Galen Roberts, assistant director of water resources for the North Texas Municipal Water District, said drought is defined as an “extended period of low precipitation,” but added there are several data points in addition to rainfall totals are considered.

“The U.S. Drought Monitor uses a five-category system for showing the location and severity of drought for the U.S.,” Roberts said. “Drought can mean different things to some depending on their unique situation and needs.”

According to the drought monitor, which can be accessed at drought.gov, drought conditions are classified as abnormally dry, moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional. 

Data from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) indicates that 22.8 million Texans are currently affected by drought.

Additionally, 23% of Collin County, specifically the southeastern part of the county, is experiencing an extreme drought, while the rest of the county is in a severe drought.

The entirety of Dallas County is in a severe drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. It is also the 15th driest year to date falling nearly six-and-a-half inches below normal precipitation levels.

Severe drought conditions include hard soil, poor pasture conditions and the implementation of burn bans. 

Roberts said as the wholesale water provider for numerous North Texas cities and customers, it is the responsibility of NTMWD to administer a Water Resource and Emergency Management Plan and a Water Conservation Plan.

“Those plans also include model language and resources which customers served by NTMWD can use to implement conservation measures in their communities during times of drought,” Roberts said. 

For the full story, see the Aug. 4 issue of The Sachse News.

Public Relations Specialist James Black said that Wylie United Methodist Church, Bozman Farms and New Hope Church each will hold a blood drive in August.

Black said Carter BloodCare’s mission is to save lives by making transfusions possible.

“We are able to do that through volunteer donors,” Black said, “who step up at our blood drives and donate to help people throughout the area.”

Black said Carter BloodCare covers a little more than 50 counties throughout North, Central and East Texas and helps more than 200 hospitals and healthcare facilities.

“It’s a big need and big demand,” Black said. “We are always grateful to everyone who takes the time to donate.”

The organization is localized to Texas, Black said, adding that it is one of the largest blood programs in the state.

“The advantage to that is that people who donate locally, the blood stays local,” Black said. “If you’re donating in Wylie, that blood is going local.”

Many people like that when they donate with Carter, they are helping their neighbors in need, Black said.

“It’s important for everyone who is eligible to donate whenever they can because when emergencies happen, the need for blood is critical,” Black said. “We have seen locally and globally the need for blood donations, but there is also the point that we need blood on a daily basis.”

For the full story, see the July 28 issue of The Sachse News.

Eight years ago, a position at a leather and leather-working supply company opened the door to creativity and opportunity, and a love for the craft.

Duval was living in Austin at the time and moving to Fort Worth and said she was “looking for a job in Fort Worth” when she drove past a leather working building and thought it looked interesting.

The company, Tandy Leather in Fort Worth, had a position open and Duval was hired to sell rolls of leather, machinery and tools on the retail side but eventually was promoted to a management position.

“I picked up the craft because you have to know what you are selling,” Duval said. “I’ve always been a real crafty person.”

She started making purses, wallets, belts and more in her free time while working at Tandy Leather. She also makes knife sheaths and repairs saddles and tack.

“Leatherwork doesn’t have to be expensive,” she said. “But when you’re working for a leather company, you get spoiled with the good tools and things.”

Duval said she loves working with leather but decided that if she continued to buy tools and equipment, then she would attempt to turn it into a viable business.

In March 2020, she took that step and quit her job and opened the Duval Leather Company.

The new venture gave her the opportunity and drive to sell the goods she had been making.

For the full story, see the July 14 issue of The Sachse News.

Windi Fuller, former English and Yearbook teacher at Cooper Junior high, was recently named executive director of the Wylie ISD Education Foundation.

The educator will lead the 20-year-old foundation formed to fund grants for teachers with the secondary purpose of providing scholarships to students.

“We have a wonderful community that is very generous with their donations,” Fuller said. “I want to continue to work on that path.”

As the driving force behind the foundation, Fuller’s primary focus is to raise funds for the organization, enrich programs and activities for students, support unique growth opportunities and innovate teaching ideas.

Fuller said she is excited to see the creative ideas that teachers come up with for grant proposals.

Before taking the position at the foundation, Fuller worked at Cooper Junior High School as an English and yearbook teacher for eight years.

Last year, she received a foundation grant which was used to purchase graphic novels for her classroom.

“It was exciting,” Fuller said. “I saw a huge difference in their reading skills and abilities.”

In addition to helping her students’ reading ability, Fuller said the students loved reading the graphic novels.

“You put a novel in front of them and they aren’t that excited,” Fuller said. “But graphic novels, they would read them front to back.”

For the full story, see the July 14 issue of The Sachse News.

According to Scott Roderick, assistant superintendent for finance and operations for Wylie ISD, the budget reflects a 3% midpoint pay raise for all employees. The budget also covers market adjustments and a mid-year stipend for all teachers.

Most funding — $130 million — comes from local and intermediate sources such as property taxes. State funding amounts to $93 million, up from $88 million last year.

Roderick said that the budget consists of three funds — the general fund, debt services and the food service, all of which are balanced.

