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News

City, county approve agreement for new emergency system

The Stephens County Commissioners Court and city of Breckenridge have reached an interlocal agreement for the shared use of a new emergency alert system in Stephens County.

Hyper-Reach, the new emergency alert system that will be used in the county, was approved by commissioners in July, and replaces the previous system, Code Red.

Capital Highlights

Abbott ties voucher passage to teacher pay, school funding
Gov. Greg Abbott, just hours after the Senate initially approved a school voucher measure, said he would add teacher raises and increased public school funding to the ongoing special session agenda if the Texas Legislature passes his voucher plan, the Texas Tribune reported.

County approves reinvestment zone for potential tax abatement

The Stephens County Commissioners Court approved last week a reinvestment zone inside the county. The reinvestment zone covers the area for a proposed wind farm by NextEra Energy. The approval of a reinvestment zone came after a public meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Stephens County Courthouse.

Members of the public had the opportunity to speak for or against the reinvestment zone with several members speaking against and no members of the public in attendance speaking in approval of the reinvestment zone.

National Theatre prepared for comeback with Performance Series

Years of difficulty are coming to an end this weekend as the Friends of Historic Breckenridge prepare to kick off the 2023-2024 Performance Series. The series will mark the theater’s first full series since 2019.

Located at 116 E. Walker S., National Theatre, much like other businesses, took a hit and struggled to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in 2021, but was unable to host a full series of shows.
The theater looked to return to a full schedule, including movie showings in 2022 until a hailstorm on May 13 forced the cancellation of the entire schedule.

Constitutional amendment election set for next month

The Texas 2023 general election is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Nov. 7. There are no local elections on the ballot. Included on the ballot are 14 Texas constitutional propositions.

Early voting will take place weekdays at the Stephens County Courthouse beginning Monday, Oct 23 and run through Friday, Nov. 3. Early voting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Nov. 2-3 when hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On election day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The deadline to register to vote in the election was Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Gregory appointed as 90th District Court Judge

Assistant District Attorney Phillip Gregory was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the position of 90th Judicial District Court Judge in Stephens and Young counties. Gregory will fill the unexpired term of former judge Stephen Bristow, who retired Saturday, Sept. 30.

Gregory has served as the 90th Judicial District ADA since being sworn in February 2016. He received notice of the appointment Friday, Oct. 6, and will be sworn in at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16 at Stephens County Courthouse. A ceremonial swearing in will take place later in the week at the Young County Courthouse.

FEMA, FCC performing nationwide alert test tomorrow

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) tomorrow. The tests are part of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

The test will be conducted at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 and will be distributed through radio, television and cell phone communication.

Voter registration deadline for November election

The deadline to register to vote in the November 2023 election is approaching.

Voters wishing to vote in the election, which includes 14 potential constitutional amendments, must register by Tuesday, Oct. 10. Texas law requires all eligible voters to register by the 30th day before election day.

To be eligible to register to vote in Stephens County, a resident must be a United States citizen, resident of the county and at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date of submission of the voter registration application and 18 years old on election day.