🗺️ MICROPLEX NEWS 🗺️
Data center letters • Roos top Pirates • Sunny Saturday 👇
📅 October 17th, 2026AD
The top 10 stories everyone around the Hood County Microplex is talking about right now.
📋 TODAY'S TOP 10
1. 💧 AG water letters reach Hood
2. ☀️ Sunny and 65; 71 Sunday
3. 🏈 Roos beat Pirates 54-20
4. 🐕 Reward for missing school dog
5. 🔆 Solar farm zone near Graford
6. 🛣️ Willow Park road vote
7. 🎓 WC scholarships up 35.5%
8. 🐯 Glen Rose routs Hillsboro
9. 🚓 Cleburne safety bond vote
10. 🎨 Art sale and show opens
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💧 AG'S DATA CENTER WATER LETTERS REACH HOOD COUNTY
Hood County data center developments got letters from Attorney General Ken Paxton's office demanding up-to-date and accurate water-use information, the office said Thursday.
In all, 156 developments in 32 counties got letters, including ones that have not answered a Texas Water Development Board water-use survey.
The release does not name companies or projects, say how many letters went to Hood County or allege that any developer broke the law.
Sailfish Investors, developer of the proposed Comanche Circle data center park near Tolar, told HCE its project did not get one.
"Data center developers must follow the law and respect the Texans and communities affected by their operations," Paxton said.
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☀️ SUNNY AND 65 TODAY; 71 ON SUNDAY
Granbury's airport reported 45 degrees and clear skies at 8:15 a.m., according to the KGDJ weather observation.
Expect a sunny day with a high near 65 and a north wind around 10 mph, the National Weather Service says.
Tonight turns mostly clear with a low around 43. Sunday stays sunny with a high near 71.
No weather watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for Hood County this morning.
🌡️ Granbury, 8:15 a.m.: 45°, clear
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🏈 ROOS ROLL PAST PIRATES 54-20 IN WEATHERFORD
Weatherford's football team overcame a slow start to beat Granbury 54-20 at home Friday night, The Community News reported.
Granbury led 13-7 after a 21-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Johnson to Brayden Pugh and a short Johnson run.
Roos quarterback Braelyn Jones then threw scoring passes to Jakob Hemphill, Parker Clark and Austin Moore for a 26-13 halftime lead.
Weatherford improves to 5-2 and 3-1 in district and plays at Aledo on Friday, Oct. 23. Granbury falls to 2-5 and hosts Arlington Sam Houston that night, according to MaxPreps.
📍 Next: Pirates host Sam Houston Oct. 23
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🐕 $2,000 REWARD OFFERED FOR STEPHENVILLE SCHOOL DOG
A family is offering a $2,000 reward for information that brings home Ruffles, a facility dog at Henderson Junior High in Stephenville, WFAA reported Friday.
The blonde poodle was last seen Sunday, Oct. 11, near the Diamond C Ranch Estates off Highway 281. She was not wearing a collar.
Caretaker Brittany Howell told Beneath the Surface News she saw a white pickup drive past Ruffles and make a U-turn. The family fears the man in the pickup has her.
School officials said Ruffles may be disoriented or scared.
📞 Tips: 254-592-9165
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🔆 PALO PINTO SETS ZONE FOR $182M SOLAR FARM
Palo Pinto County commissioners on Tuesday made an area around Graford a tax reinvestment zone for a planned solar farm with an expected $182 million taxable value, the Weatherford Democrat reported.
County Judge Shane Long said the zone lies west of Graford, bounded on the south by Texas 337, and runs northwest into Jack County.
It could lead to a tax abatement for Texas AMK Solar, but details still have to be worked out.
"We've been working on this project for five years," developer John Lichtenberger said.
Long, who typically opposes tax abatements for incoming industry, said he will wait for the development agreement details.
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🛣️ WILLOW PARK VOTERS TO DECIDE $10.1M ROAD PLAN
Willow Park voters will decide by Nov. 3 whether the city can issue up to $10.1 million in certificates of obligation for road and infrastructure work, The Community News reported.
Council members planned to issue the certificates late last year, but a petition drive forced the question onto the ballot.
The main target, the Squaw Creek Road area, has been plagued by deteriorating roads, bad drainage and leaking water mains.
If it fails, City Manager Toni Fisher said, the city could not issue or even request a vote on such certificates for three more years.
📅 Early voting Oct. 19-30
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🎓 WC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS JUMP 35.5%
The Weatherford College Foundation awarded $479,645 in scholarships during the 2025-26 academic year, up 35.5% from the year before, the Weatherford Democrat reported.
Over the past three years, the foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million, and more than $2.1 million over five.
Its net assets rose 11.3% during the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31.
Grants or scholarships now reach 88% of WC's enrollment, according to the college's president.
Foundation President Brent Gough credited donors and volunteers for the 35% jump in support.
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🐯 GLEN ROSE ROLLS PAST HILLSBORO 58-7
Glen Rose beat Hillsboro 58-7 at home Friday night for its most lopsided win of the season, according to MaxPreps.
Quarterback Judd Connally threw for 239 yards and four touchdowns, and Thomas Littlejohn rushed for 202 yards.
The win came a week after a 56-17 loss to Brock and lifts Glen Rose to 5-3.
Next up is a home game against Kemp at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
📍 Next: Kemp at Glen Rose, Oct. 30
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🚓 CLEBURNE VOTERS WEIGH $62.5M SAFETY BOND
Cleburne voters will decide whether to authorize up to $62.5 million in general obligation bonds to build a new public safety facility, the Cleburne Times-Review reported.
It would put the police department, fire administration and Municipal Court under one roof, along with an emergency operations center and training space.
Plans call for a building of about 62,310 square feet on six acres of city-owned land at North Nolan River Road and Airport Drive.
Today's police headquarters dates to 1966-67, when Cleburne had about 15,700 residents, compared with an estimated 39,000 now.
City estimates put the cost at about $53.17 a year for every $100,000 in taxable property value.
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🎨 LAKE GRANBURY ART SALE AND SHOW OPENS TODAY
The Lake Granbury Art Association Sale and Show opens today at 224A N. Travis St. in Granbury, the Hood County News reported.
It runs Oct. 17-18 and again Oct. 22-25.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Oct. 22-24, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 25.
📍 224A N. Travis St., Granbury
🕒 Today: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
💧 AG water-use letters reach Hood County data center projects.
🏈 Weatherford beats Granbury 54-20.
🚓 Cleburne votes on a $62.5 million public safety bond.
☀️ Sunny today with a high near 65.
Six counties. One region. Plenty happening.
Hood County Express — Est'd 1/26 🚂
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