62.5 Howe Enterprise June 10, 2024

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Volume 62, Edition 5, The Howe Community Library is hosting a Touch-A-Truck today at 10 am today at their location. Kids can get an upclose look at tractors, fire trucks, and heavy machinery. Also, the library has rescheduled their Splash Bash for June 19.

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

Monday, June 10, 2024

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Founders Day Festival make up date this Saturday

Congratulations to recently graduated Caden Garner who has been awarded a $20,000 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship through the Texas FFA Association. Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors, like HLSR, Texas FFA is able to provide over $2.2 million in scholarships to 160 FFA members this year.

2020: Rachel Welensky: “Our data from the CDC suggest that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick…”

President Biden: “You won’t get Covid if you get these vaccinations.”

Anthony Fauci: “We need people to take it… to break the chain of transmission. You want to be a dead end to the virus.”

Rachel Maddow: “Now we know that the vaccine works well enough that the virus stops with every vaccinated person.” See page 8.

EDITOR’S NOTE—This column is reserved as an editorial column and may not necessarily reflect the policy of this publication.

INSIDE

HCFDC Agenda, pg. 2 FBC XYZ, pg. 4 Home Country, pg. 5 Howe Hump Day, pg. 6 Earth Day Festival, pg. 7 HE Archives, pg. 8 Hot Jobs, City Info, pg. 9 History/Christian, pg. 10 Local Churches, pg. 11 Chamber Members, pg. 12 Past front pages, 13-20

HoweEnterprise.com Stats January 2024—June 1, 2024 32,560 visits ISSU stats 72,270 impressions HoweEnteprisePhotos.com 3,844,454 photo views

A large crowd gathered around the Hot Dog Eating Contest a year ago at the Founders Day Festival. File photo.

The first swing at the 2024 Howe Founders Day Festival was postponed due to impending bad weather. However, the rain never came and left party-goers in a solemn mood. But the make up day is this Saturday, June 15 beginning at 4 pm and concluding at 8 pm.

Most every year since 1986, Howe has celebrated Founders Day which started as a heritage festival. However, 38 years later, it looks less like a pioneer celebration and more like a community party. The free event put on by the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce has instituted a staple of the celebration in the Interurban Kid Train that runs in the same alley as the old Texas Electric Passenger train did 90 years ago.

Thanks to Guns N More and Rapid Electric, another ride for the kids will be located in the middle of Hughes and Haning Street. A dunk tank will be located near the fire department which is sponsored by HIT Roof & Exteriors. Those will have a chance to dunk the high school cheerleaders who will be operating it.

For the second straight year, the chamber opted to not have live music and instead will go again with a DJ which will be located between City Hall and Abby’s Restaurant.

Don’s Smokehouse will sponsor the Third Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest where there is no charge to enter but limited to the first 30.

Lowder, Ulmer named first team all-district The Howe Bulldogs (818) finished the season with only one district win, but placed two on the first team all-district squad. It was announced over the weekend that incoming senior Anthony Lowder was selected to the first team as a second baseman. Classmate Braden Ulmer, known to most as B.U., took first team outfield honors.

Lowder led the team in the most telling hitting stat—OPS at 1.282. He also led the team in hits (34), singles (27), runs (22), and batting average (.531).

Anthony Lowder (left) and Braden Ulmer (right) are upcoming seniors at Howe High.

Photos by Michelle Carney. and hit .373 for a batting average.

Others named to the alldistrict squad were incoming junior Will InUlmer was second in gram—second team desOPS with .973. He finignated hitter, Garren The chamber will be sell- ished with 19 hits, 17 Lankford, incoming sen(Continued on page 3) runs scored, four doubles, ior,—second team short-

stop. Recently graduated Landon Throm was named honorable mention first baseman and fellow senior Zeb Montgomery received honorable mention catcher, and Senior Garrett Gibbs was named honorable men(Continued on page 4)

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June 10, 2024

HCDFC Agenda The Howe Community Facilities Development Corporation will meet in a Regular meeting beginning on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 6:00 P.M. at Summit Gardens, 100 E. O’Connell Street, Howe, Texas. An agenda listing items to be considered at that time is as follows: CALL TO ORDER INVOCATION PLEDGE TO FLAGS CITIZEN COMMENTS: The HCFDC Board invites citizens to speak to the Board on topics not already scheduled for public hearing or on the agenda. Citizens may address the Board for a maximum of two minutes. The Board is unable to respond to or discuss any issues that are brought up during this section that are not on the agenda, other than to make statement of specific factual information in response to a citizen’s inquiry or to recite existing policy in response to the inquiry.

