The DAR Good Citizen Award recognizes select graduating senior from high schools in Parker County for their outstanding character, leadership, service and patriotism demonstrated in their homes, schools and communities. Each student was selected by their high school to receive this honor.

This year’s recipients are: Deogracias Mulenga, Aledo; Macey Brim, Brock; Branson Adams, Garner; Luke Camarrillo and Calissa Marbut, Millsap; Katie Sears, Peaster; Natalia Menchaca, Poolville; Kallie Conway, Springtown; and Mia Arena, Weatherford.

Since 1924, the Weatherford chapter has provided loans or scholarships annually to deserving young men and women to further their educational goals. This year, the chapter received applications from across the county from very deserving graduating seniors. The scholarship committee, after much deliberation, awarded scholarships to three Parker County high school seniors. Chosen were Adalyn Hayward of Peaster High School, Kallie Conway of Springtown High School and Gerardo Miranda Jr. of Weatherford High School.

DAR is a women’s service organization with chapters in every state of the union and in many foreign countries. For membership, any woman 18 years of age or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a Patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership. If you are interested in learning more about DAR go online to dar.org. You can also contact the Weatherford Chapter by email at weatherfordnsdar@gmail.com.

Boaters and water crafters who frequent Eagle Mountain Lake will have to pay a bit more attention to how close they get to the shoreline, docks and other boats this summer.

Lt. Chris Akers and Sgt. Rick Odom of Tarrant Regional Water District’s Law Enforcement Division recently sat down with The Azle News and Springtown Epigraph to discuss the various updates to the district’s general ordinance — along with the biggest change that will affect every lakegoer.

“In state law, watercraft cannot come within 50 feet at headway speed (the slowest speed at which a vessel can maintain steering) to another watercraft, shore or boat house,” Akers said. “However, the water district, years ago, had adopted its ordinance to be 100 feet — but this new ordinance change pushes it to 200 feet.”

According to Akers, TRWD’s ordinance is stricter than state law, which means it supersedes the 50-foot Texas law on district-controlled waters.

“Kind of like cities, this gives us the ability to control at a local level what we need, so it just makes it safer,” Akers said. “We have community buy-in, and that’s kind of how we went with this process. Staff just needed an update because the ordinance hadn’t been updated in quite a few years, since probably the early 2000s, so just over time, it needed to be changed.”

Akers said the main reason for the stricter update is due to Eagle Mountain Lake’s ever-growing population, which has already led to a few accidents.

“Even last year, we had a watercraft strike a dock, and they violated the 100-foot ordinance,” Akers said. “I mean, there’s no way you’re going to hit the dock (with this ordinance). There are no docks that are more than 100 feet away from the land. Boats don’t have brakes, so this just increases that distance from each other to prevent any boat from striking a dock or another boat.”

Akers said Eagle Mountain Lake started to see a rise in population during the COVID pandemic in 2020, as more residents were out buying boats to combat social distancing — and the growth has not stopped since. Even today, EML’s population on a typical Saturday is measured by volume since its overall size and shoreline length are smaller than Lewisville Lake, but it still often holds more boats per square mile.

“If you took Lewisville and shrunk it down to our lake, we would have more boats in it than Lewisville, so we’re steadily increasing,” Akers said. “I’ve been with TRWD’s Law Enforcement Division since 2005 and every year, it’s more boats and more boats.”

Odom said the continuous construction of new homes along Eagle Mountain Lake — and the fact that each home also comes with a dock on the property — is another major factor that contributes to the lake’s population.

“We have several subdivisions around the lake that are new and upcoming and they’re building houses and everybody’s getting their own dock, so they’re going to be keeping boats up there; it’s just continually growing,” Odom said.

Although TRWD’s main mission is to promote safe recreational activities, Akers said the push for an updated ordinance was a team effort and involved collaboration from not only TRWD’s board of directors but also input from community stakeholders like Save Eagle Mountain Lake, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the lake.

“This ordinance extends more than just Eagle Mountain; it extends to all our reservoirs and all our properties — Bridgeport, Richland-Chambers, Cedar Creek and Eagle Mountain,” Akers said.

While the new changes and updates to TRWD’s ordinance were officially adopted by the board of directors in December 2025, Akers said there will be a “grace period” for boaters to adjust to the 200-foot rule. Signs are also expected to be posted on all boat ramps by Memorial Day.

“I think for the 200-foot rule, the grace period is probably going to last through the year, but I mean, it’s going to be case-by-case. It’s up to discretion, but it also depends on the severity of the case,” Akers said. “The 200-foot rule is going to be a big change, especially for some of the wake surfers that like to get close to the shoreline to get a better wave — that’s going to affect them some.”

Odom explained that the members of TRWD’s Law Enforcement Division are hoping to see voluntary compliance from every single individual on the lake this summer — even if it takes several months to spread the word.

“A lot of what we do on the water is emergency response, but it’s also public education,” Odom said. “A lot of the boaters that we come in contact with who are violating even the 100-foot rule, they’re still responsible for their wake. If they’re creating these three- or five-foot wakes doing wake surfing, those wakes are damaging boat docks, boat houses — everything. But a lot of them don’t realize until we stop and converse with them for a little bit … so we’re glad to be able to push this out to the public because it is a big change.”

Akers said he wants to encourage every frequent visitor to EML to visit TRWD’s website and take a look at the ordinance changes by clicking the “Who We Are” tab and scrolling down to the “Board of Directors” link.

“They need to understand — you have to follow Texas Parks and Wildlife rules and the water safety code, but you also have to follow the stricter guidelines that we have,” he said. “It’s all about safety — and that’s why we increased the (minimum approach distance) to 200 feet. It isn’t like we’re going to write a bunch of tickets, but we are going to try to get some really good educational information out there.”

To read the entire ordinance — or to just read a summary of the key updates and modifications to the 2025 proposal — visit trwd.com. Individuals who have questions are welcome to reach out to the TRWD dispatch center at 817-720-4584.

The event is hosted each year by the Azle Area Ministerial Alliance, with funds donated by business and individual sponsors. The Orchard graciously donates its beautiful space for the event.

The National Day of Prayer was established by Congress in 1952 and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. It is held the first Thursday of May each year to encourage public prayer and meditation. This year’s national theme is “Glorify God among the nations — seeking him in all generations,” based on 1 Chronicles 16:24.

Retired Rev. Dr. Dean Posey served as master of ceremonies for Thursday’s event.

Posey introduced the Rev. Alton Davis, president of the AAMA and pastor of Community Bible Fellowship in Reno, who welcomed the overflow crowd. Davis was followed by Jared Arneson, associate pastor at Crossing Fellowship Community Church, who opened the event with prayer.

Parker County Precinct 1 Commissioner George Conley led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, which was recited “loud and proud” by all in attendance. Then Makayla Garcia, representing Azle Christian School’s Class of 2026, led the group in the Pledge to the Christian Flag.

The Azle High School Chorale performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” — something attendees have looked forward to for several years now — but this year, the chorale performed a second piece. Under the direction of Jeff Moss, the vocalists sang an upbeat version of “His Eye is on the Sparrow” to the delight of the crowd.

In fact, the song caught the attention of keynote speaker Bishop Leah Hidde-Gregory, who remarked what a blessing it was to be there and hear such a song performed by a choir representing a public school. Gregory serves as a bishop within the Global Methodist Church and is superintendent of its MidTexas Conference.

“Y’all have been doing this for a while, so maybe you think this is normal. It’s not,” Gregory said. “This doesn’t happen in other places.”

Gregory spoke about her gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, saying “While our borders need to be protected, I’m thankful that America is still a place of refuge for others.” 

She gave an example of her own great-grandparents who came here as immigrants in 1910 with just $60. Through hard work, good stewardship and faith, they accumulated some wealth, including 11 rental houses, before they died, Gregory explained.

She encouraged guests that as Americans, we must exercise our spiritual liberties and be unashamed of our love of Christ, because in countries all over the world, Christians are restricted from doing so by law.

Gregory spoke about a recent trip to Bulgaria, only recently freed from Communism but still not truly free. She told a story about a young man who was baptized there who was under the legal age of 18. Minors there are not allowed to make such a decision without parental consent. A video of the baptism was posted to the internet, and the pastor of the church was jailed. But his small congregation of about 20 people insisted on being jailed alongside him.

With space for just two prisoners inside the small jail, law enforcement not only released the congregation, but the pastor, as well, she said.

