News

It was in October 2005 that the Lee family made their dreams come true, purchasing a storefront on Fourth Street. Twenty years later, Quality Carpets has hit a milestone and become a pillar business for the community.

The store at 932 Fourth St. offers a variety of services such as carpet, hardwood, sheet vinyl, tile, wallpaper and more. The owners are holding a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, Oct. 3 with the Graham Chamber of Commerce and a party to commemorate their 20th anniversary.

Former Young County employee Allen Rodgers is suing the county and Pct. 3 Commissioner for unlawful practices in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Labor Code.

The lawsuit was filed in July in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Wichita Falls Division against both Young County and Pct. 3 Commissioner Alan Craig. 

A Travis County judge ruled that Kendrex White will be released from a state hospital inpatient program and move into outpatient care.

White was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the May 2017 fatal stabbing of Harrison Brown. Brown was a 2016 graduate of Graham High School who was attacked in a stabbing spree along with three other students at the University of Texas at Austin. 

After being confined in the Young County Jail on $2.7 million total bond since January, William Michael Bahl II accepted a plea agreement of 55 years in prison for 12 child pornography charges.

Bahl, 55, of Graham, accepted the plea agreement Tuesday, Sept. 30 and was sentenced to 55 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Institutional Division and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

As contract negotiations between the city of Graham and Humane Society of Young County continue to break down, a meeting has been set to consider staying with the organization or moving to another option for animal care services.

HSYC is a nonprofit organization that receives funding from the city of Graham, city of Newcastle, city of Olney and Young County under different contracts for the housing of animals.

Graham Regional Medical Center adopted their fiscal year 2026 budget along with their tax rate at their latest board meeting. 

With the new fiscal year beginning soon, these were essential items for the board of directors to agree upon at their meeting Thursday, Sept. 25. 

The first item that was approved by the hospital board was the tax rate. The recommended rate for the board which was approved was $0.272984 per $100 valuation. This is the same rate the hospital board adopted last year as well as in 2024. 

Austin Rodgers, a bright young man from Graham who was just beginning to live out his dream, now needs support from the community he calls home after an unexpected health crisis. 

Rodgers had just graduated this past spring from Texas Tech with a master’s degree in Biomedical Science and started his time as an Emergency Medicine Resident Physician at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. 

The Graham community will once again host the annual FCA Fields of Faith event at Graham High School marking the 17th year for the event. 

The event will take place this year at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Newton Field, according to a press release from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 

This event started with an idea from FCA’s Director of Campus Sport Ministry Jeff Martin, according to the release. 

The idea was to allow students themselves to “point the way to Christ for their peers as well as their communities.”

The city of Graham will now be more prepared in the event of an emergency after approving the purchase of three generators for the water treatment plant.

The Graham City Council met Thursday, Sept. 25 and accepted a $859,000 bid from Gromec Partnership, Groves PK, for the installation of three 500KW diesel generators.

The generators will be installed for the water treatment plant, high service pumps and Lake Eddleman lift pump––all located on Power Plant Road.

Visit Graham CEO Cathy Partridge presented the proposed 2025-2026 budget for consideration Thursday, Sept. 25 during the Graham City Council meeting.

The budget, approved by the city council, is funded through events and city Hotel Occupancy Tax.

Hotel owners, operators and managers collect state hotel occupancy tax from their guests who rent a room or space in a hotel costing $15 or more each day, according to the Texas Comptroller’s office. The state collects 6% of the cost of the room while the city of Graham collects 7% of the cost of the room.