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The Temple Daily Telegram

Sharing a partnership with its community

Sue Mayborn

President, Editor and Publisher

The Temple Daily Telegram, a Texas “Newsroom of the Year.”

The Temple Daily Telegram is a committed partner to its readers, its advertisers and its community. As evidence of this commitment look no further than the recent statewide awards in which The Telegram received 11 statewide journalism awards and was named a Texas “Newsroom of the Year” by the Texas Association of Managing Editors. “We have a strong commitment to the communities we serve,” said Sue Mayborn, the Telegram’s Editor and Publisher. “We work daily to bring you the news that is important to your daily lives. It is our job to present the information to you fairly and accurately.” Local officials and civic leaders appreciate the role the newspaper plays as it strives to cover the news in Temple, Belton and the surrounding area with a comprehensive report in print and online. More often than not, the Telegram is the only news media present for city council meetings, school board meetings, Temple College trustee meetings, county commissioners meetings, high school games and other events. The Telegram has expanded regional coverage through FME News Service – a joint initiative with the Killeen Daily Herald. Combined, the two newspapers have the region’s largest news gathering operation. The newspapers also collaborate to publish Tex Appeal Magazine. The bi-monthly publication is distributed in each newspaper and also is available at dozens of Bell County locations. The Telegram print edition reaches a large audience that includes an estimated readership of 23,000 daily and 26,000 on Sunday. The Telegram continues to invest in its website. The Telegram’s website, tdtnews.com, received over 9 million page views last year. It features local news, sports and entertainment along with an electronic version of the print edition and more than 240,000 archived articles and photos available to subscribers. The site was recognized as the “Online Newspaper of the Year” two years in a row by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.

The Telegram’s news app gives users instant access to the website as well as breaking news alerts from their phone, tablet or mobile device. The app can be downloaded for free at the Apple App Store or Google Play. The Telegram and Herald launched JobsCentralTexas.com, a locally based employment site designed to connect job seekers and employers. The Telegram also operates CentralTexasTickets. com, which helps local organizations promote and sell tickets to their events. The site has generated over 22,000 ticket sales and more than $300,000 for local entities since its launch in 2019. The Telegram has produced the Fort Hood Sentinel via a contract with the U.S. Army for more than 70 years. The weekly newspaper is distributed to all onpost housing and hundreds of newsstands across the region. “We feel strongly as a locally owned newspaper that we are in a position to better serve our communities and take an active role in supporting projects and programs that make Central Texas a great place to live,” Mrs. Mayborn said.

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Area communities grow

BY CHRISTIAN BETANCOURT, TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Temple is surrounded by many small communities that have experienced growth, including Troy, Little River-Academy and Morgan’s Point Resort. In Troy, City Administrator Gary Smith said the city has seen significant residential growth with no sign of stopping with a population of 3,011. “The April-to-April numbers show 192 new home starts,” he said. “The 2010 population was 1,645, so Troy has seen an 83% population growth since then. There are two residential subdivisions under construction now, with two more in the platting process. We expect at least one more in the very near future.” An Ace Hardware store plans to open in July 2022 near Church Avenue and Carter Spur. Businesses that opened from 2021 to 2022 include First National Bank of Moody on the intersection of West Main and Lee Mays Boulevard, Uncle Cal’s Smokehouse takeout restaurant in the 200 block of North Central Avenue, Troy Lumberyard Tavern and Market on Main Street, Troy Nutrition Smoothie and Juice Bar in the shopping strip at 309 N. Central Ave. and Dough Mama’s Bakery at 309 N. Central Ave. Several of the existing business in Troy expanded their offerings to better serve the community. Trojan Car Wash on West Main expanded to include an automated car wash and on-site storage, and

the Dollar General added a produce area to meet the growing demand for those products. The city of Troy is preparing two significant projects on West Main Street to add sidewalks from Mays Middle School to the Turtle Creek Subdivision. The city is also planning to rebuild West Main Street from Interstate 35 to the west near Turtle Creek Subdivision. Troy Independent School

District completed improvements on several campuses following its 2019 bond package. Morgan’s Point Resort averages about 15 to 25 homes built every year, according to City Administrator Dalton Rice. Three neighborhoods are being built with about 64 homes at Rancho Del Lago Phase VI, 16 at Cliffs at Lakewood, and 25 at Cliff at Lake Belton Phase II. Morgan’s Point Resort has a population of about 5,000 people and is in the process of becoming a home rule city. The city is surrounded by Lake Belton, which many throughout the region enjoy. There are three mapped Paddle Trails through Texas Parks and Wildlife with entrances at the community center, marina and Rogers Park. The Resort Disk Golf Course at Ansay Park, a 9-hole disk golf course, was completed this year. A new park addition near the community center was added for all ages to enjoy the views, relax and play. Little River-Academy has a population of about 2,000 residents in a growing small city south of Temple, A new Academy High School project will be built by Academy ISD in the city during the summer of 2022. Businesses in the city continue to grow. The Texas comptroller reported in May that the city would receive $13,049 in sales tax revenue. That amount is a 2.65% increase from last year.