Gregory challenged those in attendance not to be “911 pray-ers,” who only seek God during emergencies, but to influence the world around us by praying to him daily and even throughout each day. She also encouraged boldness of faith, and asked, “Do you know your neighbors? And do your neighbors know Jesus?

Then, appointed community leaders rose to pray for specific groups and professions, including:

• Russ Authier, Parker County Sheriff, who prayer for the President and leaders of our nation, state, county and local cities;
• Jennifer Hollister, U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of Shepherd’s Guard Ministries, who prayed for the U.S. Military;
• Officer Paul Booker III of the Azle Police Department, who prayed for frontline workers: police, firefighters and EMTs;
• Kristi Ramon, BSN, RN, emergency management and trauma program coordinator for Texas Health Resources Azle, who prayed for the local health care system;
• Nate Driver, principal of Azle High School, who prayed for all local schools, students, faculty and staff;
• James Hill, owner/operator of Hill’s Paint and Body, who prayed for local businesses;
• Baylee Myers, worship leader at Community Bible Fellowship, who prayed for members of the local community and families; and
• Rev. Dr. Josh Tollison, senior pastor at Lighthouse Harbor Church, who prayed for local churches and nonprofits.

The Rev. Delbra Calton, senior pastor at Azle’s historic Wesley Chapel CME Church, took to the small piano on stage to make big sounds, leading guests in a rousing rendition of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and lifting spirits in the process.

The Rev. Bill Killough, senior pastor at Silver Creek Methodist Church, closed the event with prayer — something all in attendance were likely inspired to continue to do over and over again throughout the next year.

Those who voted in the Democratic Primary for the office are not eligible to vote in this runoff election.

The runoff election is slated for Tuesday, May 26 across Texas.

PARKER COUNTY

In Parker County, early voting locations will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, May 18-21 and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, May 22 at the countywide voting sites listed below:

• Parker County Election Building — 801 Santa Fe Drive, Weatherford
• Springtown Senior Center (community room) — 200 N. Main St., Springtown
• Hudson Oaks Public Safety Building (training room) — 150 N. Oakridge Drive, Hudson Oaks
• Peaster ISD Rock Gym (back room of gym) — 8512 FM Road 920, Peaster
• Azle City Hall (community room) — 505 W Main St., Azle
• Aledo ISD Administration Building (Louden room) — 1008 Bailey Ranch Road, Aledo
• Olive Branch Masonic Lodge #792 — 201 Grindstone Road, Brock

The same polling places will be open to all Parker County voters on Election Day, May 26, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

TARRANT COUNTY

Registered voters who live on the Tarrant County side of Azle will vote at the Azle ISD Police Department, 483 Sandy Beach Road, from 7a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, May 18-22.

The same location is available for voting on Election Day, May 26, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

For a complete list of early voting and election day polling places in Tarrant County, visit tarrantcountytx.gov/en/elections.html?linklocation=supermenu&linkname=Elections.

The finals are scheduled for May 29-30 at the historic Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where the top competitors from across North Texas will compete after a season that spanned 22 rodeos.

Azle qualified several athletes who finished in the top 15 in their respective events, earning a spot in the finals. Andrea Allred qualified in goat tying and walk-up goats, while Cooper Peek advanced in both calf roping and ribbon roping. Mason Heavener earned a finals berth in bull riding; Brenlie Barnes qualified in pole bending; and Slate Allen advanced in team roping.

As a team, Azle currently sits in 10th place among 82 schools in the standings, highlighting the program’s consistency and depth throughout the season.

In addition to the top 15 qualifiers, several Azle athletes have been invited to compete in the invitational 2D-5D barrel racing and pole bending finals. Those competitors include Bryellen Villalpando, Chloe Wimbish, Rebel Yale, Annabelle Alexander, Emma Biehle, Kinley Burrows and Emily Maggio in barrels and poles, while Brooklynn Lloyd qualified in barrels.

Final results for the invitational divisions are expected to be determined next week.

With a strong group heading to Fort Worth, Azle’s rodeo team looks to cap its season with another solid showing on one of the sport’s biggest North Texas stages.

                                                                                                    Photo Courtesy Misty Peek

What is your name and grade?

“Brooklyn Sharp. I am a senior.”

Do you have any pets?

“Yes, I have a cat named Trixie,I adopted almost two years ago.”

What is your favorite class right now?

“My favorite class is Peer Helpers; it’s a class where you get to help special needs classes in their P.E class.”

What is your favorite thing about golf?

“My favorite thing about golf is it is at your own pace. You have a team, but overall, your game is individual to you.”

Do you have a shout out for anyone?

“Yes, shout out to coach Prather. He has been an amazing coach from when I started my freshman year. Also shout out to coach Dorris for stepping up to be head coach this year and making my senior year special.”

How long have you been playing golf?

“Since my freshman year, so four years.”

Lebron or Michael?

“Lebron.”

What advice would you give younger athletes?

“I would say to enjoy every moment of your sport. When it’s over you’ll cherish your memories and relationships you’ve made.”

What is life after high school going to look like?

“I am going to attend community college and stay close to home; I am majoring in health sciences for radiology.”

Tell me what you will miss most next year?

“I will definitely miss my team the most. Throughout this whole year I have gotten so close with them so I already know I am going to miss them.”

Tell me about a game or moment you’ll never forget in sports.

“Last fall a tournament was coming up and I was in a slump and really dreading it. I ended up getting a birdie on the first hole and coming out with a score I was happy with and feeling proud of myself.”

                                                                                                        On The Record Brooklyn Sharp

Competing against 222 teams from across North Texas, Azle anglers Parker King and Beckam Burt secured a state berth with a three-fish total of 7.28 pounds. Teammates Colt Roberts and Ryder Martin also punched their ticket to state, weighing in three fish totaling 8.64 pounds.

Only 67 teams advanced from the highly competitive regional field, making Azle’s double qualification a notable accomplishment for the program.

Additional regional tournaments were held at Lake Conroe and Lake Palestine, as anglers across the state competed for a chance to advance.

According to the Texas High School Bass Fishing Association, more than $45,000 in potential scholarships is available through the program.

The Hornets now set their sights on the state tournament scheduled for May 30-31 at Lake Texoma, where they will compete against the top qualifiers from across Texas.

                                                                                                           Photo Courtesy Jessie King

The event is listed by the host course as the “U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier” and by the Texas Golf Association as “U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying.” The one-stage, 36-hole qualifier is part of the road to the 81st U.S. Women's Open scheduled for June 4-7 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Official tournament documents show a 78-player field competing in 36 holes of individual stroke play with two qualifying spots and two alternate positions available. A rain date has been scheduled for May 14.

This is not simply a local or state tournament. The qualifier is part of the official USGA championship process, with qualifying held at 26 sites nationwide. Players advancing from the Cross Timbers site will earn a berth into one of the most prestigious championships in women’s golf.

According to the official player packet, ties for the final qualifying spots will be decided through a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following regulation play.

The field reflects the growing international reach of women’s golf. Of the 78 entrants, 47 are listed as amateurs. While Texas players make up the majority of the field with 48 entrants, competitors are also traveling from around the world, including Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

Austin leads all Texas cities with eight published hometown entries.

The tournament also carries a strong local connection.

Springtown High School sophomore golfer Dixie Mae Crain is part of the field after another standout high school season. Crain recently finished fourth at the UIL Class 4A State Tournament and has qualified for the state championship in each of her first two seasons at SHS.

Cross Timbers is also Crain’s home course, giving local golf fans a chance to watch one of Parker County’s rising stars compete against elite amateur and professional talent on familiar fairways.

Another notable local connection is Angela Stanford, a Boswell High School and TCU graduate, and current member of the LPGA Tour.

Matt Somerfield, CTGC general manager, said the first tee time will be at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 13. The public is welcome to watch — walking only — and there is no cost to attend.

The qualifier is expected to bring players, families and golf supporters from across Texas and beyond to Azle, further spotlighting the growing reputation of Cross Timbers as a championship-caliber venue.

On Thursday, May 23, auxiliary members gathered in the Hub inside First Methodist Church Azle for a luncheon to honor their own for the dedication and selfless service they provide.

They were welcomed by Karen Searfoss, president of the Texas health Azle Auxiliary board. Following the invocation by Pastor Ray Gilman of FMC Azle, Dr. Jim Sammons, chief quality and medical officer for Texas Health Azle spoke about the difference the volunteers have made and continue to make for the hospital.

President and Chief Nursing Officer Tonya Sosebee gave remarks, as did Amy Pope, entity human resources officer for the hospital.

