Here are things you need to know for Monday, August 10:
1. President Trump orders more unemployment pay, a payroll tax deferral
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Seizing the power of his podium and his pen, President Donald Trump on Saturday moved to bypass the nation’s elected lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and extend an expired unemployment benefit after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed.
2. Houston Methodist reports rapid recovery of critically ill COVID-19 patients with new drug
Houston Methodist Hospital is making national headlines after doctors used a new drug to help treat critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Methodist was the first to report the rapid recovery of patients on ventilators and those with severe medical conditions after three days of treatment.
3. TABC warns it will revoke licenses, shut down bars that defy Gov. Abbott’s order
In an open letter to the state’s alcoholic beverage industry, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Executive Director Bentley Nettles warned bar owners that the agency would suspend the licenses and shut down the bars that remain open in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s shutdown order.
Abbot’s executive order, which went into effect in late June, shut down the state’s bars and other businesses that derive 51% or more of their revenue from the sale of alcohol for on-premise consumption. Before Abbot’s order, bars had been able to operate at 50 percent capacity.
4. Some Cy-Fair ISD teachers planning to protest, concerned about returning to school
A teacher in the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District says she has had enough. Jennifer Freestone has been teaching for 15 years and she wants school leaders to listen up.
Freestone says going back to school as the number of COVID-19 cases continues is not safe. She says virtual learning was great when the pandemic started and it should continue to be that way. She said she is speaking out for the safety of herself and students.
5. New trend providing working parents alternative virtual learning setting for kids
With many local school districts opting for virtual learning amid COVID-19, a new trend is picking up speed in response to a need to help working parents find a safe place for their children.
Learning academies like Kids R Kids of Lake Conroe are seeking to provide a socially-distanced classroom setting for students in the Houston area.
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WORD OF THE DAY
Wharfinger [hwawr-fin-jer, wawr-] (noun) a person who owns or has charge of a wharf.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Aug. 10, 1846: After a decade of debate about how best to spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James K. Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” - George Orwell