BULLARD – A Bullard teen who was one of two people seriously injured in a multi-vehicle collision Friday has died, according to local school and police officials.

As businesses continue to reopen and restrictions on social gatherings and interaction gradually ease, healthcare workers with local nursing homes and assisted living centers said extensive challenges remain in regards to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, both for residents as well as those administering care.

Cooke County’s drive-thru coronavirus testing site is coming to an end, Cooke County Judge Jason Brinkley announced Monday, May 18.

Last week, Texas announced it would be testing every resident and staff member in nursing homes, which have emerged as hot spots for the new coronavirus. But state-run homes for people with disabilities and state-run psychiatric hospitals — which collectively serve 4,703 vulnerable Texans and employ 18,873 full-time staff — will not receive that same level of state support to test all residents, patients and employees, according to a spokesperson for the agency that oversees the facilities.The facilities at this time are still only testing residents and patients who are symptomatic or have potentially been exposed, despite concerns raised by employees and family members about outbreaks.“Working with local health departments, the Department of State Health Services, and following CDC guidelines, we test every resident/patient who shows possible symptoms of COVID-19 or has potential exposure to COVID-19,” Christine Mann, spokesperson for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said in an email. “At this time, more individuals at state hospitals and state supported living centers have recovered from COVID-19 than have active infections.”As of Sunday, there were 159 total positive cases among residents and patients, with 98 having recovered, according to new data the agency started releasing on state supported living centers and state hospitals earlier this month. “Fewer than 10” residents and patients have died due to complications related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the state reported.That data does not account for staff members who fall ill, and the state is still not releasing the names of facilities with coronavirus cases, leaving many family members in the dark about their loved ones. Eight of the 23 facilities currently have at least one positive patient or resident, according to the data. Local health authorities in Denton County stand out as the lone agency providing daily updates on the outbreak at the Denton home, reporting 55 cases among residents and 64 among staff, as of Sunday.Similar to nursing homes, residents and patients at state-run homes and psychiatric hospitals live in close quarters and interact closely with the staff who care for them. The 10 state psychiatric hospitals serve Texans with mental health issues. Across the 13 state supported living centers, which house people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, about 43% of the residents are medically fragile. Family members worry about rapid spread there, because depending on the severity of their disabilities, residents may not understand rules about hand-washing or maintaining a safe distance from others.Citing a need to protect the state’s “vulnerable populations,” state officials have clamped down on nursing homes, launching mass testing and reporting new levels of data showing the scope of the virus. Less than a week after Gov. Greg Abbott directed state officials to test all residents and staff in Texas nursing homes, the Texas Department of State Health Services on Friday released, for the first time, the total number of residents who have tested positive: Among the 311 nursing homes with positive cases, 3,011 residents have tested positive and 490 have died. Another 494 residents have recovered, according to the data. The state is still not providing information about how many cases are at individual nursing homes.The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which previously refused to disclose comprehensive data on the number of cases among staff and residents at state supported living centers, is now providing twice-weekly updates on the number of cases at state supported living centers and state hospitals.In April, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers sent Abbott a letter asking for greater transparency in reporting and mandatory testing for everyone in state supported living centers and state hospitals, in addition to nursing homes."While media outlets have rightly focused on the deaths in nursing homes across the country, people with disabilities and older adults face increased risks in all institutional and congregate settings," wrote state Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, who authored the letter. "Like nursing homes, there have been similar outbreaks and deaths in our state supported living centers, state hospitals, and group homes. Our state government can and must do more to protect our most vulnerable Texans."

A tornado ripped through the Malakoff area Saturday afternoon, destroying the M Propane building on West Highway 31 and damaging Cedar Lake Nursing Home. No injuries were reported.

A Weatherford man was arrested earlier this month for injuring a toddler after the Parker County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the child's injuries at a nearby hospital.

Hoping to take his musical dreams further, Cleburne High School graduate Felipe Lopez decided to try out for the Latino reality competition TV show “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento.”

Nearly everyone cherry-picks the Bible to justify their particular beliefs to enforce or prove their worthiness to God.

Weatherford's Pinnacle Christian School seniors Brooke Souhrada and Traysen Crist played the role of pathfinders in front of friends, family and faculty Thursday morning in front of campus, officially becoming the first high school graduates of the hybrid school, which utilizes elements of both homeschooling as well as a brick and mortar institution.

Granger Sanchez greeted with surprise parade

While her reign as Miss Burleson’s Outstanding Teen may be different than those before her, Haidyn Hill of Burleson is serving her role well as she provides needed supplies for first responders.

For those longing to grab a lawn chair and head downtown to enjoy some free tunes, you might have to wait a bit longer.

Local residents sporting unwanted and unkempt hairstyles stemming from salon and barbershop closures related to the current COVID-19 pandemic can now make arrangements to take back control of their look, albeit with a few changes, after the recent reopening of the abovementioned businesses, part of phase two of Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas.

Boyce Ditto Public Library and Mineral Wells City Gym will partially reopen facilities Monday following their closures two months ago in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

There has been a sixth death related to COVID-19 at a Rockwall long term care facility.

In the almost two weeks since restaurants were allowed to reopen under Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders, local restaurant owners said one of the initial challenges was implementing the 25% occupancy restriction.

