The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is warning all bars and restaurants to follow state COVID-19 protocols or have their license suspended. Those protocols include indoor customer capacity limits of 50% for bars and 75% for restaurants, and separation of at least six feet between customer groups.

The Wood County EDC is providing $200,000 in financial help to local businesses in the county. Wood County businesses should contact the EDC at 903-768-2402 to find out details of the program. Companies can also email the Executive Director of the EDC for more information, RJohnson@mywoodcounty.com.

One man is dead, and another faces murder charges after a Thursday morning shooting in the Rhonesboro area west of Gilmer. After being shot and the suspect had left, witnesses told Upshur County Deputies a person had been taken by private vehicle to a hospital in Quitman after the shooting. …

Hopkins County Emergency Management will host state COVID-19 testing tomorrow from 9:00 until 5:00 at Shannon Oaks Church. The test will be a “ drive-thru,” and the person tested must remain in the vehicle. A lab processes the swab other than the collection site, and they will notify the individual …

Texas Senator John Cornyn says he is introducing a bipartisan bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Although President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the document only freed slaves in Confederate-controlled areas. The word of the end of slavery did not reach Texas until June 19, 1865, two …

From the US Attorney’s Office According to U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox, the Eastern District of Texas sentenced a 41-year-old Hughes Springs man to federal prison for drug trafficking crimes. Oscar Dean Davis pleaded guilty on Feb. 4, 2020, to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine and was sentenced …

Maurine Hammond Photo Courtesy of OU Price College of Business The Paris EDC Board of Directors appointed Maurine Hammond of Norman, Oklahoma, to become the new Executive Director. Hammond has been with the Norman Economic Development Coalition since 2003 and is currently Interim President of the Organization. Contract negotiations are …

Local governments can require businesses to require customers and workers to wear face masks. Governor Abbott issued his order after one of the state’s most populous counties ordered such a measure. Bexar County’s law takes effect Monday. Fines for violators are up to $1,000 Hidalgo County implemented a similar rule. …

Gov. Greg Abbott told state lawmakers Thursday morning that Texas public school students would be going to school in person this fall. The TEA said school districts would not be required to order students to wear masks or to test them for COVID-19. There will also be leeway for families …

Thursday, June 18, the Paris-Lamar County Health District was notified of another death related to COVID-19. This death is not associated with a nursing home facility. It comprises 13 COVID-19 related deaths, nine associated with Paris Healthcare Center, one with Stillhouse, and three are unrelated. As of today, 6/18/2020 Lamar …