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News

County budgets for value decrease

Jack County department heads were asked to cut their proposed 16-17 budgets by six percent in anticipation of lower estimated property values expected.

The certified property values received recently are down about 17 percent from a year ago, County Judge Mitchell Davenport said Monday as part of the commissioners’ regular meeting. Values county wide are down more than $206 million from a  year ago and if not for the tax abatements given to such entities as Senate and Barton Chapel wind farms, Davenport said things could be worse.

New group awards first donation

The new charitable group 100 Men and Women of Jacksboro Making a Difference met for the first time Tuesday evening and made its first donation.

The group formed in May under the leadership of Terry McDaniel, Jason Jennings and Vicki Tillery and is modeled off of a similar group in Dallas.

The plan is to have members meet quarterly and with each making a $100 donation after selecting a recipient by voting on one of three nominees.

Approximately 20 members were represented in person and/or by check at the inaugural meeting.

Wanted man arrested in Odessa

A man indicted on a Jack County charge last month was arrested July 9 in Odessa.

Jim Wiley McDonald, 29, was stopped and arrested by an Odessa Police Department officer for a Jack County warrant for sexual assault of a child. 

McDonald was in a consensual relationship with a Jack County teen while the girl was living with a relative in West Texas. She came back to Jack County and McDonald followed her.

The girl ran away with McDonald who was stopped by police in Mineral Wells and arrested for harboring a runaway.

Bryson to reward One Act

BRYSON – School board members voted to reward their State Champion One-Act Play group in two ways during Monday night’s meeting.

The board opted to have a stone built near the front of the school honoring the group at a cost of around $2,000. What caused the most discussion was paying for each of the 22 cast members and crew and two directors to have some sort of memento be it a ring, pendant, charm with a cap of $259 each.

McGrath: Staff should live in district

PERRIN – Some residents want to make sure new Perrin ISD officials live in the district they work in.

Kevin McGrath, co-owner of Mitchell Resort and RV Park, presented a letter to the board during Tuesday night’s board meeting stating the business wants to help the district but only to  be helped in return. McGrath and co-owner Doris Reed feel it’s only “reasonable” that staff members live in the district.

“Not in the city of Perrin necessarily but somewhere in the district itself would be fine,” McGrath said. 

Jacksboro ISD presents preliminary STAAR results

Jacksboro ISD presented its preliminary STAAR scores to its board at last week’s regular meeting.

The elementary campus saw improvements in 4th grade reading up from 52 percent passing to 69 percent; 4th grade writing up from 52 percent to 63 percent and fifth grade science up from 55 percent to 62 percent. There was no data for math testing last year, but compared to the 2013-14 school year testing both third and fourth grade saw significant improvements.

City to add social media policy for staff

The Jacksboro City Council may soon adopt a personnel policy regarding social media.

City Manager Mike Smith presented the policy to the council and said it addresses how city employees use social media while at work and on city social media accounts, as well as, how they use social media personally.

“It addresses what you post on there on behalf of the City of Jacksboro,” Smith said. “It also addresses the use of personal social media. While I don’t use social media, period, I certainly have a lot of people that always willing to show me what’s on social media. 

Firemen take the plunge

Jacksboro Fire Department will soon offer a new service. Five firefighters — Zach Searcy, Jason Jennings, Russell Pippin, John Moffit and Winfield Maxwell, are learning to scuba dive.

The divers will be able to recover lost items underwater as well as search for missing persons.

Fire Chief Jeremy Jennings said the department has utilized a dive team about once a twice per year in the 12 years he has served in Jacksboro.

“We used them for cars, vehicles, lost items and once or twice for missing persons,” he said.

Judge: County will protect roads and right of ways

Commissioners discussed the origin of Jack County roads during Monday’s regular meeting.

Precinct 2 Commissioner James Brock said he had a new homeowner contact him wondering where his property line was. He said he had a surveyor come out and look at the property and tell him and say his property line goes right in the middle of Strawhorn Road.