Then, volunteers who reached milestones in their service were awarded certificates and pins commemorating their volunteerism. Notably, the late Ferrol Miller, who dedicated countless hours to the organization, was posthumously awarded for more than 3,000 hours of service to the hospital.

If you have a heart for helping people, volunteering with the Texas Health Azle Auxiliary may be right up your alley — and the rewards are priceless. Whether it’s greeting and welcoming patients, working in guest services and wayfinding, serving in the Rainbow Inn Gift Shop or at Attic Reruns or helping with seasonal and special events and community outreach, the auxiliary has a place for you.

If you’d like to connect and find out more about volunteering at Texas Health Azle, send an email to volunteerServices@TexasHealth.org or visit TexasHealth.org/Volunteer.

The grand jury handed down indictments against two Azle residents, one Weatherford resident, and two Springtown residents.

• Nathan Dale Barclay, 41, of Azle, was indicted on a charge of violating bond or a protective order two or more times within 12 months, a third-degree felony.
• Lisa Renee Harvey, 41, of Azle, was indicted on a charge of theft of property, $30,000 to $150,000, a third-degree felony.
• Ryan Russell Morris, 45, of Weatherford, was indicted on a charge of possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1 or 1-B, less than 1 gram, a state jail felony.
• Derek Tyrell O’Bryant, 41, of Springtown, was indicted on two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony.
• Robin McCray Womack, 67, of Springtown, was indicted on a charge of driving while intoxicated, third or more, a third-degree felony.

The following individuals were arrested and charged with felony offenses between April 17 -April 27.

• Lenice Rene Linthicum, 45, of Springtown, was arrested Thursday, April 23 by Weatherford police and charged with possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1, less than one gram. Her bond was set at $7,500 and she remained in custody at the Parker County jail as of Monday, April 27.
• Maynor Joei Mancia-Marquez, 25, of Springtown was arrested Wednesday, April 22, by Springtown police and charged with abandoning or endangering a child, elderly individual or disabled individual and several additional lesser charges. Bond was set at $10,000 for the abandonment charge and totals $12,416 for all charges. He is held at an ICE detention facility as of Monday, April 27.
• James Gerald Jones, 58, of Springtown, was arrested Monday, April 20 by Parker County Sheriff's deputies and charged with possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1, 4 grams to 200 grams. He was held in lieu of $40,000 bond at the Parker County jail as of Monday, April 27.
• Edward Charles Harrison, 41, of Springtown, was arrested Friday, April 17 by Springtown police and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 2, more than 1 gram but less than 4 grams, and possession of marijuana in an amount less than 2 ounces. Harrison posted $25,000 bond for the assault charge, $10,000 bond for the possession of a controlled substance and $1,500 bond for the possession of marijuana. He was released the following day.

Since June 2025, Prather has served as sports reporter for both The Azle News and Springtown Epigraph — a career he chose that would allow him to cover the games he’s loved for decades.

Originally from the Lubbock area, Prather graduated Frenship High School and immediately joined the Army through the buddy system in July 1975 — right when the Vietnam War was ending.

“I was training to go to Vietnam. I was training to be an infantry soldier,” he said. “I got to travel to Germany, England and got to see a little bit of the world before I got out.”

After four years in the Army, Prather enrolled in Texas Tech University through the GI Bill and pursued his passion of becoming a football coach.

“That’s what I wanted to do was coach, and I did that for 39 years,” he said. “I came to Azle in 2006 as the head boys’ basketball coach and I stayed the boys’ basketball coach for 10 years before switching over to girls’ golf.”

In May 2025, Prather knew he was going to retire soon, so when he saw an ad in The Azle News for a sports reporter, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. He sent an email inquiring about the position, sat down for a quick interview and the rest, as they say, is history.

“It was a pretty good deal, because I still get to be around sports,” he said. “I still follow football, basketball, track, golf, tennis and volleyball — I still get to be around that, which is where I like to be, around sports and the coaches. That’s what I enjoy about it the most is that I’m retired from teaching and coaching, but I still kind of get to be involved by reporting on it.”

While Prather constantly sticks to his mantra of “I’m not a reporter,” he said he was surprised to find out that the hardest part of the job for him wasn’t writing or reporting the news — it was capturing the perfect action shot.

“I thought the easiest part of the job would be taking pictures, and I found out that’s the hardest part of the job, because you want to get that perfect action shot on the field or the court. I’m still looking for that perfect shot,” he said. “I expected the writing part to be hard and the other part to be easy, and it was just the opposite. I’m still not a reporter, I’m still learning, but it’s getting a little bit easier.”

Outside of his life as a sports reporter, Prather spends time in his workshop refurbishing antiques, tackling yard work and “chilling out” at the house.

He also enjoys spending quality time with his wife of almost 50 years, Sherri, who still teaches computer science at Azle High School. Together, they have two daughters, Lesa and Stephanie, and six grandchildren. While both daughters have now “grown up and gone away,” Prather said he couldn’t be more proud of his family and their accomplishments.

“My wife, both daughters and myself are all college graduates,” he said. “That’s a little bit of pride showing right there.”

Bovea, who retired last month after serving the citizens of Azle as a police officer for 23 years, has seen those changes and a lot more in his time here.

But some things never change.

For example, among Bovea’s first and last memorable moments as an Azle police officer are incidents where he was forced to chase a suspect down on foot, tackle him to the ground, and wrestle with him until backup arrived. Incidents like that just come with the job.

Being a cop wasn’t on Bovea’s radar until he was almost 30 years old.

Starting as a young entrepreneur when he was a junior in high school, Bovea began his own brush hog mowing business — something he did successfully until he was 27 years old.

“Really, I had no intentions of getting into law enforcement” Bovea told The Azle News.

Even though his dad and a good friend who were both in law enforcement tried to steer him that direction, Bovea said, “I don’t think so. I kind of like doing my own thing and being my own boss and all that.”

That all changed when, like most years, the mowing season came to an end around early December and Bovea began working in construction with some of his buddies.

“We were over in Dallas, working at this construction site, and the boss came, brought our checks to us and (said) ‘Hey, guys, I just want to let you know this will be your last paycheck.’ Bovea said. “It was two weeks before Christmas.”

Knowing he had to figure something out fast, Bovea talked to his law enforcement friend, who encouraged him to apply to be a security guard at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. “I know, no one wats to be a security guard, but it’s good insurance,” the friend told Bovea.

He applied and got the job.

After a couple of months, Bovea decided he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement, so he went through the Weatherford College Police Academy. The Tarrant County Hospital District, which operates JPSH, worked with his schedule to allow him to be in class from 6-9 p.m. most nights, even though his shift technically didn’t end until 6 p.m.

A co-worker at JPSH had been hired by the Azle Police Department, so after he passed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s test to become a commissioned peace officer, Bovea applied at Azle and began working here in April 2001. While he enjoyed the work, he became frustrated with the fact he was not being rotated through shift like other officers and was essentially “stuck” on the midnight shift.

He went back to JPSH for a while, but things were changing there; after about a year-and-a-half, Bovea returned to give Azle PD another shot — and he never looked back.

Bovea was promoted to the rank of corporal in 2006. In 2008, he was assigned as a School Resource Officer for the Azle Independent School District, something he continued through the school year of 2015. He says he enjoyed that work, especially since he was at Azle High School throughout both his daughters’ high school careers. His youngest daughter, Mattie, graduated in 2015, while her older sister, Taylor, graduated two years earlier.

Also in 2015, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, which meant going back to the patrol division.

Bovea mentioned several now-retired Azle officers who mentored him, including Sgt. Bill Jones, Sgt. Steve Stutsman, Lt. and former Interim Chief Lee Blaisdell and current Lt. and Interim Chief Kevin Rogers. He also credited former Cpls. Tom Fisher and Chris Scott, who eventually moved on to other agencies, with providing great training in his early years.

Bovea also reminisced about the changes he’s seen in Azle and in technology during his tenure.

When he first started in Azle on the midnight shift, the call load was as different as night and day compared to now.

“I can remember nights we had no calls at all, and the dispatchers would call and check on us just to make sure we were good,” Bovea recalled. “It was just a slow, sleepy town back in those days. Not so much these days — it can get very busy.”

He also remembers sharing equipment like radios and flashlights, passing them along to the next officer at shift change. And the original dash cameras for patrol cars were large and held onto the windshield with suction cups.

