COUNTY LIFE
Passion for rural medicine brings Dr. Roden to NGH
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Dr. Kelly Roden, MD brings her passion for rural medicine to Montague County as she joins the Nocona General Hospital Clinic expanding the team of physicians to four.
The new family medicine physician begins work this week after the Labor Day holiday. Roden and her husband, Emory, moved to Nocona from Lindale, outside Tyler. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, Reagan, on July 11.
The board of Nocona General Hospital invites everyone to meet the new doctor and view the recently completed renovations at the hospital during an open house at 2 p.m. on Sept. 22.
Roden grew up in Castle Rock, CO, a rural community where the family lived on small acreage. She was active in 4-H, FFA, spending her summers showing cattle, horses and other animals. The doctor says this is where she got her passion for small town rural life and the close-knit community.
As a youngster Roden recalls she wanted “to be” a lot of different things. Medicine was in the lead, but then she fell in love with agriculture going back in forth. Both her parents were engineers, and she knew her path did not lie in that direction.
“I didn’t plan on medical school at first, but I knew I wanted to serve a small town. I was recruited for a collegiate meat judging team in college, which brought me to Texas. Our team won a national championship that year,” recalls Roden.
Read the full feature in your mid-week Bowie News.
The Nocona City Council gave its budget proposal a final once-over before setting a public hearing for it and the proposed tax rate for Sept. 9 at 8 a.m.
Council members also heard from Blake McNew who is against the recently approved fee and registration process for golf carts and related vehicles.
Last month the council approved an ordinance that set forth registration requirements for these vehicles with a $50 registration fee. After several close calls and complaints from downtown business people and citizens on near misses with ATVs and golf carts driving unsafely downtown the council took the step to add the ordinance.
City Secretary Revell Hardison said after some discussion the council asked for it to be back on next month’s agenda with possible consideration for repealing the fee. After some research she added a person can go through the state to obtain a license plate for these vehicles and the local sticker would not be needed.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The staff of Texas Education Agency on Aug. 14 announced the release of 2026 A-F Accountability Ratings for public school systems and campuses across the state.
Almost all of the school districts in the county saw their district ratings increase or remain consistent, along with some of their campuses.
There were 1,202 districts and 9,105 campuses rated in 2026. Some 24% of both districts and campuses increased in rating compared to 2025.
Read the full story and see all the county ratings in your Thursday Bowie News.
2026 state accountability ratings
Bowie Independent School District – B, 80 of 100 points
Elementary/intermediate – C, 74
Junior high – B, 84
High school – B, 86
Bellevue ISD – A, 92
Forestburg ISD – B, 82
Gold-Burg ISD – C, 76
Montague ISD – A, 93
Nocona ISD – B, 86
Elementary – B, 80
Middle school – C, 79
High school – A, 94
Prairie Valley ISD – B, 88
Saint Jo ISD – B, 82
Elementary – D, 66
High school – A, 92
Friends of the Bowie Animal Shelter will host the annual Clear the Shelter event from 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 22.
The shelter is located at 1508 E. Wise. While this is a nationwide effort to recognize the work of animal shelters, their staff and volunteers, this also is a chance to support their efforts by attending the bake sale, silent auction and food vendors.
Adoptable dogs from the Bowie shelter as well as Easy Street Shelter of Saint Jo, Lucky Paws in Nocona and McCares of Montague will be present.
If your family is considering adopting a pet this would be a great time to visit with the animals and meet the volunteers who can tell you a bit about the animals. Prospective volunteers also are welcome, so ask your questions.
Staff from Cross Timbers Vet will be giving reduced price vaccinations.
There will be a prize drawing at noon for a bounce house and a Turtle Box speaker. Tickets are $5 each for a chance to win either prize. Drawing at noon.
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