Shelby County Today

March 2, 2022 - Officials with the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, Sabine and Angelina National Forests, have advised two prescribed burns today locations:

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Angelina N. F. - Compartment 15, Located at Townsend Recreation Park only, 35 acres, Block I Only. Winds are predicted from the Southwest and at 12:00 South  2-7 MPH. This will be a hand control burn.

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Sabine N. F. - Compartment 66, Located in the Black Ankle Community on Forest Service Road 108 and SAB Caesar Smith Drive, 1048 Acres, Block D Only, with Helicopter support. Winds are predicted from the Southeast and at 12:00 South 2-6 MPH.

Please drive with caution. Also, we advised and long range drift SMOKE may affect some of the areas.

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March 1, 2022 - Officials with the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, Sabine National Forest, have advised a prescribed burn today located in Compartment 73, 594 acres, with Helicopter support. Located around the Pendleton Harbor Community (Block A) off the Elma Lane road. Winds are predicted from the at 3-6mph. Please drive with caution. Also, we advised and long range drift SMOKE may affect some of the areas.

To the registered voters of the County of Shelby, Texas:

March 1, 2022 (English/Spanish) - Notice is hereby given that the polling places listed below will be open from 7am to 7pm, March 1, 2022, for voting in the general primary election for the Republican Party to nominate Members of Congress, Members of the Legislature, and state, district, county, and precinct officers.

Locations of polling places

Precinct number - Voting location

• 1 N Center - First United Methodist Church, 211 N. Porter Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SO Center - Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SE Center - Panola College, 3600 Loop 500, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SW Center - Center Community House, 423 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 W Center - JOI Ranch, 5198 FM 2026, Center, Texas 75935
• 2 Excelsior - Excelsior School, 11280 St. Hwy 7W, Center, Texas 75935
• 3 Sardis - Campti Pentecostal Church, 6153 FM 414, Center, Texas 75935
• 4 Huxley - Lydia Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 14998 FM 139, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 5 Joaquin - First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 175 Faulkville Road, Joaquin, Texas 75954
• 6 Dreka - Dreka Pentecostal Church Fellowship Hall, 1193 FM 2427, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 7 Shelbyville - First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 8 Tenaha - First Methodist Church - Schiede Hall, 256 N. George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas 75974
• 9N Timpson - American State Bank Annex, 830 N 1st Street West, Timpson, Texas 75975
• 9S Timpson - Timpson School Gym Foyer, 836 Bear Drive, Timpson, Texas 75935

Early voting by personal appearance will be conducted each weekday at:
Center Community House, 423 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935 between the hours of 8am and 5pm beginning on February 14, 2022 and ending February 25, 2022.

Application for ballot by mail shall be mailed to:
Jennifer Fountain - Shelby County Clerk, P.O. Box 1987, Center, Texas 75935.

Application for ballots by mail must be received no later than the close of business on February 18, 2022.

Issued this the 7th day of February, 2022.

February 28, 2022 - The Public Utility Commission of Texas has approved a base rate increase for Southwestern Electric Power Co., a unit of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP).

The PUCT approved the increase in base rates to recover SWEPCO’s investments in generation, transmission and distribution facilities since 2016, plus increased operations and maintenance costs to provide reliable and safe service to Texas customers. The Commission also approved cost recovery for the Dolet Hills Power Plant, which was retired Dec. 31, 2021.

The bill for a Texas residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) will increase approximately $8.31 per month, or 8.48%. The increase will begin with bills issued March 1.

The overall increase includes new base rates, a surcharge to recover retroactive amounts for the base rate increase, and cost recovery for the retirement of the Dolet Hills Power Plant. By Texas law, new rates are retroactive to March 18, 2021. The surcharge for the retroactive amounts will be in effect for an estimated six months. The PUCT found the early retirement of Dolet Hills to be prudent and established cost recovery separate from base rates through a rate rider, estimated to be in effect through 2046, the previously PUCT-approved life for the plant.

For commercial, industrial, municipal and lighting rate classes, the new base rate impacts vary by rate class and usage characteristics.

“The base rate increase is necessary for SWEPCO to continue meeting customers’ expectations and to maintain and operate a strong, reliable electric system,” said SWEPCO President and Chief Operating Officer Malcolm Smoak.

“We recognize that customers are concerned about their energy costs, especially during the pandemic,” said Smoak. “We will continue to work with customers to help them stay on track with their electric bills.”

Base rates refer to the costs of building, maintaining and operating SWEPCO’s electric system, including power plants, transmission and distribution lines, and facilities to serve customers. Base rates do not include the fuel portion of the customer’s bill, which pays for fuel and purchased power and is passed through to customers with no profit to the company.

SWEPCO filed its request at the PUCT on Oct. 13, 2020. The PUCT decision authorized an annual increase of $41.6 million in its Nov. 18, 2021, order and Jan. 14, 2022, final order.

SWEPCO serves 187,500 customers in Northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle.