The area this week

Gas

Gas prices in Texas rose 2.7 cents per gallon during the week of Oct. 1-8, bringing the average gallon to $2.66, according to a weekly Gas-Buddy survey. Nationally, the price rose 2.2 cents, bringing the national average to $2.91 per gallon. This time last year in Texas, gas prices were 31.4 cents lower than now, and this time last month they were 5.3 cents lower. Nationally, prices now are 43.7 cents higher than this time last year, according to GasBuddy.

County Commissioners

The Stephens County Commissioners met briefly Tuesday and approved allowing a Trans Aero Medevac to rent a pad at the Stephens County Airport. They also discussed briefly about the there sheriff trucks put up for auction last weekend. Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt said he was pleased with how much they received at auction. To end the discussion,

Weather this week

Stephens County had cool weather all week that didn’t get out of the 70s. Some overcast accompanied it, as well as a little more than one inch of rain. The lows ranged anywhere from upper 50s to lower 60s. This weekend Breckenridge can expect thunder storms, with the highs in the low 70s and during the evening and mornings, lower temperatures ranging from 38 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The week to follow will have rain Monday through Friday, with cooler days than this week. Monday through Thursday’s high is expected to be 57 degrees Fahrenheit, with the low at 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

Public hearing at P&Z

A public hearing regarding new townhomes in Breckenridge turned contentious when over a dozen residents showed to protest the development, saying it would take away a playing field for kids, increase traffic in the area and raise property taxes. Breckenridge Economic Development Corporation’s Director Virgil Moore read a letter addressing the concerns, saying housing is something Breckenridge has struggled with and is short on, and stressed these homes are necessary to keep pace with the increasing industry in Breckenridge, namely New Vision. Moore also stressed this would be non-federal subsidized housing, and would be targeted at families and elders. The item on the agenda reclassifying the area from R-1 to R-1-b, allowing townhomes to be built, was tabled and moved to another meeting due to the lack of clarity felt by the officials. The Breckenridge American will be reporting on this story, and will have more information on the hearing and future meetings next week.

By James Norman
Editor

Construction update

At the city commissioners meeting last week, Sage Diller, a project engineer overseeing local construction projects, gave an update on a few of the projects. Most notably, the upcoming projects on U.S. Highway 183 and East U.S. Highway

180. A project set to begin soon will replace water lines and storm systems underneath 183. There is also utility work that has been completed on both 180 and 183, but roadwork is still being finished up. Other projects include the Parks Street Project, which he said has been having setbacks due to the recent weather, and work on the water waste treatment plant.

Voting

This week marked the end of the time to register to vote for the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6. Early voting is set to begin in 10 days, Oct. 22. It will run until Friday, Nov. 2.

Bucks play tonight

The Breckenridge Buckaroos will travel to Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, Texas to play the Jim Ned Indians. This will mark the beginning of district play for the Bucks, who currently sit at 2-3. The Indians meanwhile, are 4-1 and are coming off a win against Brady High School 49-0. There is a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms at the game tonight. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.