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Examining school security – BISD has undertaken many improvements to enhance security

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By BARBARA GREEN
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Each time there is a school shooting incident in America it launches a debate on the security of our schools. The May 24 mass casualty incident at Uvalde in Robb Elementary was no different although seemingly even more tragic with the loss of 19 elementary school students and two teachers. The 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, was killed at the scene.
This shooting came just 10 days after a shooting at a Tops supermarket in New York that took the lives of 10 people.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Education Agency late last week to provide strategies to make Texas public schools safer. Specifically, districts were asked to identify actions they can take prior to the start of the new school year to make campuses more secure; instruct districts to conduct weekly inspections of exterior doors to verify they are secure during school hours and develop strategies to encourage school districts to increase the presence of trained law enforcement officers and school marshals on campus.
All the superintendents in the county will be meeting in Bowie Thursday in response to the Uvalde shooting. Enlow said they will talk about what they are doing in their districts, new information and ideas and thought processes that may be set up in responding to the Texas incident.
Buildings
Bowie Independent School District has undertaken many steps to increase security and several projects are in the works. Superintendent Blake Enlow said the Uvalde shooting occurred just a few days before the school year ended in Bowie and it was on everyone’s mind at the annual staff breakfast on the last day.

Read the full story on the improvements made for school security in the last five years in your mid-week Bowie News.

This emergency placard is in every room of Bowie ISD. (Texas School Safety Center)
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NEWS

Senate District 30 runoff early voting to open

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Texans continue to go to the elections polls as voters decide who will face off in the November general election to fill the 30th Senatorial District seat.
Both the Democratic and Republican Parties will have party primary runoffs on May 28 as they try to select a candidate to fill the seat of Senator Drew Springer (R-Muenster) who chose not to see a second-four-year term after winning a special election in 2020. He ran unopposed in 2022.
There were multiple candidates in both party primaries back in March and no one was able to garner the necessary majority. The top two vote-getters will face off to determine a winner for the November ballot.
Early voting for the runoff runs May 20-24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Montague County Courthouse Annex Community Room. This is the only location for early voting.
On election day voting polls will be located in the courthouse annex, Bowie Senior Citizens Center, Nocona City Hall and Saint Jo Civic Center. They will be open 7 a.m.. to 7 p.m.
Those who voted in the March primary can only cast ballots in that party primary, voters cannot switch parties. Those who did not vote in the primary can vote in either party primary.

Read more on this story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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County to bid SO radio console

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By BARBARA GREEN
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Montague County Commissioners will make plans to take bids for a radio console at the sheriff’s office after a portion of the unit went down.
That was just one of the many topics in Monday’s court session. An executive session to discuss pending litigation was tabled after County Judge Kevin Benton reported a conference call with the other party’s attorney and County Attorney Clay Riddle showed they were not ready for discussion and he asked it be tabled, which was approved.
On the radio console, the court has been talking about the unit since Sheriff’ Marshall Thomas reported the console has reached the end of its life expectancy of eight years and was having lots of problems. The county had applied for a grant to help pay for it, but it won’t be announced until June.
The radio system has two parts said Thomas and one unit has completely stopped working, however, they are still able to use the radio for now and handle 911 service. Judge Benton said in looking at the estimated costs it was expected to be just under the $50,000 bid limit hovering around $42,000; however, they also have found the unit needs five radios through which it can transmit from the two computers which will push up the price.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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Building projects lead Bowie City Council agenda

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Infrastructure projects once more dominate the agenda of the Bowie City Council when it meets at 6 p.m. on May 13.
A pair of proclamations open the meeting, one for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will present information on the substation transformer project, the phase two sewer line replacement contract, status of the infrastructure fund and plans for the budget.
A pair of public works requests will ask for $24,000 out of the infrastructure fund to buy nine fire hydrants and $29,825 from the meter tap account to buy replacement meters. Public Works Director Stony Lowrance is expected to make that presentation.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

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