News

Area residents have a little over two weeks remaining to file for seats open in local elections.

City council and school board seats in Graham, Olney and Newcastle are up for election with applications available at each individual entity. Additionally, there will be open seats for the Olney Hamilton Hospital Board of Directors.

Applications to file can be submitted to local political subdivisions through Friday, Feb. 14. The election will take place Saturday, May 3.

The Graham City Council is preparing for the future as it looks to address concerns regarding its aging wastewater treatment plant. They took the next step last week, hiring an engineering firm to develop renovations options for the council.

The city council Thursday, Jan. 23 approved Freese and Nichols to produce a new Wastewater Master Plan and conduct predesign services for a proposed project to rehabilitate the wastewater treatment plant.

Graham ISD has partnered with N2 Learning to help shape the future of the district and set goals to be implemented over the next three-to-five years within a new strategic plan.

The Graham ISD Board of Trustees met Wednesday, Jan. 15 and accepted a budget amendment of up to $30,000 for the creation of the strategic plan with N2 Learning. Superintendent Mary Johnston said the process will pave the way for the future of the district.

After setting a goal of being accepted to Harvard University, Newcastle senior Ashleigh Taylor will join a select few that make the cut to attend the private Ivy League school.

It was after school Thursday, Dec. 12 that Taylor saw a status update for her application to Harvard. Upon opening she was accepted to the university.

Traffic lights set to flash at the intersection of Elm Street and Brazos Street will be repaired soon as the Texas Department of Transportation awaits the materials to complete the fix.

TxDOT Graham Area Engineer Zach Husen said the plan is to make the repair of the lights once the components arrive and reset the signal to operate correctly. 

After reviewing four bids for municipal solid waste collection and disposal services, the Graham City Council accepted a recommendation to contract with KC Dumpsters and drop Waste Connections.

The city accepted proposals for collection, hauling and disposal of all residential, commercial and industrial solid waster, including refuse and bulk waste. Proposals were received from Frontier Waste Solutions, On Site Solutions, KC Dumpsters and from its former provider, Waste Connections. 

The hydrogen solutions company Plug Power, which is currently establishing a facility in Graham, closed a $1.66 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office.

The loan guarantee will help finance the construction of up to six projects to produce and liquefy zero or low-carbon hydrogen throughout the country, with Graham’s hydrogen plant being the first to benefit from the financing.

Work is ongoing for the new band hall at Graham Junior High School, as Teinert Construction looks to complete that process by March.

The Graham ISD Board of Trustees received an update on the construction Wednesday, Jan. 15 from Superintendent Mary Johnston. 

Upcoming surveys will be distributed to Graham ISD staff and the community as the district works towards establishing its 2025-2026 school year calendar.

The district’s calendars are created by its committee, made up of staff, parents and community members, who establish several drafts which are narrowed down to two for school board approval.