By Emily BrindleyHealth Reporter the first cases reported in the county this year Tarrant County Public Health officials announced the cases late Friday evening The two patients are “household members,” according to the announcement Health officials have not yet determined where the two county residents caught the illness it is unclear whether the cases are connected to the ongoing outbreak that began in Gaines County D-FW Public Health AlertsGet the latest public health updates GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy County health officials said the two patients visited the emergency room at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center while they were contagious People who were at the emergency room from 8 p.m on April 30 may have been exposed to the virus Those who may have been exposed should monitor themselves for symptoms until May 20 Public Health officials are investigating more potential exposure sites The two Tarrant County cases join a handful of measles cases reported in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this year Officials reported a measles case in Denton County earlier this week and Rockwall County has reported two cases None of the Dallas-Fort Worth cases have been officially tied to the ongoing outbreak that began in West Texas The Texas Department of State Health Services has listed the cases in Collin and Rockwall counties as separate from the outbreak The department has not yet classified the Denton County case the measles outbreak has grown to 683 cases in Texas Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread rapidly among unvaccinated people The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97% effective at preventing illness Measles vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone People who are pregnant or immunocompromised are not advised to take the vaccine measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 There have still been outbreaks and cases since then in communities with low vaccination rates. Texas’ large outbreak, however, may threaten the country’s elimination status She was previously an investigative reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram she covered the coronavirus pandemic at the Hartford Courant in Connecticut The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is leading an investigation into a recent death at the Dallas County jail More than two dozen deaths in the Tarrant County Jail were not independently investigated — as required But the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office was picked to investigate the Dallas jail death It's unclear why the Texas Commission on Jail Standards picked Tarrant County to handle the Dallas investigation The state agency requires inmate deaths to be reported Independent investigations are also required A death in a Texas jail must be investigated by a separate law enforcement agency, per the Sandra Bland Act At least 25 of more than 70 deaths since 2017 in the Tarrant County Jail were reviewed by the Fort Worth Police Department — but an independent investigation was not conducted according to KERA and The Fort Worth Report Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia heads the county's criminal justice advisory board "In my opinion it doesn't make any sense," she said "But then again as an extension of the state government She said neither North Texas jail is perfect but does not know why Tarrant County was appointed "We both have some challenges within both organizations," she said "I find it incredible that this is mandated," she said we'll work together and we will identify the issues that Jail Standards wants to know." Dallas County jail has also reported more than 70 in-custody deaths since 2017 Andra Adkins's died in March at Parkland Hospital hours after arriving at the Dallas jail The medical examiner did not perform a full autopsy citing several existing medical conditions Deaths that happen while in jail custody must be reported to the Texas Attorney General's Office State officials have not yet explained why Tarrant County was chosen the state jail standards inspector assigned to Dallas County's annual conditions inspection formerly worked for the Tarrant County Sherriff's Office Shannon Herklotz, the Dallas County Jail's former administrator, accepted the same position in Tarrant County in January Herklotz had previously worked for the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for more than two decades Chief Deputy Shane Sowell was named Dallas County's new jail administrator shortly before Adkins's death Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at @HisGirlHildy Stay informed with this twice-weekly e-newsletter sent right to your inbox Texas is experiencing an outbreak of measles a highly contagious viral infection that can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not vaccinated While the measles outbreak is primarily concentrated in West Texas measles cases have been confirmed in North Central Texas Measles is passed from a person to others through the air or contaminated surfaces Measles can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area Tarrant County reported its first two confirmed case of measles involving a child and an adult who were both unvaccinated and live in the same household Tarrant County Public Health has also reported separate instances of measles exposure to the public by individuals who were contagious when they were visiting locations in Tarrant County Tarrant County Public Health alerts to date: Tarrant County Public Health recommends that individuals who are unvaccinated or who are immunocompromised contact their health care providers immediately to discuss the possible exposure Individuals who are unvaccinated and/or immunocompromised and at increased risk of contracting measles should monitor for symptoms for 21 days from the day of exposure Measles can be prevented with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine Tarrant County Public Health has several clinic locations Tarrant County Public Health Clinic Locations View on Map Contact Us A woman in Tarrant County Jail custody died of dehydration and malnutrition in February according to recent medical examiner findings Kimberly Phillips, 