“If you turned a corner quick, or you’re trying to get to a call, sometimes the suction mount would come loose and the camera would fly across the car and end of in the floorboard,” Bovea laughed. “It was just great when computers came out and we could actually type out a Word document” instead of hand-writing reports.

“The days of Wite-Out were over!” he said.

The Boveas decided, after consulting with their financial advisor and looking at all the work that needs to be done at the family’s ranch near Olney, it was time for him to retire, although Machele Bovea plans to work another two years as a speech pathologist at Liberty Elementary.

In the meantime, Bovea will be doing a lot of ranch work — grass planting, tank building, fence building and more — but also “fishing and hunting, for sure, being able to enjoy the outdoors,” he said.

He also aspires to increase his backpacking skills, working up to 100-mile backpacks, then 200 miles, and eventually, he hopes to work his way up to hike the Appalachian Trail.

Bovea says he’ll miss the camaraderie of his Azle Police Department family, but he’s not moving away and plans to be involved and even volunteer in the community from time to time.

To add to the excitement of retirement, the Boveas recently learned their daughter Mattie will make them grandparents in a few months. As much as Patrick Bovea looks forward to being his own boss, he’ll probably enjoy answering to the latest addition to his family.

With longtime City Manager Tom Muir set to retire May 1, the council engaged Strategic Government Resources out of Keller to assist with the search for the right candidate.

As it turned out, the right candidate was here all along.

Following the executive session, the council emerged and voted to name Azle Assistant City Manager Amber Beard interim city manager and to increase her pay by 5%. In a second action, council member Josh Berry moved to authorize the council to negotiate an employment contract with Beard for the position of city manager. That measure was approved unanimously, although Mayor Randa Goode was not in attendance.

A committee interviewed the top five applicants for the position, including Beard, before deciding she is the best candidate for the position.

In a May 2025 interview, Beard told The Azle News she already had 14 years in public administration and a wide breadth of experience under her belt when she arrived in Azle.

After she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management, Beard landed a role as business manager with the Cibolo Creek Municipal Authority in Schertz, which provides wastewater treatment to a population of around 100,000. In the following years, she was promoted and then transitioned to a number of different management and marketing positions in wastewater and the oil and gas industry. She eventually joined wholesale water provider Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation, where she became general manager. Opportunity eventually brought her to North Texas after she landed a job as public works director for the city of Colleyville. She held that position for two years before coming to Azle City Hall at the age of 38.

Beard went back to Tarleton and in 2020, she earned a Master of Public Administration. She now also serves on the university’s MPA program advisory board.

Muir, who has steered the ship that is the city of Azle for 10 years, has been involved in municipal government for more than 35 years. His tenure in Azle has been marked by growth and methodical improvement.

Mayor Pro Tem Stacy Peek proclaimed Friday, May 1 Tom Muir Day in the city of Azle on behalf of the Azle City Council and spoke of Muir’s accomplishments. Mayor Randa Goode was unable to attend the event.

Yael Hoffman, city secretary, fought back tears as she described being the one of Muir’s first hires after he became city manager. She told him he was more than just a boss and said she cherished times of laughter that made the jobs of city staff so much easier.

Former mayor Alan Brundrett, who worked with three city managers during his time in office, said without hesitation Muir was the best of them all.

Robert Medigovich, municipal coordinator, and Greg Roemer, owner and CEO of Community Waste Disposal, expressed their gratitude to Muir with a framed collage depicting his involvement in CWD event throughout the years.

Muir’s own remarks were brief. He expressed gratitude for his wife, Cathy — who he fondly calls “Cat” — as well as to staff and the citizenry.

In a January interview with The Azle News, Muir said he wasn’t crazy about the idea of coming to Azle in the beginning, but he soon began to see great value in the staff, the citizens and many nonprofits and community organizations.

“When I started here, I was fairly quick to realize that the department heads that were here were really very good. I was impressed by their professionalism and the level of staff,” Muir said. “But the people and citizens are very community-minded … The Azle Area Ministerial Alliance doing what they do or the chamber with what they do … and seeing the churches actually get along and work together — that’s something I’m not used to seeing in a lot of communities, that type of cooperation.”

In retirement, Muir plans to spend time on the family ranch near Hamilton as well as on the golf course. But his main goal, he said, is to spend lots of time with his grandchildren.

She originally became a hairdresser after high school because her parents could not afford to send her to Kent State University, forcing her to choose a different path.

“The only reason I became a hairdresser — I wanted to go with all my friends to Kent State University — my parents said, ‘We can’t afford it. You can go to Case Western University in downtown Cleveland,’” Foley said.

Because she didn’t know anyone attending Case Western University and would have to take a daily bus trip downtown, a young Foley denied the opportunity but made a pact with her father to be the best in her field of work.

“All my father said is, ‘If you’re going to do that, you be the best that you can,’” she said.

With that commitment in mind, Foley immediately stood out from her class in beauty school.

“In beauty school, the instructor saw something in me,” she said. “He pushed me to get my manager license. He then pushed me to go for my instructor license.”

Her journey then led her to work at a large beauty salon, working under a boss who invented the highlighting comb and meeting a variety of interesting individuals who came from overseas to learn the latest hairstyles. Eventually Foley met visitors who worked for American Airlines.

“I’m dumber than a box of rocks — I have no clue who I’m meeting,” said Foley as she described how she was oblivious to the opportunity that was ahead of her. “I had a couple of people who worked for American Airlines and they kept saying, ‘Why don’t you apply?’”

Despite recommendations from airline workers, Foley struggled finding a position within the company.

“I interviewed and they said, ‘No, you’re too short to be a flight attendant, but have you thought about going into reservations?’” Foley said.

Foley said she accepted the job offer to work in airline reservations in Cleveland, Ohio and began her journey in the 1970s, learning the ins and outs of the airline industry.

“I learned the hard way, but I learned structure,” she said.

After a year of working in reservations Foley moved to the auditing department, noting the transfer helped her learn more and provided opportunities to grow.

“I transferred to the airport and the only position they had open was an auditor,” she said. “So, I learned different facets of the airline. Then I became a ticket agent — I ended up with passenger service, worked in the Admirals Club, worked the gates.”

Her work as a ticket agent transferred her to work at DFW Airport and begin a new career as a trainer.

“So, I transferred to Dallas-Fort Worth and it opened up so many doors,” she said.

“I was put on special assignment. I opened up (the) Cozumel and Cancun (stations). I would go in and make sure they had everything set up the way they needed to work — make sure that the computers were working properly, that the agents knew how to drive the tickets, refund, book flights. On the ramp side — teach them how to open the door of an aircraft (and) baggage service.”

Foley said her boss expressed a frustration that ticket agents kept calling him to ask how to process tickets, which prompted her to create the Terminal Services Help Desk, effectively streamlining operations.

Being seen as an asset to the company is what led her to become the first female staff member in the American Airlines safety department.

After previously considered “too short” for the job, Foley was now filling in big shoes as she learned physically demanding operations in male-dominated roles.

“My boss, a former military guy, said ‘You need to learn ramp,’” she said.

“I became a fleet service clerk — I learned how to push airplanes back. I was able to push a 726 with the pushback tractor. I had to learn how to do the towbar and hook it up to the tractor — push the aircraft back and talk to the pilot on the headset. I was in the belly of the airplane, moving bags around — what a job.”

As she mastered ground operations, Foley then became in charge of ground safety and took national safety and compliance courses, especially for wheelchairs.

“I dealt with aircraft damage six days a week and any fatalities,” she said. “I went along with the team and we would do the accident investigation. They sent me to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) school — we have a lot of injuries with passengers in wheelchairs because (people) don’t follow procedures.”

Foley was then promoted to the position of director of safety at AMR Services for American Airlines — a job she held for almost 10 years.

She ascended throughout her airline career without a college degree and was now faced with a potential dead-end in her career.

“The executive vice president came to me and said, ‘You know, we want to promote you to assistant vice president but we can’t — you don’t have a degree,’” said Foley.

A determined Foley then decided to invest in her academic career.

“We found Our Lady at the Lake University — they had weekend classes over in Las Colinas,” she said.

“For three years, I completed undergrad, my first master’s degree in psychology and human resource development, my second master’s in organizational leadership, and I was accepted for the PhD program,” she said.

Foley achieved her degrees while still fulfilling her job responsibilities at American Airlines.

“By this time, I was in charge of training for Terminal D. Brand new jet bridges, new baggage system, lighting system for the parking garage,” she said. “I (trained) the other ground handling companies, the airlines, and created the training modules and did the videos.”

