
STEVE: 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.
Speaking of news, I’d like to thank you for choosing to listen to this podcast for your local news. We are aware that there are news outlets based in Desoto, California and even China that claim to offer Mansfield news but it’s the About Mansfield podcast that is the only source for local news produced by an entire staff that lives in Mansfield, for Mansfield. With that said, again, we appreciate that you listen and the biggest compliment that you could give us is to tell a friend about this podcast.
COLEEN: 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 About Mansfield dot com and enter your email address under the “Follow Podcast by Email” heading on the home page. And, if you own an Amazon device, listening is as easy as saying, “Alexa, play the About Mansfield podcast.”
STEVE: You can also ask Siri to play the About Mansfield podcast on Apple devices. Coming up after the break, we switch from news to talk and we’ll talk in-studio with guitar luthier and Mansfield resident Chris Jenkins of Lame Horse Instruments. Stay with us. I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell, and the entire news team and this is About Mansfield.
INTERVIEW
LISTENER COMMENTS
STEVE: We welcome all feedback about the program. Feel free to chime-in by sending an email to 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
COLEEN: Congratulations to DENNIS HOGAN who was the first person to email the correct answer to last week’s trivia question — how many students are enrolled in the Mansfield Independent School District? According to the MISD website, there are 35,626 students enrolled in the school district. DENNIS has won a $25 gift card to 360 Brunch House. After the break, this week’s trivia question of the week. I’m Coleen Daniell and this is About Mansfield.
TRIVIA
STEVE: 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 360 Brunch House, serving “breakfast for the neighborhood!” Located on Broad Street in the shadows of Newsom Stadium, you can find them on the Internet at 360BrunchHouse.com. Let’s get to this week’s question. Coleen?
COLEEN: Well, Steve… It’s widely known that Fort Worth ranks first as the most populated city in Tarrant County. This week’s question is: Of the 41 incorporated cities in Tarrant County, where does Mansfield rank in terms of population? Email your answer to trivia@aboutmansfield.com.
Again, Of the 41 incorporated cities in Tarrant County, where does Mansfield rank in terms of population? Good luck and thanks to Nick and Al at 360 Brunch House for the gift card.
CLOSING
STEVE: Coming up next week on About Mansfield: our usual array of news, talk and information including an in-studio interview with Mansfield entrepreneur James Sellers. It’s a two-parter that you’re not going to want to miss! The show will be released on Wednesday July 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, About Mansfield.com. We will never send you any spam, we promise. Thanks for listening. For Coleen Daniell, and the entire news team, I’m Steve Cosio and this… is About Mansfield.