The Second Wave Sure Seems Like It’s Here. Thursday’s case count of new COVID-19 infections was 529. A rolling seven day average is now 374, up from 346 the week prior. Hospitalizations have doubled over the past month. County Judge Clay Jenkins is again pleading with the public to wear masks and stay home as much as possible. “We are on the beginning of a second wave of COVID-19 cases if we do not modify behavior, and with talk of bars opening and increased capacity in other commercial buildings, there is a false sense of security. Given that our numbers are going in the wrong direction, we must turn things around now.”
Another Big Day For Early Voting. Dallas County has seen 173,887 voters head to the polls over the past three days. In 2016, we’d logged 161,347 by this point. With mail-in ballots received, we’re at 207,838 votes cast, which is just shy of 15 percent of our total registered voters. That’s about 20,000 more than the last general election. Keep going, folks. A reminder that you can head right here to see wait times at any polling location. Right now, every single one is green. I’m going at 8 a.m.
Stan Richards Is Out at His Namesake Firm. The nearly 88-year-old adman was recorded as saying an idea was “too Black” for Motel 6’s “White supremacist constituents.” A flood of departures followed, from Motel 6 to Home Depot to HEB, Keurig, Dr Pepper, Orkin, Advance Auto Parts, and others. Richards announced yesterday that he was “firing himself,” which wasn’t done early enough to stanch the bleeding. Richards will try to mend fences with the University of Texas, which named its advertising and public relations program after him. Meanwhile, I feel for the employees, who had no control over this and whose professional lives are likely upended because of the comments of the man with his name on the building.
Enjoy the Cold Front. It’ll be in the 50s as you get in line to vote this morning, but expect temperatures to warm over the weekend into the upper 60s and low 70s.
