Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly has COVID19 just days after glibly telling Congress he doesn’t think masks provide any health benefit in contradiction to Centers for Disease Control guidance.
It is unclear how many cases are happening within Southwest Airlines right now, but more locally Dealey Montessori cases shot up immediately when unmasked students were allowed it the classroom in violation of Dallas ISD’s mask mandate.
Gary Kelly Has COVID19, But Losing Control At Airline?
Weeks ago Southwest Airlines had to cancel 2000 flights in a weekend stranding tens of thousands of passengers across the United States. At the time they blames weather and technology, but insiders say it was a mass Blue Day – where employees call out sick from work. American Airlines had similar issues.
Southwest also said it would follow Goveror Greg Abbott’s mask mandate prohibitions instead of federal government rules.
On multiple occassions in the past three weeks, Other Side Dallas staff has watched as DFW Terminal Link busses pass by minority riders at the correct location at the airport terminal for a pick up.
Every Tuesday including yesterday and the two weeks prior Other Side Dallas staff have gone to the airport to watch Terminal Link bus operations and regularly there are drivers that will bypass minorities at Terminal Link locations in Terminals A, C, and D.
DFW Airport Media Relations did not respond to request for comment by email.
DFW Terminal Link One Of Many Challenges
In recent weeks airlines at DFW Airport have had to battle changing mask mandate standards between the federal and state governments and there have been numerous assaults including between passengers and a apassenger assaulting a member of the flight crew.
Airport parking has been a long term issue in Dallas and new parking garages have been built to respond to the area’s growing needs.
On Tuesday, American Airlines reminded Governor Abbott who is in charge of flights saying they would comply with President Biden’s executuve order requiring flight crew personnel to be vaccinated for COVID19 by a December 8 deadline.
The two Texas-based carriers said the federal order supersedes a reverse mandate by Republican Governor Greg Abbott barring vaccine mandates by any entity, including private employers.
American said while it was reviewing Abbott’s executive order, “this does not change anything” for the company.
Southwest says it “would be expected to comply with the President’s Order to remain compliant as a federal contractor.”
Both carriers have asked U.S.-based employees to submit proof of vaccination by November 24 to be compliant by the December deadline.
Biden issued his executive order during the height of the pandemic last month as his administration struggled to control disease spread.
The executive order covers all federal contractors.
While supporters of vaccine mandates see them as necessary to pull the country out of the nearly two-year-old pandemic, critics including Texas Senator Ted Cruz are calling them unconstitutional and authoritarian.
In his executive order, Abbott said the Biden administration was “bullying” many private entities into imposing vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions.
Southwest cancelled over two thousand flights over the weekend in what some are describing as “freedom flu.” It is not clear if employees are participating in blue days, but a pilot union representative blamed the cancellations on a brittle scheduling system stuck in the past.
The Southwest pilots union is seeking to stop Southwest vaccine mandates saying they should not be imposed under collective bargaining rules.
American Airlines Reminded Governor Abbott, But Does He Listen?
He was treated with expensive monoclonal antibodies and has since recovered, but it isn’t clear he learned the lesson of preventative healthcare that vaccinations and masks offer.
Dallas FED President Robert Kaplan announced his sudden retirement Monday citing distractions from what one insider called insider trading.
Kaplan’s early retirement comes shortly after an announcement by Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren. He noted health concerns in his resignation and not issues over his stock choices.
“The Federal Reserve is approaching a critical point in our economic recovery as it deliberates the future path of monetary policy. Unfortunately, the recent focus on my financial disclosure risks becoming a distraction to the Federal Reserve’s execution of that vital work,” Kaplan said in a statement.
Dallas FED President
Kaplan has executed several large stock trades in household names such as Amazon, Apple, and Delta Air Lines. This occurred at the same time the Fed was pouring trillions of dollars into asset purchases aimed at helping the markets function. Additionally, the Fed has bought corporate bonds from mega-cap companies like Apple enriching his personal portfolio at the same time.
Congress is holding oversight hearings starting today over the Fed’s response to COVID19, but it is unclear a criminal investigation will follow.
In August, William Mundinger, formerly of Goldman Sachs took over the city’s Department of Sustainable Development and Construction, prompting questions of insider control over the City of Dallas.
Cafeteria changes are coming to Dallas Independent School District lunch rooms due to supply chain problems with plastic flatware. The change comes one day after the district announced a $50 vaccination incentive for students age twelve or older.
Dallas ISD announced school cafeterias will be offering finger foods two days a week – on Tuesdays and Thursdays – because flatware is in such limited supply.
“A number of suppliers told us they have product, but it’s stuck in a port,” said Michael Rosenberger, the executive director of food and child nutrition services for the district.
The modified menu means instead of salad, cafeterias may serve veggie sticks. Instead of spaghetti, students may enjoy items like burgers, baked fries, or pizza, among other things.
Cafeteria Changes Include Menu Direction
Parents can still view Dallas ISD menu options via the MealViewer website which you can find here.
Coronavirus is having a long lasting impact on local economies and supply chains around the world. It is not clear if local schools may change to a North American based provider of the plasticware in the future.
Govenor Abbott denies COVID19 response resources requested by Dallas area hospitals battling coronavirus admissions.
Hospitals in Dallas and throughout North Texas say they need hundreds of additional emergency staff to deal with a surge of COVID-19 cases. The state is denying their request for emergency personnel.
“Local governments across Texas now have access to more than $10 billion in federal Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds that are available to pay for urgent COVID-19 response needs, including medical surge staffing,” said Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for DSHS.
He continues “… As always, emergency response begins at the local level. Encouraging health care facilities to utilize the resources already available within their communities will ensure the response can be as flexible as possible. They can work with their cities and counties to ramp up or shift necessary staffing as needed throughout this phase of the pandemic. Most health care facilities have relationships with staffing firms, but we can help connect them with the firms we used, if needed.”
Abbott’s move comes after Dickinson City Council member and State Republican Executive Committee member H. Scott Apley, 45, died in a local hospital around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.
He was admitted to the facility in Galveston on Sunday with “pneumonia-like symptoms,” and was hooked up to a ventilator as his condition worsened.
Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi asked the Apley family be “lifted up in prayer,” but neglected to mention the fact that Apley’s death was COVID19-related or that he actively discredited attempts to slow the infections.
Apley is a staunch conservative and devout Christian. But based on his social media activity, Apley didn’t believe COVID was going to affect him or his family, and appears to have ties to the QAnon movement increasing in numbers in the Texas Republican Party.
The Majestic Theatre first opened its doors in 1921. It is the last standing theater of “Theatre Row,” Dallas’ historic Elm Street entertainment center. It was designed by John Eberson, one of the foremost designers of theaters in the early 20th Century, and served as the crown jewel of Karl Hoblitzelle’s Interstate Theater Company. The Hoblitzelle Foundation gifted The Majestic Theatre to the City of Dallas in January 1976.
The celebration of the Majestic comes just days after Deep Ellum has been targeted for noise by Code Enforcement.
A petition on Change.org states City Council “snuck through a new sound ordinance recently,” but this appears to be new enforcement of current city code, not a new policy.
Deep Ellum Noise Ordinances
Dallas City noise ordinances say “(1) No mechanical loudspeaker or sound amplifier may be operated within 150 feet of the property line of the premises of a residence, except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and sunset, as designated by publication in a local newspaper of general circulation.”
The next section also says “(2) A mechanical loudspeaker or sound amplifier may not emit loud and disturbing noises so as to interfere with the enjoyment of life or property or to interfere with public peace and comfort.“
Section 51A-6.102 handles noise regulation within the City of Dallas.
Dallas trash services will be experiencing delays per Tim Oliver, the City of Dallas Interim Director of Sanitation Services.
The City of Dallas is experiencing a laborer shortage within the Department of Sanitation Services, resulting in intermittent service delays for customers.
Sanitation has adjusted operations to prioritize on-time garbage collection for customers. This means all available staff are assigned to garbage collection routes first. Per a city press release, blue roll cart collection of recyclable materials may be delayed by one or two days in various areas of the city, on a rotating basis, over the next several weeks, until staffing levels stabilize. IT has been reported that recycling has been missed by more than a week in some cases.
The City of Dallas says it is not necessary for customers to report missed recycling collection to 311 unless materials have not been collected after more than forty-eight hours. Areas primarily serviced by automated truck routes will be less affected by this disruption.
Residents can find updates on garbage, recycling, and brush and bulky trash collections on Sanitation’s website, on NextDoor, and the Dallas Sanitation app (App Store / Google Play). Sanitation customers enrolled in the City of Dallas ePay system also receive service advisories directly via email.
Dallas Trash Issues Ongoing
At its last meeting, Dallas City Manager TC Broadnax was given another raise along with the City Secretary despite multiple service issues throughout the city.
Last October, Dallas fell one spot in a national survey of cities by Orkin. It fell on spot to sixteen due to a lower rat population per a national survey though those numbers did not account for changes due to COVID19.
The Business and Community Lenders nonprofit is accused of threatening a local nonprofit with withdrawing a grant made by the City of Dallas when the grantee asked process questions that were not identified in the initial proposal submission. In the taped conversation the Director of Entrepreneurship, Brian K Marhshall, is heard saying “if you don’t stop asking questions we will just withdraw the grant.” (The conversation provided to Other Side Dallas has gone to a notary for transcription for legal purposes.)
In November, the City of Dallas advertised the B.U.I.L.D Small Business Grant Program. As of late December applicants had not heard from city staff.
As the city advertised, B.U.I.L.D. (Broaden Urban Investments to Leverage Dallas) launched the B.U.I.L.D Small Business Grant Program to assist small businesses impacted by the economic downturn caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide businesses in the city of Dallas that have fewer than nine employees, or a 2019 payroll of less than $250,000, with a one-time grant of up to $3,000.
As we reported in the middle of January, several businesses expressed concern about issues with the grant. Their complaints ranged from the city missing its own deadline of late December notifications and not also changing standards after the application period.
BUILD Grantees Not Only Ones Concerned
In addition to the threats and changing standards, it is not clear who is funding this program. The City of Dallas who advertised the program has denied funding the program and referred the issue to JP Morgan Chase. Their media relations staff say they did not fund this program either.
Further, City of Dallas staff stated they had no responsive documents when asked about how BUILD grantees’ applications were scored and decisions made, that the decisions were for funding, etc.
Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson, Director of Economic Development for the City of Dallas has refused to respond to numerous requests for comment about his BUILD grantees program. Additionally, Tennell Atkins, Chairman of the City Council Economic Development Committee has refused multiple requests also.
