NEWS
Active COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the county
Montague County’s active COVID-19 cases continue to rise, as does the fatality count for the area reported to be at 14.
As of Monday there were 87 residents of the county in active isolation or quarantine with 79 cases confirmed by a positive test and eight probable based on contact or exposure.
The Texas Department of Health Service COVID Dashboard which records figures for all aspects of the pandemic shows 14 virus-related deaths in Montague County, however, Dr. Delbert McCaig, county health authority, said he knows of at least six more deaths which have had death certificates processed by the DSHS. Seven of the COVID deaths are from Nocona with the seventh one reported last Thursday night by the family on social media.
The health officer repeated what has been an ongoing issue since the pandemic started, with delays and discrepancies in the daily report local officials receive conflicting with and the state dashboard.
It takes three to five days for a positive test result to show up on the daily spreadsheets, while death certificates are processed from 10 to 14 days from the date of the death before they are shown in the reports.
Since the pandemic began there have been a total of 502 confirmed virus cases and 63 probable in Montague County. Across the state of Texas as of Monday there had been 1,100,979 confirmed cases, 20,588 fatalities, 165,126 active cases and 917,739 recoveries.
Free drive-up testing is expected to continue through December located at the Nocona General Hospital parking lot.
Visit gogettested.com to register.
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.”
-
NEWS3 years agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS4 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS3 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS3 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS3 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
Show us something good9 years agoCountry music star children perform in Bowie
-
NEWS3 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
100th Birthday4 years agoLooking back at the 1958 Centennial edition of The Bowie News