AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase traffic enforcement during the Fourth of July holiday weekend from Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4. DPS Troopers will be looking for drunk drivers, and speeding, seat belt and other traffic violators.
Those that don’t believe hard work pays dividends need to hear the story of Brian Peoples.
Peoples, who finished second in last year’s inaugural jalapeno pepper eating contest, sponsored by Jacksboro Newspapers, began training for this year’s contest about six months ago, trying a different method.
“I began using habanero peppers which are much hotter than jalapenos,” Peoples said. “I would eat about 3-4 of those a day, thinking if the habanero burn didn’t bother me, the jalapenos wouldn’t either.”
Jacksboro Police Chief Terry McDaniel, 53, is retiring today, after serving 7 years as the city’s top cop.
McDaniel has spent 28 years in law enforcement, 22 of those, Jack County has been in his jurisdiction.
He began his career in law enforcement July 7, 1989 in Jacksboro where he grew up following in the footsteps of several relatives.
Jacksboro City Council hosted a third and final public hearing concerning the proposed changes to the City of Jacksboro zoning ordinance and zoning district map Monday during its regular meeting.
City Manager Mike Smith said city staff had compiled all of the comments and input received from the community, council and planning and zoning commission into the final draft.
Smith said neither he, no City Secretary Brenda Tarpley had received many comments and no negative feedback concerning the zoning changes.
Wanting to save money in the long run and needing the equipment, county commissioners spent $220,059 on election equipment and software as part of a nearly three-hour meeting Monday.
The decision ends nearly a month of discussion on the subject, which originally began with the purchase of Pollpads, which tell workers what ballots they should give a voter based on their address. It was determined that buying the pads exclusively, which would run anywhere from $7,350 to $9,520 depending on their purchase date, wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem.
Texas Historical Commission officials presented a Distinguished Service Awards to Jack County Historical Commission members during Monday’s Commissioners Court Meeting. The THC0 uses Distinguished Service Awards to recognize County Historical Commissions that document well-rounded programs of history- and preservation-related projects that fulfill DSA criteria established by the THC in 2010. DSA-winning CHCs demonstrate consistent participation in a wide range of constructive activities that help save the real places that tell the real stories of Texas.
The City of Jacksboro will finalize its new zoning ordinance at its next meeting to be held July 10.
City Manager Mike Smith said during the regular city council meeting Monday all of the notes and revisions will be compiled and the council members will receive a “clean copy” to review before taking action on adopting the new ordinance.
He plans to have the updated zoning map posted by October 1.
Alan Bristol, county relations officer with the Texas Association of Counties spoke to the Jack County Commissioners during their regular meeting Monday.
He warned that the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature could be damaging for county governments.
This week, some Perrin residents battled a water leak that began Wednesday, June 7. Donna Broom said she reported a water leak about a block away from her home to Texas Rain, the company that provides the utility, early Thursday morning.
Judge John H. Fostel, 69, of the 271st Judicial District died unexpectedly Friday, June 2. He served the civil, family and felony criminal courts of Jack and Wise counties for 23 years.
He was a graduate of Irving High School, Texas Christian University, and received his law degree from Texas Tech University. He came to Wise County after law school to join the firm of W.B. Woodruff in Decatur where he later became a partner.
His memorial service was held Wednesday with a nearly standing-room only crowd at the Decatur Convention Center.
