On Sept. 1, Greyhound Lines Inc. launched a new subsidy route connecting nine Oklahoma and Texas communities in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation. Stretching from Oklahoma City to Houston, the new route will provide daily transportation to and from towns along the route. The new stops from Dallas to Oklahoma City are Chickasha, Lawton, Sheppard Air Force Base, Archer City and Graham. The new stops from Dallas to Houston are Mabank, Athens, Palestine and Crockett.

The Holliday ISD School Board approved a total tax rate of $1.2529 per $100 value at the scheduled board meeting on Monday, Sept. 12.

Commander Bert Hoff of the Scotland- Windthorst Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2676 and John Luig, President, VFW Post 2676 Auxiliary announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW Voice of Democracy (VOD) and Patriot’s Pen (PP) Scholarship competitions and the National Citizenship Education Teacher of the year award. In the Voice of Democracy competition high school students (grades 9-12) must write and record a three to five minute essay on the selected theme on a flash drive, or other electronic device and present their recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW post. The 2022-23 theme is “Why Is The Veteran Important?” Students begin by competing at the local Post level. The Post 2676 local winners will earn scholarship money in the amounts of $300 for first place; $150 for second place and $75 for third place. The Post first-place winner then competes at the District level with the District winner advancing to the state competition. State winners compete at the VFW national level for a portion of $171,000 in national awards, the top scholarship being $35,000.

The Archer County Commissioner’s Court discussed elected official salaries and approved a tax rate and budget for Fiscal Year 2023 during its meeting Monday, Sept. 12.

Seven Archer County nonprofit organizations participated in the 24-county area fundraising program Texoma Gives, which kicked off at 6 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, and raised a combined $15,440 in the event.

The Holliday City Council approved the city’s 2023 tax rate during its council meeting on Monday, Sept 12. The council approved its proposed tax rate of $0.46862 per $100 property value which is the same tax rate as last year.

The Windthorst ISD school board discussed the purchase of a communication system during its board meeting on Monday, Sept. 12.

The Archer County Commissioner’s Court approved nearly $100,000 in expenditures using American Rescue Plan funds during its meeting on Monday, Sept. 12.

As of your reading this article, 15 pilgrims from Texoma, (14 others and I), will have traveled from DFW via Rome – the City where Peter and Paul were martyred and gave their lives for Christ – to Oberammergau in Bavaria Germany, to witness and experience “the Passion Play.” Oberammergau (pop. 5000) is a village in the Bavarian Alps where every 10 years the people of that village perform the pious “Play of the Suffering and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.” They have been performing this “Play” every decade since 1634. The ‘Play’s’ presentation can be traced back to the period in the 17th Century when the Black plague devastated Europe. In July 1633, survivors in the village gathered and made a solemn oath to God: that if He spared them from further deaths, (84 had already died) that every 10 years they would perform the “Passion Play of Christ” which follows the life of Jesus from the time he entered Jerusalem - on Palm Sunday - through His Resurrection, Ascension and Exaltation. God heard them and there were no more deaths from plague in their village. To this day the villagers of Oberammergau have kept their promise - to perform the play - virtually unbroken.

The cities of Archer City, Holliday, Lakeside City, Megargel and Windthorst saw an increase in sales tax in August than they did in the same time frame in 2021. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released on Wednesday, Aug.