UT Southwestern Predicts Rise in COVID-19 Hospitalizations. The hospital’s model expects that stagnant vaccination rates and the continued spread of the more highly contagious Delta variant of the virus will lead to a surge in cases, particularly after schools and sports start up again in the fall. Yesterday, Dallas County reported 139 new cases and three deaths.
Mayor Sets Council Committees. It took Eric Johnson far less time to appoint his council colleagues this time around, and unlike in 2019, most of the council have been given leadership positions on one committee or another. In a memo announcing the assignments, Johnson also said he wants to work with new Mayor Pro Tem Chad West on his “Back to Basics” agenda.
‘Vicious Circle’ Driving North Texas’ Record Ozone Risks. On June 16, the Dallas area observed its first Code Purple ozone pollution levels since 2012. That dangerous air quality may be a side effect of what Jim Schermbeck, director of Dallas-based Downwinders at Risk, calls a “vicious circle” — rising temperatures drive increased electricity demand, which creates additional emissions that drive higher temperatures. “The hotter it gets outside, and therefore the more smoggy it gets outside, the more people retreat indoors and want to turn on their ACs full blast,” Schermbeck told the DMN. “The more they turn on those ACs full blasts, the more demand you have from the grid and the generating plants that are powering the grid.”
Central Market Reopens Nearly Two Years After Tornado. The massive tornado that ripped through North Dallas in October 2019 took out a chunk of the Preston Royal shopping center, including a Central Market grocery store. The Central Market finally reopened this week with around 60 percent of staff that worked at the store at the time of the tornado.
Wild About Harry’s To Close After 25 Years. The popular custard shop fell victim to Knox-Henderson redevelopment.
