Railroad brings innovation in early days

Railroad brings innovation in early days

By Tracy Lawson In her 1990 book Wylie Area Heritage, historian Beb Fulkerson wrote that the coming of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway in 1886 “changed the face of several sleepy hamlets.” Indeed, a favorable location near a railroad depot would bring growth 

League of Women Voters® of Collin County

League of Women Voters® of Collin County

A league of their own  By Sonia Duggan Long before Collin County residents headed to the polls for early voting in the Primary Election last month, volunteers belonging to a decades-old association logged many hours behind the scenes to ensure voters were registered and informed. 

A heart for serving

A heart for serving

By Sonia Duggan Serving others with love, compassion and dedication is something that comes naturally to Joe and Joyce McGaughey. Three days a week, this dynamic duo — both in their late 70s — are out the door of their home by 7 a.m. working 

Light the way to Holiday Cheer

Light the way to Holiday Cheer

By Carrie Dunlea There’s something magical about Christmas lights. The way they twinkle and seem to dance before our eyes. Colorful holiday displays can lighten the heart of even the biggest Grinch this time of year. How can one not be happy when there is 

Racing to educate youth

Racing to educate youth

Wylie’s assistant police chief encourages others to ‘Beat the Heat’ By Joe Reavis Generally, one would associate fast cars and the police with speeding tickets, but a national organization, Beat the Heat, Inc., matches race cars with an educational outreach effort. The nonprofit organization is 

Texas-sized talent

Texas-sized talent

Local residents win ribbons at State Fair By Sonia Duggan For Texans, the iconic State Fair of Texas is synonymous with fall, football, corny dogs, midway rides, live music and much more. But for anyone interested in creative arts, the State Fair offers a unique 

Crawlin’ around North Texas

Crawlin’ around North Texas

Annual shopping event beckons fiber artists By Sonia Duggan Not even record high temperatures and the never-ending threat of COVID-19 will stop members of the fiber arts community from attending an annual favorite junket to check out local yarn shops this month.  The third annual 

Country time

Country time

Wylie Opry brings music back to downtown By Sonia Duggan When live music performances disappeared from venues across Texas in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no one knew how long it would last.  For the Wylie Opry, a country music showplace located in 

Farm Fresh

Farm Fresh

Local farmers feed their communities By Sonia Duggan The farms that once dotted the countryside in Collin County and across the U.S. have given way to progress as developers snapped up land once farmed for generations. While progress is inevitable, especially for those of us 

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

Reporters find joy in working in their home market  By Don Munsch Allie Spillyards especially loved writing when she was growing up. Diana Zoga loved reading in her formative years. Their love of those life skills only helped them when they became storytellers. The kind