SFOT RH 2026
Staff Reports
City staff recommends 1.2% property tax increase

City staff recommends 1.2% property tax increase

The Murphy City Council will schedule a public hearing next month to consider staff recommendations for a 6% budget increase for Fiscal Year 2026-27, funded in part by increasing the local property tax by less than half a penny. Councilmembers meeting on Tuesday, Aug....

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Collin WSM Summer/Fall 2026 Registration #2
A lot of class

A lot of class

In the movie “The Big Chill,” a group of old friends gather for the funeral of one of their own, and it turns into a reunion. Recently, a group of my old friends gathered for a reunion, and it turned into a gathering for a funeral. I got the call on the way to the...

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Picturing Grace

Picturing Grace

Print from John Moore’s personal collection. When I was a child, there was a painting that hung on my grandmother’s kitchen wall. It portrayed a man who was praying over a meal of bread and what appeared to be a bowl of soup. Near the man was a book, which I always...

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Surviving the holidays

Surviving the holidays

The holidays are more than football (here’s hoping watching the Cowboys is the most painful thing you’ll do this time of year) and food. It can be a season of joy, but for many of us, they can be full of difficult interactions. Whether you’re navigating grief or...

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Leftover Leftovers

Leftover Leftovers

Columnist John Moore believes some things are better left off holiday menus. Photo credit: John Moore Right about now, each of us is on roughly our third idea for how to do something different with all of the leftovers from Thanksgiving. We’ve eaten our fourth turkey...

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Festive destinations for a memorable Christmas

Festive destinations for a memorable Christmas

Breckinridge, Colorado is a festive place to visit during the holidays. Courtesy photo While many people dream of being home for the holidays, there’s a special magic in traveling during the Christmas season. Whether you’re craving snow-capped mountains, tropical...

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If you build it … sans instructions

If you build it … sans instructions

The Beatles had a song called, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The line, “…It was 20 years ago today…” reminded me of something that happened not 20 years ago, but 50 years ago. My father dragging me outside to put a storage building together. It was...

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Local vets recognized for service

Local vets recognized for service

U.S. Air Force Sgt. Mary Matilda Lange of Wylie receives her Congressional Veterans Commendation from U.S. Rep. Keith Self. Twenty-five veterans have received Congressional Veterans Commendations in a ceremony hosted by U.S. Rep. Keith Self. “Celebrating these men and...

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