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By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Montague County will begin the process to abate the damaged building at on the courthouse square in Montague, informing the owner to demolish the building n or face legal action.
The commissioner’s court met on Dec. 21 after moving its meeting from Dec. 24, which is a county holiday.
Members of the court discussed the condition of the old Carminati Grocery, which was severely damaged in an Aug. 19 crash when a pickup drove into the building catching on fire and killing the driver. The building is located at State Highway 59 and Franklin Street.
A pickup, driven by Jason Baraquin, 46, Oregon, was traveling south on Hwy. 59 when it ran through the double doors at the front of the building. A large portion of the front wall collapsed in on the truck as it caught fire inside the building. The break in the wall went all the way to the roofline, leaving a gaping hole in the building and threatening to collapse.
During the ensuing months the building constructed in 1884 has continued to deteriorate and portions of the front and interior have collapsed. Building owner Mark Chancellor, Nocona, had hoped to save the building, but an inspection deemed it structurally unsafe. The Texas Department of Transportation has put up barricades blocking one lane of the highway traffic and the area in front of the building for safety.

Read the full story in the mid-week News.

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NEWS

Montague County primary runoff results

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12.95% voter turnout (2,004 of 15,471 registered voters in the county)

Republican runoff

U.S. Senator

Ken Paxton, 1,433

John Cornyn, 496

Attorney General

Chip Roy, 835

Mayes Middleton, 1,062

Railroad Commission

Bo French, 1,018

Jim Wright, 813

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals

Alison Fox, 626

Thomas Smith, 1,068

Democratic runoff

Lt. Governor

Marcos Velez, 14

Vikki Goodwin, 53

Attorney General

Joe Jaworski, 33

Nathan Johnson, 34

Results unofficial until canvassed by county officials.

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Amon Carter Lake Board to meet

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Members of the Amon Carter Lake Water Supply Corporation will meet at 6 p.m. on May 26 in the office at 607A Lindsey for a monthly meeting.
Items on the agenda include a consent agenda and minutes and financials. Possible discussion/action may be considered on the following topics: Treasurer’s report, review of finance and current loans; president’s report as to the written agreements with contractual employees; consider current water rates and a possible increase; and review of expenses and areas that need amendment.
An executive session may be entered to discuss personnel issues.

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Saint Jo City Council hires fire marshal

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The City of Saint Jo has a new fire marshal as the city council made the appointment during its May 13 meeting.
Gary Hines, a retired professional firefighter and certified fire investigator, will take the position. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the post is required by ordinance but has not been filled for a long period.
The council set dates for a budget workshop for 2 p.m. on June 14 and 2 p.m. on June 28 for the ordinance workshop, as the council works to update its rules.

Aldermen gave their support to a proposition by Councilman Jack Dunn who is asking the Legislature to allow Texas’ smallest cities, those with 2,500 or few in population, to receive an additional share of sales and use tax. He would like to see the funds used in these communities to repair and replace aging infrastructure without new taxes or reliance on state grants.
In letter to State Rep. David Spiller, whom Dunn will meet with on June 1, the alderman explains much of the state’s 6.25% share generated locally flows into general funds and is spent on other priorities. He would like Spiller to author this legislation. Dunn gave the letter to the council along with a powerpoint on the plan.
“A single water treatment plant upgrade or sewer rehab carries massive, fixed costs that do not shrink with population size. These communities, often with only a few hundred or a couple thousands residents, simply cannot spread those costs across enough ratepayers or a broad tax based,” the letter states.
Dunn suggests a “graduated sales tax retention policy:” 1% additional share for cities with 2,500 or fewer residents; .75% for those 2,500 and 5,000; and .50% for cities between 5,001 and 10,000. It would be dedicated to infrastructure. Dunn says the overall statewide fiscal impact would be negligible, but could help sustain small, rural cities.

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