COUNTY LIFE
Overhaul of the Texas grand jury begins in 97th District
By BARBARA GREEN
The overhaul of the Texas grand jury system has arrived in the 97th Judicial District as the “key-man” system is replaced by the random process used to impanel a traditional jury.
California now remains the only state is using the key-man system following passage earlier this year of Senate Bill 135 and House Bill 282 by the Texas Legislature.
Supporters of the bill say the state’s grand jury selection process inserts judges too deeply in the process making it prone to misuse.
It is hoped the new process can present a truly fair, impartial panel representative of the area demographics.
A grand jury is composed of 12 people who meet to weigh the merits of various criminal cases during a six-month period. It hands down indictments if it finds enough evidence exists to warrant a trial.
For more than a century Texas has used what is often called the “pick-a-pal” system, where a district judge appoint commissioners, who selects the members for the grand jury. Those commissioners would find 20 prospective grand jurors and then select the first 12 who qualify.
SB 135 and HB 282 were authored by Sen. John Whitmire and State Rep. Harold Dutton Jr., both Democrats from Houston, where there has been harsh criticism of the grand jury system. In Harris County, a police officer sat on six grand juries and served as a foreman on one that was investigating another police officer.
Read the full story, along with information on the qualifications for a grand jury in your weekend News.
Nocona is preparing for the 74th annual Chisholm Trail Rodeo May 8 and 9 at the Chisholm Trail Arena.
The rodeo will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nightly with the Ryan Ready Band playing for the rodeo dance afterward on Saturday night. Tickets in advance are $12 and $15 at the gate.
All the traditional rodeo events are planned along with non-sanctioned events of junior barrels for 16 and under. There is $250 added each night, a jackpot nightly and contestants have a $50 entry fee. Entries open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 4-5.
The new Chisholm Trail Rodeo Queen and Princess will be crowned during Saturday night’s performance. Read about these young ladies in your Thursday Bowie New.
Clara Anderson
TxDOT is hosting a virtual meeting to review projects included in the 2027-2030 Rural TIP.
The program is at 4 p.m. on May 6 and 11:59 p.m. on May 19, all online at https://bit.ly/4uhDwMG
The Rural TIP is a list of local projects to be funded during the next four years in the Wichita Falls District of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The counties included are Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young. Transportation projects cannot receive federal funding unless they are included in the Rural TIP. This includes projects for private vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, public transport, and commercial vehicles.
A section of Roach Street has been closed for the last few weeks as a new sewer line was installed replacing old clay tile line. It is phase two of multi-phase sewer line project across the city funded through a Texas Water Development Board loan of more than $9.7 million. The project will replace nearly10 miles of aging lines. (News photo by Barbara Green)
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