ACTION ITEMS DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND ACT UPON THE RESIGNATION OF DANA NIXON FROM THE HCFDC BOARD. DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND ACT UPON THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD MARCH 7, 2024.

PRESENTATION BY CIVIC CONNECTION GROUP REGARDING UPDATING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. PRESENTATION BY OPPORTUNITY STRATEGIES REGARDING UPDATING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND ACT UPON EXECUTION OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. DISCUSS CURRENT INSURANCE POSITION. DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND ACT UPON ALLOWING CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT FIRST RIGHT-OF-REFUSAL DOCUMENTS FOR AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN HCFDC AND PROJECT HOTEL. BUDGET WORKSHOP. ADJOURN

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June 10, 2024

Founders Day Festival

Last year’s Hot Dog Eating Contest winner Ben Zorawowicz. Staff photo.

(Continued from page 1)

ing turkey legs and sausage on a stick again this year as well as ice cold 903 Brewers beer. The chamber will also have wristbands for sale for each kid to be able to ride all rides all day.

Wall Street Winery will also return for the fourth straight year.

Turkey Legs—$10 Sausage on a stick—$5 903 Brewers beer—$5 or 5 for $20 Wristbands for rides—$10

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

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June 10, 2024

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Howe Bulldogs All-District

Garren Lankford—Second team All-District Shortstop

Garrett Gibbs— Honorable Mention Outfielder

XYZ at First Baptist Church Howe invites all Senior Citizens Submitted—

Will Ingram—All-District Honorable Designated Hitter

Zeb Montgomery—All-District Honorable Mention Catcher

(Continued from page 1)

ren Lankford, Anthony Lowder, Zeb Montgomery, Kolin Murphy, Gage Owen, Garrett Rodgers, Landon Throm, and Braden Ulmer.

tion outfielder.

Academic All-District members: Gar-

Many years ago, XYZ (eXtra Years of Zest), the senior citizens ministry group of First Baptist Church Howe, had members from other churches and the community join them for their monthly meetings. That invitation is being extended again as the June meeting will be this Thursday, June 13 at 10:30 in Fellowship Hall. President Robert Welch will conduct the short business meeting and then the program will be presented by Monte Walker, Howe City Administrator.

Many of the Senior Citizens of FBC Howe have been in Howe all their lives. But we all, including them, want to know “what’s happening” in Howe.

So Monte will update us on the latest in building, the Park, the streets, the government, the population, the “TI

effect” on growth, the water and sewage situation, and anything else he thinks we need to know about or anyone may want to ask him about. Sometimes Senior Citizens think they’re all done, not needed, and past prime usage. But being aware of our community’s business is important, so all Senior Citizens 55 and above are welcome to come, because after the program we have a delicious potluck lunch!

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June 10, 2024

Home Country

By Slim Randles—

breakfast today or not.

Billy’s been a busy guy ever since he became the official town dog here.

Sally had been the town dog until she passed away on Doc’s porch, and then Billy’s owner died just two weeks after that, so it was something of a natural progression. Sometimes offices are filled without an election.

The high school wood shop boys built Billy a dog house next to the school crossing, but Billy preferred Aunt Ada’s couch in the cold months and a nice dog depression under an oak tree when it’s warm.

“Uh …?” Pop looked at the lady in the nurse’s uniform.

Billy was making the rounds this morning. He had snacks at the Gates of Heaven Chinese café (back door, of course) and the Mule Barn truck stop, and conned a granola bar out of some kids just leaving the convenience store.

Then he headed down the main street, turned right at the drug store, and ended up at the The Rest of Your Life Retirement Home. A brief scratching and whining gave him access, and he cruised around, being petted and loved, until he found Pop Walker.