As the main lead for training in her director of operations role, Foley implemented vehicle driver simulators for staff training and leveraged a partnership with Tarrant County College to add the simulators to the curriculum in its aviation department.

Foley then became the vice president of program design and learning systems for Curt Lewis & Associates and authored learning programs on safety management systems for graduate classes.

While maintaining her executive role for over six years, Foley also worked — and continues to work — as a college professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, National University in San Diego, and Grand Canyon University.

As she continued to work as a college professor, Foley’s vast experience and knowledge in airline safety and compliance was called upon when a family sued an airline after a relative suffered a severe, life-altering injury due to workers not following proper wheelchair protocol.

“We’re interested in contracting with you to help us with a lawsuit. Do you know about wheelchairs and training?” Foley said, describing how a law firm representing the family reached out to her.

 “I said ‘Yes,’ and for a year-and-a-half — in the middle of teaching schools — I’m working for a law firm.”

Foley said the law firm taught her to write the information for her deposition and then she had to endure an eight-hour deposition for the court case.

“They had me for eight hours — I got off at 10 o’clock at night,” she said. “I was exhausted. (The family) called me up and they were crying — thanking me and everything. We won the case.”

Foley said it was a full-circle moment for her to have started at the bottom of the airline industry, rise to leadership roles, become a college professor and use her expertise to help families resolve cases.

“It’s like everything happens for a reason — it’s crazy,” she said.

Foley has shared her extraordinary life journey with high school students and always encourages others to push themselves as she did when she was a young hairdresser getting her start in the world.

“Go into something that you’re passionate about. Don’t shy away. In order to be successful, don’t think about what you can’t do — think about what you can do,” she said. “I can’t fly an airplane, but I can work for the airlines in other capacities. Never in my whole life would I dream that I was going to ever have a master’s degree, much less a PhD. I was the first in the family to finish all my degrees. You have to satisfy yourself. There are challenges — be flexible.”

Perry Fowler has spent years working on this issue through the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, and he called that gap "a drop in the bucket." I sat down with Perry recently on the Texas Rural Reporter podcast, and he was blunt about what the numbers mean. Texas has committed $1 billion a year in dedicated funds to water infrastructure — $20 billion over 20 years. Last session, the legislature appropriated an additional $2.5 billion, and over the last two years the Texas Water Development Board has awarded roughly $4 billion more through its existing programs. It sounds significant. But stack it against $174 billion in identified need — or the roughly $15 billion Texas spends on highways every single year — and the gap is hard to ignore.

But the size of the number isn’t even the hardest part of this conversation. The harder part is what it forces us to ask: who is supposed to take responsibility for fixing it? Community water systems across rural Texas were built and have been maintained by local governments using local tax dollars and user fees. We paid for them. The faucet turns on because of local people, local decisions, and local dollars — and for generations, that’s been the purest form of local control.

Not as a talking point, but as a way of life. And it worked.

What’s changed is troubling. Over the last several legislative sessions, the state has made it harder for cities and towns to use the very tools they’ve always relied on — debt, local revenue, fiscal flexibility — to maintain and upgrade those systems. Property tax “relief” makes for a good campaign ad, but in practice it limits the ability of communities to fund the basics: water, streets, infrastructure. The things you don’t think about until they stop working.

At the same time, Fowler pointed out that the state’s approach to funding leaves significant money on the table. The Water Board received a billion dollars to deploy for water supply projects — but structured it entirely as grants rather than leveraged financing. Fowler was direct: done right, that billion could have generated four times the investment. Instead, as he put it, a few words in an appropriations bill set the course, and an opportunity to multiply the impact was lost.

And underneath all of it, a bigger question is starting to take shape — one that’s going to get louder as interim hearings get underway this month. What is Texas water actually for? Because while communities are struggling to maintain what they have, new pressures are showing up fast.

Data centers are moving into parts of Texas where groundwater is still relatively available, and they are thirsty operations. Some local governments are quietly cutting deals to supply that water, often without much transparency about what they’re giving away.

Under Texas law, if you own the land, you largely own what’s under it. That’s the rule of capture, and for generations it has been a cornerstone of property rights in this state — the idea that what’s on your land is yours to use, and the government doesn’t get to tell you otherwise. But as aquifers come under growing pressure from drought, population growth, and now data centers, that principle is running into harder questions. When one landowner’s pumping drops a neighbor’s well 50 feet, who bears the cost? When a local government quietly sells groundwater rights to an industrial operation, does the farmer down the road have any say?

These aren’t arguments for giving Austin more control — they’re arguments for making sure the people closest to the water have a real voice in how it’s managed before someone further away makes that decision for them.

Water isn’t a red issue or a blue issue. It’s not ideological. It’s foundational — one of the most basic functions of government — and yet it’s one Texas has never fully committed to solving at the statewide level. We built a highway system with dedicated funding and decades of long-term planning. It works. We haven’t done that for water, and now the bill is coming due.

The Senate Water and Agriculture Committee will begin digging into these questions this month, with a heavy focus on groundwater. The House will follow. These hearings won’t make headlines the way a primary fight or a floor debate does, but they matter — because this is where the real decisions get shaped, long before they ever come to a vote.

If you live in rural Texas, you already understand what’s at stake. You know what it means when a well drops. You know what it costs. You know that the faucet doesn’t turn on by accident. The question now is whether the people making decisions in Austin understand it too — and whether they’re willing to give communities the tools and authority to take care of themselves or keep tying their hands while the gap between what’s needed and what’s funded widens into something we won’t be able to ignore.

“It’s all crazy,” Victor Cortez, a 40-year-old Austin construction worker, said while filling up his pickup truck. “It depends on the day; some days I’m moving to three or four buildings and spending 100 bucks a day.”

The steep climb in prices comes as a result of the war with Iran, which began in February. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, has caused a sharp increase in oil prices. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the world benchmark, was $114 Sunday, up from about $70 a barrel before the war began.

The rise in diesel prices, which averaged $3.30 a gallon in early February, is affecting everything from shipping costs to farming operations. About half the truckers in Texas are independent operators who buy diesel at gas stations and truck stops and don’t receive the discount large companies with their own trucking yards get for buying in bulk.

CAMP MYSTIC WILL NOT REOPEN THIS SUMMER

Camp Mystic announced last week it had withdrawn its application for a camp license for this summer, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The decision followed a week of hearings before a joint Senate-House committee, which heard testimony from the loved ones of last summer’s flood victims. The July 4 flooding along the Guadalupe River killed 25 children, two counselors and the camp’s longtime owner, Richard “Dick” Eastland.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue, and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” the camp wrote in a statement.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, which is responsible for issuing camp licenses, conducted investigations. The camp has been planning to reopen its Cypress Lake campus, which was not damaged by the flash floods. More than 850 children have already registered to attend that camp.

Camp Mystic said it would continue to “fully cooperate with all ongoing investigations.”

TALARICO LEADS CORNYN, PAXTON IN LATEST POLLS

A poll shows Democrat James Talarico leading both the Republicans who are locked in a fierce runoff to determine who will face him in November, the Houston Chronicle reported. Talarico led U.S. Sen. John Cornyn 40% to 33%, according to the University of Texas at Austin Politics Project survey. He holds a 42% to 34% advantage over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In both scenarios, 19% of voters said they were still undecided.

“While the Democratic candidate leading two established Republicans in these matchups is sure to raise some eyebrows,” the pollsters wrote, the results “reveal a Republican electorate still registering the effects of the months-long, bruising, negative campaigning by Paxton and Cornyn, and the GOP divisions the race has exacerbated.”

Paxton and Cornyn face each other in a May 26 runoff because neither secured a majority in the March primary. Early voting runs from May 18 to May 22. Voters who cast ballots in the Democratic primary cannot vote in the GOP runoff. Only voters who participated in the GOP primary or did not vote at all can vote in the GOP runoff.

$56 MILLION IN FED FUNDING FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is making $56 million in federal funding available to rural health care providers. The “Infrastructure and Capital Investments for Rural Texas” initiative will support modernization of rural health care delivery by funding new equipment and minor facility renovations.

Health care providers can use the funds to “update lab, CT scan, ultrasound or mammography equipment; stretchers, wheelchairs, patient beds, telemetry units, nurse call systems, generators, defibrillators, crash carts, medication dispensing units, sleep labs, vital sign monitors, oxygen tanks and other allowable equipment,” according to the HHSC news release.

The state is expected to receive about $1.4 billion in federal funding over the next five years through the program supporting rural health care.

