Uncategorized | Murphy Monitor

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.

Reed to be inducted into East Texas A&M University Hall of Fame

David Wolman — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 14:05:00 +0000

Plano East head cross country coach Robert Reed, second from left, will be inducted into the East Texas A&M University Hall of Fame on Oct. 11. Submitted photo

By David Wolman

[email protected]

Robert Reed, the current head cross country coach at Plano East and a Class of 2006 graduate of Sachse High School, will be inducted into the East Texas A&M University Hall of Fame on Oct. 11 in Commerce.

Reed ran and then coached at East Texas A&M University from 2006-15. Reed served as one of the coaches on the Lions’ 2014-15 indoor and outdoor track and field teams that became the first team in school history to win both the Lone Star Conference indoor and outdoor championships. East Texas A&M finished eighth at the indoor NCAA National Championships and 12^th at the Outdoor National Championships.

“It’s cool to get recognized 10 years after it happened, which is how long it normally takes to get into the Hall of Fame,” Reed said. “We had a special group of athletes and a special staff that we learned a lot from. I still keep in touch with the athletes and coaches that I worked with. But it’s going to be great to recognize the athletes’ accomplishments.”

For more on this story see the September 11, 2025 print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.

Council sets proposed tax rate

Bob Wieland — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:39:17 +0000

The Murphy City Council has proposed a voter-approval property tax rate half a penny lower than last year’s levy.
Councilmembers also have considered proposals to raise water and sewer rates in October.
Council set a proposed rate of $0.3575 per $100 of assessed property valuation and scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, Sept. 16, before taking a final vote on adoption. Councilmembers will also consider the city budget at that time.
Finance Director Berna Fitzpatrick-Walker said at the Tuesday, Aug. 19, council meeting that the proposed tax rate is 1% or $0.005 less than the FY25 rate of $0.3625 per $100. The no-new-revenue rate would be is $0.3435 per $100.
The finance director said the proposed tax rate is based on a maintenance and operations (M&O) rate of $0.2662 per $100 of assessed valuation and a debt service (I&S or interest & sinking fund) rate of $0.0913.
The rates were based on taxable value of property in the city of $3.95 billion, according to 2025 certified totals from Collin Central Appraisal District.

For more on this story see the Aug. 28, 2025, print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.

Public hearing on case 2025-008, an application by Crimson Landscape for a variance to Article 26.03.003(i) “Fences in Front Yard”

Bob Wieland — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:34:11 +0000

A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19 on case 2025-008, an application by Crimson Landscape for a variance to Article 26.03.003(i) “Fences in Front Yard” to permit the construction of a screening wall/fence to be built in the required front yard, for property described as Tract 44, Abstract 0579 Henry Maxwell Survey, Murphy, Texas and located 112 S. Maxwell Creek Road.

Public hearing for Specific Use Permit for a Hospital and an Amended Concept/Site Plan for Baylor, Scott, and White, to include a variance to the Tree Preservation Ordinance

Bob Wieland — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:30:44 +0000

A public hearing is scheduled for an Ordinance for case 2025-003, an application from Kimley-Horn for a Specific Use Permit for a Hospital and an Amended Concept/Site Plan for Baylor, Scott, and White, to include a variance to the Tree Preservation Ordinance, for property described as Lot 2R, Block A, Baylor Emergency Medical Center Addition, Murphy, Texas, and located at 511 W F.M. 544.

For more on this story see the August 28, 2025, print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.