COUNTY LIFE
While Texas is not in eclipse’s main path, folks are getting ready for Monday
For the first time since 1918, the entire continental United States will be able to see at least a partial eclipse, a phenomenon that occurs when the moon crosses between the earth and sun and covers part of the later. Moreover, a 70-mile stretch across the country’s midsection will witness a total solar eclipse in which the moon will completely block the sun’s light for nearly two and a half hours.
The “Great American Eclipse’s” shadow will cross 14 states, traveling from the west coast of Oregon all the way to the east coast of South Carolina — the first time a total solar eclipse has passed from one coast to the other in 99 years.
Space.org explains the dark shadow of the moon, the umbra, will first touch the earth’s surface far out over the North Pacific Ocean nearly 1,000 miles south of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands at 9:48 a.m. local time. For 27 minutes the umbra will sweep rapidly to the east over the ocean.
Finally, the umbra will arrive along the coast of Oregon at 11:15 a.m. central time. From there, the moon’s shadow is going to race from coast to coast across the United States. That’s a distance of almost 2,500 miles, from Oregon to South Carolina,and it will take the umbra just 94 minutes to travel that distance.
That works out to nearly 27 miles per minute or about 1,600 mph, about three times faster than a commercial jetliner. That’s why, along the path of totality, the sun will appear completely covered for no more than 160 seconds.
“There are various types of eclipses, and because each one relates to three different orbits — the Moon’s, the Earth’s and the Sun’s — it all depends on where all three line up and the distance between each of them,” said Texas A&M astronomer Jennifer Marshall.
They happen twice a year, every year, but they can only be seen in a narrow swath on the Earth, so they seem very rare.
Read more about the eclipse in your weekend News. Also go to these links for additional resources on the eclipse including interactive maps and locators.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-august-21
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-who-what-where-when-and-how
(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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