PATRICK AIMS TO CLOSE LOOPHOLE FOR PREDICTION MARKETS

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has directed state senators to explore ways to close gambling loopholes that allow online prediction markets to operate in Texas, according to The Tribune. He is concerned that state elections and sporting events could be manipulated for profit.

Prediction markets allow users to bet on outcomes of everything from sporting events to election winners, and even the weather. The Trump administration has blocked attempts by other states to regulate the prediction markets, such as Kalshi, claiming oversight belongs to federal agencies, not the states.

“We are regulated at the federal level, but of course, given now the popularity of prediction markets, we are doing a lot of educating on the state level,” said Sara Slane of Kalshi. “That’s the dialogue that we’ll envision having, certainly, in the state of Texas.”

While 39 state attorneys general signed on to a legal brief arguing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission doesn’t have sole authority to regulate the prediction markets, Paxton declined to do so.

TEXAS CITIES DOMINATE ANOTHER ‘BEST’ LIST

Several Texas cities dominated the top spots in Livability’s new ranking of the most affordable, desirable cities to live in the U.S., according to the Statesman. The list includes only cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000 and median home values of $500,000 or less.

Factors considered included economy and housing; amenities and environment; safety, health and education; and transportation.

Texas cities in the top 10 were Sugar Land at No. 3; Plano at No. 5; Round Rock at No. 9; and New Braunfels at No. 10.

On April 23, she turned 100 years old in the same house, surrounded by photographs of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, each one representing a different part of her life.

But McBryde’s story doesn’t begin in Azle. She was born in Grapevine, and her father moved the family to West Texas to care for his widowed mother, who lived until McBride was nine. She grew up in a large household, the youngest of eight children. She was so much younger than the rest of her siblings that by the time she was born, she already had nieces and nephews.

Born during the Great Depression, she grew up with cotton fields as part of daily life, starting to pick at just 2 years old alongside her mother and helping by dropping cotton into her mother’s sack as they worked the same rows. She recalled that school often let out, allowing children to pick cotton — it was simply expected that all the children in her family would work in the fields. As she got older, her mother made her a small cotton sack from a 50-pound flour sack, then upgraded her to a larger 100-pound sack the following year so she could carry more cotton.

“When I was 3 years old, I had a tow sack for my cotton sack, and I picked one row by myself at 4 years old. (My mother) she was always really fast at everything she did. Daddy was kind of slow, and so she always picked three rows at a time, and I picked one when I was 4. Then the next year, she made me a cotton sack out of the denim that she made her own (from), except it's about half the length of hers. She just gradually graduated you through the cotton,” McBryde told The Azle News.

While she was living in West Texas she remembers riding a horse about two miles from school. One day while she was in first grade, she stopped by another farmhouse and picked up her friend. While on their way to school, they came across a big tumbleweed that caused the horse to stop abruptly, throwing both girls to the ground. They got back up, moved it aside, and continued to school as usual. She still has the scar to this day.

She also recalls her mother making her snow ice cream from the heavy snow in West Texas.

After living in West Texas for some time, she lived in different towns including Castleberry and White Settlement before eventually settling in Azle. She attended school up until her senior year, when she left to help her parents out financially as they grew older.

“When I was 14, I got out of school, and I went to go work for a hardware store over on Camp Bowie Boulevard and that was my first job. (The) strictest rule that my daddy ever gave me was ‘When you ask a man for eight hours’ pay on the job, then you be sure you give him eight hours good hard labor.’ And I always carried that advice with me throughout my years of working,” McBryde she said.

She got married just before her 16th birthday, after meeting James Cecil McBryde at a party in White Settlement while she was in the seventh grade. When the party began to break up, she had to walk three blocks home, but he offered to take her home. Her family already knew Cecil because he had worked at the dairy where her father worked and her mother did laundry for the workers there, so they were familiar with him before she met him.

“When Cecil took me home that night. I had no idea that Daddy knew him, or that he knew Daddy. And he said, ‘By the way can I take you to a show next weekend?’ I said, ‘I don't know you. Let's come in and meet my mother and daddy.’ Instantly, my daddy recognized him, and thought well of him. Daddy told him, ‘Well, yeah, she’ll go to the show with you, but you be sure you have her in this house before 12 o'clock,’” McBryde said.

She and Cecil dated for the rest of the summer, but in the fall, he was drafted into military service. He went on to serve in World War II and left soon after they started their relationship. Before he left, he asked her to wait for him, and she agreed.

After he returned from service, the couple began building their life again, eventually purchasing land in Azle in 1958 and constructing the home where she still lives today. James Emanuel, who owned Emanuel Lumber Co. in Azle, helped with the structure, but much of the interior work was done by the family themselves. They poured the foundation in 1958 and moved in by February 1959, building the home piece by piece while raising their two children — Cecil Dewayne born in 1940 and Nelda Faye born in 1946.

Later, McBryde went to work at General Dynamics at age 32, joining the growing aerospace industry in North Texas. She spent 32 years there, helping build aircraft parts alongside her husband, who also worked in manufacturing. Life was steady in many ways, but not without hardship. She described the strain of alcoholism in her marriage as deeply painful for the family.

“He was never mean to me as far as physically being mean to me, but it broke my heart because I feel like I lost him to alcohol,” she said

She kept working, raising her children, and later helping care for grandchildren. She moved between jobs when needed, including time at Bell Helicopter before returning to General Dynamics.

She lost her son before her husband passed away in 1984, and later also experienced the loss of her daughter.

Although she doesn’t regret getting married, her advice to younger generations is simple.

“Make sure you’re in love before you marry,” she said.

She attended Springtown schools almost her entire life except for her sophomore year when she went to Azle ISD. She graduated from Springtown High School in 1960 at the age of 16.

She met her husband, Bobby Fowler, in 1957 while she was walking down the steps at Azle High School, which is now Azle Junior High. They dated for four years and were together almost 51 years before he passed away in 2012.

After they married, the couple raised their two sons, David and Gary, on a dairy farm in Reno. She and her husband both worked for Springtown ISD before he got involved with the Azle Fire Department. He started off in 1980 as a volunteer and then became a full-time firefighter before serving as fire chief. He retired in 2009 and was one of the first paid firefighters in Azle.

“When our kids were little, they had the fire station up on Main Street, and we'd go with him up there when a cloud came up, and we'd run out with him in our truck, usually to watch for storms. We'd go to McKinnon Hill and set up and watch the clouds. And (the) kids, even they want(ed) to go follow their dad, if he had a fire call and see (that) he was OK,” Fowler said.

While her sons attended schools in Springtown ISD, she volunteered with the PTO. At one point in her life, she was a cook at Reno Elementary for about five years.

She currently serves on the board of directors for the Azle Fire Department Foundation. After her husband passed away, the people in the organization asked her and her two sons to serve on the board.

“It's to help firefighters if they get hurt on the job and their insurance doesn't pay for everything. And we also buy exercise equipment for them, or if they need something, we try to get it for them. And if they've been out on the job all day and work really hard, we provide meals for them, and I take them cookies. That's my job. I live right next door to them. Some of these guys in fire department — like Will (Scott), the chief — my husband hired him. He was just a kid back then. They're like my kids, too,” Fowler said.

She has been the secretary at White’s Funeral Home in Azle for 22 years where she handles death certificates, prearranged funerals, books and handouts. She has been a member of the Ash Creek Cemetery Association since 2017, and serves on its board, as well.

Fowler is also a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a friendship sorority in Azle that focuses on community service. She has been involved in the organization for more than 50 years, helping with providing a yearly scholarship for a local high school student and supporting the Community Caring Center with donations of food and funds. She also helps plan her yearly high school reunion.

Fowler credits her parents for inspiring her to get involved with the community.

“(It was) seeing my mother and daddy involved in church. I go to Azle Church of Christ, and we went to Springtown back then. My dad led the singing, and they always were involved in church and the community. I just grew up with it,” she said.

Her favorite thing about Azle and Springtown is the sense of community.

“They’re friendly, they have pride in the community, and they want to help each other. They're always there if you need them,” she said.

When she is not serving the community, she enjoys working on her yard and hanging out with her sons.

He has attended Azle ISD schools his entire life, starting at Cross Timbers Elementary and then Hoover Elementary. He attended Forte Junior High before attending Azle High School.

Barnes never expected to be salutatorian, especially since he struggled academically in kindergarten.

“Back in kindergarten, I struggled with reading really bad. So, I'm really happy I overcame that,” Barnes told The Azle News.

