Regional
Three contested races set
The filing period for local elections ended on Friday with three contested races set. At the Vernon city commission, Place 4 incumbent Britt Ferguson is seeking re-election, but he is being challenged by Dustin Fraticelli for the two-year term on the commission. Don Aydelott, the incumbent for City Commission Place 3, filed for re-election and…
Read MoreAEP Texas restores more than 150,000 customers as generation increases on the electric grid
AEP Texas restored electric service to approximately 150,000 customers overnight late Wednesday into Thursday morning as more generation came online in ERCOT. We are actively working to restore power to customers throughout our service territory. Crews are working around the clock to restore power to all impacted customers. We know many of our customers…
Read MoreCovid numbers continue to decline in Wilbarger County
Wilbarger County reported 9 active Covid 19 cases on Monday, Feb. 15, as the county’s positive rate continues to stay in single digits. The mandatory mask requirement for the county is still in place. The state’s current requirement is “The county must have 30 or fewer new COVID-19 cases during the previous 14 day period.”…
Read MoreVC trustees extend president’s contract, sell land to hotel owner
The Vernon College board of trustees appointed Betsy Smith to fill the unexpired term of Anne Spears, who resigned from her place on the board in January. The action was part of the February board of trustee meeting last Wednesday. The trustees accepted a bid of $140,001 from Joe Rogers, of Rogers Lodging, to purchase…
Read MoreWinter Storm Warning through Wednesday evening
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM WEDNESDAY… * WHAT…Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches. * WHERE…Portions of central, east central, northern, northwest, southeast, southern, southwest and western Oklahoma and northern Texas. * WHEN…Until 6 PM CST Wednesday. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could…
Read MoreRotating power outages anticipated to continue over next 24 hours
At 1:25 Monday morning, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) directed transmission and distribution companies to begin controlled rotating outages as an emergency procedure to avoid a sustained large-scale outage and prevent long-term damage to the electric system. AEP Texas began rotating the areas affected so that consumers are impacted for a limited amount…
Read MoreEarly voting begins Tuesday in runoff election
Gov. Greg Abbott has set Feb. 23 as the date for the House District 68 special election runoff to replace former state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, who is now in the Texas Senate. Early voting for the House District 68 runoff will begin Tuesday, Feb. 16. Wilbarger County Clerk Jana Kennon said that early voting…
Read MoreNew WGH wound center headlines January building permits
Nine building permits were issued in Vernon during January. The big permit was for a remodel at Wilbarger General Hospital for the creation of a new wound center. In a December 2020 meeting, the Wilbarger General Hospital board of directors accepted a bid of $373,750 for the new Wound Care Center project. WGH Chief…
Read MoreWilbarger County near top in national vaccination rate, Family Pharmacy plans more shots
As of Monday,1,572 residents of Wilbarger County had received a first dose and 589 were fully vaccinated. The county’s eligible population above the age of 16 is 10,374. Wilbarger County currently ranks as the 39th most vaccinated County in the United States – with a new daily covid case average of 2.2 per thousand. There…
Read MoreHD 68 candidate’s 4-year-old daughter killed in accident
Candidate for HD68’s daughter killed A runoff date for the House District 68 seat, vacated by Drew Springer has not been set. Republicans David Spiller and Craig Carter are headed to a runoff in the special election. This past Sunday evening, members of Craig Carter’s family were killed in a fatal, hit and run car…
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