56, died Feb. 18 after spending days at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said Phillips was transported to JPS on Feb Her medical details became part of an open investigation Phillips was arrested by the Grand Prairie Police Department on Jan 24 for outstanding felony warrants and was transported to the Tarrant County Jail the next day She was placed in medical housing under 24-hour observation and care the entire time she was in custody Her family's attorney Chidi Anunobi said in a statement on March 5 that Phillips Anunobi said in a new statement that the autopsy report was a "clear indication" of negligence by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office "Tarrant County continues to display a lack of compassion and abdication of responsibility in Kimberly’s death that is sadly consistent with its history in the several cases of inmate death and abuse that has occurred in Tarrant County," Anunobi said in the statement The family will not give up and is determined to hold Tarrant County accountable." The Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it will provide an update once the investigation is finished as investigators gather all relevant facts," the Sheriff's Office said in the statement Phillips' family plans to file two lawsuits related to her death in the coming weeks There have been at least three other people who died from dehydration while in Tarrant County Jail custody despite access to water Former Chief Deputy Charles Eckert testified in an ongoing lawsuit deposition that all inmates had 24/7 access to water and it wasn't a concern as long as it was provided to them "The Sheriff's Department can't hold people down and force water into their mouth, they have to make the conscious choice to walk over to the sink and drink water,” Eckert told WFAA One of the dehydration deaths was 52-year-old Georgia Kay Baldwin who died Sept Tarrant County offered a $750,000 payout to her family last year following a lawsuit filed by her sons Deaths and allegations of mistreatment in the Tarrant County Jail have cost the county millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements since 2022 Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today Tarrant County confirmed its first positive cases of measles May 2 It has not yet been determined where the patients contracted the disease Tarrant County Public Health reported that the two individuals visited Methodist Mansfield ER Tarrant County Public Health said it is actively investigating additional possible exposure sites and contacts during the individuals’ infectious periods The agency said it will give more in-depth information about the situation early next week Unvaccinated or immunocompromised individuals who were at the location should monitor themselves for symptoms until May 20 and two doses of the MMR vaccine is the best protection Tarrant County Public Health encourages unvaccinated residents or those unsure of their vaccination status to contact their health care provider for vaccine recommendations and guidance Symptoms for measles include fever above 101 degrees and cough blotchy rash that begins at the hairline/scalp and behind the ears and progresses down the body Tarrant County Public Health said anyone who develops symptoms should stay home and isolate themselves from others contact a health care provider for guidance and call before visiting a clinic or hospital to limit possible exposure to others Tarrant County Public Health says vaccines are available through primary health care providers and local pharmacies It also offers vaccines at its six immunization clinics Residents may schedule an appointment by calling 817-248-6299 or walk in during clinic hours Tarrant County Public Health said it is working closely with local and regional partners to monitor this situation Voters can weigh in on city and school board elections within Tarrant County May 3 Early votes from Tarrant and Denton counties show more than 91,000 people have already cast their ballots for the May 3 election Two people face criminal charges after being removed during a Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting for clapping out of turn and swearing Carolyn Rodriguez, who goes by Carolina, and Charles Hermes were charged with hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct. That’s a Class A misdemeanor — the most serious level — punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine up to $4,000 Hermes clapped for an audience member who spoke during public comment at the Jan after County Judge Tim O’Hare warned him not to do it he said his criminal charge could have a chilling effect "If we want to live in a society where people aren't afraid to go to the commissioners court and express their concerns about our county they can't worry that they're going to be facing Class A misdemeanors for something as silly as clapping," he said The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office filed the complaints against Rodriguez and Hermes in late January and early February The DA's office does not comment on pending cases At the meeting on Jan. 28, commissioners were set to discuss new rules of decorum after a series of contentious public meetings People were allowed to clap for a man who sang "God Bless America” to start the meeting questioning why his clapping was unacceptable Hermes, a longtime UTA lecturer, was placed on paid administrative leave in March, with the university citing complaints about his teaching, according to the Fort Worth Report. Hermes told the Report he suspected it was due to political pressure pointing to a recent positive evaluation from his department chair He confirmed to KERA News he is still on leave Rodriguez, a local YouTuber who films interactions with police 28 commissioners court meeting after she swore during her allotted public comment time Rodriguez listed off several offensive words in defense of Grisham Rodriguez was protesting the meeting rules that ban swearing "I didn't think that the decorum should be able to trump the Constitution,” she said Neither was County Commissioner Alisa Simmons who also swore while standing up for Grisham’s right to do so staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project Governments are