During his high school career, he participated in the Interact Club his freshman and sophomore years and was a part of the high school’s HOSA — Future Health Professionals — for a year. He is currently the director of public works for Student Council, and he is a member of the National Honor Society.

Despite his success, Barnes said balancing everything wasn’t always easy.

“Sometimes I get really stressed with schoolwork and like, if there was a bunch of tests and then student council and work on the same day, sometimes that would be really stressful, and the whole week I'd just be a mess. Other than that, I feel like I just had to learn how to manage my time better. That was the biggest thing I struggled with was time management procrastination. And I just had to start trying to start my work earlier because I knew I wasn't going to do it later when I said I was going to. (I also had to) try to allocate time to what’s more important,” Barnes said.

Throughout his high school career, cramming and studying two to three days before tests helped him succeed academically.

“Quick, fast repetition like flash cards and stuff right before a test helps you remember it. Another thing that helps is study guides. I really like Mr. Griffin, specifically his history study guides last year helped a lot. I don't study a long time in advance. I usually start two to three days (before a test), because it helps keep it more fresh, especially when there's a lot of tests for a lot of different classes back-to-back,” he said.

Barnes credits his older sister, Natalie, as his biggest supporter throughout high school.

“She's four years older than me, so she's been there to guide me through high school, through college decisions, helping apply for colleges and choosing the right college. And just throughout high school, she was helping keep track of stuff (and) help out” Barnes said. “She would help take me to school before I could drive. She would help out with homework when she could the classes that she had taken here. She's just always really supportive and has a positive outlook.”

Barnes says some of his favorite high school memories came from his chemistry class with Mrs. Reasoner and his classmates.

“I had a lot of really good friends in there. They ended up helping out a lot, just a group of people to hang out with, very hard-working people, very dedicated and they want to be successful, too. It was just good people to surround yourself with,” he said. “It was also fun, because we would get our work done, and then — before the phones were banned — we could play on our phones (as long as) we made sure to get our work done. It was just always a lot of fun in that class. I really enjoyed it.”

His advice to freshman was simple: “Doing schoolwork can suck, but it's going to suck even worse senior year, when you wish you tried more, applied more and did more through high school. It's going to be important for getting into colleges if you even get accepted, once you do get accepted, how much like financial aid you get,” Barnes said. “So just try your hardest, because the four years now in college kind of will help make or break your future, too.”

After high school, Barnes plans to major in biology or biomedical at either Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Arlington or Texas Wesleyan University to become a dentist. Then he plans to go to Texas A&M Dental School.

O’Neill has attended Azle schools for her entire life, starting at Silver Creek Elementary. She then went to Azle Elementary and Azle Junior High before attending Azle High School.

She had a feeling she would be valedictorian of her class after she received her transcript in eighth grade.

“The first time we got transcripts, I was number one, and then it stayed that way,” O’Neill told The Azle News.

She held on to the top spot through consistent effort. O’Neill credits much of her success to her ability to stay focused and manage her time effectively.

“I focus very easily. If you do it right the first time, you don't have to spend time trying to figure it out. I think I'm just very efficient, and my time management is really, really good,” she said.

During her high school career, she has been a part of the tennis team since freshman year, including seven seasons on the varsity tennis team. She has played as the number one girl tennis player and has set a few records for the varsity tennis team.

“I was on the first girls doubles (team), I was one of the first girls to go to regionals for tennis from here in history, and then (the) first girl to win district for tennis, and then I was the first person on paper (to) pass 100 varsity career wins,” O’Neill said.

She has also been involved with the high school band since seventh grade as a percussionist.

“I've had seasons where I march, and I play drums. But I also play mostly like keyboard instruments, like the marimba and the xylophone. I spent last summer traveling the country with one of the world's best percussion groups in DCI (Drum Corps International) the Santa Clara Vanguard, and I'm going back this summer,” O’Neill said.

She also served as president of the AHS Interact Club — a junior Rotary Club — her sophomore year.

Balancing such a demanding and busy schedule came with its challenges.

“I think the hardest part of my experience in high school was trying to be there for all of the clubs and organizations that relied on me at the same time,” she said.

O’Neill credits her percussion director, Micheal Strange, as her biggest supporter.

“He's the one who moved me up to the high school band. He very early on, he had a lot of faith in my potential, so much so where my junior year of high school, I was the youngest member of the Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section, and that's a huge deal,” she said.

Her biggest piece of advice to incoming freshmen was simple: “Don't stress about it, because the moment you graduate, it doesn't matter at all. Obviously, try your hardest, but don't make yourself miserable. It's not worth it,” she said.

After high school O’Neill plans to attend the University of North Texas on a “full ride” scholarship where she will major in music and engineering.

“I like music, and I'm not done learning about it. It really interests me, but I can't see myself having a career in it. My main goal is to become an environmental engineer. I just think it's one of the most productive engineering types. I think we need that right now. I really am passionate about the Earth,” she said.

During an April 30 emergency meeting of Parker County Commissioners Court, Emergency Management Coordinator Jason Lane told commissioners the combined damage across Parker, Palo Pinto and Wise counties does not meet the federal threshold required to receive aid.

“The state threshold of uninsured losses to public entities is $56 million,” said Lane.

“According to the damage assessments we’ve done so far in all these counties — all those damages don’t reach that $56 million threshold for the State of Texas. So that means that any of the recovery efforts that we’re doing here in Parker County are going to have to be led by the locals and those local nonprofit groups, which is why we partnered with the United Way here in Parker County.”

Officials noted they will work diligently in collecting numbers in overtime and equipment hours spent on cleanup in hopes of meeting the threshold.

air curtain incinerator considered for vegetative debris

To address the massive volume of vegetative debris from the storm, the county is exploring the option to request the state to provide an air curtain incinerator, a specialized system designed to burn brush quickly and efficiently.

The incinerator is a controlled form of open burning that uses high-velocity air to trap smoke and intensify combustion, which permits burning brush and tree debris up to 40 times faster than traditional open burning.

However, using a state-provided incinerator comes with logistical challenges as it requires a 340-foot safety setback from buildings and potentially from roadways due to heat and fire risk.

“The problem is you have to be 340 feet from any buildings, and there is not a location at the precinct barn that meets that requirement,” Lane said, referring to the Precinct 1 location.

Officials discussed the possibility of purchasing alternative air curtain incinerators that may have different design specifications and potentially smaller safety radiuses but would still require regulatory approval and adherence to the manufacturer's safety guidelines.

County Judge Pat Deen pushed to combine state-issued and local incinerators to help speed up the debris removal process throughout the counties.

“Get the one available through the state and then do another acquisition through the county locally to get one to two more — have a total of three of these,” Deen said. “That would, from a volume standpoint, start trying to get this caught up.”

Officials noted further discussion on purchasing air curtain incinerators will be on the purchasing director’s agenda for Monday, May 4.

ongoing recovery efforts

Lane said recovery will take time and emphasized coordination with nonprofits, including the United Way, to connect residents with assistance.

“We’re getting a framework in place to get assistance to those who need assistance,” Lane said. “There’s a sense of urgency here that we need to get this done ASAP.”

“We can’t just leave these people out there — we need to exhaust every effort possible,” said Deen.

Residents are strongly encouraged to continue submitting storm damage reports through the iSTAT survey at damage.tdem.texas.gov. Select the April 9 severe weather active incident survey link as it serves as the submission pool for those affected by this month’s storms.

Taking the survey will help state and local officials to assess the full scope of the disaster and may provide additional resources for communities in need.

To report assistance, donate or volunteer, visit tcr.communityos.org/.

CITY OF AZLE

Azle’s longstanding street maintenance tax will continue after voter approved it for another four-year term. The tax, first established in 2001, is a one-quarter cent sales tax paid not only by city residents, but those who live outside the city and make purchases at retail stores inside the city limits. Proceeds from the tax are applied to street maintenance and improvement costs. The measure received 30 votes FOR in Parker County and 150 in Tarrant County for a total of 180. Eleven Parker County residents voted NO and were joined by 44 in Tarrant County for a total of 55 NO votes.

CITY OF RENO

In the only contested race in the city of Reno, Darin Talley defeated the incumbent in Place 5, Edward Payne, with 143 votes or 75.87% of the vote. Payne received 48 votes or 25.13% of the vote.

Kevin Vandenberg defended his seat in Place 1 with no opposition, garnering 150 votes. In Place 3, Ryan K. Mott ran unopposed and received 151 votes. Vandenberg and Mott will be sworn in after the Reno City Council canvasses the election, along with Talley.