Student enrollment is expected to be 18,650. Roderick said the 2021-22 school year ended with 18,315 students.

The general fund, which covers daily operations, is balanced with expenditures and revenue at $181 million. Of the general fund, Roderick said 84% covers payroll expenses.

The biggest expenditure is instruction at $108 million, increasing slightly from the $102 million budgeted for the 2021-22 school year. Other significant expenses include $18 million for plant maintenance and operations, compared to $17 million last year, $9 million for school leadership and $7 million for student transportation, neither of which had a significant change from last year.

Debt services and food service expenditures are $41 million and $9 million, respectively.

For the full story, see the June 30 issue of The Sachse News.

As a result, the national gas price average on June 13, was $5.014 per gallon, the highest recorded average price.

According to AAA, the average cost per gallon in Texas was $4.664. The average price for diesel fuel is $5.258 per gallon.

Collin and Dallas Counties were higher than the state average at $4.691 and $4.658, respectively.

California currently has the highest average gas prices at $6.436, and Georgia has the lowest at $4.484.

“It’s likely prices will continue to fluctuate and remain elevated,” said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. “At least until summer driving season is over after Labor Day or until the issues of tight global supply and demand of crude oil are resolved.”

Armbruster explained that retail prices from gas stations across Texas and the United States are tracked daily by Oil Price Information Service. AAA Texas contracts with OPIS to receive the data.
Historically, high gas prices have not deterred people from traveling during the summer months, Armbruster said, but it does impact daily commuting behaviors by creating carpools or running fewer errands.

However, Armbruster said AAA is currently expecting record-breaking prices to have a ripple effect on some aspects of travel and other economic areas such as goods and services.

“Families may opt to eat out less on a trip,” Armbruster said. “Or stay in a four-diamond hotel instead of a five diamond.”

Recent AAA surveys show that 75% of Americans say they would change their driving habits or lifestyle if the cost of gasoline rises to $5 per gallon or more.

Of US adults who said they would make a change to offset gas prices, about 80% they would do so by driving less.

For the full story, see the June 16 issue of The Sachse News.

Texas is among ten states that conduct runoff elections as part of the political party nomination process. A runoff election is called when no candidate reaches the threshold for victory, which is a majority, 50% plus one vote.

Early voting began Monday, May 16 and continues through Friday, May 20, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Election Day voting is from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24.

Texas is an open primary state, meaning that voters do not register with a party and instead cast their ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary, not both. Additionally, the Texas Election Code states individuals can’t vote for a different party than they voted for in the March primaries.

In the state elections, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and George P. Bush will face each other in the Republican primary runoff for attorney general.

Paxton received 823,199 (42.71%) statewide votes, while Bush, who currently serves as the Commissioner of the General Land Office, received 439,240 (22.79%) statewide votes.

Republican voters will also choose between Tim Westley and Dawn Buckingham for Commissioner of the General Land Office.

The last state race on the Republican ballot is for the Railroad Commission. Sarah Stogner is challenging incumbent Wayne Christian. Stogner made headlines earlier this year after a campaign ad featuring the West Texan native straddling a pumpjack while topless and without pants went viral.

At the county level, incumbent Lynne Finley faces Mike Gould for the Republican nomination for the District Clerk position. Finley came to attention last year after a Collin County Commissioners Court meeting turned contentious with Finley accusing County Judge Chris Hill of “stealing emails.”

Days after the meeting, Hill released a letter containing several allegations against Finley. Hill accused Finley of being responsible for the county’s passport office closing, costing the county approximately $1 million in passport-related revenue.

In the letter, Hill claimed the passport office was closed after a potential conflict of interest between the District Clerk’s office staff and a local passport and visa expediting company was reported. According to the letter, Finley denied the claim, but State Department officials said in an informal conversation that Finley’s demeanor with the State Department was a “significant reason that no resolution was reached.”

Hill also accused Finley of denying accommodations to two county employees with documented underlying health conditions seeking to work from home during the pandemic.

Additionally, Hill claimed Finley was not present at her office in the county facility from March 10, 2020, until September 14, 2020.

Dallas County residents will have one primary race at the county level. Incumbent John F. Warren is opposed by Ann Cruz for the Democratic nomination for County Clerk.

Democratic voters will choose between Michelle Beckley and Mike Collier as the nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Beckley received 30% of the vote in the March primary races while Collier received 41%.

In the Democratic race for the attorney general nomination, Joe Jaworski and Rochelle Mercedes Garza will face each other in May. Statewide totals showed Jaworski with 19.82% of the vote and Garza with 42.97%. However, Jaworski received 34.86% of the vote in Collin County and Garza received 30.48%.

Democratic voters will also decide on the Comptroller of Public Affairs race between Janet T. Dudding and Angel Lois Vega. Dudding received 46.29% of the statewide vote in the primaries and Vega received 34.53%.

Also on the Democratic ballot is the Commissioner of General Land Use Office. Sandragrace Martinez received 31.8% of the statewide vote, while Jay Kleberg received 26.05%.

