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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Members of Virginia’s House accepted a $21,500 check from the Run for the Children board Tuesday, July 1 from proceeds raised from the run and auction. This year’s event celebrated 20 years in Graham, with over $230,000 raised since its establishment.

Record amount raised from Run for the Children for Dr. Goodall’s House

The Run for the Children board closed out 20 years of the event in a big way by presenting $21,500 to Virginia's House, the highest amount raised since the event started in Graham.

Run for the Children is a 10K, 5K and 1K Fun Run fundraiser which was held Saturday, April 26 on the Graham downtown square. Sponsor donations, an online auction and registrations for the run were combined for the fundraising donation.

(Photo/Alex Kielar) City of Breckenridge Place 3 Commissioner Junior Fernandez pushed back and questioned why issues with the water infrastructure in the community have taken so long to be handled, noting major safety concerns with pump and lift stations.

City pushing forward on long-standing infrastructure challenges

As Breckenridge grapples with long-standing water and sewer infrastructure issues, city leaders say construction may not be visible yet, but years of behind-the-scenes planning are beginning to bear fruit. 

A key focus at the July 1 city commission meeting was the status of the city’s aging utility systems. 

City Manager Cynthia Northrop and Engineer Sage Diller updated commissioners on several projects set to break ground in the coming months, backed by a mix of loans and grants from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). 

(Photo/Alex Kielar) Breckenridge Police Department’s newest Animal Control Officer, Stephen Sharp, introduces himself to the city commission at the Tuesday, July 1 meeting after about a month in the position. Sharp has worked hard on enforcement for the operations according to Police Chief Blake Johnson.

City welcomes new animal control officer

As they continue to make improvements to their animal control operations, the city of Breckenridge recently brought on a new animal control operations officer. 

The new hire comes a few months after the city introduced Steve Jennings as the new Animal Control Operations Director. 

Breckenridge Police Chief Blake Johnson introduced Stephen Sharp as the newest animal control officer at the city commission meeting Tuesday, July 1. 

(Photo/Alex Kielar) Kegan Burns introduces himself as the City of Breckenridge’s new public works director at the city commission's Tuesday, May 6 meeting. At the end of last week, Burns submitted his resignation letter as public works director after just two months after taking the job.

Burns resigns as public works director two months into role

The city of Breckenridge is again searching for a new public works director, just two months after hiring Kegan Burns. That’s because shortly after noon Thursday, June 26, Burns submitted his letter of resignation.

Hired as public works director in late April, Burns noted that “there are too many violations coming down the pipeline and too many illegal environmental operations going on that will take too much time to resolve.”

Stephens County Emergency Management Coordinator David Leonard talks to the Stephens County Commissioners about the current emergency management situation in the county at a weather warning workshop Monday, June 23. Photo/Alex Kielar

Area entities discuss county emergency preparedness

The best thing that anyone can do when it comes to severe weather and other emergencies is to hope for the best, but always be prepared for the worst. As they collaborate on the best ways to communicate during emergencies, the Stephens County Commissioners Court met with several local entities last week in the District Courtroom of the Stephens County Courthouse.

Stephens Memorial Hospital was recently officially designated as a critical access hospital as it makes the transition from a Prospective Payment System (PPS) facility. The CAH designation was a several-month process, and the hospital is also able to participate in certain programs under the designation. Photo/Alex Kielar

SMH officially designated critical access

Stephens Memorial Hospital has officially been designated a critical access hospital (CAH) as it makes the conversion from a Prospective Payment System (PPS) facility. To fully complete the transition, SMH will have to redo some of its reimbursement rates.

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