Rep. Drew Springer defeats Shelley Luther, COVID’s ‘untold story’:Weekend Roundup

also featuring Cowboys being too boring for prime time.  [Morning roundup]( 12/20/2020 By Ashley M. Slayton and Sadie Layher Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌞 Weather: Sunny skies. High 64F. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Vernon, defeated beauty salon owner Shelley Luther late Saturday in a hotly contested special runoff election for the Texas Senate District 30 seat.  (Jay Janner / Austin American-Statesman) POLITICS Rep. Drew Springer defeats Shelley Luther in North Texas Senate race [AUSTIN -- State Rep. Drew Springer defeated beauty salon owner Shelley Luther]( in the hotly contested special runoff election for a North Texas Senate seat. [Springer led by roughly 7,400 votes]( with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial results. He carried some of the district’s largest counties, including Denton and Wichita, while winning handily in the areas he already represents in the Texas House. Luther of Pilot Point held the edge in three large counties -- Collin, Grayson and Parker. The two candidates, both Republicans, fiercely battled for the chance to represent the solidly red Senate District 30.  Also: As the [White House celebrated the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines]( and some lawmakers lined up for doses, one Texas congressman raised the specter of coercion that doesn’t exist and isn’t under discussion.   Also: [A federal judge on Friday found Texas in contempt of court]( — again — for continuing to expose thousands of children to "an unreasonable risk of serious harm" while they are in foster care.  Since his mother, Cecilia, and his fiancee, Blanca Leon (in framed photo), died of COVID-19, Claudio Sanchez has been caring for his and Blanca's sons Jose Ortiz, 14, Daniel Sanchez, 6, Claudio's sister, Celeste, 18, and three cousins who had lived with his mother and aunt: Elijah Sanchez, 7, Izaeyah Burkley, 8, and Aaliyah Sanchez, 9. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer) CORONAVIRUS [COVID’s ‘untold story’: Texas’ Blacks and Latinos are dying in the prime of their lives]( Claudio Sanchez is facing his first Christmas without his fiancee, Blanca Leon; his mother, Cecilia; or Blanca’s father, Jose. All three died of COVID-19. Now Claudio, 33, a machine operator at a paper company, cares for his and Blanca’s two sons, his sister and three young cousins who used to live with his mom and aunt. His aunt is hospitalized with COVID-19 and on a ventilator. [The Sanchezes are two motherless generations, grieving together](. "I feel like I’ve been robbed, just beaten up," said Claudio, who lives in Lancaster. "It’s ripped apart everything."  Also: As the White House celebrated the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, one Texas congressman [raised the specter of coercion that doesn’t exist]( and isn’t under discussion.   And: Dallas County reported [record COVID-19 hospitalizations]( for a third time last week, adding 1,723 cases and 8 deaths.  ADVERTISEMENT SPORTS [Cowboys may have finally committed a cardinal sin in the eyes of Jerry Jones: They’re too boring for prime time]( This is the 15th year that Sunday Night Football has been on NBC. The Cowboys have been scheduled for the maximum number of three appearances every season. Three times — 2011, 2013 and 2016 — the network flexed them into a fourth appearance. This is the [first time they have been flexed out](.  Also: Our top [five]( from No. 5 Texas A&M’s win over Tennessee.   And: Check out these [6A and 5A statewide Texas high school football playoff pairings]( browse area-round results, schedules and more.  After the start of the pandemic, young people practiced social distancing while gathering in the parking lot at McKinney High School on March 24. Collin County instituted a stay-at-home order that took effect that day; Dallas County had put its order into place at 11:59 the previous night. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) ADVERTISEMENT PHOTO OF THE WEEKEND [The Dallas Morning News’ Photos of the Year 2020]( [Memorable images from the past year from our photographers.]( AROUND THE SITE - Two injured in [DART derailment in downtown]( Dallas. - Texas’ [unemployment rate rises]( to 8.1% in November, easily eclipsing U.S. rate. - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he [will ‘absolutely’ get COVID-19 vaccine](. FINALLY... [Spanish speakers are getting lost in translation at Dallas City Hall, and that’s unacceptable]( The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board writes More than a third of Dallas’ population speaks Spanish, and among that group, about 216,000 speak English less than "very well," according to the Census Bureau. That’s a significant [number of people who need to interact with their local government and who may not be able to do so]( in a professional and sustained way. [Aquí la versión en español de este editorial.]( ADVERTISEMENT  👋 That's all for this morning! 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? 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