Pop can remember what happened in World War II right down to the mess hall menu, but he has a tough time with names and whether he’s had

“I’m Jean, Pop.” “Oh sure … Jean, okay if I go outside with the dog?”

“Only in the back yard, Pop. Okay?”

He grinned. “Okay.”

Pop and Billy walked around back there for a while, and Pop found a stick and threw it for Billy a few times.

Then they went to a bench in the shade and Billy laid his head on Pop’s knee and got some free ear rumples.

Pop looked down at the dog.

“I’m glad you came over today …

Billy,” Pop said.

Pop remembers World War II, also.

------Brought to you by “Whimsy Castle,” the new novel by Slim Randles https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ whimsy-castle-slimrandles/1145573423? ean=9798893151763

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June 10, 2024

Howe Chamber hosts Howe Hump Day ; Legend Bank sponsors

Brandon Grooms gives information about Legend Bank in Whitewright during the Howe Hump Day on Wednesday. Staff photo.

The Howe Area Chamber of Commerce held their monthly networking breakfast Wednesday called “Howe Hump Day.” The event was sponsored by Legend Bank of Whitewright and about 25 were in attendance.

Each month, the chamber holds these events which are sponsored by a busi-

ness. The business simply provides the breakfast for the meeting. July is currently not sponsored and the chamber is seeking someone to cover the July 3 meeting.

Howe Hump Day is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 am at Summit Gardens, 100 E. O’Connell St.

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

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June 10, 2024

2024 Texoma Earth Day Festival The 16th annual Texoma Earth Day Festival has been rescheduled for June 15, 2024, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The festival is a fun, family-oriented event with a broad range of things attendees can participate in and enjoy.

The event is at the Sherman Municipal Ballroom, Lucy Kidd-Key Park, and surrounding streets. The event offers children’s activities, vendors, music, demonstrations, displays and drive through recycling. Registration for Vendors and sponsors has closed.

Children’s activities are in the Municipal Ballroom. The Rainbow Team from Red River Unitarian Universalist Church will host a recycling sorting activity, where kids will dump a bag of mixed recyclable materials into the middle of a tarp and sort them onto designated areas on the tarp. The Texoma Quilters Guild will provide a sewing project using upcycled materials.

The Boys & Girls Club of Sherman will provide a flower planting activity.

Red River Unitarian Universalist Church will provide an educational workshop about Native American lodges for kids. The participants will draw designs on precut materials and assemble teepees. Local children’s author Yvette Grove will be in the ballroom selling and autographing her two children’s books. She will do readings from the books at set times.

Vendors on the lawn (Lucy Kidd-Key Park) will sell their wares, give information about services they provide or their nonprofit organizations. Two Austin College environmental groups, Austin College Climate Summit and Austin College Thinking Green, will help bring awareness to the work they do and current environmental issues.

In addition, four vendors will accept recyclables at their booths. The Sherman Noon Lions Club will accept donations of eyeglasses, sunglasses and reading glasses. Function 4 will collect used printer ink cartridges so they can be refilled or recycled. Holmes Family Rustic Kitchen will accept donation of canning jars. The jars must be clean and dry. The Sherman Evening Lions Club will accept donations of old cell phones. Anyone who wants to recycle these items will need to bring them onto the grounds while visiting the vendors. New to our vendor area are booths for young entrepreneurs, sponsored by Texoma Creative Reuse. Any young entrepreneurs who want to sell

their goods should contact Texoma Creative Reuse to learn how to participate. Attendees will be able to shop for original art, jewelry, handmade soaps, canned goods, upcycled craft items, and more. Food vendors are on Rusk Street adjacent to Lucy Kidd-Key Park. They include Tacos Hondumex, Lemonade Depot, Old Man Kettle Corn, Crooked Letter Barbecue, HTeaO Sherman, and Snowie Sherman. Coffee Obsessed & Blessed will spend the early morning up until noon at the festival to provide coffee and breakfast.

While visiting the vendors make sure to visit our photo props and displays.

