Dr. Ken Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor.

The Sheriff’s Office received 157 calls for service this past week. As this report is being written there are 15 inmates and three being female in the Archer County Jail.

Thank you to Gay Hendrixson for her donation in memory of Don Harrelson, and in memory of Brandi Boren Davis. Also, thank you to Donna Haile for her donation in memory of Amy Jackson. ************* Murphy Shepherd’s last rescue mission very nearly cost him his life. He’d like nothing more than to stay close to his wife and daughters for a while. But Bones’s nemesis must be stopped, and there are so many who still need to know they are worth rescuing.

The Sheriff’s Office received 133 calls for service this past week. As this report is being written there are 21 inmates and 5 being female in the Archer County Jail. On Monday, deputies were called to FM 368 just north of Holliday in reference to a disturbance. The caller stated that six cars were at his gate and a helicopter was flying over spying on him. As deputies arrived it was determined that the neighbors had pulled into his driveway to watch their kids fly a drone over their house. The disturbance was quickly settled and all parties parted ways. At 10:54 a.m. on Wednesday the Sheriff’s Office received a call of shots fired at or near the Archer City ISD campus. Archer County Deputies, Archer City PD, Archer County Constable Pct. 1, Texas DPS troopers, Game Wardens, Olney PD, Holliday PD, Clay, Wichita, Throckmorton sheriff’s office, and Archer City VFD all responded to the school. The call stated that a couple of classes were out on the playground when the staff heard what sounded like a gunshot right next to the school. The staff immediately got all students into the building and locked down. Officers on scene immediately cleared the school to ensure that there was no threat. After the school was cleared the school came out of Lockdown and resumed the school day in a secure status. The initial investigation determined that a transformer blow next to the school which did sound just like a gun shot. The Archer City ISD followed their training and ensured that all students were protected. Law Enforcement and the ISD has spent numerous hours training for incidents like this and the school followed their training almost perfectly. There is currently no threat or danger at the school. I would like to thank the ISD staff and all first responders for their immediate response to the school. There has been lots of rumors that the gunshots were real and that a transformer was not the cause, but let me reassure the public that the investigation is complete and that the Sheriff’s Office as well as TXDPS have 100% confirmed through a tireless investigation including video and audio recordings of the day that it was a transformer in the 200 block of West South that was the cause of the lockdown.

Paul and Nila Dowlearn-Owners of Wichita Valley Nursery. Paul’s recent books, “The Lazy Man’s Garden” and “Touch the Earth” are available at the Nursery, 5314 S.W. Pkwy, Wichita Fall, Texas.

The Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 has been studied at length by military minds and academics for decades. The naval officer in charge of the Pacific Fleet in the months before the attack was a Texas native, Admiral James Otto Richardson. As the United States began preparing for war in 1940, Richardson pointed to weak defenses at Pearl Harbor that he feared would lead to disaster.

Thank you to the Class of 1979 for their donation in memory of Sharon Jentsch. ************* Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.

Thank you to everyone who spread the word and donated to the Archer Public Library during Texoma Gives! Together we raised a total of $2,035! We are already busy planning the Summer Reading Program for 2023, and we hope to make it the best one yet. What a wonderful and supportive community Archer County is. We couldn’t do this without you! ************* Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

It was a cool morning John Henninger Reagan was a controversial figure in Texas History. He had a long record, serving as a judge, U. S. Senator, Confederate cabinet member, and chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. While he was an outspoken defender of slavery and secession early in his career, he was later a defender of the interests of farmers against large railroad interests. He was born in 1818 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. His parents were fairly prosperous and sent him to private schools for his education, and he even attended a seminary in Tennessee for a time. As a young man, reports emerging from Texas about its fight with Mexico and push for independence fired his imagination. In 1838, still just 19, he left Tennessee to head for Texas on his own.

Heads up. By the time this issue goes to press we will see high nineties and low 100’s in our part of Texoma. Keep watering. Water deeply. Better half of September is gone. The CPC (climate prediction) forecast of a near normal September has not been accurate. Don’t fault me please. I am just the messenger and I love good news. Reality is what it is. We all need to see some normal weather around here.