The last race on the Democratic ballot for Collin County voters is the Democratic Party County Chair. Incumbent Mike Rawlins is being challenged by Caroline Werner. Rawlins received 33% of the vote in March while Werner received 37%.

Polling locations in the area include Collin College Wylie Campus, located at 391 Country Club Road; Sachse City Hall, located at 3815 Sachse Road; and the Murphy Community Center, located at 205 North Murphy Road; however, Collin County voters can cast their ballot at any polling location within the county. For a full list, visit collincounty.gov/elections or dallascountyvotes.org.

For more stories such as these, subscribe to The Sachse News.

The event is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, May 2 and will feature area restaurants providing samples of a variety of choices from pizza to barbecue to sweets.

Historically, the Taste of Wylie was held at First Baptist Wylie Event Center, now known as The Cross Event Center, and benefitted the Wylie Christian Care Center.

This year, however, the event will benefit several other food pantries including Amazing Grace, 5 Loaves and Hope for the Cities, a nonprofit feeding ministry connected to The Cross Church created in response to the pandemic.

Wylie Christian Care Center Co-Director Mary Warkentine said because her role with the center requires more of her time and energy, she is unable to continue organizing the event.

“Last year, when we could not use the FBW event center, we had decided not to have the Taste of Wylie,” she said, adding that “Angel Wygant with the Wylie Economic Development Corporation contacted me and asked about holding it at Olde City Park.”

Warkentine said because of the change of venue last year, attendees said they enjoyed being outside and called the event a “great success.”

“I contacted [The Wylie Economic Development Corporation] this year and explained that the center could no longer do this event,” Warkentine said. As a result, the WEDC took over planning and organizing for the event this year and will continue to do so in the future.

“Plus, we felt like it should benefit all the food pantries in this area,” Warkentine said.

5 Loaves Food Pantry Executive Director Audrey Wallace says it is nice to be a recipient of proceeds from this year’s event. 

However, Wallace used to do marketing for American National Bank in Wylie and was the chairperson for the event for its first 10 years.

“I’ve always had a part in it,” Wallace said. “It’s cool 5 Loaves will be a recipient of some of those funds.

She said her 5 Loaves’ involvement in the event helps recognize the food pantry’s role in the community, adding Wylie Christian Care Center has always had a place in her heart as a community organization.

“Honestly, it warms my heart that they would even allow me to attend, even though we’re in Sachse,” Wallace said. “When we first started, we used to invite restaurants from all over, not just Wylie restaurants.”

The proceeds 5 Loaves will receive are going to be used on constructing palette shelving in the pantry, said Wallace. She said she plans to hire a contractor to professionally install the shelves and it will make storing goods in the pantry’s warehouse easier.

The proceeds will also facilitate food purchases, especially as Wallace sees increasing need in the community she serves.

“We’re seeing a lot of new people coming in,” Wallace said. “The increased price of food is hard on people.”

Wallace said eagle-eyed attendees will also be able to stop by the 5 Loaves booth which will be selling its coffee and also providing water for the event. She said there may even be a few free samples given out.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors 60-plus and children 6-12 and can be purchased at wylietexas.gov.

Connor Pittman contributed to this story.

First established 32 years ago, the Collin County Substance Abuse Program served 58 clients in its first year, but has since grown to serve over 2,500 residents annually.

Program administrator John-Mark Meulman said treatment for drug and alcohol abuse is not among the services the program provides, it does offer substance abuse evaluations and referrals for both adults and adolescents as well as public information and education classes for Collin County youth. 

All adolescent education resources are free and there is a nominal charge for other evaluations. 

“The thing I like is that anything that benefits the county as it relates to substance abuse or mental health falls into my wheelhouse,” Meulman said. “We try to get out and do as much education as we can.”

One issue that has been on his radar recently is an increase in fentanyl abuse. The drug is a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is especially dangerous because a two mg dose is enough to be fatal, compared to 30 mg of heroin. 

Those in need of help from substance abuse issues can contact Meulman or his staff at 972-548-5570.

Dallas County residents can visit dallascounty.org/departments/cscd/programs.php for resources on substance abuse programs offered.

For the full story, see the April 21 issue of The Sachse News.

The annual Boots N’ Barbeque Gala, the largest fundraising event for the Wylie Education Foundation, was held Saturday, Feb. 26 at Southfork Ranch in Parker. The event featured entertainment, live and silent auctions, a candy bar, and the much-anticipated game of Heads or Tails for a large cash prize. Proceeds raised at the event will be used to fund Wylie ISD teacher grants.

The doors for the event opened at 6 p.m., giving those in attendance a chance to browse the silent auction items.

McMillan Junior High School Dean of Students Levi Turner served as the master of ceremonies for the evening, Phillip Pierceall served as auctioneer and Jennifer Sanchez served as reporter, interviewing several teachers who received foundation grants, along with student Emalee Littleton of Achieve Academy who created an animation for the gala.

“You guys fund grants to make education more assessable,” Turner said. “You have grown unique ideas to connect better with students in the classroom, and in the last 20 years you have impacted more than 200,000 movement makers and Titanic thinkers.”

For the full story, see the March 3 issue of the Sachse News.