New this year are a series of displays about the benefits of trees to our environment, physical health, and mental health. You will also be entertained by demonstrations from Legend Martial Arts, Little Goddess Trybe, The CAMP Military School of Boxing, and Sapphire Lotus Belly Dance. Musical acts includes the Canyon Creek Players. There is room to add more music, so please reach out to Jan Fletcher through our website if you are interested.

Recycling continues to be a major attraction at the Texoma Earth Day Festival. All recycling will be on Elm Streel between Mulberry and Elm Streets. Anyone with recycling must enter the south end of the street from Pecan Street. We request everyone study our website for detailed instructions, lists of materials accepted, and the rules. No trailers will be allowed to enter the recycling area. We are accepting electronic waste (no tube style televisions or monitors), plastics 1,2, and 5, plastic bags, bubble wrap and shrink film, paper, flattened cardboard, Styrofoam and bagged Styrofoam peanuts, and textiles. A shred truck sponsored by First United Bank will be in the recycling area from 9:00 am to noon for shredding of sensitive documents. Patrons are limited to 10 boxes of paper. Cardboard boxes will be flattened and added to the cardboard recycling bin. We are not accepting latex paint. We also do not accept tires or other household hazardous waste.

The Texoma Earth Day Festival is an official outreach project of Red River Unitarian Universalist Church. For more information, please study our website www.earthdaytexoma.org

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June 10, 2024

Crazy conspiracy theorist articles by the Howe Enterprise—Coronavirus Originally published April 13, 2020, in the Howe Enterprise Let’s for a moment go back to Jan. 28 (2020) when the Department of Justice announced that the Chair of Harvard University’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department and two Chinese nationals had been charged in connection with aiding the People’s Republic of China. Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement.

Yanqing Ye, 29, a Chinese national, was charged in an indictment with one count each of visa fraud, making false statements, acting as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy. Ye is currently in China.

Zaosong Zheng, 30, a Chinese national, was arrested on Dec. 10, 2019, at Boston’s Logan International Airport and charged by criminal complaint with attempting to smuggle 21 vials of biological research to China. On Jan. 21, 2020, Zheng was indicted on one count of smuggling goods from the United States and one count of making false, fictitious or fraudulent statements. He has been detained since Dec. 30, 2019.

None of this has any relation to the Coronavirus that has been reported.

But it should be noted as a “clip and save” piece.

How suspicious is the WHO (World Health Organization) through this epidemic? The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on April 7, 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

They tweeted on Jan. 14 that there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the Coronavirus.

According to research by Modern Ghana in a Feb. 14 article entitled, “Why The World Health Organization Treats Bill Gates Like A President”, the WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day. The current Director-General of the WHO is Tedros Adhanom, who started his five-year term on July 1, 2017, has close ties to his friends Bill Gates and George Soros.

The WHO deals with the health of the world. A noble goal, but the organization has been struggling for decades with a lack of money. The biggest criticism of the WHO is that instead of helping mankind, it supports the economy.

The WHO is the highest authority on health in the world. It should be an independent organization, but for a very large part, it is financed by one person: Bill Gates.

The 'Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-

tion' has donated more than $ 2 billion to the WHO since the '90s. Gates' hobbyhorse is to eliminate the poliovirus.

He wants to achieve that by vaccinating as many children around the world against polio.

which becomes “Event 201,” would require reliable cooperation among several industries, national governments, and key international institutions.”

He proclaimed the year 2010 as the start of: 'The Decade of Vaccinations.'

But Modern Ghana calls this decade the beginning of the end for those who receive mostly contaminated or genetically engineered vaccines.

But Bill Gates is a businessman and knows that the “global vaccine market” is undergoing rapid growth, which, according to the WHO, will be translated into a turnover of no less than 100 billion dollars a year by 2025 if all goes well.

Why are there so few people who see through the corruption of the WHO? Besides that, Gates knows like no other that there is no charity involved but profits.

The report does not include a study of the side effects of vaccines, which, in the case of weakened children, must be considerably higher than in well-fed western babies. These, too, apparently do not exist for GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance. But the worst thing is that this 'success' does not change to disease-causing circumstances.

Links between George Soros, the Wikimedia Foundation and the drug industry are clear. Soros is a Hungarian -born currency speculator and multibillion dollar stock market wheelerdealer who has been convicted of insider trading in France.

