MITCHELL COUNTY — One man was killed and another injured after they were struck by an 18-wheeler while standing near the westbound lanes of I-20 in Mitchell County Tuesday morning. Skyler H. Anderson, 32, of Gilmer, was pronounced dead at the scene just west of Colorado City, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety press release. Oscar A. Garcia, 65, of Dallas, was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The press release stated Anderson and Garcia were standing in a ditch on the side of the interstate after a previous crash when an 18-wheeler swerved to avoid hitting a disabled vehicle, went into the ditch and struck the men.
FISHER COUNTY — Fisher County commissioners approved a $2,000 budget amendment to help the sheriff’s department pay for cost overruns that he says are the result of training. According to an article in the Double Mountain Chronicle, the department is training all employees to be certified to work at the jail.
SWEETWATER — The Sweetwater City Commission may become the Sweetwater City Council as part of the city’s charter review. The final decision will be made by the voters when a new proposed city charter is presented for approval in either November or May 2019, according to an article in the Sweetwater Reporter.
BIG SPRING — A man was pronounced dead last weekend in an apparent drowning. First responders were called to Moss Lake Sunday, where they spoke to individuals who said they were using an air mattress as a raft and the wind blew it away from the shoreline. The article stated that John Paul Rodriguez went underwater and never resurfaced. His body was recovered from the lake on Monday.
LAMESA — Ronald D. Smith Jr., of Austin, asked the Lamesa City Council to abandon several streets and alleys that cross through land he owns. He told the council he has been waiting “until the time is right” to begin building houses on that property. Smith said the land currently is laid out for 75 lots, but by taking out alleyways and redesigning the layout of streets, that can be increased to 94. “To keep the roads the way they are (required by city) would be a deal killer for me,” Smith said. “It’s just too expensive.”
SEMINOLE — Classes were scheduled to be “business as usual,” for the Seagraves and Seminole school districts in the wake of what has been discovered as an Ohio-based social media threat. According to officials with the Seagraves Police Department on their Facebook social media page, a late Wednesday Facebook post had been circulated around the Seagraves and Seminole areas, indicating that a person identified as “Ray Andres” intended to “bring a gun to school and do harm.”
GAINES COUNTY — A report of a vehicle driving in the wrong lane of traffic in northwestern Gaines County resulted in the arrest of two Mexican nationals and their pending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention hold, according to a press release issued by the Gaines County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s officials received an emergency call at 2:49 a.m. on Feb. 17 reporting “a blue, Chevrolet pickup with large wheels driving recklessly.” According to the press release, the informing party indicated the pickup truck was traveling southbound in the northbound lane.
BROWNFIELD — One of Brownfield’s oldest and most historic buildings will soon take on a new life, thanks to an intergovernmental agreement between the city and hospital. The former headquarters of the Brownfield Police Department on North 5th Street will become the home of the local ambulance service in roughly 90 days, according to an article in The Brownfield News. Preliminary design work has begun to remodel the building’s interior to convert office space into living areas for the ambulance service’s seven full-time and four part-time employees.