Brendan Marchand

An important compliance deadline for Texas school boards is approaching under Senate Bill 546, which requires action by trustees related to three-point seat belt systems on school buses. SB 546, a bipartisan bill passed during the 89th Legislative Session, eliminates prior exceptions for older school buses and requires Texas school districts to equip them with three-point seat belts (under Transportation […]

Voters in Decatur ISD overwhelmingly supported the district’s proposed $137 million school bond in the May 2 election, passing two propositions soundly Saturday with over 70 percent approval on each piece. Proposition A passed 1,453 to 518 (73.7-26.3 percent) and Proposition B 1,378 to 589 (70-30 percent, according to unofficial final results from the Wise County Elections Office. The two-piece […]

AUSTIN — The Paradise girls are playing for their claim of the UIL girls 3A golf title Monday and Tuesday at Jimmy Clay Golf Course. While it's the first team berth for the Lady Panthers in program history, senior Zoey Martinez is eyeing a top finish in her fourth state appearance. The de facto leader of the team is joined […]

Chico senior guard Jordan Weiland will take the court to represent the Dragons on a state-wide stage this week. Weiland will play in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' Small School Boys All-Star Game, scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at San Antonio's Paul Taylor Field House. Taking home the District 13-2A and All-Wise MVP awards, Weiland averaged a double-double in […]

Paradise ISD next year will likely offer off-campus physical education credits to students in grades 6-12. The board of trustees Monday night approved the submission of an application to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to participate in the Off-Campus Physical Education (OCPE) program. If approved by TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, Paradise ISD would allow qualifying secondary students to substitute approved, […]

Any action on Paradise ISD’s role in Wise County Shared Services (WCSS) will not happen until 2027, according to the district’s administrators. The Paradise ISD Board of Trustees Monday briefly discussed the special education co-op and Paradise ISD’s role, a conversation spurred by the recent decision by Bridgeport ISD to leave WCSS as both the fiscal agent and a member […]

Several people were injured Sunday evening after a golf cart rollover in Decatur on County Road 4228. According to Wise County EMS Chief Randall Preuninger, the golf cart was traveling with five people near NRS. After losing control, the cart rolled and all passengers were ejected from the vehicle. One woman was flown to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in […]

First responders in Wise County stayed busy over the weekend after a number of wrecks, vehicle fires and one structure fire were reported. Emergency crews worked two vehicle fires in southern Wise County Saturday. Newark, Rhome and Boyd (Wise County ESD No. 1) fire departments, as well as Wise County EMS, were dispatched to a well-involved RV on County Road […]

The Wise County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of a Wise County woman who has not been seen since May 15. WCSO Chief Deputy Eric Debus confirmed with the Messenger that the agency has an active missing persons investigation for 30-year-old Morgan Williams, who was last seen after bonding out of the Parker County Jail last month. Family members […]

One residential structure and an RV sustained significant damage in a fire in South Decatur Tuesday evening. The fire occurred in the 300 block of Travis Road off of Farm Road 51 and was called into emergency dispatch by a neighbor at approximately 5 p.m. Upon arrival by first responders from Decatur Fire Department, the detached “RV garage” was fully […]