COUNTY LIFE
Texas game wardens emphasize safety this holiday weekend
AUSTIN – With Labor Day weekend marking the unofficial end of summer, Texas Game Wardens will patrol waterways across the state to enforce laws and regulations while doing all they can to keep the public safe on and around the water.
Last year during Labor Day weekend, wardens reported nine boating accidents, one boating-related fatality and one open-water drowning. They arrested five individuals for boating while intoxicated (BWI) and one minor for boating under the influence.
Over the July 4th weekend, game wardens participated in the national Operation Dry Water campaign to reiterate the dangers of intoxicated boat operation. The weekend showed how capable Texas Game Wardens are of being responsive and flexible, as many wardens were deployed to help with the historic flooding and severe weather that affected portions of the state. However, the disaster response did not hamper their commitment to keeping Texas waters safe and combating intoxication offenses on the public waterways not impacted by the disaster.
Over the holiday weekend, game wardens contacted 6,371 vessels, issued 1,230 warnings and 856 citations, and made 34 BWI arrests and four driving while intoxicated arrests. One boating fatality occurred on Lake Ray Hubbard. Wardens also responded to two separate open water drownings; one in Corpus Christi Bay and one on Lake Conroe. Seventeen boating accidents were investigated during the July 4th period alone.
With more than 560,000 registered boats and an estimated 359,000 unregistered paddlecraft navigating Texas waters, every safe decision counts.
Key Safety Reminders for Labor Day Weekend:
- Wear a life jacket: Required for children under 13 and strongly encouraged for everyone.
- Use your engine cut-off switch: It’s the law and can help prevent serious injury.
- Never operate a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol: Penalties include fines and license suspension.
- Take a boater safety course: Mandatory for operators born on or after Sept. 1, 1993, operating certain vessels.
- Follow personal watercraft rules: Life jacket required, obey 50-foot rule and stay off the water after sunset.
- Check weather conditions, communicate your plans and avoid overloading vessels.
- Avoid saltwater if you have open wounds as Vibrio bacteria occur naturally in Texas coastal waters.
For boating rules, safety resources, and education courses, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Boater Education Program.
With dove season opening Sept. 1 in the North and Central zones, game wardens will be monitoring for hunting and boating violations alike over the holiday, but they need the public’s help. If you witness dangerous or illegal activity on the water or observe wildlife crimes in the field, report them anonymously through Operation Game Thief (OGT), Texas’ wildlife crime-stoppers program. Rewards of up to $1,000 are available for tips that lead to conviction of those who violate wildlife, fishing or boating laws.
Suspected violations can be reported anonymously through multiple channels:
- Text your tip: Text the keyword TXOGT and your tip information to 847411
- Use the Texas OGT App: Available on iOS and Android
- Call anonymously: 800-792-GAME (4263)
Tipsters are encouraged to include any information, photos or videos that may be helpful. Tips are reviewed by agency personnel, who may follow up to request additional details and continue the anonymous conversation with you.
(Top image: Courtesy photo, Jody Langston runs an informative table on Wise Hope Shelter & Crisis Center at the National Night Out Oct. 6.)
An American is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds. One in three Texans experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Statewide, intimate partner violence claimed the lives of 160 individuals in 2025 alone.
Behind these staggering statistics from organizations like Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and the Texas Council on Family Violence are real people, and that is precisely why the Wise Hope Shelter & Crisis Center exists.
This October, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the agency stands as a vital resource. Originally founded on Aug. 2, 1999, following the 1997 organization of the Wise County Domestic Violence Task Force, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit was created to address violence in rural north-central Texas.
Supported by hundreds of volunteers, Wise Hope has since grown to encompass a 20-bed, 4,800-square-foot shelter, three outreach offices and a thrift store, and the agency is preparing to announce an upcoming renovation project soon.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
There will be a community blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov 2 at AVIR in Bowie, 700 W. U.S. Highway 287 South.
The Carter BloodCare Bus will be present with its staff to collect blood donations. The sign- up link is: greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/168764.
Carter BloodCare is offering a plush new blanket to thank local blood donors for giving in November. Carter BloodCare’s annual blanket incentive has become a popular holiday tradition. The blanket is available while supplies last.
Eligible donors can give blood starting at age 16 with parental consent; those 17 and older can donate on their own. Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and feel well at the time.
Carter BloodCare donors help Texans with life-threatening injuries from car wrecks; children fighting cancer; burn patients; older adults with health issues; organ transplant recipients; new mothers and others in need.
For details, visit CarterBloodCare.org or call 800-366-2834.
Carter BloodCare has proudly served Texans since 1951. The independent community blood center provides transfusion resources in 59 counties of North, Central and East Texas, supporting thousands of patients in more than 225 medical facilities. Carter BloodCare is one of the largest nonprofit blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 450,000 doses of blood, platelets and plasma each year to meet the health care needs.
As the holiday near blood is often in short supply, but the need never goes away. Make time to scheduled your date to donate blood to help your community to be prepared for the upcoming season.
The Montague County Commissioner’s Court opened bids for the reconstruction of the Montague County Veterans Memorial Wall during regular session Oct. 26.
The memorial, located on the courthouse square, was heavily damaged on March 4, 2025, when a severe storm with high winds supposedly caused two large black panels containing the names of local veterans to fall over and shatter.
It was the second time a panel had fallen at the site. A single panel previously fell in November 2021, costing $16,000 to replace and raising questions regarding the monument’s structural integrity. Following the 2021 incident, it was discovered no steel rods or internal supports secured the stone panels to the concrete foundation.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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