allowed to set rules for how meetings are run but he’s never heard of someone being charged with a Class A misdemeanor after breaking them “I think that it's a pretty grotesque abuse of the criminal law to silence public participation in government,” Fife said Both Rodriguez and Hermes are being represented by attorney Mark Streiff “Both of these cases involve the freedom of expression and the freedom of speech should not have even been brought to a criminal court,” he said It’s unclear how often people are charged for hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct. Streiff referenced one Tarrant County case where a man was convicted of this crime after being accused of threatening to harm a criminal court judge Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today College Lecturer in Economics Ruth Tarrant has been appointed as a founding Fellow by the Royal Economic Society the professional membership body and learned society for the study and application of economics.  The fellowships were open for applications from individuals in the UK who have made a significant contribution to the discipline of Economics through their work in academia who is the Economics Subject Lead for the University of Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year was recognised for her work on widening access to Economics among young people and for supporting teachers with subject knowledge.  Applications were reviewed by a panel of judges: Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides The judging panel noted the strong and varied contributions of the applicants They were particularly impressed by the applicants' influence not only within their own roles Ruth said: "I'm honoured to be recognised by the RES for my contribution to economics education and delighted that they are increasingly supportive of educators as well as researchers." Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person was arrested following an incident captured on surveillance video outside City Hall The video shows Jackson walk out with a bag on her shoulder she then reaches into the bag and pulls out a gun She is then seen escorting a child back into the building Jackson was booked into the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office this morning and released about an hour later on a $1,000 bond She is now charged with possession of a firearm we are not sure as to what caused the altercation We will continue to provide updates on this story as they become available A Ten Commandments monument donated to Tarrant County will be placed on county grounds after it was approved in a 3-1 vote during the Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday All three Republican commissioners voted in favor of allowing the monument to be on county grounds with Alisa Simmons citing separation of church and state as one of her reasons for voting against it Approval of the monument was added to the agenda by Commissioner Matt Krause This was the first item he had put on the agenda since his election regardless of your religion or if you're not religious or what you believe or don't believe those are all good reminders for us," Krause said regarding the commandments The Ten Commandments provides a moral framework that emphasizes the importance of caring for the vulnerable and upholding justice put a monument to the very things we do not uphold on this court?" she asked Simmons mentioned cuts to county and social services and reduced assistance for vulnerable members of the community Two years ago, commissioners rejected sending state funds to Girls Inc. of Tarrant County which offers school-based and community programming for 5- to 18-year-old girls But concerns about the organization’s support of LGBTQ issues and reproductive rights resulted in a 3-2 vote to deny Girls Inc County Judge Tim O'Hare and Commissioner Manny Ramirez were two of the three Republican commissioners who voted it down — and two of the three who approved the Ten Commandments monument There is a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas Capitol grounds, which the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 did not violate the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment Krause said the monument donated to Tarrant County will be nearly identical to the one on the state's capitol grounds The monument and upkeep will be privately funded through the American History and Heritage Foundation a non-profit founded in 2015 dedicated to "educating and informing the public about American history and heritage," according to its website First Liberty Institute, a legal organization that exclusively focuses on religious liberty, has offered to represent the county for free if faces with litigation over the monument, said Krause, who is a lawyer with First Liberty Institute "I think it will be a great monument to put in Tarrant County to reaffirm our dedication to the rule of law the history and tradition of America and Texas and it's something I think we can all rally around," Krause said It's not the first time the former state representative has supported the Ten Commandments on government property Krause spoke in favor of Senate bills 10 and 11 last month which would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and provide students with time to pray during school hours Similar to Tuesday, Krause referenced the 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case which the Supreme Court ruled public schools cannot bar employees or students from engaging in religious practices like prayer That decision threw out a "lemon test" used to determine if a public display was a violation of the First Amendment and replaced it with a test that prioritizes historical practices and understandings "I can't think of anything more historical or traditional in American history and Texas history than the Ten Commandments," Krause said CEO and Chief Counsel at First Liberty Institute said in a statement that displaying the Ten Commandments on public grounds was consistent with Supreme Court decisions that recognized religious heritage and the nation’s history and traditions "The Ten Commandments are a symbol of law and moral conduct with both religious and secular significance for all Americans," Shackelford