NEWS
DPS to increase patrols over the holiday
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase traffic enforcement during the Fourth of July holiday weekend from Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4. DPS Troopers will be looking for drunk drivers, and speeding, seat belt and other traffic violators.
“Alcohol consumption is always a concern this time of year, and motorists should take this into consideration when driving over the holiday weekend,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “DPS and other law enforcement agencies will be out in force looking for impaired drivers and traffic violators. If you consume alcohol, there is no excuse for not planning ahead for alternate transportation or designating a sober driver.”
During the 2016 Fourth of July enforcement period, DPS Troopers issued more than 85,267 tickets and warnings, including 1,372 seat belt and child safety restraint citations. DPS enforcement efforts also resulted in 601 DWI arrests, 322 fugitive arrests and 267 felony arrests.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 987 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2016 where a driver was under the influence of alcohol, accounting for 26 percent of last year’s traffic fatalities.
Drivers can take a variety of measures to enhance safety on our roads this July 4th holiday weekend, including:
- Do not drink and drive.
- Slow down – especially in bad weather, construction areas, heavy traffic and unfamiliar areas.
- Eliminate distractions while driving, including the use of mobile devices.
- Buckle up everyone in the vehicle – it’s the law.
- Don’t drive fatigued – allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
- Drive defensively, as holiday travel may present additional challenges.
- Before your trip begins, make sure your vehicle is properly maintained and always double check to make sure all cargo is secure.
- Slow down or move over for police, fire, EMS, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks that are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated – it’s the law. Also, show the same courtesy to fellow drivers stopped along the road.
- Monitor weather conditions wherever you are traveling. In the event of inclement weather, use extra caution on roadways, and never attempt to cross flowing streams or drive across flooded roadways. For more safety tips related to severe storms, visit: http://dps.texas.gov/dem/ThreatAwareness/weather_aware_severe.htm.
The Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on June 23.
The agenda includes both old and new business items.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his report on the 2026-27 budget process, bid opening for the Glenn Hills lift station on July 16 and the bid for Rock and Pillar repairs.
In new business a pair of planning and zoning committee recommendations for replats at 107 E. Nelson and 412 Green will be reviewed. An ordinance adopting an office of emergency management amending a present ordinance will be offered.
Old business will see the second reading of the pickleball court reservation fee ordinance and the ordinance prohibiting drilling and mining or the reopening of an abandoned well or mine in any public park in the city limits.
A HEAT ADVISORY will be in effect from noon until 9 p.m. today (Thursday). Please plan accordingly.
Hear Audio Alert:https://hrpow.us/oeFZANN
Montague County Sheriff Marshall Thomas has confirmed human skeletal remains were recovered on June 13 in the Sunset area, and they could possibly be those of a flight attendant believed to have been murdered almost a year ago in the Fort Worth.
The murder suspect, Dennis William Day, 66, admitted in June 2025 to strangling Rana Soluri, 47, an Envoy flight attendant who lived with Day during that last year. She was reported missing by a co-worker on June 11 and had not been seen or heard from since March 2025.
Day initially denied any involvement, but later admitted to the murder and indicated he dumped her body somewhere in the Montague County area. Lawmen have scoured the areas in questions in both Montague and Wise County, but found nothing.
Sheriff Thomas said on June 13 the SO received a call of possible skeletal remains in the Brushy Creek area north of Poss Dyer Lane on Farm-to-Market 1749. A deputy went to the scene and confirmed it was human remains.
Investigators responded and kept the scene secure overnight until staff from the University of North Texas Forensic Anthropology Center could arrive and made the recovery on June 14. A Texas Ranger and staff from the Fort Worth Police Department also were on scene.
“There is no determination made yet on how long it has been there,” said Thomas. “The anthropologist was pleased to recover most of the skeleton in these conditions. Heavy rains previously made the past searches difficult. We are working jointly with Fort Worth to make an identification and if it is the victim in their homicide.”
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