Uncategorized | Murphy Monitor

Lady Panthers sweep Lake Highlands

David Wolman — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:49:42 +0000

Plano East sophomore Anna Lukas, pictured competing in an Oct. 6 home match against Coppell, finished with 19 kills in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Lake Highlands. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media

By David Wolman

[email protected]

(Click on the link for a photo gallery from Plano East’s match vs. Coppell on Oct. 6: https://www.dotphoto.com/viewalbum.asp?AID=6889505)

With a showdown for first place in District 7-6A looming, the Plano East Lady Panthers made sure not to overlook Tuesday’s opponent, Lake Highlands.

They took care of business.

Plano East earned a 25-21, 25-18, 25-18 road victory over Lake Highlands, keeping the Lady Panthers (27-9 overall, 9-2 District 7-6A) tied with Plano (30-8, 9-2) for first place in the district.

The two teams will meet Friday at Plano Senior High School. Plano East won the first meeting of the season series, earning a 3-1 victory on Sept. 22. A win Friday would put the Lady Panthers in the driver’s seat in the race for the district title. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Against Lake Highlands, sophomore Anna Lukas led Plano East with 19 kills and added 10 assists. Sophomore Luz Luna handled the setting duties, recording 24 assists, 14 digs, five service aces and seven kills. Senior Leyna Anderson finished with eight kills and three blocks, while junior Jaiden Boutte also recorded three blocks.

Tuesday’s victory came four days after Plano East rallied for a 21-25, 25-19, 25-13, 25-18 home win over Richardson on Friday, Oct. 9.

Luna led the Lady Panthers with eight kills, while Lukas and freshman Ava Nzegwu added seven apiece. Plano East overcame a combined 32 kills from Richardson’s MacKenzie Ratcliff (18) and Leah Sandifer (14).

Richardson finished with 47 kills, but Plano East countered with a strong defensive effort at the net. Boutte recorded eight blocks, sophomore Kyla Slaughter added six and Nzegwu finished with four.

Senior libero Dakota Huynh led Plano East’s back-row defense with 17 digs.

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A taste of Oktoberfest comes to Wylie

webmaster — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:35:00 +0000

Historic downtown Wylie will take on a Bavarian flavor in early October, with Oktoberfest celebrations offering everything from German music and steinholding contests to a village stroll and racing dachshunds.

The festivities will center around downtown Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4, with Glen Echo Brewing hosting a three-day Oktoberfest at 106 N. Birmingham St. and local merchants joining the celebration Saturday with an Oktoberfest Village Stroll.

The Village Stroll will run from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, throughout Historic Downtown Wylie, giving visitors an opportunity to make their way among participating businesses at their own pace.

Admission to the stroll is free.

Visitors can pick up a free Oktoberfest Village Passport at participating businesses and collect stops as they explore downtown. Completed passports can be entered to win prizes.

On Birmingham Street, Glen Echo Brewing will stretch its Oktoberfest celebration across the entire weekend.

Activities begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, with a ceremonial first keg tapping by Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter and the release of Glen Echo Brewing’s Oktoberfest beer. The first of three steinholding competitions begins at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s brewery activities start at 1 p.m. with a costume contest and parade of participants. A second steinholding competition is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by beer-carrying obstacle races at 5 p.m.

German music and dancing will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The third steinholding competition begins at 9 p.m., followed by the announcement of winners.

On Sunday, Dachshund races begin at 1 p.m., followed by a Beer Choir North Texas Chapter singalong from 3 to 4 p.m. The Oktoberfest event concludes at 6 p.m.

Registration for the contests will be available on site the day of each event. Contestants must be 21 or older except for participants in the dachshund races. Medals will be awarded to event winners.

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Public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 15, on FY 2026-27 budget and property tax rate

Bob Wieland — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 19:42:47 +0000

The City of Murphy will hold a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget and tax rate during the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, at Murphy City Hall.
The proposed $67 million budget includes a property tax rate of $0.361832 per $100 of assessed value, compared with the current rate of $0.357514. For the average Murphy homeowner whose home is valued at $592,198, this equals approximately $14 more per month, or $166 per year.

City council re-lets bids for pedestrian bridge

Bob Wieland — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:48:19 +0000

All three bids for the lighted FM 544 bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Maxwell Creek were over budget and the low bidder was not pre-qualified with TxDOT, Director of Public Works Donald Reese says. In addition, the other two bidders did not submit all required TxDOT documentation, he said.
So, the Murphy City Council voted at the Tuesday, July 21, meeting to re-let bids for the project.
Also on the agenda, Reese reported that residential water consumption topped all other categories, followed by commercial and city use.

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Public hearings 2, Tuesday, March 10

Bob Wieland — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:41:30 +0000

The Murphy Planning & Zoning Commission and the Murphy City Council will hold public hearings in the Community Room of the City Hall complex, 206 N. Murphy Road and consider and/or act on an Ordinance to approve a city-initiated zoning change for 11.56 acres of property located at the southeast corner of City Hall Circle and N. Murphy Road, and legally described as Tract 12, Abstract A0582, James Maxwell Survey and Lot 1, Block A, Murphy Municipal Center.