Evictions and debt collection proceedings can resume in Texas next week, the Texas Supreme Court has ordered, after the court temporarily put both on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.Eviction hearings can be held as soon as Tuesday, with orders authorizing evictions allowed starting May 26. That does not apply to certain tenants who are protected through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, including renters in homes covered by federally backed mortgages. Tenants covered under that federal moratorium have protections through Aug. 23. Others may be protected through local orders, like those in place in Austin, Dallas and San Marcos.Similarly, debt collectors can again garnish accounts starting later this month.The state’s highest civil court had put holds on both as Texans contend with the financial toll of the novel coronavirus, which has sent the state's economy toward a recession. More than 1.9 million people have filed unemployment claims with the state in the past two months.Advocates had warned about what might happen when the moratoriums lifted, with some predicting a surge in evictions. Although some Texas cities are offering rental assistance programs, local programs have not met the demand, and there is no equivalent on the state level.Critical protections were disappearing too early, critics said.“In a time of crisis, to have your bank account frozen is a calamity,” said Ann Baddour, director of the fair financial services project for the nonprofit group Texas Appleseed.Christina Rosales, deputy director of the advocacy organization Texas Housers, said she is concerned for the housing safety of low-income Texans and fears a rise in homelessness.“Experts are saying there is no visible end in sight for the COVID-19 crisis. The path ahead is unclear, and for people struggling to make the rent, being subject to an eviction could be jarring,” Rosales said. “Not only that, but the effects of evictions have further downstream effects on all of us. Tenants will have their lives upended as a result of evictions, landlords may have an increase in empty units they can't fill and cities will have a homelessness crisis on their hands.”Rosales added, though, that there is a silver lining in the Supreme Court’s order. Units and buildings that have federally backed mortgages are still protected from evictions through the CARES Act, and the new order requires landlords to state whether their properties are subject to this protection.Heather Way, who directs the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic at the University of Texas Law School, said the end of the high court’s eviction moratorium may lead to a patchwork of enforcement across the state. Some cities and counties have put a hold on evictions during the pandemic. In some places, she said, justices of the peace may choose not to proceed with eviction hearings even now; the Supreme Court order says they “may resume,” but does not require it.David Mintz, vice president of government affairs for the Texas Apartment Association, did not immediately return a request for comment.“I’ve already had one veteran calling me in tears, unable to pay because of loss of income due to COVID-19,” said William Ritter, staff attorney with the Veterans Legal Assistance Program of the Texas Legal Services Center. “The property manager said that he was going to be the first one in line at the court on May 19. So I expect to see a lot more of that.”For Ritter, the end of the moratorium is coming too early.“People that have been unemployed are taking weeks to get their payment. Stimulus checks are also taking weeks. More time is needed for folks that are trying to save their homes,” he said.Disclosure: Texas Appleseed and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Palo Pinto General Hospital is partnering with the nation’s leading multi-specialty telemedicine physician group to bring tele-pulmonary and critical care to its hospital.

Although Plaza Theatre Co.'s indoor facility remains closed to the public until June 5, live shows and other presentations remain plentiful and free in the meantime.

The Rockwall Independent School District is preparing to celebrate the Class of 2020, with pomp and circumstance with events in the new Texas Rangers ballpark in Arlington.

The First Tee of Fort Worth, a nonprofit organization, officially broke ground on the second Ben Hogan Learning Center at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Willow Park Wednesday.

Academic and athletic school programs have greatly been affected by COVID-19, and hundreds of those students making up the band programs from area schools are no different.

BNSF Railroad’s plans to add an adjacent track that may result in the closure of the crossing points of up to three city streets. The decision on which, if any, of the streets to close rests with the city. 

Mineral Wells ISD recently learned they were awarded a $53,090 School Safety and Security Grant from the Texas Education Agency.

Rockwall County continues to see a surge in the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and has reported a fifth death connected to a local long-term care facility.

Horns were honking, signs were being waving and caps were flying last week at Southwestern Adventist University as they celebrated the Class of 2020 in true coronvavirus fashion.

The East Parker County Library and the Weatherford Public Library are operating with adjustments while complying with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order of 25% capacity.

The Weatherford City Council, joined by new Place 3 member Matt Ticzkus, met briefly Tuesday night to go over and approve the adoption of an ordinance with amendments related to the city’s park regulations.

John Moran hasn't worked in law enforcement for 20 years, but he is still helping solve crimes.

Parker County is applying for a 20% match grant through a Texas Department of Transportation program and identified four roadways to put in the submission. 

Mineral Wells ISD has set graduation plans for the Mineral Wells High School Class of 2020.

Mineral Wells ISD officials recently announced Mineral Wells High School Principal Dr. Doug Funk is going to Harvard University.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) didn't rob seniors at Rusk High School and at Jacksonville High of one of their treasured celebratory events, College Decision Day.

Area judges and attorneys expect a flood of business, both new and catching up, once the courts reopen to the public on June 1.

Willow Park Trinity Christian Academy’s educators were front and center at Friday afternoon’s Teacher and Staff Appreciation Parade, being received with cheers and words of thanks from students and their families alike who filled the campus’ parking lot (every other space) to show their support.

Santo High School Valedictorian Abigayle Taylor

Back Back Buddies of Mineral Wells has been exhausting resources to provide three-times more weekend snack packs than normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. United Way of Palo Pinto County last week helped make sure the non-profit agency didn't go financially hungry.