COUNTY LIFE
Hearing loss doesn’t slow down Lady Indian Reagan Phipps
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Reagan Phipps is the typical 16-year-old teenage girl. She giggles, hangs out with girlfriends, plays sports and loves Taylor Swift; however, she also has
a challenge in her young life, significant hearing loss that requires wearing hearing aids to properly hear.
The Nocona High School junior is the daughter of Rocky and Traci Phipps. She has a little brother, Lincoln, who is an eighth grader.
Phipps is an active student athlete running
cross country where the team has gone to state the last two years, and plays basketball and softball. Her other school activities include National Honor Society, PALs and yearbook.
Her hearing loss may be hereditary as her mother has an implant to assist with her hearing loss that began several years ago. Her great aunt also had hearing issues.
“My hearing has always been ify, but the last four-five years it has gotten much worse. My mom’s loss came on after she was pregnant the second time,” she said.
For Phipps it was a gradual loss and she would wonder why everyone was being so quiet or why they were mumbling. She recalls not being able to hear well in cars due to the engine noise and people needed to look at her when they were talking.
“I wasn’t scared, but I told my mom and she said I may have what she has and I needed to
get tested before it became a problem,” Phipps explains.
During the past four years or so her hearing has gotten worse especially in cars and in restaurants where there is background noise. As for the high school gym filled to the rafters for basketball, she can’t hear at all.
It is hard for her to hear school announcements and answering a phone is difficult because having the hearing aids close to the phone can create noise like a speaker and microphone being too close together. The phone issue can be problematic since she works at a restaurant.
In Christmas 2022 Phipps was able to obtain hearing aids when they went to being sold over county making it more convenient and less expensive for her family.
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
Top photo – Lady Indian Reagan Phipps is a real go-getter on the court and she does not let her hearing loss slow her down a bit. (Photo by Jordan Neal)
Indians have tough night Thursday playing Tioga falling 0-50. As they left for the game the football team word T-shirts remember “Mando” Alcantar, a 15-year-old Nocona High School student and baseball player was killed in a car crash last weekend. The Tioga players, cheerleaders and band also wore orange wristbands in support of the school. (Photo by Kylene Crossen)
The Nocona City Council will meet at 5 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the council chamber at city hall.
The meeting opens with the newly elected members of the council taking the oath of office. They include Chuck Hittle, Yesika Rodriguez and Robert H. Fenoglio.
After the monthly items of community interest, the consent agenda of bills and minutes and public comments.
The workshop and regular agenda focus on a series of four requests from the Nocona Economic Development Corporation 4A and 4B Boards. The project requests are: $12 for Tales ‘N’ Trails Museum sidewalk project; $190,000 to Friends of Indian Oaks for clubhouse renovations and a new build-out of the interior and porch; and a request for $119,000 for lights at the youth softball field. Both boards are joining funding sources for the projects.
Councilors will consider adopting a National Voter Registration Act Implementation Plan for the Nocona Public Library. Each state library has to undergo a review as it provides a location to pick up voter registration cards.
The panel will consider action after the workshop discussion during the regular agenda.
There is one item for the city council action as the building commission which is a request from Michael Diaz to install a 2022 Champion manufactured home at 210 Fayette Street. There will be a report from the enforcing officer.
AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is encouraging Texans to attend Flag Placement Ceremonies at VLB Cemeteries throughout Texas to honor the brave men and women who served our nation this Veterans Day.
Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen
If you would like to participate and honor the brave men and women who served our nation, flag placements are happening at the following locations and flags will be provided on-site. No RSVP is needed:
Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 8:00 a.m.
11463 Fort Hood Street
Killeen, Texas 76542
Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
2520 Inspiration Road
Mission, Texas 78572
Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene
Friday, November 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
7457 W. Lake Road
Abilene, Texas 79601
Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
9974 IH 37 Access Road
Corpus Christi, Texas 78410
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