News

A local two-year-old is competing in Colossal’s Toddler of the Year competition, a nationwide campaign that supports Toys for Tots. Young Eliana of Breckenridge, daughter of Daniel and Karina Sims, is currently in the group round of voting for the contest.
“Eliana is a beautiful two-year-old whose independent spirit shines in everything she does. Even at such a young age, she knows what she wants and approaches life with determination and joy,” Daniel Sims said. “We admire her confidence and individuality every day.”

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the 2025 A-F Accountability Ratings for public school systems and campuses across the state Friday, Aug. 15. The delayed 2024 ratings were also made available and Breckenridge ISD received a “B” rating for both years.

The school district had a slight dropoff from its 2024 ratings for 2025, as they scored an 83 for this past year compared to an 85 the year prior. However, Breckenridge High School earned an “A” rating with a 91 score. That is a six point increase from 2024’s rating of 85.

As the next step to erecting a monument of the historical Colonel William Barret Travis Alamo “Victory or Death” letter at the Stephens County Courthouse, the county commissioner’s court recently approved the quote they received back from Sterling Monument Company, for the project.

At their Monday, Aug. 11 meeting, the commissioner’s court approved the $10,750 quote from Sterling Monument Company for the installation of the bronze monument, which includes a base for it to be set on the ground, similar to the monuments already in place at the courthouse.

The Breckenridge Independent School District board has set its public meeting to review its proposed 2025-2026 budget and proposed tax rate. The public meeting will occur at 12 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25 in the Central Administration Office at 212 North Miller.

After discussions are had, the board will either vote to adopt the budget and tax rate that same day or have to set another special meeting for adoption later if more deliberation is needed.

The Stephens County Commissioners Court voted Monday, Aug. 11, to adopt a proposed property tax rate of $0.665387 per $100 of valuation for fiscal year 2026 – slightly lower than the voter-approval rate of $0.666387 and a decrease from the current year’s rate of $0.672800.

Breckenridge East Elementary has its first week under its belt for its new pick-up and drop-off plan, following a rough initial week of the previous new plan to start the 2025-2026 school year.

The new plan began Monday, Aug. 11 and was much safer for the students and teachers as the pick-up did not force them to cross the road as the initial plan had.

Seventeen malnourished dogs were recently seized from a property on the 1200 block of West Sixth Street after the Breckenridge Police Department discovered decaying wildlife and signs of severe neglect, prompting a multi-agency investigation into possible animal cruelty.

Officers from the Breckenridge Police Department and animal control responded to a call Thursday, Aug. 7 regarding a deceased animal and loose dogs on the property at 1226 West 6th Street.

After months of walkthroughs, discussions and community input, the Breckenridge Independent School District school board has voted to place a facilities improvement bond on the ballot for the upcoming November election.

The decision follows extensive work by the Facilities Planning Committee, which included district staff, parents and community members committed to improving learning environments across the district.

City of Breckenridge officials recently received encouraging updates on several major water and wastewater infrastructure projects, including progress on long-awaiting improvements to lift stations and treatment facilities.

The City of Breckenridge is moving forward with Phase III of its ongoing street improvement plan, awarding a $2.43 million construction contract to Raydon, Inc. – the lowest and best bidder for the project.

During the city commission’s Tuesday, Aug. 5 meeting, City Manager Cynthia Northrop gave an overview of the multi-phase initiative, which began with a comprehensive street improvement plan developed in collaboration with engineering firm eHT (Entropic/Hibbs &Todd, Inc.).