Soros was accused in court by the Dr. Rath Foundation of having funded the ARV drug-promoting Treatment Action Campaign to the tune of 1.4 million South African Rand. He has also invested heavily in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors over the years, buying large holdings in companies such as Pfizer, Merck, and Monsanto.

Significantly, therefore, is Melissa Hagemann, a senior program manager of the Soros Open Society Foundations' Information Program, which operates Wikipedia. Hagemann has worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization that, like Soros, has invested heavily in the drug industry over the years.

According to the Los Angeles Times, they reap fixed financial gains from investments that contravene its claims to good works.

In 2017, the total amount that the WHO received from countries (Member States) was exceeded by the number of non-governmental participants, including the pharmaceutical industry.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed nearly $327 million to the WHO General Fund, making it the second-largest donor. The only donation higher than that of the Gates Foundation came from the United States government.

The money donated by countries to the WHO General Fund amounted to $ 1.06 billion in 2017. This was less than the contributions from the nongovernmental participants, which together donated $ 1.08 billion.

The multinational drug and chemical industries and their investors figure prominently in the lists of WHO donors. In 2017, the largest donor of such was Sanofi Pasteur, a vaccine pharmaceutical company that contributed $9.4 million. Coming in next was GlaxoSmithKline’s $7.4 million. GlaxoSmithKline pleaded guilty and paid $3 billion to resolve fraud allegations and failure to report safety data.

So why all of the talk of Bill Gates?

What does this mean? How far down the rabbit hole should we go?

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the World Economic Forum hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY. The exercise, mediated by CNN's former Homeland Security Correspondent Jeane Meserve, illustrated areas where public/private partnerships would be necessary during the response to a severe Coronavirus (yes, Coronavirus) pandemic to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences.

On the Event 201 website, the following statement was made: “In recent years, the world has seen a growing number of epidemic events, amounting to approximately 200 events annually. These events are increasing, and they are disruptive to health, economies, and society. Managing these events already strains global capacity, even absent a pandemic threat. Experts agree that it is only a matter of time before one of these epidemics becomes global—a pandemic with potentially catastrophic consequences. A severe pandemic,

In the exercise of Event 201 in October 2019, the pandemic was catastrophic with 65 million fatalities in the first 18 months. The disease was small at first and thought controllable until it reached densely crowded areas and impoverished neighborhoods and mega-cities. Within six months, cases were seen in nearly every country and the global economy was in a free fall.

The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was down 11 percent with the stock market plummeting 20 and 40 percent around the world.

They predicted the financial impacts would last for a decade with businesses closing and banks not lending. It was another depression. It led to a lack of faith in nationalism. It also concluded that the WHO’s influenza model would be used to distribute vaccines that would require governments to financially support the WHO. The Gazette: The decades-long controversy over whether childhood immunizations can be traced to brain injuries such as autism is called quackery by many medical professionals and viewed as a cover-up by others, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy has become an outspoken skeptic, disputing determinations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other scientific groups that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal does not cause symptoms of autism.

So, who benefits the most from a global pandemic? The vaccine industry whose stocks have soared through this.

Could Gates’ Microsoft software viruses have been only a test model to make-mega money on anti-viruses?

Does he have McAfee for COVID?

TESTING, TESTING, TESTING

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June 10, 2024

Hot Jobs Job Title LABORER workintexas.com Posting ID 16592593 Location Sherman Posting Close Date 08/20/24 Posting Link https:// bit.ly/4bRgymK Description A local company is looking for a LABORER who will assist skilled craft workers in performing their assigned duties. Performs tasks that require physical labor at construction sites must have the ability to perform a variety of duties.

This position requires a High School Diploma or Equivalent and a minimum of 1 year of related experience.

Job Title PATIENT CARE TECH (DIALYSIS) workintexas.com Posting ID 16496613 Location Sherman Posting Close Date 09/30/24 Posting Linkhttps:// bit.ly/4bZSUnE Description A local company is looking for a PATIENT CARE TECH (DIALYSIS) who will spend the majority of your day in direct one-on-one patient care to provide safe, comfortable and hygienic dialysis treatment.

