Latest News
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar encourages taxpayers to support Texas businesses and to take advantage of the upcoming tax-free weekend. This year’s Tax-Free Weekend begins Friday, Aug. 5 and runs through midnight Sunday, Aug. 7. Most clothing, footwear, school supplies...
With late changes in the program, Plano East’s volleyball team is quickly preparing to start the regular season. Nikki Pugh, last season’s first-year head coach, takes on a new role as head coach at Berkner High School in Richardson. Taking over the team is Sarah...
The average market value for a home in Murphy increased by $123,000, according to The average market value for a home in Murphy increased by $123,000, according to figures released by the Collin Central Appraisal District (CCAD). Certified value summaries were...
One of Murphy’s newest eateries offers a casual, yet elevated dining experience to patrons looking for classic food with a gourmet twist. Proper Wing Kitchen and Bottle Shop serves up chicken wings and local bottled beers, plus a whole lot more, to diners who...
The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission held two public hearings and considered a site plan during the Monday, July 25, meeting. The first public hearing was to amend the Murphy Marketplace planned development to permit a grocery store. Director of Community and...
Sports
With late changes in the program, Plano East’s volleyball team is quickly preparing to start the regular season. Nikki Pugh, last season’s first-year head coach, takes on a new role as head coach at Berkner High School in Richardson. Taking over the team is Sarah...
Plano East has a lot of veteran experience returning to its defense, but one of its biggest questions is at linebacker. The Panthers lost starting middle linebacker and team leader Jaxon Atchley. He led the team with 60 tackles last season and was one of the best...
With the potential to start three seniors in the secondary, Plano East brings back plenty of depth and experience to their defensive backfield. The Panthers return one starting safety and one starting cornerback. Dezmond Smith will start at one safety spot, he started...
A high school football team considers itself lucky when it can return its starting quarterback. Even more for Plano East, when you can return two quarterbacks with varsity playing experience, you’re even more fortunate. That is the case for the Panthers, who return...
Plano East had one of the best running back tandems in District 6-6A last season with Ismail Mahdi and Xavier Franco. Mahdi led the team with 1,332 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in 2021, earning himself his second first-team all-district honors. Behind him, Franco...
Education
Murphy City Council approved the hazard mitigation plan and held a public hearing during the Tuesday, July 19 regular meeting. The public hearing was for a zoning change for a 2-acre planned development near Bunny Run and South Maxwell Creek Road. The concept plan for...
Dozens of students were recognizing students for their accomplishments, which took up a majority of the Monday, April 24 meeting. The Skills USA team at Wylie East High School, Wylie High School and McMillian Junior High were singled out for hard work at the meeting....
The top ranked graduates at Wylie High School said hard work and a little bit of luck helped them earn the number one and two spots.Wylie High School rankings place Alina Nguyen as valedictorian and Reiki Hingorani as salutatorian of the class of 2022. Alina posted a...
The first federal trial related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot returned a monumental verdict in the federal government’s prosecution of those involved. After a weeklong trial with four days of testimony, Guy Reffitt, 49, a Wylie resident and oil field worker, was...
Wylie High and Wylie East theater students continue to work on their first productions of the year, with East getting a head start as they are producing “Anastasia: The Musical.” Rehearsals began in July on the production. WHS students are performing “Epic...
Life & Style
If you’re the parents/guardians of elementary school-age children, the Monitor is collecting Letters to Santa again this year. The letters will be printed in the December 23 edition of The Murphy Monitor. Please print out the attached document, have your child write...
Walking into Kaiser Center for the Performing Arts for the first time, patrons might find it hard to believe it was once the site of the former home décor store, Tuesday Morning. Aisles of kitchen gadgets, shower curtains and pet beds have now been replaced with a...
Home gardener Catherine “Cathi” Banks has learned by trial and error how to get the most from the raised bed gardens that have lined her backyard in Murphy for the last six years. In fact, Banks’ has not only had good luck with her gardening adventure, she...
After a few years of growing the typical Texas flowers; pansies in the winter, impatiens in the summer in the normal front flowerbeds, homeowner Kori Hendrix realized she wanted more variety and more gardens at her Wylie home. There was ample opportunity to make...
Students and families faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to remote learning and shortened school days, forced students to adapt to virtual school on the fly as parents adjusted to working from home full-time and managing their children’s...
Opinion
As Americans we love “do it yourself”. DIY has become a national phenomenon. There are whole TV networks dedicated to DIY. Nothing wrong with that of course. It’s fun to figure things out on your own and complete a project then sit back and admire your work. ...
By Todd Baughman I don’t know about you, but I get distracted easily. Just typing that last sentence I’m pretty sure I had about 18 new thoughts about what I could / should be doing right now. Do you often load up your calendar and your mind with actions and...
By John Moore I used to pay little attention to the world’s little idiosyncrasies, but now they seem ever present. And it’s more than slightly annoying. I can’t be the only one. When I was getting change back from the fast-food drive-thru recently, it all became...
By Jeff Denton Cancer. Not what I was expecting to hear from the doctor. But surprisingly comforting at some level. It sure explained the extreme sickness I was experiencing. It explained twenty pounds of weight loss in three weeks. It explained months of pain that...
By Rick Wood There’s so much going on in our world today…just turn on the news and you can hear of the tragedies that are taking place throughout our nation. Here in Texas, the town of Uvalde is mourning the deaths of nineteen elementary students and two teachers less...
