The club will host its inaugural Rotary Peace Summit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at the Collin College Wylie Campus Conference Center, 391 Country Club Road.

Designed as a conflict resolution conference, the summit will focus on building unity, encouraging dialogue and helping participants engage respectfully with people whose perspectives may differ from their own.

Wylie Rotary Past President Ofilia Barrera said the idea grew from Rotary’s broader commitment to promoting peace, but with an emphasis on challenges much closer to home.

“As Rotarians, we are committed to peace building,” Barrera said. “For many people, this brings to mind war torn countries. For us, it hits a little closer to home.”

Rotary President Bryan Brokaw proposed the summit as a way to address increasing polarization within the community, added Barrera.

“A lot of what we hear on the news and social media is negative, but when we look to our friends and neighbors, the positives abound,” she said. “We wanted to build on that. We want people to walk away knowing they can disagree and still work together to build a stronger community.”

The summit is open to anyone interested in strengthening the community, Barrera said, including leaders, business owners, educators, volunteers and engaged citizens from Wylie and surrounding areas.

Three featured speakers will guide participants through the day.

Wylie High School graduate Roza Patterson will open the summit. Patterson, an attorney and UCLA School of Law professor, is also a former Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participant. In 2013, she received a Rotary International Global Grant Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree focused on peace and conflict prevention and resolution.

Patterson has worked in employment law and was selected in 2021 for Orrick’s Racial, Social and Economic Justice Fellowship. She currently works as a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice.

The Rev. Celestin Musekura, president and CEO of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, will bring decades of experience in reconciliation and peacebuilding to the summit. The global nonprofit works toward an Africa without violent racial, tribal and religious conflicts.

Musekura lost family members during the Rwandan genocide, an experience that inspired his work helping leaders and communities move from conflict toward reconciliation. For three decades, he has trained leaders in strategies intended to promote healing and sustainable social change.

Organizational psychologist Heather Hodges will lead participants through a research-based framework examining how people approach challenges and how understanding those differences can help foster innovation and cooperation.

Hodges, who has 25 years of leadership experience, will also explore how culture shapes behavior, perceptions and an individual’s sense of safety.

Rotary organizers say the full-day program is intended to give participants opportunities not only to hear from the speakers but also to practice listening, gain perspective and develop skills that can be used in workplaces, organizations and everyday community interactions.

Doors open at 8 a.m. for check-in and a continental breakfast. Lunch will be served at noon. Following the summit, participants may attend an optional happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Landon Winery in downtown Wylie.

Registration is $115 per person. A table for eight is $805. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Parking at Collin College is free.

For registration, sponsorship information or additional details, visit wylierotary.org/page/peace-summit or email to [email protected].

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Meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, the school board formally adopted the voter-approved rate of $1.03275 per $100 valuation, down slightly from the 2025-26 rate of $1.03955 per $100 valuation.

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.

Plano ISD certified property values showed a 1.91% increase from $74.36 billion to $75.77 billion with $700.5 million in new construction, according to Collin Central Appraisal District. The average value of a home in the PISD is $614,707, compared with $613,290 in 2025.

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.

Meeting on June 23, PISD trustees adopted a $691.6 million general operating budget for fiscal year 2026-27 that projects a $44.8 million operating shortfall, reflecting continued pressure from declining enrollment, inflation and state funding formulas that district officials say have not kept pace with rising costs. 

The spending plan anticipates $634.6 million in general fund revenue and $691.6 million in expenditures, with the deficit to be covered through existing fund balance and other financing sources.

District officials said enrollment was expected to fall to about 41,830 students, continuing a multiyear decline driven by lower birth rates, changing demographics, rising housing costs and growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling. Because state aid is largely based on average daily attendance, fewer students translate directly into lower revenue. While House Bill 2 increased state funding, Plano ISD said the additional money does not fully offset enrollment losses, inflation and growing maintenance needs for aging facilities.

Instruction remained the district’s largest expenditure at about $340.8 million, followed by maintenance and operations at $55.6 million, school leadership at $32 million and guidance and counseling at $27.2 million. 

The budget also includes a 2% salary increase for eligible employees; market-rate pay adjustments and continued health care contributions to retain staff. 