This position requires a High School Diploma or Equivalent.

Bulk Trash Pickup 2nd Friday of each month in Howe.

City of Howe SECONDS COUNT IN AN EMERGENCY! That's why the City of Howe has instituted the CodeRED Emergency Notification System - an ultra high-speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications. This system allows us to telephone all or targeted areas in case of an emergency situation that requires immediate action (such as a boil-water notice, missing child or evacuation notices). The system is capable of dialing 60,000 phone numbers per hour. It then delivers a pre-recorded message describing the situations to a live person or an answering machine in the affected area possibly including instructions requiring action on the part of the recipient. Once the situation is remedied, another call will be placed to the area signaling that the issue has been addressed and that normal activities can be resumed.

The following information is required to add a telephone number into the "CodeRED" database: first and last name; address (physical address, no P.O. boxes); city; state; Zip Code; and primary phone number. The system works with cellular phones but requires a valid street address. When entering information, please fill out all of the screens because the newest data entered will replace the old data. Sign up by visiting http://www.co.grayson.tx.us/page/oem.cred

2023-24 Local taxation

City Hall 116 E. Haning St., 903-532-5571 Mayor: Karla McDonald City Council: Michael Hill, Sarah Myrick, Billie Ingram, Shawn Tyler, Ricky Price.

City Administrator: Monte Walker City Secretary: Michelle Hewitt Utility Billing and Municipal Court 116 E. Haning St. 903-532-5571 Utility Clerk: Beccy Roberts Court Clerk:/Permit Clerk: Amy Bond (After hours night drop available) Public Works 317 S. Hughes St. Public Works Director: Mickey Phillips Code Enforcement 317 S. Hughes St. Code Enforcement Officer: Benjamin Fuhr Howe Fire Department/EMS 118 E. Haning 903-532-6888 (nonemergency) Fire Chief: Robert Maniet Howe Police Department 700 W. Haning St. 903-532-9971 (non-emergency) Dispatch 903-813-4411 Police Chief: Carl Hudman City Council meets third Tuesday at 100 E. O’Connell St. at 6 pm.

State Sales Tax General Revenue Sales Tax Economic Development (Type B) Sales Tax Total

6.25 % 1.25%

Planning & Zoning Commission Meets third Monday as needed

0.75 % 8.25 %

City of Howe Tax Rate Howe I.S.D Tax Rate Grayson County Tax Rate Grayson College Tax Rate Total (per $100 valuation)

$0.53 $1.05 $0.31 $0.15 $2.04

Howe Community Facilities Development Corporation 903-532-6080 Howetexas.org EDC Director: Monte Walker Meets as needed For more information visit the city website www.cityofhowe.org

Cityofhowe.org City of Howe Water, Sewer, Refuse collection rates - one bill

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Texas History Minute In a quiet cemetery in Round Rock, a tombstone used to read, “A brave man reposes in death here. Why was he not true?”

The tombstone Ken Bridges was whittled away by time and curiosity-seekers. The epitaph was placed by one of the sisters of the deceased, Sam Bass. He lay dead at the end of a crime spree that lasted only a couple of years but was remembered for generations. In the Old West when the population was still small and the emptiness of the wide-open frontiers was filled by larger-than-life personalities, Sam Bass stood out.

Bass was born on a farm in Indiana in 1851. He was the fourth of nine children, two of whom died before he was born. The family had a successful farm and a good reputation. Few problems were reported about the future outlaw save for his dislike of school, the little time he did attend. In 1861, Bass’s mother died. His father remarried, but he died in 1864. At that point, he spent the rest of his childhood living on a nearby farm of one of his uncles.

Just shy of his eighteenth birthday in 1869, he left Indiana and made his way down to Mississippi. He worked in a mill for some time and also mastered poker and the revolver. Bass then left for Denton, Texas. He landed a job with Sheriff W. F. “Dad” Eagan as a farmhand and wagon driver. He developed a reputation for his hard work.

He traveled the back roads of Denton, Collin, Grayson, Cooke, and Dallas counties extensively, roads that eventually became his escape routes.

