It is 6:30 in the morning and I gaze back to the east, watching the sun rise over the mountains. Seeing the ranges differentiated by the clouds passing between them has become a favorite morning ritual. A less than favorite ritual is placing my surgical mask in a cloth sleeve before securing it around my ears followed by putting on surgical gloves. Though only the mask is required, the extra effort: the gloves, the sleeve, etc… are simply added insurance. You see, I am an American English teacher in Taiwan and we are in the middle of a pandemic. I have been asked to compare the approach we make in Taiwan to what is occurring in my home state of Texas.

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) is partnering with Integrative Emergency Services to provide telemedicine to the people who live and work in McKinney. Through the portal, users can connect 24/7 with a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician. Visits are free during the 7-day pilot period. After that, there may be a charge depending on insurance.

Collin County reported a single-day record of 317 new cases in Wednesday's data release, while Denton County turned in 95 newly confirmed cases. Hunt County was notified of 46 new cases, Grayson County reported 41 newly confirmed cases, Fannin County was advised of 18 new cases, Cooke County had four new cases and Lamar County had two cases.

The 24th annual School Supply Drive hosted by the Fannin County Children’s Center is set for this Saturday, August 8. The event will be a drive thru giveaway of free school supplies in front of the center in Bonham from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Families will pull up in their vehicles in front of the center, staff will gather basic information and supplies will be provided without the families having to get out of their cars. The line will go from east to west on Fifth Street, in front of the Children’s Center at 112 W. 5th Street in Bonham. Cars should get in line going south on Main street, turning right on Fifth Street.

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution financial assistance in the amount of $413,000,000 from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program* to the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (Fannin, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Grayson, and Wise counties). The District will use the assistance to finance design and construction costs associated with Lake Ralph Hall.

1945 – World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning. "Little Boy" was the codename for the type of atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II. It was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb was dropped by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., commander of the 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces and Captain Robert A. Lewis. It exploded with an energy of approximately 15 kilotons of TNT (63 TJ) and caused widespread death and destruction throughout the city. The Hiroshima bombing was the second man-made nuclear explosion in history, after the Trinity test.