Coronavirus test negative for Baylor student, Cowlishaw on Kobe Bryant's death : Your Monday evening roundup

A Dallas judge is considering whether a Lancaster school board member can continue to serve as a volunteer advocate for students with special needs in the district.  [Evening roundup]( 01/27/2020 By Mallorie Sullivan and Narda Pérez Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Tourists wear masks in Hong Kong, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. The new virus accelerated its spread in China and the U.S. Consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced Sunday it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) PUBLIC HEALTH [Baylor University student tests negative for new coronavirus, Waco health department confirms]( A Baylor University student who was suspected of having the new coronavirus originating from Wuhan, China, [has tested negative,]( health officials said Monday. The student was among four people in Texas who have been tested for the virus. All of their tests have come back negative, the Department of State Health Services said Monday. Also: As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, the North Texas Asian-American community [thinks of loved ones abroad.]( ADVERTISEMENT  EDUCATION [Should a school board member be an advocate for special needs students? Lancaster ISD says no way]( A Dallas judge is considering whether a Lancaster school board member can continue to serve as a volunteer advocate for students with special needs in the district. Carolyn Morris, who was elected to the board last year, says she’s been a parent advocate for children with physical or learning disabilities for 30 years. The work allows her to sit in on meetings between parents and teachers to speak on behalf of students when decisions are made about their eligibility for special education classes. [Lancaster ISD says that’s a conflict of interest.](  Also: The politics of school lunch is [raising concerns about nutrition.](   And: Here's how Dallas-area schools [are beefing up security after a fatal shooting.](  SPORTS [Kobe Bryant had arguably just started to live, which makes his sudden death particularly cruel]( Sports columnist Tim Cowlishaw writes: It seems silly, trite, perhaps even disingenuous, to make the argument that Kobe Bryant was just getting started at life when he died at 41 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles Sunday morning. And it’s a hard case to make when someone amassed 33,643 points and collected five NBA championship rings before retiring from the league years ago. [But didn’t it feel that way at least a bit?](  Also: Skylar Diggins-Smith wants to [leave the Dallas Wings]( and find a new team to play for next season.   And: [Seth Curry’s honest analysis:]( The Mavericks are too predictable in clutch situations  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Grab your umbrella: Showers and storms [are possible overnight into Tuesday]( for Dallas-Fort Worth. - Attention, meat lovers: Heim Barbecue in Fort Worth [is opening its first Dallas location this spring.]( - Going up: With more young renters than buyers, apartment starts in North Texas [are expected to rise in 2020 and 2021.]( Melanie and Steve Uriegas, with a photo of their son, Jesse, who died by suicide last February. "Both the teens and their parents want to see something change," Melanie says. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [After her young teen’s death by suicide on a Plano ISD campus, this mom fights for change]( Metro columnist Sharon Grigsby writes: The five-pointed star still twinkling atop Steve and Melanie Uriegas’ home in East Plano isn’t a random Christmas decoration that the family simply hasn’t gotten around to packing away. Their teenage son, Jesse, usually put up the outdoor holiday lights. This past Christmas, the first since the 15-year-old died by suicide, Melanie asked Steve to craft the strands into a star to shine brightly until Feb. 22, the anniversary of this family’s life-shattering tragedy. Melanie told me the star is a message to Jesse that ["we’re here, we love you and we’ll be transparent and honest and tell your story."]( 👋 That's all for this afternoon! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2020 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](