No one from the public spoke at a required hearing on Monday when Commissioners’ Court approved the first step for three solar farms to locate in Lamar County.

While out in the woods near my home recently, I heard a distant rifle shot which triggered the gobble of a wild turkey only a few yards back in the brush. I was packing in some corn to a feeder I have set up for hogs but when I heard the gobble I forgot all about wild porkers and quietly slipped out of the woods in hopes of calling the bird in for photos.

With severe storms in the forecast, members of the Community Organizations Active in Disaster (Lamar County/Red River County COAD) assessed the group’s response to recent tornadoes and made plans for future weather event coordination at a Wednesday afternoon meeting at United Way of Lamar County headquarters, 2340 Lamar Ave.

There were no racial profiling complaints made against deputies during the year, Sheriff Scott Cass told Commissioners’ Court at a Monday morning meeting at the Lamar County Courthouse.

Lamar County’s four school districts stand to lose state funding again this year, the result of Lamar County Appraisal District 2022 property values coming in lower than 95% of local values established by the Texas Comptroller’s Office in its annual School District Property Value Study.

The third of four productions in Paris Junior College Drama’s 2022-2023 Weird Science Season is “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson. The play opens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ray E. Karrer Theater, and repeats at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24-25 and at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.

The Prairiland Patriots traveled to Commerce on Valentine’s Day to close out their regular season. After already securing their first district championship — and No. 1 seed — for the first time since 1985, the Patriots handed Commerce its first home loss since joining the district five years ago, 59-46.

Commissioners on Monday learned the probable cause of leaks that have plagued the Lamar County Courthouse for years, approved a multicounty agreement that will bring additional federal Medicaid dollars to Paris Regional Health and declared a disaster related to the polonged wintery mix the county experienced the week of Jan. 30.

The area is under a National Weather Service Winter storm warning through 6 a. m, on Thrusday. Travel is hazardous despite road treatments. Dangerous travel conditions will continue into early Thursday morning. Roads may become nearly impassible and bridges and overpasses will remain icy.

The 2023 spring severe weather season is not too far away, and the National Weather Service and local public safety officials want everyone to be ready. The National Weather Service Office out of Fort Worth will conduct a free severe weather training class for Lamar County from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday at the Paris Police Department. Officially called the Skywarn Storm Spotter Class, the program will be held in partnership with the City of Paris. There is no cost to attend this class, and no registration is required.

The Red River Valley Homeless Coalition will conduct a Point-In-Time homeless count in Lamar County on Jan. 27, according to coalition president Shelly Braziel.

The state and nation day set aside to honor the legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., is Monday, but his memory will be honored in Paris on Saturday.

After months of discussion and continued opposition from County Judge Brandon Bell, Lamar County Commissioners on a 3-2 vote approved the installation of a fuel farm on newly purchased property at 2805 N. Main St.

Funding for the reconstruction of Loop 286 in Paris has gained Texas Department of Transportation official approval at a cost of roughly $90 million with the support of $900,000 each from the City of Paris and Lamar County through efforts of the Sulphur River Regional Mobility Authority.