Author: Howe Enterprise

The Howe Police Department announced a Criminal Mischief Alert.  According to HPD, there were numerous vehicles egged last night (12/23) on Swanner, Timbercreek, and other areas. Please be alert to suspicious vehicles cruising your neighborhoods. Contact us via the non-emergency Grayson County Sheriff’s Office number 903-813-4411 to have an officer dispatched. Please contact Howe PD if you have information concerning the identity of the individuals responsible.

Dec 19 – Howe Police Officer Jamie Morris took a theft report from a business in the 1500 block of South Collins Freeway in which a 2011 John Deere Gator was stolen. The theft was discovered after the ATV was recovered abandoned on Bost Road with the wheels and tires removed. Anyone with suspect information is asked to contact the Howe Police Department.

Dec 18 – At approximately 7 am, HPD Officer Keith Milks responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the 600 block of South Maple Street. A 27-year-old woman reported being struck in the face by her 27-year-old boyfriend, of Anna, Texas. The suspect left the scene prior to the officer arriving. An arrest warrant was obtained and the suspect was arrested at the police department that evening for Assault Causing Bodily Injury – Family Violence.

Dec 15 – At approximately 11 am, HPD Officer Jamie Morris took a theft report from a resident in the 300 block of Elm Street. The homeowner reported a theft of a FedEx package that was confirmed as delivered on December 14.

Dec 13 – At approx 8:35, HPD Officer David Morris responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the 1100 block of Reed Circle. A 23-year-old man was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury – Family Violence for assaulting his 28-year-old brother.

Dec 12 – At approx 2pm, HPD Officer David Morris arrested a 20-year-old Missouri man for Possession of a Dangerous Drug after stopping him for speeding on US Hwy 75. Officer Morris recovered ADHD medication inside the suspect’s vehicle. The medication was in a prescription bottle labeled for a different medication, and prescribed to someone else.

Dec 6 – HPD Officer Brandon Ozuna responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Timbercreek in reference to a possible motor vehicle accident. The officer met with a 19-year-old Sherman woman who reported running off the roadway on FM 902. The officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on her breath and signs of intoxication. Her vehicle, a 2003 Hyundai was found sitting upright in the bottom of the creek along FM 902 near Timbercreek. The suspect consented to a blood draw and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The suspect will be filed on for DWI.

Dec 1 – At approx 11 am, HPD officers responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence in the 900 block of S. Farmington. Det. Keith Milks arrested the 27-year-old resident for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. Investigation revealed that the suspect assaulted his live-in girlfriend’s 25-year-old brother.

Photos by Keri Harvey

Howe citizens are receiving letters regarding a failure to properly test for lead and copper in the water system.  TCEQ requires municipalities to send out letters any time a failure in testing occurs.  The City of Dorchester also failed to send in the testing to TCEQ and they are sending letters out also.

Howe Mayor Jeff Stanley released the following statement.

“To the citizens of Howe:

Most of you received a letter form the Public Works Director, David Wortham, that the city violated the monitoring and reporting requirements set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality(TCEQ).

The test that were missed were for Lead & Copper, and have been missed for the past two years. When this happens a notice has to go out to the water users. It does not mean that your water is not drinkable, it is just a notice that has to go out by law. A test has been scheduled for January 1st.

2014 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report CCR)

 

Dear Santa,

I want a tractor, a car with a truck, a game Mindcraft for my ds, frosty the snowman movie. I will leave you carrots and apples because when Santa was here he said his reindeer like apples and carrots.

Love,

Aydan Chantaca

 

Dear Santa,

I am five years old. What I want for Christmas is a remote control boat, two fish, a stuffed animal ducky, a monster truck, an IPhone 4, an I pad and two real fish. I will leave you chocolate chip cookies to eat and milk to drink.

Love,

James Henry Delavan

 

Dear Santa,

I want an I pod touch, an I pad, computer, a Kindle, a Leapfrog and that is all. There will be a gingerbread house at my house for you. What do you like to drink?

Love,

Noah Ryan Fox

 

Dear Santa,

I want a princess and a little Monster High and a big Monster High and I want… hum, a Santa sleigh and a movie

that is called the Three Musketeers. I love you.

Lilliane Raley Freeman

 

Dear Santa,

I want a Super Mario game, a game for my DS, and a movie about Super Mario Luige movie.