By 1874, he was becoming a successful horse racer in his spare time. He saved enough to buy his own horse, which he called “Denton Mare.” He eventually made so much that he quit working altogether.

What led him to his crime spree is uncertain. He was steadily winning races and raking in the proceeds. Then by late 1875, his luck ran out; and his life fell apart.

In December 1875, Bass and an associate picked up a job driving cattle from Texas to the railroad junctions in Kansas. The two went on to Nebraska, where prices were higher, and kept the payment for the cattle, to the tune of $8,000 (roughly $228,000 today).

They traveled still further north into the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory hoping to strike it rich in the growing gold fields of the area. The mining venture failed, and by the end of 1876, Sam Bass and a number of others started robbing stage coaches. These robberies continued for months until Bass assembled a gang determined to take on larger stakes.

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In September 1877, Bass and five others held up a Union Pacific passenger train in the dead of night. They took $60,000 in gold coins and $1,300 from the passengers, a total of nearly $1.83 million in 2024 dollars. The six then scattered. Bass himself narrowly avoided escape from bounty hunters and U. S. Marshals by pretending to be a bounty hunter himself. Three members of his gang were killed within weeks of the robbery.

In spite of the fortune, he added a few more to his gang and held up two stagecoaches in Texas in spring 1878.

They robbed four trains in Collin and Dallas counties in rapid succession that spring and summer, disappearing into the thickets and creek bottoms Bass had come to know so well. Texas Rangers put together a special company of men to pursue Bass and his gang, scouring the whole area between Dallas, Sherman, and Denton. Bass managed to stay a step ahead of them - barely.

Jim Murphy, a member of the gang, was soon arrested at his father’s house.

He made a deal with prosecutors and turned informant and rejoined Bass’s gang. In late April, Bass barely escaped death in a gunfight with Rangers. The gang decided to go further south and planned a bank robbery in the Williamson County community of Round Rock, and Murphy sent a letter ahead to alert the Rangers.

By July, the Bass gang had reached Round Rock and scouted the area for days in mid-July, often walking past the very Rangers and deputies in pursuit of them. After five days, Murphy broke away and warned Rangers of Bass’s plan. On July 19, Rangers confronted Bass and his two remaining men in town. Within moments, a gunfight erupted. One Ranger was hit, and Bass’s two men were killed on the spot.

Bass was hit with one shot, but he managed to pull away. He rode several miles north and stopped. The wound was too severe, and his strength spilled away with each drop of blood. The next morning, he was found, slumped against a tree. He weakly identified himself and was taken into custody.

By this point nothing more could be done for him, yet he refused to identify his cohorts or anyone associated with him and died the next afternoon, his twenty-seventh birthday. His death was such that even his pursuers paused to pay their respects.

His outlaw life did not destroy his reputation. In fact, after his death, he became a larger-than-life figure. Several communities have streets named after him, most notably Denton and Round Rock. Bass’s career was re-enacted on movies and television. His last days figure prominently in Round Rock’s annual Frontier Days celebration.

A time for war and a time for peace On June 6th, 1944, America under the guidance of General Dwight Eisenhower and its allies engaged in one of the most significant milDr. Billy Holland itary operations of the 20th century under the now legendary name of D-Day. Code named Operation Neptune, this was the largest seaborne invasions in history with 160,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy on that day. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada, with no less than 17 other allied countries participating on the ground, the sea, and in the air, including French troops fighting under the command of General Charles de Gaulle. Despite poor weather conditions and fierce resistance from German forces, the operations were successful. On the evening of June 6th, the Allies had gained a foothold on all five beaches as the German defenders numbering around 50,000 were uncertain how to respond.

We live near Camp Nelson National Cemetery and from the highway, you can see many of the over twelve thousand perfectly lined white marble tombstones. A reminder of the individuals who accepted the call of duty, and what is that call? To defend and protect our freedom whatever the cost! These brave soldiers were willing to fight for their country and I cannot help but wonder how many of us have convictions that strong. The First Amendment was not only signed into existence with ink but with the blood of over 1.1 million Americans who have died in U.S. wars along with the countless more that have suffered from physical disabilities and psychological difficulties. The privileges and freedoms we enjoy have truly come at a great price. My family has suffered loss from war and has a deep appreciation for the service and sacrifice that men and women have given to protect our country. My grandfather served in WWI, two uncles served in Vietnam, and another uncle only 20 years old, died on the battlefield in Korea.

