NEWS
Road work to begin Monday in Clay County
| Barricades and traffic control will go up Feb. 24 to replace two bridges on U.S. Highway 287 in Clay County. The structures are located on the Northbound lanes of US 287 between Henrietta and Bellevue at the East Fork of the Little Wichita River. The river is just North of the Triangle Brick Company. Both bridges are positioned end to end to make the crossings of the Little Wichita and an adjacent tributary. The contract for $3.4 million will take one year to build. The contractor is CDM Holdings out of the Texarkana area. Once traffic control is in place, Northbound US 287 will be reduced to 1 lane in the immediate area of the project. The speed limit will also be lowered for the 1-mile long construction zone. This speed limit will be enforceable by DPS and the Sheriff. Traffic fines will be doubled when workers are present. Width restrictions will also be in place for oversized loads. Construction will be done in phases. Both bridges will be demolished and rebuilt one half-side at a time. Once the first halves of both structures are complete, traffic will be moved over to the new bridges. Crews will then demo and rebuild the second halves of the bridges. The start of this project is dependent on the weather. The project will be delayed if rain moves into the area. |

NEWS
Commissioners return unspent state grant funds
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Montague County Commissioner’s Court reluctantly returned money to the state connected to Senate Bill 22 in fiscal 2024.
During Monday’s regular session, County Auditor Charley Lanier explained the three transactions. SB 22 provided funding for prosecutor offices to assist with paying staff, and in the sheriff’s office for staff and equipment.
If all the money was not spent it had to be returned. Lanier explained the fund was approved in 2024, but it arrived after the fiscal year began and commissioners did not want to spend any of until the funds actually arrived in county coffers.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
NEWS
Saint Jo Council calls November election
The Saint Jo City Council had a brief meeting on June 17.
The 2026-27 budgets for appraisal and tax collections from the Montague County Tax Appraisal District were approved. The tax collection budget faces a 3.71% increase and 2.2% in the appraisal budget.
The city’s payment for tax collections will go from $1,305 for the year down slightly from $1,445 last year. The appraisal portion for Saint Jo will be $9,526, up from $9,361 in 2026.
A municipal election for Nov. 3 was called. Places open on the ballot will be mayor, and the places filled by Melissa McPherson and Jack Dunn, who was appointed to fill out a term.
The council approved a resolution to apply for grants for water infra structure improvements through the Texas Water Development Board. The city is working with engineers from Corlett, Probst and Boyd of Wichita Falls on a proposed project.
NEWS
Sports, cookoff, barrels kick off Jim Bowie Days
The 60th anniversary Jim Bowie Days Celebration opened on June 20th with a full day of activities focusing on sports and a barbecue cookoff.
Festivities continue throughout the week highlight by rodeo, youth rodeo, kid’s activities and Pioneer Court. The second annual Smokedown BBQ Cookout began on Friday night with the steak and beans contests. Three other categories for chicken ribs and brisket followed on Saturday. There were 27 teams, four more than last year.
Conducted by Outlaw BBQ, the grand champion was Vinny McNamara, with 36 points. Steve Cumbie was reserve grand champion with 26 points.
Read about all the weekend’s winners complete with many photos in your Thursday Bowie News.
Top photo – The first annual pickleball tourney drew 17 teams. Teams greet each other before they start play (Photo by Barbara Green0

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