said in the statement "We applaud the Commissioners Court for taking this bold step for religious liberty." opposed the decision to approve the monument "It violates the First Amendment of the Constitution which prohibits establishment of a religion and the Christian monument does not represent American history since our founders came to our shores to escape religious persecution This story was updated to correct the name of Reed Bilz Any day is a day of celebration when student athletes sign to further their athletic careers Family and friends gathered at the Biloxi Natatorium Thursday evening for a huge milestone swim team have signed their letters of intent to continue their careers in the lanes Patrick senior and former WXXV Student Athlete of the Week Tarrant swam mainly freestyle and relays for the Fighting Irish This state champion and 33 time medalist is taking her talents to Marymount University Joining her with a pen in hand is Biloxi’s Cody Ano Ano’s specialty is the 200 breaststroke He has earned around 20 medals and recently broke his own state record while qualifying for the Summer Juniors National Championship He’ll be continuing his swimming career at the University of Tampa I’m just super excited about everything,” said Tarrant “Doing both fashion design and swimming and going to a school where I realize I can do both even though I’ll be very time consumed I just feel great because a lot of people will swim and then after high school they can’t move on it’s still awesome and they’re a really good team too.” “All of the hard work finally paid off and I look forward to what comes these next four years It’s definitely motivating to see all of these friends and family really show up Robert Gonzalez has definitely been a huge part of my career and I’m glad I’ve been able to develop What an incredible day for swimmers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Congratulations again to Annabelle and Cody Some voting precincts are getting eliminated and others are being split up after the Tarrant County Commissioners Court was told Tuesday some of the changes are necessary under state law The precincts being split have reached a statutory limit of 5,000 registered voters while those being eliminated had zero registered voters Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig said The move garnered some pushback from one resident concerned the changes would impact representation or what shows up on ballots with the only possible changes in elections being the selection of a precinct chair Email James Hartley at jhartley@kera.org Mallory Yancy grabs a basket and pulls out colorful shirt after colorful shirt used to pair these with a patterned kimono He was generous and he could befriend anyone “He really would show up for people that he loved,” she said “That was something he was really good at.” Mallory’s Arlington home is now full of her brother’s belongings Mason was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Christmas Eve for a drug charge Under the Sandra Bland Act all in-custody deaths in Texas jails must be investigated by an outside law enforcement agency But when Mallory spoke to KERA News and the Fort Worth Report in February she said she didn’t know who — if anyone — was investigating her brother’s death Mallory knew that in recent years, more than 25 deaths in Tarrant County custody were assigned to the Fort Worth Police Department. Officers never actually investigated those deaths Fort Worth police reviewed the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation reports “Our department does review these investigations ONCE THEY ARE COMPLETED,” Fort Worth police spokesperson Officer Jimmy Pollozani wrote in an email “The investigative write-ups and files are prepared by Tarrant County detectives and our review follows once the investigation has been finalized.” admitted to missing the violations for years Sheriff’s offices can do their own investigations but a third-party investigation is still required “TCSO is adhering to the law and is confident we are in compliance with state standards,” spokesperson Robbie Hoy wrote in a Jan all in-custody deaths are reviewed and investigated by Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office jail staff the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.” The Fort Worth Police Department acknowledged it only reviewed death investigations but it was previously unclear what those reviews involved KERA News and the Fort Worth Report obtained copies of the sheriff’s office’s internal investigations and Fort Worth police’s reviews The jail commission charged $515.25 for 3,400 pages of records The case files contain documents about 15 in-custody deaths where the Fort Worth Police Department was appointed as the independent investigator Most of them were attributed to natural causes The jail commission withheld records for another 10 deaths arguing they should not be released because the investigations were incomplete The records show Fort Worth police reviews came months — sometimes years — after the deaths Detectives offered no substantive comments on either the death or the sheriff’s office’s internal investigations Fort Worth police made small corrections in three cases In the review of William Burns’ death investigation a detective noted that the sheriff’s department wrote down the wrong date of birth and time of death another detective noted that Zink’s alleged crime was misstated in his in-custody death report the detective pointed out a couple mistakes like an “a.m.” timestamp instead of “p.m.” But the detective’s own report contains an error the review “finds this investigation to be consistent thorough and complete,” the detective wrote Police used the same language to close out each file The lack of a third-party investigation has left some families grasping for information about what happened to their loved ones Trelynn Wormley died of a fentanyl overdose in 2022 demanding answers about how her son seems to have obtained drugs behind bars She has spoken at jail commission meetings in Austin multiple times asking for a third-party investigation into her son’s death “I was hoping that you all would issue a jail noncompliance for violating state law and you would force an independent