As a volunteer chaplain for Thomson Hood, a veteran healthcare facility, I’ve had the opportunity and honor to sit and talk with many fine men and women who have served in our nation’s military. The Second World War

veterans are now in their eighties and nineties and I believe as with all military personnel, it’s important to not only record and preserve their amazing stories but to sincerely listen and respect who they are as individuals. One of these residents is a man named Edward Hicks who willingly stepped forward when his country needed him the most. He was only 22 years old in 1944 and had just married his lovely bride Mary Lou four months earlier.

He received the call to join the front line and bravely responded to what would be known around the world as Operation Overlord. The American soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong and they refused to allow a world where wrong prevailed.

Edward and his company were assigned to six miles of beach that was code-named “Omaha” which has been recorded as one of the bloodiest firstwave battles of Normandy. Only 600 men survived out of the 2600 that came ashore. He recalls when he jumped out of the amphibious vehicle, how the water was up to his neck and icy cold. With being loaded down with full gear that was now water-logged, he said it was very difficult to keep from drowning. As bullets were splashing the water and whizzing past his head, all he knew to do was to stay as low as possible. Using floating bodies as shields, he was numb with fear.

As he crawled upon the sand, he immediately began to dig a hole where he could partially avoid the onslaught of constant machine gunfire. Somehow throughout the day and thankfully with the Germans running out of ammunition, they managed to slowly make their way inland and went on to accomplish the mission.

Edward received several medals for bravery including a silver star and 4 bronze stars but there is much more to standing against tyranny than human fortitude and earning recognition. It is comprehending the depth of spiritual love that includes loving others as much as we love ourselves. Jesus demonstrated the greatest love the world has ever known when He willingly sacrificed His life for us. John 15:13 is a solemn reminder, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a minister, Christian author, and community chaplain. Read more about the Christian life at: billyhollandministries.com

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June 10, 2024

Attend the Church of Your Choice

Each Sunday...

Times are subject to change. Please check with each church for any possible changes

First Baptist Church Dorchester Zach Poling, pastor 11831 FM 902, Dorchester, TX 75459 903-476-5525 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Worship service Sunday 9:00 am - Men's Prayer Time 9:45 am - Sunday School 10:45 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Evening Service Summit View Church Brett and Deb Hetrick, pastors

Community Bible Fellowship Jeremy Moore, pastor

Howe Methodist Church of Howe JB Bryant, minister

415 S Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Food and Fellowship 7:00 pm - Community Kids (ages 3 6th grade, nursery available) 7:00 pm - Youth and Adult Bible Study Sunday 10:30 am - Worship Service

810 N Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6718 Tuesday: 8:30am - 1:00pm WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) 9:30am - Women's Bible Study 6:30pm - Boy Scouts Wednesday: 9:00am - Wednesday Workers 6:00pm - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays Family Night Thursday: 8:30am - 1:00pm - WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) Saturday: 9:00am-12:00pm - Feed My Sheep (1st & 3rd Sat. of each month) Sunday: 8:30am - Coffee and Donuts 9:00am - Sunday School 10:00am - Worship Service 3:00pm Cub Scouts

First Baptist Church Howe Roger Tidwell, pastor 100 E. Davis St., Howe, TX 903-5325504 Wednesday 5:30 pm—Free Meal 6:30 pm - Team Kid 6:30 pm - Youth Ministry 6:30 pm - Adult Bible Fellowship Sunday 9:15 am - Bible Fellowship 10:30am - Worship Service 6:00 pm—Potluck Fellowship and Bible Study

910 S Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6828 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Radiate Youth 7:00 pm - Sanctuary of for prayer Sunday 9:30 am - Sunday School (kids, youth, women, men) 10:30 am - Worship Service 10:30 am - Kids Church Howe Church of Christ Aaron Alsbrook, minister 1205 N Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6441 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Bible Classes (all ages) Sunday 9:00 am - Bible Classes (all ages) 10:00 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Worship Service

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

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