NEWS
Abatement process turns upside down; owner jailed on Dallas warrant
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The ongoing saga of the damaged historic building on the Montague County Courthouse Square continues to twist and turn as the “new owner” reportedly turned back the deed to the “previous owner,” who was arrested Tuesday in front of the building on an unrelated warrant.
For months the commissioners have been trying to get something done about the shell of a building that remains after a pickup truck crashed into it back in August.
The owner has failed to secure or abate the building hazard and the Texas Department of Transportation has put up barricades to block one lane of traffic in case of falling debris or a collapse.
Unable to get the abatement process served properly to the owner and then a new owner who said he gave the property back to Chancellor, the whole thing flipped upside down this week.
On the afternoon of March 19 while leaving the courthouse for lunch, District Attorney Investigator Chris Hamilton and Justice of the Peace Kevin Benton saw a man who in front of the damaged building tearing off the posted paper notices and throwing them on the ground.
Building owner Mark Chancellor had gotten through the chainlink fence county officials had put up on Feb. 25 to secure the building prior to its previously scheduled demolition.
Benton said they did not know him and when they ran his truck license plate, it confirmed he was the owner so they began to drive away. However, a dispatcher from the county jail called back to tell them the vehicle’s owner had a Dallas County warrant for a complaint of indecency with a child.
Chancellor, 32, Nocona, was taken to the county jail by Constable Stefanie Horton and booked on the third-degree felony. Bond was set at $25,000 and he was released on March 20.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Members of the Bowie City Council will face a brief agenda when they meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the council chambers.
Following routine reports and consent agenda items, the council will consider a resolution authorizing submission of the city’s 2027/2028 Texas Community Development Block Grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Then council members will consider approving Bob Blackburn for appointment as a reserve police officer with the Bowie Police Department.
Following an executive session, the council will discuss and potentially take action regarding the annual employment evaluations and duties of both the City Secretary and the Municipal Court Judge.
After nearly three months of no rain, Mother Nature brought the showers this past week.
Downtown Bowie rain reports varied from 7 to 8 inches, while the Saint Jo area reported a 10-inch total. The city water plant in Bowie reported 5.55 inches on Sept. 30 with 1.6 Oct. 1-3.
Nocona saw a total of 6.31 inches of rain across Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
On Oct. 6, Lake Amon G. Carter saw a level of 917.39 mean sea level rising to 81.31% full. Just one week earlier the lake was 73.6% full, while one year ago it was 94.01%. The lake is full at 920msl.
Lake Nocona was 73.7% full at 823.02 on Oct 6. One week earlier it was 70.41% full and one year ago it was 92.41%. The lake is full at 827.5 msl.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
One Montague County City has joined the battle against any data centers being built in this county and there is a petition drive underway to urge the commissioner’s court to keep data centers out of Montague County.
At a Sept. 28 called meeting of the Saint Jo City Council, officials unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to the “siting, permitting, construction or operation of data centers and similar hyperscale computing facilities within the city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said several citizens approached Councilor Jack Dunn about their data center concerns and he helped prepare a resolution. The council gave unanimous support.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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