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New Secretary of State Robert Howden has rolled out an online portal that allows Texans to confirm their active voter registration, register to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, or make changes to a voter registration certificate. 

Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the November Election and early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30.

Requests for a ballot by mail must be received by Friday, Oct. 23. The mail ballot must be received by Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, (Election Day) at 7:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, (the next business day after Election Day) at 5:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply).

 The link to the Secretary of State’s voter registration portal is: https://bit.ly/4gMFjUL.

The portal, with a first build date of Aug. 18, confirms voter registration by asking for First Name, Last Name, Suffix, Date of Birth, and either ZIP Code and county, Driver’s License number or Voter ID number.

If a site visitor is not registered, a link asks in English or Spanish if the person is a U.S. Citizen and whether they will be 18 years of age on or before Election Day.

Clicking “No” on the citizenship question triggers the response: “You must be a United States citizen to proceed with this form.”

A similar message informs those under 18 that they must be at least 18 years old in order to vote.

Answering “yes” to both questions opens a form that must be completed, printed, signed and sent by U.S. Mail to the Secretary of State’s office.

The form requests a Driver’s License number, Texas ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. There is a box to check if a person does not have any of those documents.

The information form includes a warning that giving false information to procure voter registration is perjury and a violation under state and federal law.

“Conviction of this crime may result in imprisonment up to one year in jail, a fine  up to $4,000, or both,” the form says. “Please read all three statements to affirm before signing: I am a resident of this county and a U.S. Citizen; I have not been finally convicted of a felony, or if a felon, I have completed all of my punishment, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or I have been pardone [sic.]; and I have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.”

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Howden on July 17 to succeed Secretary Jane Nelson, who Abbott appointed in January 2023 following her three decades in the state Senate.

A University of Texas at Austin graduate, Howden had worked in Abbott’s office as director of legislative affairs. He previously worked with Govs. Bill Clements and Rick Perry.

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Thompson presented the city’s annual economic development report to the Sept. 2 meeting of the Murphy City Council.

She said 64% of the sales tax revenue was generated by local businesses and 36% from online transactions.

Read the full story in the September 10th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Family stories, Revolutionary-era fashion and Wylie history came together Saturday, Aug. 29, as the Wylie Historical Society celebrated the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary with its America 250 BBQ Luncheon.

Wylie Historical Society Treasurer Alexis Tapp welcomed guests to the event, which included the posting of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 442, the national anthem, a costume contest, raffle and silent auction. Col. W.D. Wylie, portrayed by Eugene Hauptmann, led the pledge and later offered a prayer.

The luncheon’s keynote speaker, author Tracy Lawson, explored how family lore, letters and journals can become the foundation for books, while Jen Thompson and Beth Klimek of the DFW Costumers Guild brought another piece of the past to life with a demonstration of late-18th-century women’s fashion.

Read the full story in the September 3rd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Wylie ISD’s newest career and technical education facility will carry the name of a longtime community leader whose ties to the district and its agricultural programs span more than three decades.

Trustees announced Monday, Aug. 17, that the new facility at the F.O. Birmingham Agriculture Center will be named the Marvin Fuller Career & Technical Education Center in honor of Albert Marvin Fuller Jr.

The name was recommended by the district’s Board Naming Committee in recognition of Fuller’s decades of service to Wylie in education, agriculture, business and economic development.

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You wouldn’t know it from the thermometer, but the calendar says fall begins later this month — and so do a plethora of crowd-pleasing annual events.

Based on the astronomical Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere is Tuesday, Sept. 22.

But the 2026 H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival takes to the sky the weekend before, running from Thursday, Sept. 17, through Sunday, Sept. 20, at Oak Point Park. 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway in East Plano. 

This marks the 47th year of ballooning in Plano and Collin County and the event features balloons, food vendors, crafts made by local artisans, the Central Market Kids Fun Zone, entertainment on the FOX4 Main Stage, RE/MAX of Texas skydiving exhibitions and nightly fireworks.

Tickets are available for purchase onsite with adult tickets priced at $10 and $5 for kids 3-12 and seniors 65 and older.

Kids under 36 inches tall are admitted for free, as are all current and retired military with valid ID.

