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Brief video about news in 2019, click on the link below

Want to Stop Fake News? Pay for the Real Thing

By David Chavern, News Media Alliance

Facebook and Google have been brutal to the news business. But this primarily reflects a failure of imagination. The tech giants are the world’s best distribution platforms and could be an answer for journalism instead of a grave threat.

As readers have shifted to digital sources, the two companies have taken a large majority of online advertising revenue. More important, the platforms now act as “regulators” of the news business — determining what information gets delivered to whom, and when. With the flick of an algorithmic finger, those two companies decide what news you see and whether a publisher lives or dies.

The impact on journalism has been clear. Just within the past week, we have seen over 1,000 planned layoffs at Gannett, BuzzFeed and HuffPost, and no one thinks we are anywhere near the end. Facebook and Google’s answer so far has been to pledge to spend $300 million each over the next three years to help journalism. But that money will be dribbled across a huge news landscape, and much of it will undoubtedly be used to encourage further use of Facebook and Google products.

But such investments amount to charity, and charity will never be the answer. What news publishers really need are active partners who are willing to embrace the idea that quality journalism sustains our civic society and that the answer to bad information is more good information.

Read the full op-ed in the weekend News.

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Bowie Council accepts phase two sewer line bid

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council accepted a $1.38 million bid for phase two of the sewer line replacement program and received an engineer’s update on Nelson Street drainage.
Council members met Monday night and opened the evening with the presentation of proclamations for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week. Members of the Bowie EMS service accepted the first proclamation and Cindy Roller of Bowie Community Development accepted the second.
City Manager Bert Cunningham reported the city received one bid for phase two of the sewer line project that will replace the Glenn Hills lift station and sludge pumps at the wastewater plant. While the bid came in above the original estimate, Mike Tibbetts of Hayter Engineering, said there are several things that can be removed to lower the costs.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

Pictured – replacing a manhole in phase one. (Courtesy photo)

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Bowie budget revenues not meeting projections

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
In its six-month financial report for fiscal 2024-25 Bowie City Council members saw budget revenues were not coming in as high as projected, despite the budget using conservative figures.
During the Monday meeting, Finance Director Pamela Woods reviewed the numbers at the half-way point of the year. She said all the department heads are doing well keeping their expenses within budget just below the 50% level or 49.26% overall. Despite that, expenses are above revenues in the utility fund by almost $100,000.
In the utility fund revenues are 46.11% of budget in water; 53.19% in sewer and 43.74% in electric. The total utility fund revenue is at 46.42% of the budget or $5,572,694.

(Pictured above) Carol Moore also addressed the council on disrepair at the Pelham Park walking track urging it to make repairs and maintain it.

Read the full council story in the weekend Bowie News.

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Chain-reaction crash in work zone injures two

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Two people were transported to the hospital with possible injuries from a three-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in a highway department work zone on State Highway 59.
The accident occurred on Hwy 59 near Allison Road at 4:09 p.m. on May 14. There were three vehicles containing a total of six people.
Vehicle one driven by Carlin Jaster, Bowie with his passenger Zana Lara, Bowie, were traveling south on Hwy. 59. Two other vehicles driven by Kjersti Compton, Sunset and Edward Meadows, Grapevine were also southbound but stopped in a construction zone.
Jaster failed to control his speed and a chain-reaction crash occurred as he struck Compton who then hit Meadows.
Jaster and Lara were transported to Nocona General Hospital with non-incapacitating injuries. The others were uninjured. Tuesday was the first day for road construction along State Highway 59. Digital signs were posted for delays.

(Pictured above) Bowie Rural Fire Department and Bowie EMS responded to this three-vehicle chain reaction crash on State Highway 59 near Allison Road on Tuesday afternoon. There were a total of six people in the three vehicles, and two were transported to Nocona General with possible injuries. (Courtesy photo)

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