El Campo Hosts Bay City Friday Night

Football fans will finally get a heavyweight district test Friday night when the 6-1 Ricebirds host rival Bay City at Ricebird Stadium. El Campo cruised through its first two league games, but Bay City brings speed and a spread attack that has burned teams all year. The Blackcats just suffered a tight loss to La … Read more

Babysitter Sentenced to Five Years

Angel Castro of El Campo has been sentenced to five years in prison in the death of a 19-month-old toddler she was babysitting back in 2021. A Wharton County jury earlier found her guilty of causing serious injury to little Roselynn Coates, who later died. Judge Randy Clapp said he believed Castro could have qualified … Read more

Renewed Push in Victoria Teen Disappearance

Victoria Police are renewing attention on the disappearance of 17-year-old Nora Janak, who vanished from Victoria back on October 4th, of ’24. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children pushed her case again on social media over the weekend to reach new eyes. Local officers are urging anyone who remembers something, even small, to … Read more

Parent Session on Dyslexia Awareness

Ganado ISD will hold a free parent meeting next Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. at the Ganado Media Center to talk plainly about dyslexia. The district plans to bust myths, share facts and raise awareness of what Yale researchers call the most common neuro-cognitive disorder. Roughly one in five people nationwide live with dyslexia. … Read more

Award-Winning Pumpkins

The El Campo Branch Library wrapped up its annual Great Pumpkin Bash with 51 hand-decorated pumpkins on display all week. Kids from ages 3 to 14 turned ordinary pumpkins into book characters, movie icons and spooky scenes. Local judges picked winners in each age group, with the grand prize going to Victor Eder for a … Read more

Infant Dies While Under Babysitter’s Care

Jackson County investigators are looking into the death of a baby who stopped breathing while in the care of a babysitter on County Road 131. First responders rushed in around 4:40 p.m. on October 3rd and performed CPR before taking the infant to Jackson County Hospital, where the child died. The Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, … Read more

El Campo’s Rueben Owens Scores First TD

Texas A&M running back Rueben Owens II, a ’23 El Campo High grad, scored his first touchdown of the season in College Station during the Aggies’ 34–17 win over Florida. He punched in a short fourth-quarter run and finished with 51 yards. With top rusher Le’Veon Moss going down injured, Owens is now expected to … Read more

Bay City Backs Move to Lift Historic Label

The Bay City Council has thrown its support behind Bay City ISD’s push to drop the Texas Historic Landmark status from the old Linnie Roberts Elementary campus on Whitson Street. The district says years of failed redevelopment attempts and the cost of maintaining a protected building are draining its budget. Removing the designation would let … Read more

Bands Launch Playoff Push

The high school marching band playoff season opened Monday in El Campo with the UIL Region 13 contest at Ricebird Stadium. All five Wharton County bands performed for judges in hopes of earning a top “1” score to advance to the Oct. 25th round in Pflugerville and possibly state in San Antonio in November. Louise, … Read more

Trainer Returned to County Jail

A former El Campo High School athletic trainer is back in Wharton County to face charges. Police say 26-year-old Shamond Hamilton was arrested at his new job in the Garland school district and brought to the county jail on a $50,000 bond. He is accused of inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old girl at a private … Read more