The America@250 special section is scheduled for publication in the Murphy Monitor on July 2 and will highlight the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration ahead of Independence Day on July 4, 2026. The section will feature content focused on American history, patriotism, trivia, activities and educational features designed for readers of all ages.

The publication aims to recognize the nation’s founding and the spirit of community as the country marks 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Businesses, organizations and community partners have the opportunity to participate through sponsorships and advertising packages available in both print and digital formats.

Advertising options range from full-page placements to smaller display advertisements. 

The deadline to reserve advertising space and submit copy is June 19. The special section will be published July 2.

For additional information or to reserve advertising space, interested participants may call 972-442-5515 x22 or email [email protected].

The Murphy Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Foundation has awarded scholarships to six local students, bringing to $174,000 the amount given since the program began 20 years ago.

“We reviewed the candidates based on scholastics, work history, community involvement, need and an essay component as well,” said Luke Trahan, co-chair of the Foundation. “It is a very competitive process.”

He and co-chair Steve Dault presented the winners to the Tuesday, June 2, meeting of the Murphy City Council.

Maci Hatzenbuehler has lived in Murphy entire life, attended Wylie High School and will be going to Southeast Missouri State University, where she will be playing soccer while majoring in nursing. 

“Her favorite memory in Murphy is playing sports at the PSA or attending Murphy Maize Days with her family and her friends,” Trahan said.

Maha Rizvi, another lifelong Murphy resident, attended Plano East High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Dallas with a major in healthcare studies on a pre-med track. 

“Maha’s favorite memory in Murphy is rolling down the hill at Murphy Central Park with friends at Sounds of Sundown with the Emerald City Band,” Dault said.

Sevy Wang is a resident of Murphy for the last 11 years, a graduate of Wylie High School and will study engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

“His favorite Murphy memory is participating as a young entrepreneur twice at Murphy Maize Days to raise money for endangered animals,” Trahan said.

Suri Wang has also lived in Murphy for 11 years, graduated from Wylie High and will attend Texas A&M University to pursue a major in mechanical engineering. 

“Her favorite memories of participating as a young entrepreneur in Murphy Maize Days and volunteering at local summer camps with her friends,” Dault said.

Dyan Tecuatl has lived in Murphy for nine years and attended Plano East High School. She will attend Purdue University and hopes to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. 

“Her favorite memory of Murphy is going on morning runs with her cross-country team through Murphy Central Park and the preserve at Maxwell Creek,” Trahan said.

Roheemat Olaiya Mohammed has lived in Murphy for seven years, attended Plano East and will attend Texas A&M University to major in biology on the pre-med track. 

“Her favorite memory in Murphy is performing with the Plano East Marching Band for football games and competitions in Tom Kimbrough Stadium,” Dault said.

“Thank y’all so much for your support,” he told councilmembers. “Without it, we definitely would not have been so successful at handing out these scholarships.”

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Operation Soteria Shield 2026 was conducted in March and April by FBI’s North Texas Child Exploitation Task Force and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The operation was jointly managed by the FBI Dallas Division, Dallas Police Department, Plano Police Department, Wylie Police Department and Garland Police Department. More than 90 other law enforcement agencies participated including the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and the Princeton Police Department.

“It is an honor for the Wylie Police Department to partner with our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in Operation Soteria Shield,” said Anthony Henderson, chief of the Wylie Police Department. “Through the coordinated efforts of all participating agencies, hundreds of predators have been identified and removed from our communities. 

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As the school year ends, so do school-provided breakfasts and lunches for many families. That can put a strain on household budgets and increase demand at local food pantries, but several area organizations are stepping up to help fill the gap.

In Sachse, 5 Loaves Ministries is hosting a cereal drive while celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

The Stars, Stripes & Cereal Drive runs through July 6. Unopened cereal donations can be dropped off at 4401 Williford Road or purchased through the organization’s Amazon wish list available at 5loavesministries.org. Residents can also organize cereal drives through neighborhoods, workplaces, churches and civic groups.

“As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we’re reminded that strong communities are built when neighbors care for one another,” Executive Director Rebekah Rodgers wrote in a newsletter.

