NEWS
SBA offers disaster assistance to Texas businesses and residents affected by severe storms
Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to Texas businesses and residents affected by the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 21, 2022, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman (https://www.sba.gov/person/isabella-casillas-guzman) of the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA acted under its own authority to declare a disaster in response to a request SBA received from Gov. Greg Abbott on May 2, 2022.
The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available in Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Bastrop, Bell, Burnet, Caldwell, Camp, Cherokee, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Fayette, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Houston, Jack, Lee, Leon, Madison, Marion, Milam, Montague, Morris, Nacogdoches, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Travis, Trinity, Upshur, Walker, Williamson, Wise, Wood and Young counties in Texas; and Bryan, Jefferson, Love and Marshall counties in Oklahoma.
“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Texas’s small businesses and residents impacted by the severe storms and tornadoes,” said Administrator Guzman. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities recover and rebuild.”
“Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to businesses of all sizes, most private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters whose property was damaged or destroyed by this disaster,” said SBA’s Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West. “Beginning Monday, May 9, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Centers to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application,” Garfield continued. The centers will be open on the days and times indicated below. No appointment is necessary. Additional locations will be announced in the coming days.
JACK COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Jack County Courthouse
100 North Main St.
Jacksboro, TX 76458
Opens 1 p.m. Monday, May 9
Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Wayfinders Church
508 North Fifth St.
Jarrell, TX 76537
Opens 9 a.m. Monday, May 9
Mondays – Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to businesses and homeowners to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
Interest rates can be as low as 2.94 percent for businesses, 1.875 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 1.438 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The deadline to apply for property damage is July 5, 2022. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Feb. 6, 2023.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sba.gov.
NEWS
Sports, cookoff, barrels kick off Jim Bowie Days
The 60th anniversary Jim Bowie Days Celebration opened on June 20th with a full day of activities focusing on sports and a barbecue cookoff.
Festivities continue throughout the week highlight by rodeo, youth rodeo, kid’s activities and Pioneer Court. The second annual Smokedown BBQ Cookout began on Friday night with the steak and beans contests. Three other categories for chicken ribs and brisket followed on Saturday. There were 27 teams, four more than last year.
Conducted by Outlaw BBQ, the grand champion was Vinny McNamara, with 36 points. Steve Cumbie was reserve grand champion with 26 points.
Read about all the weekend’s winners complete with many photos in your Thursday Bowie News.
Top photo – The first annual pickleball tourney drew 17 teams. Teams greet each other before they start play (Photo by Barbara Green0

NEWS
Pair takes plea in injury to a child case
A Bowie couple accused of causing serious injuries to a 15-month old boy in January 2025 pled guilty in 97th District Court on June 14 and both received state prison terms.
Jonah Belcher and Cheyenne Eckert, both 24, Bowie, were each charged with injury to a child, a first-degree felony. Belcher received 17 years in prison and Eckert, the child’s mother, received 10 years.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
NEWS
Amateur radio group readies field day June 27-28
Your counties “hams” will join with thousands of amateur radio operators who will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend.
During the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in town across America.
Some of these emergencies included California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events world-wide. When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications.
On the weekend of June 27-28, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with Montague Counties ham radio operators and see for themselves what the amateur radio service is about.
Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will host public demonstrations.
This annual event, called “Field Day” is the climax for the week long “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for the Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country.
Their slogan, “Ham radio works when other systems don’t” is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators participated in last year’s event.
“We hope that people will come to see for themselves, this is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Allen Pitts of the ARRL. “The communications ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives when other systems failed or were overloaded. And besides that – it’s fun.”
The Montague County Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrating amateur radio from noon to 10 p.m. on June 27 and from 8 a.m. to noon on June 28 at the Montague County Courthouse Annex Community Room in Montague.
Read more on this story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Pictured a previous field day event. (Bowie News file photo)
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