NEWS
Commissioners to reconsider wastewater plant process
Montague County Commissioners will discuss how to move forward with plans to build a new wastewater treatment plant after no bids were received at the last court session.
The court will meet at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9.
When no bids arrived, Commissioner Mike Mayfield, who has been coordinating this project, said he would be talking to the engineers about how to move forward. The agenda states the county will consider going out for bids on various phases of the plant.
The court will discuss the distribution of unclaimed property capital credits funds from the state.
The 2024-25 county clerk records management and archive yearly plan will be offered.
Other topics on Monday’s agenda include the notice of election for Nov. 5; credit application and agreement with Norton Metals; consider commissioners having the option to use their own vehicle and be paid a stipend; precinct one request to clear a fence row and adjust drainage on North Johnson Loop and precinct two request to enter property on Alamo Road to clear a fence line. Both requested properties are owned by John Love.
| Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reminds Texans that October 7 is the deadline to register to vote in time for the November election. “This is the final weekend to register or update your registration ahead of the Monday, October 7, deadline,” said Secretary Nelson. “If you plan to vote in November, now is the time to register and make sure your registration is up to date.” Texans can check their registration status on the My Voter Portal, which can be accessed through the “Am I Registered?” button at votetexas.gov. (MVP VIDEO) To be eligible to vote in Texas, you must be: A United States citizen A resident of the county where you register At least 18 years old on Election Day Texans can find a registration form at VoteTexas.gov. A voter will need to print, sign and mail in their registration application. Applications must be postmarked October 7 or earlier for the November election. |
| Texans who have moved should update their address before the registration deadline. For official information, please visit VoteTexas.gov or call 1-800-252-VOTE. |
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Starting at 7 a.m. Oct. 6 the City of Bowie will once more be without local emergency medical care as Faith Community Health System closes its emergency room, just a few weeks shy of its one-year anniversary.
It continues a tragic up and down cycle the city has dealt with since Bowie Memorial Hospital closed its doors on Nov. 16, 2015. That closure brought an end to 49 years of successful operation by a non-taxing hospital authority since May 1966.
That painful decision by the board back in 2015 came on the heels of the Nov. 3 election that failed to approve the creation of a taxing hospital district 1,732 to 1,548. About 130 hospital employees lost their jobs and another estimated 300-related jobs within the community were impacted.
This was the second failed hospital district election looking back to a May 2011 election that was defeated 1,644 to 973.
The controversy in this race came from including Forestburg Independent School District with Bowie ISD for the new district. The proposed tax rate offered to voters was 19 cents per $100 in property value and a rate not to exceed 40 cents.
When the hospital board began planning for this election it was announced some $1.2 million was cut from the hospital’s operating budget, while pending Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts also reduced revenue with the hospital facing a cash shortfall of $900,000 in operations that year.
Unfunded federal mandates such as electric record management also hit the hospital to the tune of $1.2 million and had to be in place by 2013.
Those economic problems continued in the years that followed and rural hospitals continued to struggle and many close across the state. When the problems came to head again in mid-June 2015, former longtime administrator Lynn Heller said it is not an accident BMH got into this financial condition.
Read more on the history of the Bowie hospital in your weekend Bowie News.
A Wise County Sheriff’s deputy and Bowie resident was killed in a single-vehicle wreck in New Fairview on Oct. 2.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin announced Deputy Lex Allen Love’s death on Thursday.
He was killed in the line of duty during an accident on County Road 441, east of U.S. Highway 287 that occurred about 8:20 p.m.
The sheriff explained Deputy Love collided with a concrete barrier in a construction zone as he was rushing to the scene of the accident. Additional deputies were nearby and they responded to the scene only to find their fellow officer unresponsive as he was pulled from his vehicle.
Life saving measures were implemented and Wise County EMS arrived transporting him to Medical City where Love died late Wednesday night.
They live in Bowie with daughter, Blakely and son, Baker. He grew up in the Sunset area and was a 2017 Bowie High School graduate. A fund has been set up through Help a Hero called the Lex Love Memorial Fund visit https://helpahero.com/campaign/lex-love-memorial.
The Wise SO reported there will be a candlelight vigil from 7-8 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Wise County Fairgrounds. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 8 at First Baptist Church in Decatur.
Read more on this story in your weekend Bowie News.
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