I am going to leave you cookies to eat.

Love,

Javier Guiterrez

 

Dear Santa,

I want a Barbie, a princess, a frosty the snowman movie,and a key chain. I am going to leave you shape cookies and milk. They will be on my table in my living room.

Love,

Hannah Ingram

 

Dear Santa,

I want a Ipad, a truck, and magnets. Chocolate chip cookies will be on my table for you to eat.

 Love,

Dylan Mayhue

 

Dear Santa,

I want an IPhone 4 to call my dad and play games, a lot of games on them. I would also like a white cat named Fluffy. I want Frosty the Snowman movie. I will leave you some vanilla ice cream to eat.

Love,

Ethan Potter

 

Dear Santa,

I want a teddy bear, a monster truck toy, a tractor toy, and a horse toy.    I will be leaving you chocolate cookies.

Love,

Yahir Rangel

 

Dear Santa,

I want for Christmas is Junie B. Jones books, a toy fish, a toy dog, and Lego friends and sockins.  I will leave you cookies on my living room table.

Love,

Alex Reed

 

Dear Santa,

I want a PSP, a 3 DS and a game called Smash.

I am leaving you probably chocolate chip cookies and carrots and apples for the reindeer.

Love,

Malachi Simpson

 

Dear Santa,

I want a Monster truck with a controller, a Santa sleigh, a reindeer, snowman, and a person who has a fishing pole and a fish. I am going to leave you pepperoni and carrots and candy canes and carrots.

Love,

Bob Wilson

 

Dear Santa,

I want two elves and a trampoline and an IPhone 4 and a cookie maker and an ice cream maker and that is it. A gingerbread cookie will be left on the bricks on the chimney on the front of it.

Love,

Kalynne Wilson

 

Dear Santa,

I want high heels, a Barbie house, Barbie, and a Monster High Barbie. I am going to leave you Chinese and Mexican food to eat.

Love,

Brinley Zolfaghari

In a year that saw Howe restart its chamber of commerce, hire a full-time economic development president, land three new retail businesses and a new apartment complex, the State Comptroller Glen Hegar revealed that Howe has eclipsed the previous high in sales tax with a 2015 total of $308,689.11 which is up 12.44 percent equating to $34,163.72 from 2014’s total of $274,525.39.

The 2014 total was the previous high of any year since the 1992 recordings. The largest jump from one year to the next happened from 1997 to 1998 when the revenue increased by $51,212.86. That year’s increase was due to the adoption of the 4B sales tax funding, therefore making this year’s increase the largest jump with all things equal.

Howe’s 12.44 percent change ranks the city 265 out of 1152 Texas communities. In comparison to other surrounding communities, Van Alstyne increased 8.27 percent, Anna increased 7.25 percent, Denison increased 4.45 percent and Sherman increased 2.10 percent.

By percentage growth in sales tax revenue, Howe compares to nearby communities of Princeton, 12.61 percent; Wylie 12.82 percent; Leonard 13.34 percent and Whitewright, 13.47 percent.

Howe and Whitewright’s sales tax revenue numbers are nearly identical on a monthly revenue basis and a year-end total. The total of $309,799.20 shows an increase for Whitewright above their $273,020.36 from 2014. However, Whitewright is just now coming back after a massive fall off of $420,888.59 total in 2011 to $271,629.03 in 2012.

“This is only the beginning of what will be an economic transformation of Howe.” says Howe’s President of Economic Development. “Being located on US 75 gives us a great opportunity in the next 10 years to go from this new accomplished goal of $300,000 to $1,000,000 by 2025. I really feel like we are on track and can look 14 miles to the south to back up those goals.” Anna went from $353,781 in 2005 to $1,472,317 in 2015.

The north to south US 75 corridor in sales tax revenue:

Denison, $5,896,065, +4.45%
Sherman, $18,336,491, +2.10%
Howe, $308,689, +12.44%
Van Alstyne, $984,349, +8.27%
Anna, $1,472,317, +7.25%
Melissa, $1,706,728 -0.65%
McKinney, $43,383,455, +7.50%
Fairview, $3,045,766, +4.22%
Allen, $35,478,210, +0.44%
Plano, $77,558,042, +2.87%
Richardson, $31,751,701, +5.48%
Dallas, $272,645,990, +6.11%