Latest News
Without star running back Ismail Mahdi and starting quarterback Drew DeVillier, the offense struggled for Plano East. Plano East (1-4, 2-6) struggled to get consistent yards against Plano (1-4, 2-6), losing 28-14. Mahdi, one of the top runners in all of 6A, led the...
Down by 21 on two separate occasions, the Panthers did all they could to mount the comeback. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Coming back to tie the game at 28, Plano East (1-3, 2-5) fell in the fourth quarter to Flower Mound (2-2, 3-4), 42-35 Friday...
Plano East (1-2, 2-4) is in the playoff race. That means a contest on the road against Flower Mound (1-2, 2-4) is critical. With four teams all within a game of each other for the final two playoff spots, the Panthers and the Jaguars will desperately need to win this...
Murphy Fire-Rescue officials invite people to learn about fire operations and have some fun, too, at its annual open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 16. A CareFlite helicopter is scheduled to appear during the event, said Murphy Fire Marshal Perry Elliott. ...
Ernie Bannister spent most of his career in the private sector. He decided to give the public sector a whirl and took a job at the city of Murphy after finding out about an opening at the city. Bannister, the city’s controller, will retire at the end of this...
Sports
Last season, the Plano East hockey team wanted to build a culture. In 2021, the team is now poised to make a run, starting the season undefeated. Opening the season on Sept. 23, the Panthers are 4-0, led by an offense that has scored 35 goals over the four games. For...
Things were looking good for Plano East in the first half. However, the second half proved fateful as Hebron (1-3, 1-0) outscored East (1-3, 0-1) 22-0 to win the game 29-18. Ismail Mahdi accounted for 181 of the Panthers’ 274 total yards in the game. Mahdi...
Donavia Hall found the perfect transition after her senior year. The District 6-6A MVP enters her senior season as the leader of the Plano East girls basketball team. Before playing this season, Hall decided to commit to SMU for the 2022 school year. For Hall, meeting...
The Plano East Panthers are confident heading into District 6-6A competition. Getting healthy on their bye week after their first win in two years, Plano East (1-2) travels to Hebron (0-3) on Sept. 24. The Hawks are winless but played a competitive non-district...
Before the season, many of the Plano East seniors said they just wanted to get some wins under their belt.One of those seniors was Ismail Mahdi, who sat out his sophomore year with an injury and didn’t get a win last season. With an up-and-coming roster, the Panthers...
Education
Whitt Elementary School fourth-grade math teacher Madison Shattuck missed the conventional rhythms of classroom instruction last year. “Excited is mainly what I am,” she said about the return to normal classroom teaching this year, when teachers will have classes in...
Wylie ISD personnel will receive raises in the next school year, as the Wylie ISD board members approved the school budget at their meeting June 21, with the tax rate to be considered in August. Teachers will get a 2% midpoint raise for the upcoming school year -...
Steve Boatman met a reality this winter he had not dealt with in decades. He was not in school. Whether as a student or teacher, Boatman has been in a place of learning since he was a boy, stretching back to the 1960s. Boatman retired mid-year from Wylie ISD’s Whitt...
Wylie ISD officials said remote learning will not be available to students this year, but they gave no word last week on what families who should do if they prefer the remote method. In a letter to parents, WISD Superintendent David Vinson alerted parents about the...
Soccer. It all comes back to soccer. Ask Elliott Janway about his activities at Wylie East, and the first to come to mind is the sport known as the “beautiful game.” The Wylie East senior played center-middle field for the Raiders soccer team. His efforts on the field...
Life & Style
Students and families faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to remote learning and shortened school days, forced students to adapt to virtual school on the fly as parents adjusted to working from home full-time and managing their children’s...
Imagine being part of a group where only women are allowed. No kids, no husband, no pets. Your only responsibility is for yourself – and making sure you have fun! Sure, there’s a caveat. You must be willing to commune with nature as you fraternize with a group of...
Traditional family activities like trick-or-treating create fun moments and memories, but the effects of COVID-19 on this Halloween will bring about change for the spooky excitement. You can still ensure a special night for your little ones and all the ghouls,...
When Murphy resident, Bryan Galen took a career aptitude test in high school he thought the results were a joke. He was told his perfect career would involve agriculture. However, over the years, the idea has grown on him. While living in Dallas with his wife Kristen...
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, families are still finding ways to make the most of unusual schedules to plan a getaway. With more flexible work and school arrangements, many families are embracing the idea of a “flexcation,” an emerging travel trend where families...
Opinion
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas leaders are rolling up their sleeves to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to encourage the public to follow suit. “I will never ask any Texan to do something that I’m not willing to do myself,” Abbott said before getting vaccinated at a...
Iconic ranches, farms and small towns sustain about 3 million Texans — a population larger than the City of Houston’s. The sense of community, plentiful open space and great quality of life — all found in places like West Texas and the Panhandle — have sustained...
Most people know that when there is a fire or medical emergency—or a global pandemic—first responders help keep us safe. What may be surprising for many Texans is that many of these first responders are there because of a local emergency services district, or ESD. As...
Roughly one in four American workers has filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. To stem the historic tide of unemployment, policymakers quickly put together a series of legislative packages to help companies keep their workers on payroll. An often-overlooked...
The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis was a brutal, senseless and avoidable tragedy, and one our country has witnessed countless times before. In many ways, his death was the match that ignited nationwide conversations about the racial injustices that...