CITY OF PELICAN BAY

Pelican Bay Mayor Tamra Olague will serve another term after she defeated challenger Adam Gashi. Olague received 141 votes or 79.66% compared with Gashi’s 36 votes or 20.34%.

Mayor Pro Tem David Dryden ran unopposed to defend his Place 1 seat, garnering 152 votes.

Place 2 incumbent Sara Gashi narrowly defeated write-in candidate David Sloane to retain her seat. Sara Gashi received 83 votes or 52.20% while Sloane garnered 76 votes or 47.80%.

Olague, Dryden and Sara Gashi will take the oath of office after the Pelican Bay City Council canvasses the election in a future meeting.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Parker County received a $22,000 grant to be spent to provide child abuse prevention education and abuse reporting outreach in Parker County. Freedom House was awarded $12,500 to assist with providing survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence access to legal representation in civil matters such as divorce, child custody, and protective orders.

CACPC Executive Director Diana Aslin said the organization will use the grant money to hire a part-time employee to “provide free, legally grounded education on recognizing signs of child abuse and understanding mandatory reporting responsibilities under Texas law. Free training will be delivered to adults who work with children, including educators, childcare providers, faith leaders, youth organizations, and community members. The goal is to strengthen early reporting, support victims, and reinforce legal responsibilities to help protect children and support the justice system.”

The “Justice Bridge” grant award for Freedom House will be used “to provide trauma-informed civil legal services for survivors of violent crime, removing financial barriers, and improving access to justice, safety, and long-term stability,” said Freedom House Executive Director Patti Wilson. “This grant will help us ensure survivors of violent crimes are not alone in navigating the legal system and will help them reclaim control over their lives.”

Both Aslin and Wilson expressed their gratitude to the Texas Bar Foundation for believing in the work of their respective agencies and investing in the safety and wellbeing of victims in Parker County.

Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain, a fellow with the Texas Bar Foundation and board vice president of both CACPC and Freedom House said, “I think these grants are a perfect way for the foundation to give back to our local community, helping two amazing organizations support victims of abuse. It’s particularly appropriate for this to have happened now since this month is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and this week is Crime Victim Rights Week.”

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $30 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation, according to information provided by the foundation.

According to a press release issued by Sgt. Shane Cartwright, public information officer with the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to a residence in northeast Parker County about 4:30 p.m. that day after a 911 call from a relative of the 1-year-old boy. The caller told dispatch another family member had accidentally driven over the toddler while moving a vehicle in the driveway of the residence. 

When deputies arrived at the home, they learned an adult family member had attempted to relocate a vehicle nearer the structure for protection from the incoming storm. Without the family’s knowledge, the child had exited the residence and stood in a blind spot of the vehicle. As the vehicle pulled forward, the child was driven over. 

The family immediately began life saving measures and continued doing so until EMS arrived and transported the child to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle, the press release said. Upon arrival at the hospital, medical personnel conducted another round of lifesaving measures but were unsuccessful. 

Sheriff Russ Authier expressed great sadness that the department had to make the report, adding “The thoughts and prayers of the Parker County Sheriff’s Office go out to this family during this difficult time.”

During the April 20 AISD board of trustees meeting, Director of Student Nutrition Laura Woody explained that these older campuses were “in dire need of a refresh” as they prepare to welcome fifth-grade students this fall under the district’s new campus realignment plan.

SILVER CREEK

The previous lunch service line at Silver Creek Elementary School, Woody said, was more than 25 years old and no longer met code expectations.

“We were grandfathered into allowing it to be accessible for our food safety inspections; however, it was no longer really technically serviceable,” Woody said. “The portable salad bar, those are not, in theory, to be used as a long-term option for cold holding of food, and it’s just not really presentable in a great way to the students.”

With the register located outside the service line in the cafeteria area, Woody likened the area to “Jenga” and explained how staff members were constantly working to try to fit the needs of their students with such an outdated setup.

“We also didn’t keep up with the current and updated menu offerings and services,” she said. “Kids eat with their eyes as much as us, like if you’re going to go to the grocery store and pick out your food and your produce, you’re looking for fresh, beautiful food; the kids see that, too. Our Azle students deserve the best we can give them, and our ladies were preparing that food and trying the best they could, but you can only do so much when you’re putting it on the old line like that.”

The service line upgrades at Silver Creek now include updated, laminated “Azle green” paneling, a new location for the register to help streamline the flow of the lunch line and adjustable counter heights to accommodate both pre-K and fifth-grade students. Woody said LED lighting was also installed underneath the counter to make the food more visually appealing for students.

“The biggest benefit is really having those fresh vegetables for the salad bar right on the line where it's more accessible for our staff to offer it directly to the kids,” she said. “When our staff have the opportunity to ask the kids, ‘Hey, do you want cucumbers today?’ or ‘Do you want carrots or lettuce?’ the kids are more likely to say yes and take those fresh fruits and vegetables than if they are over there, to the side, and not really getting that interaction, so we're very proud of that.”

Another big improvement, Woody said, is the integration of dry flex wells, which are designed to hold both hot and cold foods without the use of water. Previously, staff had to fill six hot wet wells by pouring hot water into hotel pans and transporting to the line, which Woody said posed a potential safety risk.

“The dry flex wells, they don't have water, they're a lot cleaner, they're a lot more sanitary and it's a lot more safe for the staff,” she explained. “Steam burns so there's less safety risk for them, and it's also just more food safe in general. It holds temperature better, and it also allows us more variety on what we're allowed to serve, because they can all go from hot to cold … It gives you that flexibility on offering more fresh options.”

HOOVER ELEMENTARY

At Hoover Elementary School, Woody explained that the food service line was also between 25 and 30 years old and had several issues, including broken lights and a broken glass sneeze guard. Six of the hot wells also had nonfunctional drains so staff had to manually scoop out and drain the water, which raised additional safety concerns.

Woody said Hoover’s biggest need was addressing the raised plastic salad bar, as it posed an issue for students who weren’t tall enough to see the condiments and vegetables inside the bar.

“They (the students) would really just overlook it or not want to reach in and find it; it was hard,” she said. “We’d always place a staff member there to try to serve it to them, but it’s just not really functional, especially if we’re going to have pre-k and kindergartners there; they’re really not going to be able to reach that. We want to make sure, again, that all of our kids are having that access of eating with their eyes, (so they can) make their choices for their foods.”

Improvements to the service line at Hoover now include adjustable-height counters, improved cold-holding units and flexible window panels that can be opened or closed, depending on whether hot or cold food is being served.

Woody explained that even though Hoover only has room for a single lunch line, the line can still be split to allow students to be served from both sides and then meet in the middle to help reduce wait times.

“If there’s a need in the future due to participation numbers increasing … those kids will have more time to actually eat their food and not wait in line,” she said. “This was also another priority for the change.”

EAGLE HEIGHTS

Woody explained that the Eagle Heights Elementary School lunch line was a “very old kitchen space” that was more than 20 years old.

One of the main issues, she said, was that the “temporary” salad bar was out in the café and not on the lunch line, which made the actual cafeteria area look cluttered.

“It wasn’t really streamlined and was not exactly in compliance with TEA (Texas Education Agency), which we have to fall under as far as at what point in the service line are we offering what foods to those kids,” she said. “It needs to all be in a certain line in a certain order to count for our universal meals.”

Even though staff “do the best they can with the smallest space,” Woody said Eagle Heights serves the second highest number of students in the district, other than Azle High School.

“Eagle Heights is No. 2 behind Liberty (Elementary School) on how many kids we serve every day, and they have a single line, but they have great scheduling with their lunches, so they make it work,” she said. “Eagle Heights does about 400 lunches through their day, and then on breakfast, they’re serving anywhere from 425 to 450.”

According to Woody, the new service line has been streamlined, with Eagle Heights now having the highest salad bar participation from students in the district.

“They eat more veggies there than our high school and junior high kids, and it’s because our staff are standing there offering it to every kid,” she said. “Then we have our bilingual staff translate for them as well. The kids get excited to say, ‘Yes,’ so it’s been good to see that from all areas — just overall joy.”

‘POSITIVE CHANGE’

Chief Financial Officer Summer Mathis said funding for all three cafeteria line upgrades was taken from the child nutrition fund and explained those funds must be spent since the district isn't allowed to let a large fund balance accumulate.

“We are appreciative of the support from the board and the district in order to spend that type of money that it took,” Woody said. “I think it really is going to be a lot of positive change for our kids and for the things that we’re able to offer them.”