Public hearings 1, Tuesday, March 10

Bob Wieland — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:38:49 +0000

The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission and the Murphy City Council will hold public hearings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in the Community Room of the City Hall Complex, 206 N. Murphy Road, to consider and/or act on an Ordinance to approve a city-initiated
zoning change, for 3.221 acres of property located at the southeast corner of N. Murphy Road and Betsy Lane, and legally described as Lots 1, 2 & 3, Block A, Oasis Plaza.

Plano East wins share of District 6-6A title

David Wolman — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:08:06 +0000

The Plano East boys basketball team poses for pictures after the Panthers defeated crosstown rival Plano West 57-54 Tuesday. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media

By David Wolman

[email protected]

With a playoff berth already clinched, the Plano East boys basketball team took things another step further Tuesday, defeating Plano West 57-54 to finish as the co-champion of District 6-6A.

It marks the second district championship won by the Panthers over the last three seasons. Two years ago, Plano East won the outright title, on its way to a perfect 40-0 record and the team’s first-ever state championship. This year, Plano East will share the district title with Allen.

“I’m so very proud of our guys,” head coach Matt Wester said. “There aren’t many people outside of our locker room that thought we could have finished the regular season this way. Success hasn’t come easily for this group. I’m thankful that they get to see some results from all of their hard work.”

Plano East (27-7) enters the postseason having won nine of its last 10 games.

Wester pointed to defense as the biggest reason behind the team’s strong finish to the regular season.

“The most impressive thing about this team has to be the way they are playing defense,” he said. “There aren’t many teams that could have held District 6-6A teams to 45 points per game.”

Plano East earned the No. 2 Class 6A Division I seed out of District 6-6A. The Panthers will play a familiar foe in the bi-district round: former district rival Coppell, which will be paired with Plano East in District 7-6A during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. Coppell and Plano East are scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Carrollton Creekview High School.

Coppell (24-11) carries a six-game winning streak into the postseason and hasn’t lost since since Jan. 27 when the Cowboys lost 63-57 to the state’s No. 3-ranked team, Little Elm.

“I still have a lot more to learn about Coppell,” Wester said. “They seem to be a very tough and well put together team.”

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Location found for Murphy Veterans Tribute

Bob Wieland — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:13:28 +0000

After eight years of planning and fundraising, the Murphy Veterans Tribute (MVT) has found a home in the City Hall Complex.
Reagan Rothenberger, director of community and economic development, said city staff and members of the MVT board had agreed on a location on the grassy boulevard island farthest east from the flagpoles in front of the building.
The new location replaces a wooded area next to the amphitheater in Central Park that was designated by the city in August 2017.
Rothenberger said the island has electric and water connections as well as adequate parking.
The tribute would consist of a 6-foot-wide walkway facing City Hall with six stone benches along the walk. Each bench would be engraved with the name of a military service branch and 120 individual pavestones honoring veterans would be inset into the ground.
The focal point of the tribute would be a bronze monument of a World War II era soldier on a pedestal at the western end of the walk. The soldier, with rifle and full kit, is on one knee and facing the flagpoles. In his left hand, the soldier holds a folded U.S. flag.
Designed and copyrighted by the Randolph Rose Collection of Yonkers, New York, two other examples of the monument have been placed At VA hospitals in the Midwest.

The concept was generated by AI and is not to scale.

For more on this story see the October 16, 2025, print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.

Murphy Middle School closed

Bob Wieland — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:03:31 +0000

An alternate learning plan begins Tuesday, Oct. 7, for students at Murphy Middle School after the building was closed to complete environmental remediation, the school said in an online post.
“This decision follows two independent air quality assessments initiated after community concerns were raised,” the school said. “While initial cleaning addressed early findings, subsequent results revealed additional areas impacted by elevated humidity and changing conditions. Importantly, neither air quality study detected black mold on campus.”
The school said remediation will include carpet replacement in some areas, HVAC cleaning, surface disinfecting, window resealing and installation of dehumidifiers and air purifiers.
To accommodate the remediation, the building will remain closed from Monday, Oct. 6, through Friday, Oct. 10.
Meanwhile, all extracurricular activities are postponed.
“Plano ISD remains committed to the health and safety of students and staff,” the post said, adding that scheduling the work ahead of fall break the following week allows for “thorough mitigation with minimal disruption.”

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Council approves gas increase, adopts budget and sets tax rate

Bob Wieland — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:47:09 +0000

The Murphy City Council agreed Tuesday, Sept. 16, to a negotiated increase in natural gas prices, both the monthly base charge and the commodity charges based on consumption.
Council also adopted the proposed city budget for Fiscal Year 2026, up 10% to $63.1 million, and set the property tax rate at $0.3575 per $100 of assessed valuation.
After a discussion about a new location for the Murphy Veterans Tribute, councilmembers directed staff to assess an area just east of City Hall, the grassy boulevard median opposite the flagpoles at the parking lot entrance.
The original location designated in 2017 was a 100-by-100-foot area near the Central Park Amphitheater, but the city said fundraising for the project had taken too long.

For more on this story, see the Sept. 25, 2025, print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.