SFOT RH 2026

Latest News

Collin College honors Chalkley

Collin College honors Chalkley

Dr. Lorraine Chalkley stands in front of a veterinary technology lab named in her honor on the Collin College Wylie Campus. Photo Courtesy of Collin College Collin College has honored longtime Murphy veterinarian Lorraine Chalkley by naming two labs and a surgical...

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City staff recommends 1.2% property tax increase

City staff recommends 1.2% property tax increase

The Murphy City Council will schedule a public hearing next month to consider staff recommendations for a 6% budget increase for Fiscal Year 2026-27, funded in part by increasing the local property tax by less than half a penny. Councilmembers meeting on Tuesday, Aug....

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Wylie Championship Rodeo canceled for 2026

Wylie Championship Rodeo canceled for 2026

The 2026 Wylie Championship Rodeo has been canceled after officials were unable to secure a temporary venue while renovations are underway at the Wylie ISD rodeo facility. For more than 30 years, the annual rodeo has been a community tradition, with the Wylie Area...

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Sports

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SFOT RH 2026

Education

Collin WSM Summer/Fall 2026 Registration #2
Collin College board to appoint trustee

Collin College board to appoint trustee

The Collin College Board of Trustees is seeking applications for a successor to Place 1 Trustee Megan Wallace, who resigned this month due to relocation. Wallace was elected in May 2023 and her term expires in May 2029. The board will appoint a successor, who will...

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Schools rate As for financial accountability

Schools rate As for financial accountability

The School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) ensures public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices -- and that they improve these practices. According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the system is...

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Life & Style

Magical mountain retreats

Magical mountain retreats

By Carrie Dunlea Surrounded by mountain landscapes and natural beauty, mountain retreats in the United States offer an idyllic escape for those who seek solitude and a peaceful getaway. From the rolling hills of the Appalachians to the majestic Rockies, these...

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Spooky and fun: Halloween crafts kids will love

Spooky and fun: Halloween crafts kids will love

Special Contributor Halloween isn’t just about costumes and candy. For kids, it’s also a chance to get creative, let their imaginations run wild, and make something fun with their own hands. Parents and teachers know that holiday crafts do more than keep little hands...

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Ghostly getaways for the spirited traveler

Ghostly getaways for the spirited traveler

Casa Loma, Toronto, Canada, Courtesy Hector Vasquez People love to explore the uncanny and unexplained as Halloween draws near. One way to do so is by visiting some of the purportedly haunted places around the world that also happen to be spectacularly beautiful. Not...

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Aw nuts: the pecan harvest is about to begin

Aw nuts: the pecan harvest is about to begin

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension pecan specialist Monte Nesbitt plucks a perfectly ripe nut from a pecan tree. Photo Courtesy Laura McKenzie, Texas A&M AgriLife Harvest is starting for the 2025 Texas pecan crop with experts expecting an average yield. “This year...

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SFOT RH 2026

Opinion

Milestones

Milestones

Columnist John Moore (bottom left) is pictured with his father, mother, and sister in 1965. Photo: Moore Family Photos By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com In 2014, I was contacted by a newspaper in Tyler, Texas. Unbeknownst to me, the publisher of said...

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Gone with the Schwinn

Gone with the Schwinn

Columnist John Moore learned to ride a bicycle from his dad. The two are pictured here in a photo from 1968. Courtesy Sarah Ward Bell-bottom jeans and bicycle chains are not friends. I share this bit of 1960s essential information for those who are participating in...

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I’ll Take It

I’ll Take It

Columnist John Moore knows the Southern search words to buy things online now that the Thrifty Nickel is gone. Courtesy John Moore/Facebook The South used to rely on the Thrifty Nickel as our garage sale newspaper, but like many things these days,...

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You can go home again

You can go home again

Columnist John Moore's cat, Sammy, has helped renew his faith in hope. Courtesy John Moore There’s an old English idiom that says, “To have no truck with.” It basically means that someone doesn’t go in for syrupy or emotional stuff. I’ve never been overly sentimental....

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Yes ,Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Yes ,Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. “Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? “VIRGINIA O’HANLON.“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.” VIRGINIA, your little friends...

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