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 32 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 Jake’s Burgers and Beer.
Let’s take a look at this week’s headlines:
• The COVID-19 epidemic appears to have stopped its increasing trend in Mansfield
• Pediatric doctor addresses concerns about school kids and COVID
• Census takers hit the streets starting this weekend
• It’s Tax-Free Weekend in Texas. The more you spend, the more you save!
• Knock, knock, the ban on door-to-door solicitors has been lifted
• In Sports, amid COVID concerns, MISD football teams may get to start workouts on September 7th
Alexa has the the seven-day weather forecast and Steve will conclude his two-part in-studio interview with Mansfield entrepreneur James Sellers, only this time, James does the interviewing! We are Mansfield’s only source for news, talk and information. This is About Mansfield.
NEWS
Welcome back to About Mansfield.
The COVID-19 epidemic has appeared to stop its increasing trend on Mansfield. About Mansfield’s roving science reporter Dennis Webb has the story. [WEBB]
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Mansfield ISD schools begin Wednesday August 12th and will be online or virtual until September 8th. The return of face-to-face instruction was originally scheduled for September 28th. The move to go back into the classroom earlier has teachers and parents seeking clear information about children and COVID-19. About Mansfield’s Stacey Main filed this report. [STACEY]
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If you haven’t responded to the 2020 Census, expect a visit from a worker sometime over the next two months as the government begins finalizing its count of the U.S. population. The U.S. Census Bureau will begin its non-response follow up in Tarrant County and the North Texas region this weekend and continuing through Sept. 30.
Census workers plan to visit every household in Tarrant County that has not responded to the 2020 Census and the goal remains the same: to gain a full and accurate count of everyone residing in Mansfield.
Here’s what you need to know about this effort:
If a Census Worker Comes to Your Door:
• They will present an ID badge with their name, photograph, a Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date
• They will have an official bag and Census Bureau-issued laptop or smartphone, bearing its logo
• Census workers will use personal protective equipment (masks, gloves) and will follow local public health COVID-19 guidelines when they visit households, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The Census Bureau Will Never Ask For:
• Your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers
• Anything on behalf of a political party
• Money or donations
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Friday through Sunday is the annual Tax-Free weekend all throughout the State of Texas. Qualifying items such as purchases of most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks valued at $100 or less can be purchased tax-free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items that you buy during the sales tax weekend. Items that you buy before or after the weekend do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Comptroller encourages all taxpayers to continue practicing social distancing and support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free during the annual Tax-Free weekend.
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The solicitation ban has been lifted and you may start seeing solicitors in your neighborhood. About Mansfield’s Robby Terry reports.
The solicitor permit is a provision and is controlled by a city ordinance, a process that requires gathering pertinent information from the applicant that is then checked and kept on file. The process does not include an opinion, good or bad of the product or company as it is more about knowing who is going door-to-door in the city. In order to go door to door and solicit they must first obtain a permit. The name of the solicitor should be typed on the permit and is not transferable. The solicitor must wear a vest and have the permit affixed to the vest at all times. They may only solicit Monday – Saturday between the hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are not allowed on certain holidays. In addition, if a homeowner asks the solicitor to leave, they must leave the property and a solicitor should not enter your home without your permission. Mansfield has its own specific permit. It should be noted that there are some exemptions to this ordinance. To view the ordinance, log onto our website, About Mansfield dot com, and click on the LINKS tab. Reporting for About Mansfield, I’m Robbie Terry
Let’s check sports. Here’s Tommy Cummings. [TOMMY]
Thank you, Tommy. Tommy is a former sports writer and digital media producer for the Dallas Morning News and joins About Mansfield as our most recent addition to the all-volunteer staff. Welcome aboard, my friend.
WEATHER
Sunday is National Book Lover’s Day. Let’s see if the weather’s going to mess up my plans for snuggling into a hammock in Oliver Park with my new favorite book. Alexa? [ALEXA]
IRRIGATION TIP
It’s the first week of August and some sprinklers in Mansfield can take a rest. Last week’s rainfall was scattered, mainly to the southeast portion of our city. There is a slight chance of rain the next couple of days but the week will end sunny and hot. If you don’t to water or not, check your soil moisture and water a quarter-inch later in the week if needed. For more watering and irrigation tips, log onto WaterIsAwesome.com.
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.
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.” You can also ask Siri to play the About Mansfield podcast on Apple devices.
I wanna tell you about a new feature that we’re adding to the podcast.It’s simply titled ASK TERRY. Terry Radzwion is a home improvement specialist with over 30 years experience. Email a question to him about how to improve your home and he’ll reply to it on an upcoming episode. The email address is: AskTerry@AboutMansfield.com. Again, that’s AskTerry@AboutMansfield.com. Terry looks for to helping you improve your home!
Coming up after the break, we switch from news to talk and we’ll talk in-studio, Part Two with James Sellers of Sellmark Corporation as interviews me. Stay with us. I’m Steve Cosio with Coleen Daniell, and the entire news team and this is About Mansfield.
INTERVIEW
LISTENER COMMENTS
It’s time for Listener Comments.
Ginger was listening to last week’s episode and writes: “This was a great podcast! Thanks for the update on the City Council and the propositions added to the ballot!” We appreciate you listening, Ginger, and thank you for sharing the podcast with your friends on social media.
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 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
Congratulations to CANTRECE KINZER who was the first person to email the correct answer to last week’s trivia question — Who was first known settler in the Mansfield area? According to the Visit Mansfield website, Charles Turner, first known settler in the Mansfield area in 1853. CANTRECE 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 QUESTION
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 Jake’s Burgers and Beer, a true Texas tradition of burgers and beer since 1985. Located on Broad Street next door to Newsom Stadium, you can find them on the Internet at JakesBurgersAndBeer.com. Let’s get to this week’s question. Coleen?
Well, Steve… to date, there is just one former U.S. Congressman buried at the Mansfield Cemetery located on West Kimball Street near South Fourth Avenue.
This week’s question is: [You must LISTEN to the program to hear the question!]. Email your answer to trivia@aboutmansfield.com. Good luck and thanks to Brad and Kendra at Jakes for the gift card!
CLOSING
Coming up next week on About Mansfield: our usual array of news, talk and information including an in-studio interview with the Executive Director of Mansfield Mission Center Carmin MacMillan. The show will be released on Wednesday August 12th. 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.
CREDITS
About Mansfield is recorded at Podcast Mansfield Recording Studio.
Anchors: Steve Cosio and Coleen Daniell
Reporters: Stacey Main, Dennis Webb and Robby Terry
Sports: Tommy Cummings
Post Production editing, mixing and mastering: Robby Terry
Thanks for listening. On behalf of the entire news team, I’m Steve Cosio and this… is About Mansfield.
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