Water line problems on two separate lines stall traffic at Pecan and Mason

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Traffic at the intersection at Pecan and Mason Street was interrupted for two days this week as repairs were made to separate line breaks.Thursday evening the 12-inch water line that goes to the water tower cracked and a portion of the line had to be replaced. The crew worked late into the night and were able to isolate it so few customers were without water during this period. They were also lucky to find the necessary 12-inch clamps in nearby Decatur.The hole was left open to make sure it did not leak. After that was completed a leak was found in a valve on a nearby four-inch line in the intersection. They began repairs on it once the lines were spotted and the Texas Department of Transportation was informed about the closure which is a state highway.City Manager Bert Cunningham said the on-going dry conditions which also causes the ground to shift are the primary causes of the leaks the staff has been repairing in recent weeks.Utility woes continued for the Bowie area Friday morning as Comcell reported a major network internet outage. A storm in Wichita Falls Thursday night knocked down its main network operations center along with a loss of power about 9 p.m. Service was restored to Bowie shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday.

Nelson drainage, sewer line bids come in under estimates

Nocona ISD seeking SRO; city to help with funding

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By BARBARA GREEN[email protected]Rumors of possible “negative things” facing Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham during his annual evaluation Monday night, led several city employees to express their support for him during the public comments section of the council meeting.There was a full house at the meeting where the audience included several candidates for city council, numerous city employees and citizens. The group was silent when Police Chief Guy Green came to the podium for citizen comments and raised the question of rumors related to the city manager.Monday’s agenda included the annual discussion of employment, evaluation and duties of the municipal judge, city secretary and city manager, the only three city employees hired by the city council. The remainder of city employees are under direction of the manager.

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By BARBARA GREEN[email protected]The 2023 tax rate and 2023-24 budget for Montague County were both adopted on Monday.Commissioners gave unanimous approval to the financial items with Commissioner Roy Darden absent due to illness.The general fund budget which includes the majority of county offices is budgeted at $11,457,991, while the four road and bridge precincts total $4,695,052 and the rest of the budget encompasses restricted funds.There were no major purchases in the budget other than two new vehicles for the transport officers in the sheriff’s department. The elections administrator will move her part-time worker to full-time and the jail added a second transportation officer.In overall expenses there is a pay raise of $5,000 per employee (not the 5% stated in Saturday’s story) and a 5.5% health insurance rate hike. The other increases were inflationary primarily for operations and supplies.The 2023 tax rate is .5017 cents per $100 in property value, compared to .50360 cents in 2022. Tik Tok bannedMontague County made adjustments to its employee handbook and policies to ban Tik Tok and related social media use on county-owned devices, as well as personal devices used by county employees. The prohibition makes the county in compliance with Senate Bill 1893.

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Due to a high level of unexpected thermal generation outages and forecasted low wind generation, operating reserves for ERCOT are expected to be low in the afternoon and evening. As a result, ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve electricity use, if safe to do so, today, August 29, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. CT. We expect similar conditions to persist through tomorrow and ask Texans to stay tuned for additional communications.

Today’s conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time. Current forecasts are showing a potential to enter emergency operations this evening because of a high level of unexpected thermal generation outages and forecasted low wind generation. ERCOT will continue to closely monitor conditions throughout the day and will keep the public informed through our communications channels..

ERCOT is requesting all government agencies (including city and county offices) to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.

ERCOT continues to use additional tools to manage the grid reliably, including using reserve power, calling upon reductions by large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their energy use, and bringing more generation online sooner. ERCOT is also working with out-of-state Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Market Participants to obtain additional power generation capacity. ERCOT has also requested Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) enforcement discretion, which allows a generator to extend its service/run-time/operations to help meet demand, if needed, and maintain grid reliability.What is an ERCOT Conservation Appeal?An ERCOT Conservation Appeal is a request for Texans to reduce electrical usage, if safe to do so. Conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help the grid by lowering demand for a specific period of time, which is typically late afternoon into the evening hours in the summer. Conservation helps grid operators balance generation supply and customer demand.Who should reduce their electric use?ERCOT requests all Texans to reduce their electric use, if safe to do so, today, August 29, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.ERCOT also requests all government agencies (including city and county offices) to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.How can I reduce my electrical use?Energy-saving tips for residents and businesses can be found at www.ercot.com/txans.Stay UpdatedYou can monitor current and extended grid conditions on ercot.com and follow us on social media.

2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona

SO investigating possible murder/suicide

Wreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16

Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death

Bowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight

Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint

Murder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest

UTV driver killed in crash