Montague County Judge Kevin Benton said the scammers are back in force this time using the real names of county officials and law officers to put forward their scams.
There are two separate scams happening. The first one has the caller telling a citizens they are late on the property taxes and the county is about to file liens on their property. They are then directed to call a number to make the payments.
Benton emphasized no contact regarding past due taxes would be done via the telephone, it would only be handled through letters from the county’s tax attorneys. He added in these they are using the real names of county officials including the judge and other officials.

Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.

By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Tuesday night’s Bowie City Council meeting lasted only 15 minutes as the city officials handled a brief agenda of business.
The meeting opened with Mayor Gaylynn Burris announcing dates for upcoming budget-focused sessions. There will be budget discussions at the June 24 regular meeting, followed by a budget workshop on July1 and on July 8 the budget will be presented to the public. Per law it would need to be submitted for final council action by July 18.
In his regular report, City Manager Bert Cunningham discussed the pressing drainage problem at Rock and Pillar.
He and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance have had meetings with two engineering firms, one from Wichita Falls and one from Fort Worth. Both firms have experience with drainage issues, as the city staffers shared their opinions on how repairs should move forward as the engineers offered their own suggestions.
“We do not yet have final cost estimates but we now have a pretty good idea of how we will proceed. We are evaluating both engineers by hearing their ideas and the probable costs of the project. We will have one more round of meetings with them and then decide on which firm to hire to design the project,” explained Cunningham.
In public comments a citizen expressed concerns about stray dogs running in the streets.

Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.

A 42-year-old woman from Henrietta was killed in a pedestrian vs. vehicle accident at 3:30 p.m. on June 6 on U.S. Highway 287 near N. Butler Road.
The Department of Public Safety report states Car Dianne Chitwood was driving a 2015 Honda Accord northwest on U.S. 82. She was having mechanical issues and had stopped the vehicle on the left shoulder, partially in the left lane.
Chitwood had exited the vehicle and stood in the left lane to inspect the Honda. A second vehicle, a 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 driven by Kymberly Michelle Riddle, 61, Laramie, WY was also traveling northwest on U.S. 82 and struck the pedestrian and vehicle one.
The DPS report states Chitwood was pronounced dead at the scene due to injuries sustained during the crash. Riddle was uninjured. The crash remains under investigation.