Lake Belton Sunrise. Photo by Dean Winkler

Local Elected Officials

Temple

Population: 85,261 City Hall: 2 N. Main St. Phone: 254-298-5700 City Council • Mayor: Tim Davis • Jessica Walker • Judy Morales (Mayor pro tem) • Susan Long • Wendell Williams

Belton

Population: 24,517 City Hall: 333 Water St. Phone: 254-933-5818 City Council • Mayor: Wayne Carpenter • John Holmes • Dan Kirkley • Craig Pearson • David K. Leigh (Mayor pro tem) • Daniel Bucher • Stephanie O’Banion

Bartlett

Population: 1,782 City Hall: 140 W. Clark St. Phone: 254-527-3219 City Council: • Mayor: Chad Mees • Philip Weaver (Mayor pro tem) • Vickie Cooper • Gayle Jones • Jesse Luna • Ray Uson

Cameron

Population: 5,290 City Hall: 100 S. Houston Ave. Phone: 254-697-6646 • Mayor Bill Harris • Virgie Hardeman (Mayor pro tem) • Maurice Goza • Nathan Fuchs • Kyle Dean • Lekethia Sims • Cliff Cryer

Holland

Population: 1,204 City Hall: 102 W. Travis St. Phone: 254-657-2460 City Council • Mayor pro tem: Johnny Kallus • Oscar Perez • Dale Rendon • Doug McNulty • AJ Hill

Little River-Academy

Population: 2,080 City Hall: 509 E. Main St. Phone: 254-982-4248 City Council • Mayor: Drew Lanham • Domingo Montalbo (Mayor pro tem) • Jack Bennett • Russ Nelson • David Newsome • Paul Williams

Morgan’s Point Resort

Population: 5,078 City Hall: 8 Morgan’s Point Blvd. Phone: 254-780-1334 City Council • Mayor: Dennis Green • Donna Hartman (Mayor pro tem) • Bruce Leonhardt • Larry Gossett • Robbie Johnson • Shawn Knuckles

Rogers

Population: 1,396 City Hall: 2 W. Mesquite Ave. Phone: 254-642-3312 City Council • Mayor: Bill Crow • Ernest Stroud (Mayor pro tem) • Samantha Bell • Doyle Ray Harris • Tammy Cockrum • Jeff Watson

Salado

Population: 2,848 City Hall: 301 Stagecoach Road Phone: 254-947-5060 Board of Aldermen • Mayor: Michael Coggin • Rodney Bell (Mayor pro tem) • D. Jasen Graham • John Cole • Jason Howard • Paul Cox • Don Ferguson (village administrator)

Troy

Population: 2,375 City Hall: 201 E. Main St. Phone: 254-938-2505 City Council • Mayor: Ethan Baker • Ann Erickson Gault (Mayor pro tem) • Edna Abrahim • Theresa Brooks • David Hamilton • Ellen Hodorek • Rebecca Chamberlain Creanga

Elected Officials

CONGRESS

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas Central Texas office, 221 W. Sixth St., Austin. 512-469-6034 U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas Central Texas office, 300 E. Eighth St., Suite 961, Austin. 512-9335834 U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock Bell County Office, 6544B S. General Bruce Drive, Temple. 254933-1932

STATE

State Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway Bell County Office, 2180 N. Main St. Belton. 254-939-3854 State Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple 4 S. First St., Temple. 254-742-7616 State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado 1301 N. Stagecoach Road, Salado. 254-947-5026

BELL COUNTY

Commissioners Court 101 E. Central Ave., Belton Bell County Judge David Blackburn 254-933-5105 Bell County Precinct 1 Commissioner Russell Schneider 254-933-5101 Bell County Precinct 2 Commissioner Bobby Whitson 254-933-5102 Bell County Precinct 3 Commissioner Bill Schumann 254-933-5103 Bell County Precinct 4 Commissioner John Driver 254-933-5104 County Clerk Shelley Coston 254-933-5165 County Attorney James E. Nichols 254-933-5135 Sheriff Eddy Lange 254-933-5400 Tax Assessor Collector Shay Luedeke 254-933-5318 Treasurer Gaylon Evans 254-933-5252 District Attorney Henry Garza 254-933-5215 District Clerk Joanna Staton 254-933-5197 Peace Justice, Pct. 1 Theodore R Duffield 254-933-5183 Peace Justice, Pct. 2 Cliff Coleman 254-933-5398 Peace Justice, Pct. 3 Place 1 Keith Reed 254-770-6822 Peace Justice, Pct. 3 Place 2 G.W. Ivey 254-770-6831 Peace Justice, Pct. 4 Place. 1 Gregory Johnson 254-634-5882 Peace Justice, Pct. 4, Place 2 Bill Cooke 254-634-7612 Constable Pct. 1 Pat A. Duffield 254-933-5916 Constable Pct. 2 Rolly Correa 254-933-5987 Constable Pct. 3 Devin Rosenthal 254-770-6808 Constable Pct. 4 Martha Dominguez 254-634-6263