Texas
MLB, Texas Rangers unveil Fort Worth mural paying homage to Latino ballplayers
FORT WORTH — Growing up, Juan Velázquez dreamt of becoming an artist, even as people told him it could never work out.
For years, Velázquez found other ways to support himself, including a job in the telecommunications industry and a stint in the U.S. Army. Four years ago, laid off during the pandemic, he decided to focus on his art.
Velázquez, 35, unveiled his newest creation Wednesday in Fort Worth, surrounded by Latino community leaders and dozens of school-age children. The mural — an homage to Latino and Latina ballplayers commissioned by the Texas Rangers and Major League Baseball — is meant to motivate and inspire children and adults alike.
“This is for everyone who believes in themselves, who has a dream,” Velázquez said. “Go out there and get it. Life is short.”
The unveiling is among numerous community events planned ahead of the All-Star Game next week at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Watch: Fort Worth artist unveils mural that celebrates Latino ballplayers ahead of All-Star Game
The mural pays homage to the Hispanic community in Fort Worth, showcasing the evolution of Latino and Latina baseball and softball players chasing their dreams
The mural stretches across a wall outside the Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center, minutes from the Fort Worth Stockyards. The once-white expanse is now a wash of sky-blue and grass-green, visible from nearby North Main Street.
A spray-painted illustration depicts ballplayers’ development from children playing T-ball to professionals in the major league. A young girl swings a bat. Nearby, a boy wearing a Texas Rangers cap and baseball glove stares ahead, lost in a daydream.
Star Latino baseball players, including Yovani Gallardo, are shown near an illustration of the Fort Worth skyline and a stadium background.
Gallardo, who is from Fort Worth, called his inclusion an “honor and privilege.” Like Velázquez, he said he grew up sometimes hearing he would never make it as a professional ballplayer.
“Anything can happen if you put your mind and the work into it,” Gallardo told the crowd.
Latinos have long played an integral role in Major League Baseball, which is among the most diverse professional sports. Some 2,000 players of Hispanic descent have been feature on major league rosters, according to the MLB. Latinos now make up roughly 30% of the league’s talent, and that number grows each season.
The Texas Rangers is a partner of Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center, which was founded in 2000 to preserve, protect and promote the works of Latino artists in North Texas. It is the only Latino cultural center in Fort Worth or Tarrant County.
Catalina Villegas, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Major League Baseball, said the mural aims to inspire inclusion and representation. William Girón, executive director of the center, said the piece is a “great example of diversity, equity and inclusion in this great city.”
Velázquez has created more than 150 murals throughout the region. Many of the murals have centered on local and Central Texas community figures, including Texas native Willie Nelson in a Hillsboro display.
One of Velázquez’s most popular murals features former Texas Rangers infielder Rougned Odor punching now-retired Blue Jays All-Star José Bautista in the face. The Arlington mural was based on an image of a brawl between the two players at the Rangers’ old home at Globe Life Park in 2016.
Ray Casas, director of community impact for the Texas Rangers and a Fort Worth native, said Velázquez’s latest work is more than a piece of art.
“It’s a mirror for kids in this neighborhood to look at and see representation, because representation is important,” Casas said. “Access is important, and opportunity is important.”
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.
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