By Scott Harvey

– Area residents should soon be receiving their 2010 property tax appraisal notices in the mail.

County appraisal districts began sending out the letters Friday. May 31 is the deadline to file a formal protest based on the appraised value of your property.

Appraisal districts in the state evaluate property according to the Texas Property Tax Code and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP).

By Brent Lyday

Commerce – Texas A&M University-Commerce recently honored Dr. Richard De La Garza II, Ted Lyon Jr., and Dr. Johnette McKown as 2009 Distinguished Alumni during a recognition dinner in the Sam Rayburn Student Center.

Luke speaks with Bill Carey about striper fishing and other summer fishing in North and Northeast Texas.

Outdoors with Luke Clayton 5-5-10

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A convicted Greenville drug dealer is facing additional charges.

Last month Ernest Lee McFail of Greenville was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of dealing cocaine. He now faces more drug indictments.

Should McFail be convicted, the sentences could be stacked on top of the life sentence he is already serving.

By Scott Harvey

Mt. Pleasant – The Region D Water Planning Group will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Mt Pleasant Civic Center.

Consultants will report on comments received by the public on the Initially Prepared Plan. Nominations will be accepted for eight positions to serve as voting members of the group starting this September.

The Region D Group represents Northeast Texas Counties for future water development needs.

By Scott Harvey

Collin County – Area law enforcement has been busy the last several days cracking down on drugs.

The Commerce and A&M-Commerce Police Department Special Response Team conducted a search warrant Tuesday morning where they arrested a student for possession of marijuana. His name was not released.

By Scott Harvey

– More than 500 Hunt County residents took time to cast an early ballot for Saturday's elections.

Elections Administrator Mina Cook says 543 people had voted early. Those figures exclude ballots in Commerce, which were tallied at City Hall. As of Monday, 112 Commerce residents had cast a ballot.

Both Commerce and Greenville citizens will decide on a number of proposed changes to their charter. New city council and school board members will be chosen throughout the region as well.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A Greenville man with a history of family violence has now acquired a number of other convictions, plus a prison sentence.

Ronald Brian Farquhar pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of assault causing bodily injury, plus one count of family violence with previous conviction and retaliation.

Under a plea bargain arraignment, Farquhar was given 12 years in all four charges. He was alleged to have assaulted a female victim in three separate occasions in September and October 2009.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A guilty plea has been entered in a 2008 capitol murder case in Hunt County.

Jerry Lynn Phelps was facing a potential death sentence if found guilty during a jury trial which had been scheduled to begin in two weeks. Instead, Phelps was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Charlene Hoover Jones.

District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. said the prosecution was prepared to seek the death penalty and that no plea deal had been offered.

Dr. Dan Jones, president at Texas A&M University-Commerce, hosts The President's Table. On May 3, Dr. Jones welcomed guests concerning the developing ROTC program, the university's participation in the AVID Post-Secondary project, and recent recipients of teaching awards.