WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 47 Section 1 8 pages
November 27, 2024 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and Karen & Ed Spartz
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News
Montgomery, Texas 77356
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PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Texas DAR Coushatti Trace Christmas in Historic Weekly Chapter Welcomes Montgomery December 14 Gas Prices Vietnam Veterans Home
Average gasoline prices in Texas have fallen 0.4 cents per gallon in the last week, a v e r a g i n g $ 2 . 5 9 / g t o d a y, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 2.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 7.0 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 1.3 cents in the last week and stands at $3.503 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.18/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.87/g, a difference of $1.69/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.18/g while the highest was $3.87/g, a difference of $1.69/g. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.01/g today. The national average is down 11.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 23.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. Historical gasoline prices in Texas and the national average going back ten years: November 25, 2023: $2.66/g (U.S. Average: $3.24/g) November 25, 2022: $2.84/g (U.S. Average: $3.55/g) November 25, 2021: $2.95/g (U.S. Average: $3.38/g) November 25, 2020: $1.80/g (U.S. Average: $2.12/g) November 25, 2019: $2.24/g (U.S. Average: $2.60/g) November 25, 2018: $2.26/g (U.S. Average: $2.53/g) November 25, 2017: $2.26/g (U.S. Average: $2.50/g) November 25, 2016: $1.89/g (U.S. Average: $2.12/g) November 25, 2015: $1.84/g (U.S. Average: $2.05/g) November 25, 2014: $2.58/g (U.S. Average: $2.80/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.53/g, down 7.8 cents per gallon from last week's $2.61/g. San Antonio- $2.65/g, up 18.3 cents per gallon from last week's $2.47/g. Austin- $2.64/g, up 13.2 cents per gallon from last week's $2.51/g. “Ahead of Thanksgiving, motorists continue to be teased by the prospect of a $2.99 per gallon national average, a level now seen in 32 states. But for the last few weeks, the stars just haven’t quite aligned," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "Last week, Russia's threats after Ukraine used long-range U.S. missiles pushed oil prices back above $70 per barrel. Now, some promotions ahead of Thanksgiving are pushing gas prices back down, even as oil remains elevated. For now, we're just pennies away from the national average falling to $2.99, but for a third year, we may again fall short. As Americans prepare to hit the road for Thanksgiving, we're seeing the lowest national average price of gasoline since 2021, with a far better economic picture than when gas prices were last this low." SOURCE GasBuddy
The Holiday Market Place and Arts & Crafts 34th Annual Cookie Wa l k & 4 7 t h A n n u a l Candlelight Home Tour December 14 9am - 5pm
LtoR: Judge Edwards, Merrilee Gordon, Regent Kay Pontious, Bruce Seller, Tim Wilson, and Paul Scannell; at the recent DAR, Coushatti Trace Chapter, recognizing Vietnam War Veterans, Sellers, Wilson, and Scannell, with a huge Welcome Home and Thanks for their service to Our Nation by Ruben Borjas, Jr In a touching ceremony by the Coushatti Trace Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution here in Montgomery County, they welcomed three Vietnam Veterans home from their war service. The event was held this past Thursday at the West Conroe Baptist Church in Conroe at their monthly meeting. The celebration of service is part of the DAR's observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, which began Memorial Day 2012 and will continue until Veterans Day 2025. Each year the DAR welcomes Veterans of the South East Asian War for recognition, as part of their Welcome Home for service members. The DAR stands in for those who should have stood up
and offered thanks for the parts military members played while deployed to Vietnam, but due to the vile nature of politics at the time, certain segments of the population were disrespectful and cruel to the military, the Veterans faded into the background of society. The Coushatti Trace Chapter recognized three Montgomery County Vietnam Veterans, Paul Scannell, Bruce Sellers, and Tim Wilson, who all served honorably during the conflict, and made it back to restart their lives in America. These men served in a time when the country was not as supportive of the military as they should have been to the men and women in uniform. And some 50 years later, the DAR is working to correct those wrongs. The featured
guest speaker was former County Judge Jimmie Edwards, III, who is the Chairman of the Montgomery County Ve t e r a n s M e m o r i a l Commission. Judge Edwards is always a Marine Veteran who served i n Vi e t n a m , a n d w a s horribly wounded during his service in the conflict, and in a rare recounting of his story silenced the room. Scannell, Sellers, and Wilson were each presented with a DAR Certificate of Appreciation and a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin. There was also a special mention of retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Edward Brown, a previous honoree of the DAR ceremony, and who passed away recently. “We are honored today to recognize several Vietnam Veterans with a ceremony they should have
See Christmas, page 4
“Rolling Thunder” at Veteran’s Memorial Flag Park, and Lone Star Monument
Index Community........2, 3, 5, 7, 8 Commentary...................2, 3, 4
had when they were young men,“ said Kay Pontious, Regent for the Coushatti T r a c e C h a p t e r. “ We appreciate their service to Our Nation, and wish to provide some closure to the way they were treated when they returned home.” Judge Edwards gave an update on the MCVMC’s accomplishments, and the constant improvements being made to the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Flag Park, including the current status on ‘Honored Mission Hall,’ the new 10,000 sq .ft. building, at the park that will welcome visitors to the park and act as an Education Center, Museum, and Event Hall. “The park is a gift to the nation,” said Edwards. “It will be here long after I’m
Front row: RJOA Belles: Lyn Howard, Elaine Collings, Cindy Dittrich, Charlotte Belin, Mary Lee Malek, Dianne Kebodeaux. TEXAS Lone Star Volunteers & Friends of the Church Directory..............5 Flag Foundation for The Lone Star Monument & Historical Flag Park: Bernie Sanders, Legals.................................6 Doug Collings, Rusty McLaughlin, Red Shirt Volunteer, Owner: Mike Wilson, Ron Business Directory.............8 McAnear. (RJOA Not Pictured: Cynthia Connors, Shana Arthur.)
by Elaine Collings The Patriotic Rebel Belles of the Rebel Joan Of Arc 2721 Chapter, of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, celebrated Veterans Memorial Day with the devoted Texas History Guys, The Lone Star Volunteers - with “Rolling Thunder” Cannon, owned by Mike Wilson and other SRT Members. Many of the RED Shirted Cannon Crew are also Sons Of The R e p u b l i c o f Te x a s Presidents, and Past Presidents, as well as current Board Members of the Friends of the Flag Foundation for the Lone See Museum, page 2
MCTX Sheriff Arrests Suspect Involved in Road Rage On November 24, 2024, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office District 4 Patrol Division responded to Hardin Store Road and Trailwood Estates Drive after receiving multiple reports of vehicles being shot at. Upon arrival, deputies found the suspect's vehicle crashed at the intersection and immediately detained the driver. Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Homicide a n d Vi o l e n t C r i m e s detectives arrived at the scene and interviewed the suspect as well as several victims. Following these interviews, it was determined that during a road rage incident, the suspect, who was driving a gray Ford F150, intentionally rammed the back of the victim's vehicle before firing multiple shots. During the shooting, several rounds struck the victim's vehicle and also hit two other vehicles that were traveling in front of the victim. Shortly afterward, the suspect was involved in a crash at the scene, where deputies subsequently arrived. Fortunately, no one was injured during the shooting. The suspect has been identified as 53-year-old John Dyer from Magnolia, TX. Dyer was placed in custody for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $50,000 bond.