News

LARRY AND DELOIS RISLEY Larry and DeLois Risley had evacuated their vehicles from their home on County Road 7 to his dad’s place in Wheeler after being notified of the advancing fire. Firefighters helped water the perimeter of their house down on all four sides as a precaution.

At 8 am Friday morning, in the 31st District courtroom, retiring Hemphill County Judge George Briant administered the oath of office to his successor, Lisa Johnson, and handed the gavel over to her care. Prior to the brief ceremony, Johnson addressed the courtroom filled with friends and family, saying, “I appreciate how well everything has run here, how well we all get along, the spirit of cooperation, and George’s leadership. What I most hope to follow as the example he set is to treat each person with kindness and respect, as he has.”

The response to last week’s devastating wildfires has been swift, and has once again revealed the overwhelming generosity and kindness of this community and county, and of the residents, organizations and business owners who are always ready to lend a hand.

DALLAS—The Texas Lyceum’s annual poll, published on April 1, finds a majority of Texans saying that they spend too much on housing and that the cost of living for necessities in the area where they live is either “poor” or “terrible.” Concerns about costs come as the state grapples with ongoing economic troubles stemming from the continued fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, ongoing inflationary concerns, and rising energy prices exacerbated by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The wildfires that had terrorized area residents for the last two days were still burning late Wednesday evening, as weary firefighters responded to the seemingly unending reports of flare-ups and outbreaks—most in the southern third of Hemphill County.