In Wylie, Hope for the Cities is expanding its efforts to help families during the summer months.

Beginning June 15 and continuing until school resumes in August, the nonprofit will provide weekly summer lunches for families in Wylie ISD and Community ISD. Volunteers will pack lunches each Thursday and deliver them every Monday. The organization plans to provide enough meals to feed approximately 500 people each week while continuing its regular doorstep food box deliveries.

Hope for the Cities is partnering with 5 Loaves Ministries, Wylie Community Christian Care Center, Smith Public Library and Tango Charities to provide additional meals for students. Starting June 15, families can pick up food each Monday from 10:30 a.m. to noon near the entrance of Smith Public Library. Organizers said students will receive enough food for five lunches and five dinners each week.

“We will use this as an opportunity to get families connected to the food pantries and other community resources,” said Jon Bailey, executive director of Hope for the Cities.

Meanwhile, Wylie Community Christian Care Center is collecting hygiene products in addition to food donations.

Needed items include shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, diapers and baby wipes. The center is also seeking donations of jelly, crackers, Hamburger Helper, Pop-Tarts, condiments and cooking oil. Donations are accepted during regular business hours at 1310 W. Brown St. More information is available at wyliecommunitychristiancare.org.

This past school year, Amazing Grace Food Pantry delivered 7,760 weekend food bags to Wylie schools through its Food 4 Kids program.

The pantry’s work continues through the summer, providing approximately 500 food bags each week to families who visit the pantry.

Director Karen Ellis said the organization is collecting individual cereal cups, 8-ounce shelf-stable milk cartons, macaroni and cheese cups, breakfast bars and Pop-Tarts. Pop-top cans of ravioli, chicken noodle soup and SpaghettiOs are also needed. Donation information is available at amazinggracepantry.org.

Donations to Amazing Grace Food Pantry can also be made at Smith Public Library during June. The library is hosting a protein-themed food drive collecting canned tuna, chicken and chili, as well as protein bars. A collection bin is located in the library lobby.

In addition to supporting families through food donations, residents and councilmembers learned more about community hunger-relief efforts during Tuesday’s Wylie City Council meeting, where proceeds from the recent Taste of Wylie event was presented to four local food pantries.

Allison LaBrot and Sonia Duggan contributed to this story

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“We’re currently waiting on a consensus from TxDOT to reject the bids, which time that allow me to come back to y’all to actually reject those bids,” Reese said at the Tuesday, June 2, Murphy City Council Meeting.

The bridge project has an estimated cost of $393,500 and will be funded by one-quarter cent of sales tax revenue and General Obligation bonds approved by voters in 2017 and issued in 2019.

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Two white lionesses requiring urgent medical attention have found a new home in Wylie after being transferred to In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center.

The female lions, Kali and Nzuri, arrived late in the evening Tuesday, May 5 after concerns arose about serious mobility issues while they were housed at a roadside zoo in Pilot Point. The approximately 7-year-old sisters were transferred following intervention involving the Animal Legal Defense Fund after videos showing the animals struggling with instability and difficulty walking circulated online.

A specialized team from In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue & Educational Center, accompanied by the sanctuary’s veterinarian, traveled to retrieve and safely transport the lionesses to Wylie.

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The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Administration Building Board Room, 2700 West 15th Street in Plano.

Residents are invited to attend and participate in the discussion regarding the proposed budget and tax rate before trustees adopt the budget.

Trustees reviewed anticipated savings along with significant projected expenditures — including the increased cost of utilities and McKinney Vento Transportation — at their Tuesday, May 5, regular meeting.

However, the staff proposed increasing the district’s total budget by just 0.17% or $144,601. That would raise the 2025-26 budget amount of $86,560,867 to $86,705,468 in 2026-27.

As a result, district officials are proposing to decrease the total tax rate for property within the Plano ISD by $0.0068 or less than one penny. 

The current total tax rate for 2025-26 is $1.03955 per $100 valuation and the district will consider a proposed 2026-27 rate of $1.03275 per $100 valuation, the voter-approved rate.

