Bay City residents will vote in the General and Special Election tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bay City Service Center and Matagorda County Navigation District office in Palacios. The ballot includes uncontested mayor and council races, with only one competitive race for Position 4 between Cory McCray and Susan M. Reardon. … Read more
Floyd Ciruti’s legacy at Wharton High School will live on with the renaming of Tiger Field in his honor. The school board approved the change on April 17th, marking over 30 years of Ciruti’s leadership, which included 547 wins and 26 playoff appearances. A former player for Sam Houston State, Ciruti led the Tigers to … Read more
Jackson County high schoolers got a hands-on civics lesson in April during National County Government Month. Students from Edna, Industrial, and Ganado visited the courthouse to see local justice in action. Some watched a real trial, others ran a mock trial with county officials guiding them. They toured county offices and the jail, learning how … Read more
Wharton County commissioners voted Monday to move forward with plans for a joint public defenders office with Matagorda County. The county applied for a state grant that would fully cover start-up costs in year one. Wharton spent $750,000 thousand dollars last year on indigent defense, much of it tied to costly murder trials. Senator Joan … Read more
The Bay City Council recently approved a $5.5 million contract to upgrade two critical water treatment plants. The funds, part of a $12 million grant from the Texas Water Development Board, will tackle long-standing issues like arsenic levels at the 6th and I Plant and electrical upgrades at the Mockingbird Plant. The project is expected … Read more
A neighborhood argument in El Campo turned violent Sunday afternoon on Lundy Street. Around 4:30 p.m., police say 29-year-old Thomas Abisai Contreras shot a man in the arm during a dispute. EMS treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to Memorial Hermann in Houston. The injury was not life-threatening. Contreras, who lives next … Read more
Over 1,100 people packed Rusty Hook Ranch in Matagorda for the 3rd Annual Daryl Elliott Matagorda Slam. The one-day event raised funds for Texas Game Wardens and honored late Bay City native Daryl Elliott. Locals enjoyed a fishing tournament, 6,000 pounds of crawfish, and live music from Kolby Cooper. Team Food Man Chew dominated the … Read more
Early voting is done in El Campo and Wharton County, with over 1,200 ballots cast—most at the El Campo Library. Election Day is this Saturday, May 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. El Campo ISD voters will decide on an $81 million bond, the largest ever in the county, to rebuild major parts of … Read more
A former Texas school principal was arrested earlier this month in connection with the continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14. Kenneth Wade Wallace, 58, was tracked from his home in Valera to Cuero and arrested. The U.S. Marshals Task Force, along with the Victoria Police Department, helped apprehend him. Wallace, who previously served … Read more
Patrick Burton, the new principal of Hutchins Elementary for the ’25-26 school year, has roots in El Campo. Currently the assistant principal at El Campo Middle School, Burton stood out for his strong connections with staff and students. With 12 years in education, including eight at New Caney ISD, he’s excited to support Hutchins’ teachers. … Read more