Latest News
The Murphy City Council has voted 5-2 to adopt a Fiscal Year 2027 property tax rate of $0.361832 per $100 of taxable appraised value. Mayor pro tem Scott Smith first moved to adopt a no-new-revenue tax rate, but his motion was defeated.The votes followed public...
Aditi Chidambaram shows the official race shirt she designed for Murphy Middle School’s Maverick Stampede, the school’s annual 5K and fun run fundraiser. Photo Shelley Dowdle It wasn’t the rain that forced the cancellation of this year’s Maverick Stampede — it was...
High school seniors planning to attend Collin College this fall will have an opportunity to learn more about the transition to college during an upcoming “Collin College Bound” event at the Wylie Campus. The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, with activities...
The Murphy Police Department conducted 8,906 traffic stops in 2025 and remains in full compliance with Texas laws governing racial profiling, according to analysis of departmental data prepared by Eric Fritsch, director of Justice Research Consultants. The report,...
Years ago, bicycles were designed to get you where you were going — no matter what happened. Many bikes had an air pump attached to the frame and a small bag under the seat that contained an assortment of vital tools including wrenches, a tire lever and inner tube...
Sports
A Plano East defender tips the ball away from a Panthers wide receiver during a one-on-one drill during Monday morning’s practice. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] Plano East head football coach Tony Benedetto and his...
Plano East senior Marisabelle Sias hits the ball around the block of two Allen defenders during a recent match. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] One week after losing a hard-fought five-set thriller to Allen, the Plano East...
Plano East players celebrate a play made by senior outside hitter Marisabelle Sias (11) during a home match against Woodrow Wilson on Aug. 12. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] The Plano East and Allen volleyball teams...
Plano East’s Cole McBride pushes through to earn 35th place in the open varsity boys race at the Rock Hill 2-Mile Opener on Aug. 15. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] The Plano East cross country team entered last Friday’s...
Plano East senior Reagan Noel crosses the finish line in seventh place at the Plano ISD High School Invitational. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] The Plano East cross country team commenced the 2025 season by competing in...
Education
All Wylie Iindependent School District schools and facilities will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, due to winter weather concerns, the district said in an announcement Saturday, Jan. 24."We will continue to monitor conditions for Tuesday, Jan. 27," the district said. "If a...
The top two graduates of the Class of 2023 focused on each graduate’s uniqueness and the continuous ability to improve oneself in their commencement speeches to their classmates last week. Wearing the school’s colors of maroon, black and white, Wylie High School’s...
The top two students in Plano East Senior High’s Class of 2023 are both headed to Massachusetts. Valedictorian Shriya Bhat, with a grade point average 4.88, plans to attend Harvard University, where she will study cellular and molecular biology. Salutatorian Otto...
A memorial dedicated to sisters Sofia Mendoza, 8, and her sister Daniela, 11, stands outside Cox Elementary School in Sachse as a stark reminder of the sobering reality around mass shootings: the lives lost. The two girls were at Allen Premium Outlets Saturday, May 6,...
Locals, education staff and district administrators gathered for an annual awards gala highlighting the work of select individuals over their careers. Two prestigious awards — the Elizabeth W. Garrison Award and the Garrison Legacy Award — were bestowed during the...
Life & Style
Side dishes abound on Thanksgiving dinner tables, but turkey still takes center stage. This recipe for “Holiday Turkey,” courtesy Andrew Schloss’ “Cooking Slow” (Chronicle Books), calls for slow cooking the bird. Such an approach should result in a delicious and...
Simple steps to start researching your genealogy Searching for family history and digging deep to find all the roots to the branches on your family tree can be a daunting task but equally so, it can be an exciting and rewarding endeavor. Many people are lucky enough...
Spring Break lasts throughout next week, and though students may feel glad to be out of class, boredom can set in all too easily. Luckily, the area will have plenty of entertainment options available. For the full story, see the March 5 issue or subscribe...
If you worry that you or someone you love will get heart disease or even have a heart attack, it’s understandable. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)....
From Bandera to Waco with multiple stops in between, many Texas cities have found a way to host their own unique versions of Mardi Gras celebrations without visiting its neighboring state of Louisiana. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is celebrated this year on Tuesday,...
Opinion
Columnist John Moore’s grandmothers kept candy dishes on their coffee tables. Orange slices were a common treat found inside them. Photo: John Moore From the 1940s through the 1970s, Southern grandmothers always had candy dishes on the living room coffee table. The...
You learn things when you grow up in a small town. Things you don’t learn if you grow up anywhere else. Things that are special. I was born in a small town. But I didn’t stay. I left for the same reasons other folks leave their hometown. Education, better jobs, and...
It didn’t snow much in Ashdown, Arkansas in the 1960s. It doesn’t snow there much now. But when it did, and when it does, kids there know exactly what to do. Beg their moms to make snow ice cream. By John Moore For more on this story see the December 21, 2023 print,...
When you first learn to drive, there are a few things that are, shall we say, intimidating. For me, there was parallel parking and changing lanes at high speeds. Both of which were challenging in a 1971 Buick Electra 225 Limited, which was one of Detroit’s longer...
It’s time the lunchroom ladies got their due. At Burke Street Elementary in Ashdown, Arkansas, (and later Ashdown High School) the kids in my grade were respectful of all adults. But just like at home, we sometimes complained about the food. Especially the food in the...
