Fudging COVID Numbers + Remembering Perot + Shushing Deep Ellum

Rise and shine, Dallas! It's Saturday, July 10.

Today's Headlines: Dallas officials may have jumped the gun in declaring herd immunity from COVID-19. We take a look back at the colorful and iconoclastic H. Ross Perot, who died two years ago today, and Deep Ellum has a new task force working on its neighborhood noise problem.

First, today's weather: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 94, low: 77.

Among the top stories in Dallas today:

1. A South Dallas Restaurant is using food and conversation to help fight vaccine hesitancy. (CBS Dallas / Fort Worth)
2. The Dallas Theater Center lifts the curtain on its live 2021-22 season. (CultureMap Dallas)
3. Dallas wants local businesses to get noise pollution under control uptown. (D Magazine)
4. The 635 LBJ Freeway is closing this weekend in Dallas for a bridge demolition. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
5. The search continues for a Dallas post office thief. (FOX 4 Dallas)

Today in Dallas

• Mercado369 hosts renowned textile designer in DFW as part of its Art Talk series (noon)
• Operation Kindness hosts Kitten Palooza Adoption Event (8 a.m.)
• Mat class with Pilates Methodology at Flower Child Uptown (10 a.m.)
• East Dallas Traditional Jazz Band (5 p.m.)
• Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show! (6 p.m.)
• Mexico Gold Cup Watch Party (7 p.m.)

Dallas Patch Notebook

• Dallas County Sheriff's Department: "Congratulations to Dallas Sheriff’s Academy Basic Peace Officer Class #138. They graduate from the academy at 4 p.m." (Facebook)
• North Texas Giving Day: "The countdown continues, 75 days until NTX Giving Day 2021! Last year you raised over $58 million." (Facebook)
• UT Dallas: "| Coming ... Weeks of Welcome! " (Instagram)
• SPCA of Texas: "Meet Gloria Grace! This happy little lady is a great dog and would do well with just about anyone." (Facebook)
• The DEC Network: "We're excited to feature our ongoing partner, VR Small of the @veteranwomensenterprisecenter!" (Instagram)
• Dallas Mavericks: "This has us in our feels #FanArtFriday (@designs_by.lex)." (Instagram)
• Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center: "TGIF! We're trying to #EmptyTheShelters with BISSELL Pet Foundation this weekend! Can you help? All pets are FREE." (Facebook)
• Dallas Habitat for Humanity: "Featured Habitat Family Have you met the Green family? Mrs. Green is the kind of person who brags." (Instagram)
• Dallas Park and Recreation Department: "Teens (13-17) leave your parents and annoying siblings at home & come hang out with #DallasParks, every Friday night." (Facebook)
• Dallas Cowboys: "A new battlefield... Happy #NationalVideoGameDay." (Instagram)
• DFW Airport: "You may not be able to see your house, but it's hard to miss the big green building in downtown Dallas." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Mercado369 hosts renowned textile designer in DFW as part of its Art Talk series (July 10)
• Mercado369 hosts renowned textile designer in DFW as part of its Art Talk series (July 11)

Gigs & services:

• Pressure Washing 15 percent off! (Details)

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Kevin Phinney

About me: Kevin Phinney has lived and worked as a writer and editor in Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York City. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in El Paso. Phinney attended college in Austin. He has done television work as a reporter and commentator, and is a former host of a weekday drive-time radio show called "Kevin & Kevin in the Morning" on KGSR-FM (now known as Austin City Limits Radio). He is also the author of "Souled American, " a book tracking race relations in America through music. It was published by BILLBOARD Books, and is often used in college classrooms across the country.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Dallas Daily? I'm all ears. You can reach me at kevin.phinney@patch.com.