investigation into his death and I need a noncompliance to be issued to the jail.” The sheriff’s office has previously said it has no intention of reopening cases that have already been reviewed by Fort Worth police Mason Yancy’s death is among the cases that remain open His sister Mallory believes he died due to his diabetes and that he didn’t get the medical care he needed in jail Sheriff Bill Waybourn contends that jail medical staff checked on Mason many times His cause of death is pending an autopsy from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office If the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office failed to get a third-party investigation again, it could be declared noncompliant with the state’s minimum jail standards, the jail commission’s executive director, Brandon Wood, said last year. The designation, published in an online database Wood revealed an apparent loophole in the law Sheriff’s offices pick an outside law enforcement agency to investigate deaths “I could write a strongly worded letter to Fort Worth PD “There’s no penalty outlined in statute for an appointed agency if they do not conduct that outside investigation.” It’s not the sheriff’s office’s responsibility to confirm that the outside investigation happens Tarrant County could only be penalized if the sheriff’s office explicitly told Fort Worth police not to investigate “I've not been told that that ever occurred,” he said This is not a loophole, but a misinterpretation of the Sandra Bland Act, according to Michele Deitch. She helped craft the law and is director of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at UT Austin “The whole idea is to ensure independence in the investigation,” she said “And if an agency is picking who’s going to investigate them that’s no more trustworthy than investigating themselves.” The lack of third-party death investigations in Tarrant County was first reported by Bolts magazine in October the county has started assigning investigations to other local sheriff’s offices it remained unclear who would be investigating the latest deaths or if the investigations would happen at all a 28-year-old Prairie View A&M graduate from Illinois died inside a Waller County jail cell in 2015 and her death – which authorities ruled a suicide – made international headlines requires an outside law enforcement agency to investigate each in-custody death “That can be something that the public and policymakers can rely on as trustworthy,” Deitch said In February, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, filed a bill that would weaken the Sandra Bland Act would make deaths deemed “natural” exempt from the independent investigation requirement Birdwell filed a similar bill in 2023, which passed the Senate before dying in the House. Waybourn supported the measure The jail commission has talked to “several different entities” about the possibility of relaxing investigation requirements “If the individual passed away under a doctor’s care does it require the same level – if it is natural – of investigation that another death that was not natural would?” he said Deaths deemed to be from natural causes can still result in accusations of wrongdoing Javonte Myers died in his Tarrant County Jail cell in 2020 from what the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office deemed a natural cause: a seizure disorder Paul Parker is an independent death investigator and former executive officer of the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board which investigates deaths or serious injuries connected to the local sheriff’s department because you will find the death may have been able to be prevented Third-party investigations can uncover wrongdoing They can also show ways a jail can improve “We were hoping for a deeper inquiry that could get at some systemic issues with an eye towards potentially preventing deaths in the future,” she said the Texas Rangers were the main outside investigating agency looking into Tarrant County jail deaths Rangers who investigated jail deaths would show up at the scene review surveillance video and interview detention officers The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office previously said it switched to using Fort Worth police because the Rangers had manpower issues The agency still went to the Rangers for cases of concern such as those involving misconduct After the initial reporting on the lack of outside investigations in Tarrant County it was unclear if the problem would be fixed His death was assigned to the Fort Worth Police Department according to an in-custody death report submitted to the Texas Attorney General’s Office When asked if Ramsey’s death would get an outside investigation Tarrant County was struggling to find an agency that would take on the investigation They want to be involved from the beginning,” Wood said His death report noted that the sheriff’s office tried to get the Texas Rangers to investigate “The Texas Rangers were notified and declined to respond therefore FWPD major case and [Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s] office will be the investigating authority,” the report stated Wood confirmed that some law enforcement agencies are not willing to take on certain deaths “Trying to find individuals that are willing to do the non-suspicious The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office already performs autopsies to figure out why people die in custody It was unclear if the sheriff’s office was now treating them like the Rangers – an outside law enforcement agency that could conduct a third-party investigation under the Sandra Bland Act Wood said in January the jail commission was still trying to confirm whether the medical examiner’s office would count as an independent investigatory body Mason’s death was later assigned to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office Collin County has also been assigned to the deaths of Vernon Ramsey and Mclendon Caldwell according to death reports submitted to the Texas Attorney General’s Office 18 went to the Denton County Sheriff’s Office When asked whether Collin and Denton would perform their own investigations – or just review Tarrant’s – Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Laurie Passman did not answer “Please reach out to those agencies to inquire about their procedures and processes,” she wrote in a Feb The Collin County Sheriff’s Office’s investigations comply with the direction of the jail commission and not aligned with any previous Tarrant County investigations,” she said The Denton County Sheriff’s Office did not respond by this story’s deadline Pond said Collin County was assigned the three death investigations on Feb That’s a month and a half after Mason Yancy died more than two months after Vernon Ramsey died and seven months after Mclendon Caldwell died Starting late can hurt the quality of an independent death investigation you’re always looked at as not really belonging there.” Wood said the state can prevent this from happening again by keeping a closer eye on investigations – and to “reach out and do a better job of ensuring that these are actually investigations that are occurring.” the state is still not interpreting the law correctly “I would hope that simply being made aware that current practice is inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law may result in changes in how [the jail commission] pursues these kinds of cases in the future,” she said it might take legislation or a lawsuit to fix the problem A pair of Tarrant County lawmakers have filed bills they say would strengthen the investigation process wants to require the jail standards commission – not the sheriff’s office – to name an independent investigative agency immediately after a death in custody David Lowe’s proposal would create an 11-member panel to collect and review reports of all in-custody deaths across Texas the committee would also make recommendations on how to reduce preventable deaths in county jails Mallory Yancy said she’s ready to fight to close the “massive loophole” in the Sandra Bland Act “It’s not fair that our family has to do this I would want it to be any other family but ours,” she said the only thing in my brain that’s keeping me from wanting to blow things up is Emily Wolf is a former government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today Two faculty members have been promoted at Boston College Law School Natalya Shnitser to full professor and Sandy Tarrant ’99 to clinical professor.  As a scholarly expert in retirement security in the United States Shinster has made significant contributions to the field not only through her teaching but also through her research which has been published in numerous academic journals including the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance She started her career at BC Law  as the inaugural David and Pamela Donohue Assistant Professor in Business Law and rose through the ranks to her new position this month She has also served as Chair of the AALS Section on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation and as the organizer of the Annual Conference on Employee Benefits and Social Insurance Among the courses Shnitser teaches are Employee Benefits Law Tarrant is the Faculty Director of the Program on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) and heads the BC Law Entrepreneurship & Innovation Clinic which provides legal aid to entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Greater Boston area and served in various capacities for nonprofit and political organizations in New England Tarrant holds both a BA and JD from Boston College She worked for BC Law in 2009 and 2016 as a visiting clinical professor and clinic director before joining the faculty full-time in 2020 serving as an associate clinical professor until her promotion Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons read her proclamation declaring March National Social Work Month and the court was about to vote to approve it when Commissioner Matt Krause said he had a problem A disagreement over parts of the proclamation that Krause wanted removed The proclamation acknowledged social workers employed by the county – 84 plus two dozen social work interns – and lists some of the work they do “Social workers are trained experts in transforming care for others into actions that bring positive results,” Simmons read from the proclamation “Social workers throughout history have worked to improve living conditions in our nation Medicare and a minimum wage and have advocated for this nation to live out its true values of equal rights for all people no matter race She talked about social workers’ ethics and their special attention to people who are vulnerable facilitate adoptions and help care for those in need “And social workers now are helping end gun violence offering mental health for all and urging the adoption of immigration reform,” Simmons read Simmons moved to adopt the proclamation Tuesday and Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr He said he supports social workers and appreciates what they do but he can’t vote to approve the proclamation as it was presented “There’s just a couple of lines in there that I think just so we can all get on board and all support this proclamation that maybe we could amend or take out,” Krause said He asked to end the sentence about America’s “true values of equal rights for all people” “A couple of those terms in there are against Texas policy the new administration’s policy,” Krause said “I know we want to have care for all people so I think maybe if we just put a period right there.” He also asked to remove references to ending gun violence and advocating for immigration reform saying those terms have different meanings to different people “I am 100% not amenable to amending or editing my proclamation,” Simmons said before addressing Krause directly “You do a social work month proclamation and you draft it how you like but this one has been approved by myself and the social workers that make up Tarrant County.” She said she worked with social workers on writing the proclamation and wasn’t willing to change it if I remember correctly?” County Judge Tim O’Hare asked staff when Simmons was done talking “The commissioners court can vote to put in the amendment?” He was told that was right and the court voted on the amended proclamation Krause and Commissioner Manny Ramirez supporting it and Democrats Simmons and Miles opposing