News Staff Matagorda County football talent shined statewide this season. Bay City’s Keimarion Wiggins earned first-team all-state honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association after a standout year on offense and special teams. Teammates Jordan O’Neal, James Copeland, Davont’a Harris, and Braden Jones also received honorable mentions. Tidehaven kept the local pride going with six players named … Read more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s February ruling is shaking up trade protections that shrimpers along the Texas coast depend on. In a 6-3 decision, justices say presidents can’t use emergency powers to raise import tariffs — a move that once helped Gulf fishermen compete against cheap foreign shrimp. In Matagorda County, where boats sit idle and … Read more
United Airlines is updating its service at Victoria Regional Airport beginning today, bringing new planes and revised flight times. The morning departure to Houston stays the same, but the return flight will now leave Houston later, touching down in Victoria around 7 p.m. The evening flights will also feature a smaller jet, the CRJ-550, replacing … Read more
The Wharton County Sheriff’s Office is warning families about a bond scam targeting local residents. Scammers are calling relatives of inmates, pretending to be from the Sheriff’s Office, and demanding money through Cash App for bond or ankle monitor fees. Officials say they never ask for money over the phone or online. All cash bonds … Read more
Wharton County is now under a state quarantine after cotton leafhoppers were found on nursery plants shipped from Florida. The fast-spreading pests can cut cotton yields in half and threaten a $1.5 billion industry across Texas. Ag Commissioner Sid Miller ordered the quarantine February 5th for Wharton, Fort Bend, Grimes, and Cameron counties. Local extension agent Corrie Bowen says the outbreak … Read more
Times Media Group is expanding into Texas with its purchase of Moser Community Media’s 32 local newspapers, including those serving El Campo and Matagorda County. The deal takes effect March 2nd. TMG, known for its community papers across the Southwest, says it will keep local newsrooms independent while upgrading technology and operations. Moser’s president, Jim … Read more
Wharton County leaders voted Monday on hiring veteran attorney Overzenia Ojuri to lead a new regional public defender’s office serving Wharton and Matagorda counties. Ojuri, a Roswell, New Mexico native with 35 years of experience, currently heads the mental health division in Fort Bend County’s public defender office. She was unanimously recommended by an oversight … Read more
Bay City honored its next generation of leaders last Thursday, as the Chamber of Commerce and partners celebrated the third annual “Leaders Under 40.” Warren Robicheaux, CEO of Matagorda County Medical Center, praised the teamwork behind the event, with support from Vibrance Health, the City of Bay City, and the Bay City Tribune. Seventeen young … Read more
A large coastal wildfire is burning across more than 500 acres of grassland east of Highway 60 in southern Matagorda County. Emergency crews say no homes or buildings are threatened, and no evacuations have been ordered. Volunteer firefighters from across the county are working together to contain the flames while county leaders monitor the scene. Judge Bobby Seiferman … Read more
El Campo celebrated a big milestone last Thursday as shovels hit the ground for a brand-new Hutchins Elementary. The $81 million bond project will replace the school’s aging 1960s buildings with two new classroom wings, a gym, and offices built behind the current campus. When finished, Hutchins will serve third through fifth grades, giving students … Read more