News

Commerce ISD superintendent Blake Cooper says the new UIL enrollment limits for the various classifications will have little effect on Commerce High School.  It will be in the 3A, Division 1 division, but that is essentially the same as 2A, Division 1 currently, because the UIL is redesignating its divisions from the largest (5A to 6A) to the smallest (six-man to 1A).  Also, Cooper says the school board hopes that its approval of the Freeport Exemption for manufacturing companies will help attract industry to the city. 

Most of those who lost electrical service in Friday's ice storm have had power restored, but continued outages in some areas and icy driving conditions around the region mean that Monday will not be a business-as-usual day in Northeast Texas.

The following schools are closed on Monday:

Friday's ice storm left hundreds of Northeast Texas residents without electricity. For those whose home relies on electricity for heat, the lack of power is more than a nuisance. With overnight low temperatures expected in the mid-teens, a couple of buildings in Northeast Texas have been opened to those seeking shelter from the cold.

In Commerce, the Emergency Management staff have opened First Baptist Church at 1401 Washington Street as a warming station from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday, and then 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Sunday.

First United Methodist Church of Commerce senior pastor Valarie Englert says a sermon from the Old Testmament on the "refiner's fire" helped her learn to focus on the essence of Christmas.  She recommends a book called "Unplug the Christmas Machine."

Saturday's Texarkana Bowl football game, which had been scheduled for Dec. 7, has been rescheduled for Friday, Dec. 13. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m.

The game, which features Texas A&M University-Commerce against Harding University, will be played at Razorback Stadium in Texarkana, Ark.

The likelihood of an ice storm hitting the region is playing Scrooge with events around the area this week. A list of delays, closures and cancelations follows.

Canceled: