Here are things you need to know for Tuesday, Sept. 8:
1. Dozens of local churches convert into learning centers to help HISD students
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For 155 years, parishioners have been coming to the Trinity United Methodist Church to worship.
But starting Tuesday, dozens of Houston Independent School District elementary school students will come to learn and attend school virtually through a program called “Sanctuaries of Learning.”
2. Absent widespread testing, Texas schools have limited tools to prevent coronavirus spread
Ideally, students and teachers returning to classrooms this fall would be tested for the novel coronavirus “as much as in major league sports,” says Diana Cervantes, an epidemiologist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In Texas, that will not happen.
With no plans for widespread testing and a virus still spreading quickly in many communities, “schools should be prepared to have infected individuals show up,” said Spencer Fox, a University of Texas at Austin researcher who models coronavirus risks.
3. Two-thirds of voters say they won’t get coronavirus vaccine right away or at all
Two-thirds of American voters say they’re not going to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to USA Today / Suffolk poll.
That’s about 67% of voters who say they either will never get one or want the majority of other people to get one first before they do.
4. Texans hope football can help boost morale, give sense of normalcy
The year 2020 feels like the longest year ever as the impact of COVID-19 has been shown in every part of our lives.
And while football may not be the most important thing, watching Deshaun Watson take on Patrick Mahomes has the potential to bring joy to the country.
“I think it’s going to be a historic night,” said Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien. “The NBA has done a great job, hockey has done a great job, baseball’s done a great job.... look, obviously we’re very biased but football, we believe, is America’s game. I think this is the first game of an absolutely unprecedented time, a historic time.”
5. 2 Tropical Storms are Churning in the Atlantic
PAULETTE and RENE continue to move through the Atlantic. Both tropical storms will stay safely away from the U.S. mainland. RENE is expected to hit Cat. 1 hurricane strengthen but with both systems remaining in the water there will only be marine impacts.
3 things to share
WORD OF THE DAY:
Mirabilia: [ mee-rah-bil-i-ah; English mir-uh-bil-ee-uh ] (plural noun) Latin. Marvels; miracles.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“People protect what they love.” - Jacques Yves Cousteau
NUMBER TO KNOW:
120: Jamaica has 120 rivers.