FROM BRANDING IRONS TO BUDGET TALKS: Springer Joins Aspermont City Council

The Aspermont City Council swore in long-standing council member and Mayor Pro-tem Chris Lipham on Tuesday and appointed Bailey Springer to fill the remaining portion of former council member Blake Friar’s term.

TAX-FREE WEEKEND RETURNS

As summer winds down, Texas families can look forward to significant savings on back-to-school essentials. The Texas Comptroller has announced that the state's annual sales tax holiday will take place from Friday, August 8, through midnight on Sunday, August 10, 2025.

ROTAN APPROVES WATER RATE HIKE AMID BOIL NOTICE

Although fielding impromptu questions about water quality from concerned citizens during last week’s city council meeting, Rotan officials also moved forward with efforts to finalize an increase to local water rates in hopes of offsetting significant operating losses.

All Aboard the Birthday Adventure for Anita Dozier

This week’s Old Glory News column is on pause, but for the best possible reason. Our fanfavorite columnist Anita Dozier is off celebrating her birthday in style, traveling by Amtrak from Fort Worth to San Antonio with her daughter Susan.

BEWARE OF THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE TRAP

Dear Senior, I will be enrolling in Medicare in a few months and would like to know if I initially enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, am I able to switch back to original Medicare and get a supplemental (Medigap) policy and prescription drug plan later with without paying a fine?

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

• Fisher Rotan ISD Board meeting 6pm• Aspermont ISD Board meeting 6pmJuly 26th• Fisher Red Dirt LLC Mud Bog 12pm.July 31st• Fisher Hospital District Board meeting12:30pmEmail publisher@dmchronicle.com to have your even placed in the Community Calendar

KERR COUNTY DEATH TOLL TOPS 100, WITH 161 STILL MISSING

Search teams have recovered 103 bodies in Kerr County after the devastating July 4 floods along the Guadalupe River, with Gov. Greg Abbott saying at least 161 people were still unaccounted for.

Producers and Landowners Can Now Enroll in USDA's Grassland Conservation Reserve Program

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can now enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (Grassland CRP). The sign-up runs from today, July 14, to Aug. 8, 2025.

Wet year prompts weed challenges in crops

Uncharacteristically wet weather this year has left many producers across the state with a growing weed problem, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.Scott Nolte, Ph.D.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

'The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.'~ John Philpot Curran (1750–1817)TRANSLATION: This quote argues that freedom is not a permanent gift that can be won and then forgotten. Instead, it requires constant awareness, effort, and action from citizens to protect it from threats.