COUNTY LIFE
Grass fire burns nearly 500 acres in Nocona Hills area; residents evacuated for short period
A fast-moving wildfire sparked Sunday afternoon near Nocona Hills threatening hundreds of homes in the Lake Nocona area and forcing evacuations from homes in the path of the fire.
Wildfires across the state of Texas this past weekend caused death and destruction in their paths fueled by drought conditions, low humidity and high winds. Sunday was deemed a red flag day for high fire conditions.
The Texas A&M Forest Service reported in total as of Friday agency firefighters worked on 13 wildfires for more than 71,074 acres.
In Montague County, the fire call came in at 2:18 p.m. for Nocona Rural Volunteer Fire Department and the Nocona Hills VFD for a fire on Nocona Drive in Nocona Hills, northeast of Nocona.
Nocona Rural Chief Rusty Henley said while en route they saw a large column of smoke and immediately requested the next closest department, Saint Jo VFD to respond.
On arrival, firefighters found a fast-moving fire in grass and heavy brush with multiple structures threatened. Henley noted the weather was 79 degrees, 16% relative humidity and falling and winds at 15 to 33 mph.
“Units began making direct fire attack where possible,” said Henley, “in an effort to stop the fire at the next road, Shady Grove Road. Extreme fire behavior, including long-range spotting and crowning were observed. A countywide request was made for other departments to assist.”
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
COUNTY LIFE
Art spans pine needles to fused glass for local woman
This summer The Bowie News is showcasing some of the county’s unique artists and their work in a series of stories.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Regina Scroggins has always enjoyed making things and it is a lifetime pursuit that has lead her to become an artist in a variety of genres.
Her artist resume spans some unique paths of creativity including stained glass, fused glass, gourds, weaving with pine needles and she is dipping her toes into metal work using a plasma cutter.
The 69-year-old and her husband James, moved to the Silver Lakes area in 2015 building a home on property they purchased several years earlier planning for their retirement. She grew up in Graham and was familiar with this area, as they began looking for a place while living in Borger. James is a retired environmental engineer, and the couple is excited to welcome their first grandchild in August.
Prior to moving to the Bowie area, the pair lived in Houston and they put their house up for sale. It sold quicker than expected. James moved to Borger and lived in the couple’s RV as he went to a four-month job that turned into 10 years as James worked for Phillips as a consultant. When their house sold Regina moved up to Borger to join him in the RV.
Her creative drive may have come from the maternal side of her family with a grandmother, mother and sister who she says were all “terrific seamstresses.” Her parents also refinished furniture. She didn’t like sewing, but she tried things like tole painting and decoupage, but she didn’t stick with them.
Read the full feature in the weekend Bowie News.
COUNTY LIFE
Earth temperature hits record temp then breaks it the next day
Copernicus, the European climate service, reported July 21 the earth sizzled to the hottest day ever measured by humans, only to be surpassed the very next day.
Copernicus preliminary data shows the global average temperature on July 21 was 62.76 degree, beating the record set just last year on July 6, 2023 by .02 degrees. Both of those marks shattered the previous record of 62.24 degrees set in 2016.
Then on July 22 the new record was 0.1 degree higher than the day before. The Associated Press reports climate scientists say the world is now as warm as it was 125,000 years ago because of human-caused climate change. While scientists cannot be certain Monday was the very hottest day through that period, average temperatures have not been this high since long before humans developed agriculture.
COUNTY LIFE
Creature Teacher wraps up Bowie summer reading
The popular Creature Teacher program came to Bowie Tuesday for the final program of Bowie Library’s Summer Reading. There were an array of animals from the world, like Giggles the kookaburra that took flight briefly landing his perch. (Top)
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