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Gray skies provided the picture perfect setting for a Topping Out celebration on Thursday, Dec. 8 at the site of the new Keith Bell Opportunity Central, or The OC. The construction team and contractors with Gallagher, along with the architecture team at Huckabee, Forney ISD officials and others gathered to celebrate as one of the final beams of steel, painted bright green and adorned with signatures and messages from those in attendance, was hoisted with a crane and secured in place at the highest point of the building’s frame.

On Friday, December 2, 2022, Representative Keith Bell (R-Forney) filed House Bill 868 to lower the maximum appraisal increase rate of homestead exempted properties from 10% to 3.5%.

A recent report from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University revealed just how valuable a college degree continues to be. As tuition costs at many colleges and universities rise and families wonder if investing in a college degree is as wise as it once was, the CEW report can reassure parents and their children that a college degree remains a valuable asset that pays significant financial dividends over the long haul.

Forney Soccer Player Named USC All-Region at Angelo State University

District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced today, a Kaufman County jury has sentenced William Ray Miller Jr., to LIFE in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. After a threeday trial before Honorable Judge Shelton Gibbs in the 422nd Judicial District Court of Kaufman County, a jury found Miller guilty of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child and three charges of Possession of Child Pornography and rendered the maximum sentence for each cause.

One gift to give yourself as the season starts to get busy is to take a moment and step back. There are many activities and opportunities to have multiple experiences with family and friends, sometimes 3 or 4 in a single day. And this is where a moment of calm is what you actually need to give yourself and your family.

Huntington Industrial Partners has officially announced the construction of a 532,972 square-foot, three-building development in one of the region’s most active industrial submarkets.

Though various factors specific to each individual instance, such as geography and personal history, will affect how much a DUI conviction or charge costs, drivers who find themselves charged with DUI can expect to pay a lot of money. For example, a survey from the Texas Department of Transportation found that the cost of a driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest and conviction in the Lone Star State ranged from $9,000 to $24,000. Fees associated with a DUI/DWI arrest may include towing/ impound, legal representation, alcohol treatment and education programs, and license reinstatement. In addition to those fees, a survey from dui.drivinglaws. org found that roughly 25 percent of respondents reported losing an average of $4,440 in wages related to their DUI charge.

Much like the cost of a loaf of bread or a carton of eggs now costs consumers considerably more than it did a couple of years ago, the price to heat and cool a home has risen considerably. Various factors, from climate-related events to supply chain issues to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have been cited as contributors to the rise in utility costs, which is not just a North American problem. Following pandemicinduced lows in 2020, natural gas prices have risen consistently, even during off-peak months, over the last year-plus. The cost of natural gas that’s delivered through pipes was up 24 percent in February from the year prior. Electricity has gone up as well. According to Choose Energy, an energy reporting resource, electricity rates have risen across the 50 states in 2022 by anywhere from 1.7 percent over 2021 (Alaska) to 46.1 percent (Maine). The national average increase is 11.3 percent. CBS News reported in 2019 that Americans are paying up to 30 percent more on water and wastewater bills in less than a decade. Water and sewer bills are rising faster than inflation rates, having

The legislative session is more than a month away, but fault lines are already emerging between Texas’ top two Republican leaders on two major issues.

WITH LUKE CLAYTON

Advice Can Help When Making Charitable Gifts

As the holidays approach, many Americans are beginning to look at their holiday traveling plans and deciding the best, and most affordable, way to visit family and friends.