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

The Collin County Commissioners Court called the bond election Aug. 10 after weeks of discussion and consideration of funding options. The court unanimously selected the larger of two final bond program options for the November general election.

The six-year program, covering fiscal years 2027 through 2032, would divide the proposed investment among four propositions.

Read the full story in the August 20th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

“This measures how much students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade,” the TEA said. “It also shows how well a school or district prepares their students for success after high school in college, the workforce, or the military.”

Student Achievement within PISD was a B, up 3 points from 83 to 86. Student Achievement measures whether students met expectations on the STAAR test. It also measures graduation rates and how prepared students are for success after high school.

Read the full story in the August 20th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church’s Pondant Hall, 404 N. Ballard Ave.

Local author and historian Tracy Lawson will deliver the keynote address, “Using Family Lore, Letters, and Journals as the Basis for Historical Novels.”

Lawson, curator of the Brown House Welcome Center and public relations liaison for the Wylie Historical Society, is the author of 15 books, including four inspired by stories from her own family history.

Rather than focusing on a single book, Lawson said her presentation will feature three case studies showing how different family stories evolved into books. She will also offer tips for preserving family lore and using letters, journals and other personal records to share those stories with a wider audience.

Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of one of Lawson’s “Ladies of the Revolution” novels, courtesy of Frost Bank, the event’s literacy sponsor.

The program will also take attendees back to the 18th century through a presentation and demonstration of period fashions by Jen Thompson and Beth Klimek of the DFW Costumers Guild.

Guests are encouraged to participate in a patriotic outfit and hat contest. The luncheon will also include door prizes and a silent auction featuring items from local merchants.

Tickets are $50 for adults and $15 for children attending with a parent. Although children are welcome, organizers note the program is not designed for young children. Space is limited.

Proceeds benefit the Wylie Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The historical celebration will continue at 2 p.m. with a reception marking the placement of Wylie’s newest Texas Registered Historic Landmark plaque at 405 N. Ballard Ave.

The 1901 Queen Anne-style house is owned by Lawson and her family, who purchased it in October 2020. They are the 21st owners of the home since it was built.

“As soon as we moved in, we started talking about getting a historical marker for the house,” Lawson said. “We read that another family had tried in the past, so we assumed it would be difficult.”

Lawson said researching the house required considerable work, including several trips to the courthouse to establish its history.

“It did take a lot of work and several trips to the courthouse before we could document the house’s exact age and had a complete list of all the house’s owners and their importance to the community,” she said.

The public is invited to the 2 p.m. reception, which will include light refreshments and tours of the historic home.

The luncheon is part of the Wylie Historical Society’s observance of America’s 250th anniversary, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Tickets and additional information are available at wyliehistoricalsociety.org.

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Nearly 150,000 Collin County residents were estimated to lack consistent access to adequate food in 2024, according to a newly released Feeding America report, while the number of children experiencing food insecurity increased by more than 9,000 in one year.

Feeding America released its 2026 Map the Meal Gap report July 28. The study uses data through 2024 to estimate food insecurity at the state, county and congressional district levels.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Feeding America notes that food insecurity can result from limited or unstable income as well as the high cost of food, housing, health care, utilities and other necessities.

Read the full story in the August 20th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Councilmembers meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, did not vote on the increases, but City Manager Aretha Adams won preliminary approval for increasing the city budget by $4.3 million to $67.4 million.

Adams proposed adoption of the voter approval property tax rate of $0.361832 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of $0.004318 or 1.2%. 

Read the full story in the August 13th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Within 24 hours, a tiny hole in a buried copper pipe sprayed more than 15,000 gallons of water into the dirt 4 feet below the sidewalk in a Murphy neighborhood.  

Once the leak was detected, it took more than two hours for a four-man crew from the Murphy Public Works Department to dig down and fix it.

The aging copper service lines that connect water mains with meters are a big reason that Murphy lost 13% of water in the municipal system, more than 168 million gallons, Public Works Director Donald Reese says.

Read the full story in the August 13th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Trustees of Collin College have called for a November bond election to raise $600 million for expansion including three new facilities.

The board voted unanimously to place Proposition A on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election ballot.

The proposition would authorize $600 million for workforce and academic expansions at the McKinney Campus, the Technical Campus located in Allen, the Frisco Campus, the Wylie Campus, the Farmersville Campus and the Courtyard Center located in Plano. 

The proposition also includes funding for new facilities, including an Aviation Academy in McKinney, a new campus in Anna and a new campus in Royse City.

“Based on current financial projections, the college does not anticipate an increase in the tax rate if voters approve the bond proposition,” the college said in a release on Friday, Aug. 7.

“The Board of Trustees has always believed in planning for the future while honoring the commitments we’ve made to our community,” said Jay Saad, chair of the Board of Trustees. “The projects completed through our previous bond program have strengthened the economic impact of our region, while providing accessible and affordable pathways for our students.”

The release said the proposed bond package is the next step in implementing Destination 2030, the college’s long-range master plan designed to expand educational access, strengthen workforce training and modernize facilities to serve one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions.

The college said credit enrollment over has increased by more than 31% over the past decade, and the pace of growth is expected to continue. As enrollment and workforce demand continue to rise, the college developed Destination 2030 as a three-phase roadmap to expand capacity to address this growth.

Phase I prioritized projects addressing near-term enrollment growth, workforce shortages and aging learning spaces. Most Phase I projects are complete, with the remaining work scheduled for completion in 2027. 

Phases II and III focus on expanding educational opportunities in the county’s fastest-growing communities, increasing capacity in high-demand workforce and academic programs and modernizing existing facilities.

Collin College said it serves more than 62,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates.

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For more than 30 years, the annual rodeo has been a community tradition, with the Wylie Area Chamber of Commerce partnering with Wylie ISD for the past 20 years to host the event at the F.O. Birmingham Agricultural Facility and Rodeo Arena.

Earlier this year, Wylie ISD began renovations to the facility as part of improvements intended to better serve students. In response, the Chamber and the City of Wylie spent several months exploring alternative locations for this year’s rodeo.

According to the Chamber, none of the sites considered could provide the space, infrastructure and safety needed to host the event while remaining logistically and financially feasible.

Read the full story in the August 13th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.

Qualifying items can be purchased tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. 

The three-day sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 7, and runs through midnight Sunday, Aug. 9.

The comptroller’s office says the sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items bought during the period. Items purchased before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.

The exemption applies to each eligible item sold for less than $100, and there is no limit to the number of qualifying items you can buy.

Computers, software and textbooks are not included. Jewelry, handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches and other accessories are also not exempt.

However, delivery, shipping, handling and transportation charges by the seller are part of the item’s sales price. If the delivery charge is a flat rate per package, and the amount charged is the same regardless of how many items are included in the package, the total charge can be attributed to any one of the items in the package.

A complete list of school supplies covered by the tax holiday is available at: https://bit.ly/3RkCnpL.

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