The proposed rate is made up of $0.79540 for maintenance and operations and $0.23735 for debt service (interest & sinking) tied to voter-approved bonds. Under the proposed rate, the M&O of $0.80220 would decrease but I&S would remain the same.

The district’s total taxable property value is estimated at $75.22 billion for the current tax year, down slightly from approximately $74.36 billion last year. 

New taxable property value is estimated at about $665.2 million, an increase of roughly 0.89% from the previous year.

Plano ISD’s total appraised property value is listed at approximately $105.76 billion, compared with $100.83 billion during the preceding tax year.

For homeowners, the district estimates taxes on the average residence would increase slightly. Based on a mean taxable home value of $368,605, taxes are projected at $3,807 annually, an increase of $54 from the previous year.

Under Texas law, the Plano ISD’s voter-approval tax rate is $1.03275 per $100 valuation. If the district adopts a rate above that threshold, voter approval would be required through an election. The proposed rate remains at that level.

Additional information regarding property taxes and proposed tax rates is available through the state’s property tax database at Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes.

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With the toss of a cap, a chapter ended for nearly 1,300 members of the Plano East Senior High School Class of 2026.

Grinning broadly, waving to family and friends, gesturing to classmates or taking selfies, the PESH Panthers claimed their diplomas during the Thursday, May 28, commencement exercise.

In a series of video messages, the audience in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco heard from Senior Class President Kareem Hassanien, Salutatorian Vedant Sundar and Valedictorian Haosu Sam Zhu.

 “Whether you realize it or not, this place has prepared us for what’s next,” Kareem said. “I say that because to get here we had to survive some of the toughest challenges we could imagine, a snowstorm in Texas, math class, painting our senior parking spots in the dark and — worst of all — the cell phone ban.”

Vedant said the students had received a phenomenal education. “We’ve been taught to dream farther, to have ambitions that shape our first steps after tonight, beyond the Plano bubble and into the world,” he said.

Sam said the biggest lesson he learned at Plano East was to bet on himself. “We sometimes think too much about what’s probable and not enough about what’s possible,” he said. “Once in a while, maybe we should take more risks: to bet on ourselves. No on changed the world for the better by taking the path of least resistance.”

Principal David Jones, himself a PESH alumnus, said the Class of 2026 had traversed multiple challenging moments and had persevered to reach the summit. “You are now poised to be leaders and take on the challenges of our future,” Jones said. “Each of you have continued to represent our community, display East Side pride, and you have accomplished many great things.”

Jones recognized groups of students for their achievements, ending by having all members stand and provide an ovation for the family members who have guided and provided for students on their journey.

The principal added, “Winning with class should apply to each and every endeavor in your journey moving forward.

“Remember all you have accomplished with East Side Pride,”  Jones said. “Remember one of the many strengths of our community lies in our diverse student body, varying perspectives, unique cultures and our shared experiences that have enriched us with empathy and understanding.”

Seniors entered the stadium to Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1” performed by classical pianist Julia Lee. The recessional was Felix Mendelsson’s “War March of the Priests.”

The Plano East Junior ROTC presented the colors, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Addisyn Barron, Larina White, Christian Weeresinghe and Preston Le. The valedictorian led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

In a departure from tradition, an artificial intelligence voice announced the graduates’ names during the presentation of diplomas.  

The ceremony ended with remarks by Avleen Randhawa, the Student Senate president.

“As odd as it sounds, I will miss the crowded hallways during the rainy days, the smell of the pond at the beginning of the year and the construction that seems like it will never end,” she said. “They will always remind me of this school, and all the unforgettable memories I have made here with all of you. I’d like to think that 10 years from now, when we look back on our years at East, we will only remember the best of our memories. But I also realize that our moments of foolishness, the hardships and the struggles we have all experienced are what make us who we are today.”

Avleen then led the Class of 2026 in singing the Plano East Alma Mater, followed by the joyous flinging of mortarboards into the air.

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City Manager Aretha Adams told council members the Wednesday, May 27, workshop was intended to provide a high-level conversation about the budget process before formal decisions are made later this year.

“Tonight is not intended for you to make any final budget decisions or direction at every step of the process when we’re talking about budget, so that we know for sure that staff is on the right track,” Adams said.

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