Latest News
The Murphy City Council has decided there are too many uncertainties about Flock Safety automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to continue using them.Following a presentation by Police Chief Jeff Gibson at council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6, members opted...
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...
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...
Collin County Elections is processing about 40,000 voter registration requests just received from the Secretary of State. The issue dates from last October, when a third-party vendor updated the software used to process registrations filed with the Texas Department of...
An administrative law judge in Austin has ended three days of hearings on the application to create a municipal utility district (MUD) for a densely populated development between Parker and Murphy. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) remanded the...
Sports
Plano East senior Meena Milford, pictured in previous action, captured 19th place in the large-school girls 5K race at the Cowboy Jamboree in Oklahoma on Saturday. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] Plano East traveled to...
Plano East senior Javon Rogers tackles Plano West senior quarterback Blake Tevis as senior James LaFleur (23) backs up the play during a 24-6 win for the Panthers at Clark Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media By David Wolman...
Jeff Savage, Class of 1990 Plano East graduate, has been inducted into the Plano East Hall of Honor. Photo courtesy Roy Woods By David Wolman [email protected] Jeff Savage was always destined to be a Plano East Panther. He grew up down the street from the...
Plano East senior Leyna Anderson (15) attempts to hit the ball around the block of Plano senior Bailey Ramirez (3) on Tuesday. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media By David Wolman [email protected] (Click on the link for a photo gallery from the match:...
Plano East junior Cason Marsh chases down a Lake Highlands ball carrier Friday at Tom Kimbrough Stadium. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media By Seth Dowdle [email protected] (Click on the link for a photo gallery from this game:...
Education
Former WCC members Andrew Jolay, Hannah Tang, and Zach Hewitt sing at the Wylie ISD convocation prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year. Courtesy photo The Wylie Children’s Chorus is making history as the first elementary ensemble in the district invited to...
Plano ISD Trustees have confirmed the Fiscal Year 2026-27 property tax rate will decrease less than one cent, or $0.0068, per $100 of appraised valuation. Meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, the school board formally adopted the voter-approved rate of $1.03275 per $100...
Marvin Fuller, center, is joined by family following the announcement that Wylie ISD’s new Career & Technical Education Center will bear his name in recognition of his decades of service. From left, wife Melisa Fuller, son Dailey Fuller, grandson Diesel Adams,...
Workers continue construction on Building D adjacent to Rusty Franklin Field at Plano East Senior High School. Photo Bob Wieland/Murphy Monitor Renovation work at Plano East Senior High School begun in February of 2025 is scheduled for completion in the first half of...
Plano Independent School District earned a grade of B, 85 out of 100 points, in the latest 2025-2026 school accountability rankings released by the Texas Education Agency. The district’s overall ranking improved 3 points from last year. “This measures how much...
Life & Style
Designing a new home, remodeling your own or simply rethinking aesthetics and decor all require a little imagination and a lot of inspiration. A quick online search brings up hundreds if not thousands of thoughtful ways to make your kitchen or bathroom match your...
Photo courtesy of Unsplash It’s a tale as old as treadmills: You buy a new exercise machine with the best of intentions, only for it to become an expensive laundry rack that makes you feel guilty every time you glance over at it. When it comes to making lifestyle...
Cool coastal escapes for one final getaway By Carrie Dunlea By August, many Texans have had enough. Triple-digit temperatures, baked sidewalks and endless afternoons indoors have us dreaming of somewhere cooler. Fortunately, late summer can be one of the best times to...
The countdown to a new school year has begun, and for many families, the final days of summer are filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. While children may be eager to reunite with friends, join a sports team or move up to a new grade, they also may feel...
By Carrie Dunlea Retirement often brings more freedom, but it can also mean fewer daily opportunities to connect with others. Whether you're newly retired or simply looking to expand your circle, building new friendships can improve both physical and mental well-being...
Opinion
Columnist John Moore was raised on fried baloney sandwiches. By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com The phrase, “We were poor, but didn’t know it,” likely was based on the delicious and inexpensive food most Southerners ate growing up. My father told me we only ate the...
Columnist John Moore (top left) poses with his band Freedom in 1976. The posters on his bedroom wall at the time were of his musical inspirations. By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com My dad hated holes in the walls. So, when mom wanted something hung up, he...
Columnist John Moore's mom always made the same dessert in the same bowl. The proof was in the pudding. Photo Mary Moore By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com Early in life, I learned that adults had their own language. They spoke English, but it was interspersed with...
Columnist John Moore still has a couple of things from his days in the Cub Scouts. A Scouting knife and many memories. Photo John Moore By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com Scouting was once as common for kids as Cap’n Crunch and Post Toasties. Learning how to tie...
By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com Moms used to be more versatile. If you were in the back seat of the Buick, they could discipline you from the driver's seat and never swerve or knock the ashes off their Marlboro Red. My mom never smoked, so it’s possible...