The festival is cashless, with all sales made via credit or debit card or Apple Pay.

The following weekend, the State Fair of Texas kicks off Friday, Sept. 25, and will run through Sunday, Oct. 18, in historic Fair Park in Dallas. 

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. but 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and this year’s theme is “Stars, Stripes and Howdies.”

Children aged 2 and under are admitted free while tickets for kids 3 through 12 are $10. All admissions are $10 after 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 

Adult admissions (ages 13–59) are $15 Monday–Thursday and $25 Friday–Sunday. Seniors aged 60-up are admitted for $13 Monday–Wednesday, $7 Thursdays and $20 Friday–Sunday. 

Parking in official State Fair lots is $25 but DART’s Green Line serves the Fair and provides free parking in park-and-ride lots.

Celebrating 16 years of fun, Murphy’s free Maize Days Cornival is from noon until after the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, in Central Park, 550 N. Murphy Road.

Parking is free in Tom Kimbrough Stadium just to the north of the park and no shuttle will be available. VIP parking is $10 at the City Hall complex. 

Vendors accept cash but VIP parking and ride wristbands will require a credit or debit card. Wristbands are $15 before the event and $20 on the day of the festival. 

Entertainment will be on the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Main Stage and the CoServ Community Stage. The Maize Midway will have games and rides, and the Primrose Playground will be available for younger tots. Other attractions include inflatables, farm games and cornhole competition. 

Dogs are allowed but must be leashed at all times.

November brings cooler temperatures and the Murphy Family Campout from 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, to 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Central Park pond. 

Campsites for up to five campers are available for $50, with registration only for Murphy residents until Wednesday, Sept. 30. Non-residents may then sign up until Oct. 15.

The event includes dinner, breakfast, s’mores, a movie and a variety of games. 

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Murphy celebrates Christmas in the Park, a free event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City Hall complex.

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The Texas Department of Transportation is proposing a $230 million expansion of FM 3286 and FM 546 across Lavon Lake, a project that would replace the existing two-lane bridge and widen nearly five miles of roadway between Lucas and the Princeton area.

But construction remains years away and no money has been identified to build it.

TxDOT presented the proposal Tuesday, Aug. 25, during an open house at Southfork Ranch in Parker.

The project covers approximately 4.71 miles, extending from FM 1378 in Lucas east along FM 3286, also known as East Lucas Road, across Lake Lavon and continuing on FM 546 to FM 982 leading into Princeton.

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Officials say the individual visited three public venues while infectious:

Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 14; Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, 152 Fountain Circle Fairview, between 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Aug. 14; and The Revel in Frisco Patio & Grill, 9305 Preston Road, Frisco, from 7:45 p.m. to 12 a.m. Aug. 15.

The county says measles is a highly contagious disease that can be transmitted from person-to-person through the air or contaminated surfaces. Measles can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area. Measles can lead to serious health complications, health officials say.

Collin County Health Care Services says if you or anybody you know were at any of these locations during the specified dates and are not vaccinated against measles, or are unsure of immunity, there is a risk of contracting measles. Those people, as well as pregnant or immunocompromised individuals, should contact their health care provider.

The county says anyone who was at the venues on the dates listed should monitor themselves for measles symptoms through Sept. 5.
Symptoms of measles typically include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis), small white spots inside the mouth known as Koplik’s spots, and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches.

If symptoms develop, health officials recommend staying home and avoiding contact with others. A health care provider should be contacted for guidance, and individuals are advised to call ahead before visiting a clinic or hospital to prevent further exposure.

The most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, said health officials.

For more information about measles, including symptoms, prevention and treatment, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/measles.

Collin County Health Care Services said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed.

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“How does Murphy compare to these other cities that are around us?” Bradley asked. “Murphy is a good deal,” he answered himself.

“If we’re not meeting the needs of the residents, or we’re providing services that the residents don’t need, then that comes back to you,” the mayor added.

Bradley and other members spent more than an hour at the Tuesday, Aug. 18, council meeting discussing the Fiscal Year 2026-27 city budget and tax rate before giving preliminary approval to the numbers. But they could change by the time a public hearing is held on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Read the full story in the August 27th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.