October 2026

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H O O D C O U N T Y EXPRESS

T R U T H . A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y . C O M M U N I T Y .

OCTOBER 3, 2026 MONTHLY / FIRST SATURDAY HOOD COUNTY, TEXAS

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 01

VOTER GUIDE 02–03 / RECALL 04 / FLOCK 05 / DRONE DEAL 06 Logsdon and Wolf meet voters Monday

Courtesy Janet Logsdon campaign Courtesy Alex Wolf campaign

JANET LOGSDON

City Council / Place 4

ALEX WOLF

City Council / Place 6

YOUR CITY. YOUR QUESTIONS.

GRANBURY — Janet Logsdon and Alex Wolf will take residents’ questions at Monday’s community forum at Generations Church. The moderated conversation concerns the city’s future.

City filings list Logsdon and incumbent Gary “Skip” Overdier for Place 4. Wolf is unopposed for Place 6. The seats carry three-year terms.

Election day is November 3. Early voting begins October 19. The complete supplied voter guide follows on pages 2–3.

Source: HCE forum announcement; city candidate filings

MONDAY, OCT. 5 / 6–8 P.M.

Generations Church • 5718 E. Highway 377, Granbury

OPINION / HCE ENDORSEMENT — Hood County Express endorses Janet Logsdon for Granbury City Council, Place 4.

We support her emphasis on transparency, accountability and a stronger voice for residents,

including her opposition to unwanted data centers.

Public office is a responsibility to the community, not a position above it. We believe Janet understands that distinction.

Source: HCE endorsement

ALSO INSIDE

Lake & Evelynn / 07 • Beau Harris / 08

911 staffing & utilities / 08

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

THE VOTER GUIDE 02

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 02

2026 GENERAL ELECTION / TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 THE CHOICES. YOUR VOTE.

The Hood County Republican Party’s selections. Races vary by precinct; consult your official ballot.

FEDERAL & STATE STATE & COURTS COUNTY & CITY

Ken Paxton U.S. Senate

Roger Williams U.S. House, District 25

Greg Abbott Governor

Dan Patrick Lieutenant Governor

Mayes Middleton Attorney General

Donald Huffines Comptroller of Public Accounts

Dawn Buckingham General Land Office

Nate Sheets Agriculture Commissioner

Bo French Railroad Commissioner

Jimmy Blacklock Chief Justice, Supreme Court

James Sullivan Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2

Kyle Hawkins Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7

Source: Hood County Republican Party voter guide

Brett Busby Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8

Thomas Smith Criminal Appeals, Place 3

Kevin Yeary Criminal Appeals, Place 4

John Messinger Criminal Appeals, Place 9

David Cook Texas Senate, District 22

Shelby Slawson Texas House, District 59

Scott Brister Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals

Scott K. Field 15th Court of Appeals, Place 2

April Farris 15th Court of Appeals, Place 3

Chris Taylor 2nd Court of Appeals, Place 2

Brian Walker 2nd Court of Appeals, Place 7

Brian Bufkin 355th District Court

David Cook Special election: Texas Senate 22

Source: Hood County Republican Party voter guide

Mark Lowery County Judge

Richard L. Hattox Judge, County Court at Law

Melanie Graft District Clerk

Christine Leftwich County Clerk

Leigh Ann McCoy County Treasurer

Nannette Samuelson County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Jeff Kelley Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2

Stephen Barnett Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3

Dave Eagle County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Janet Logsdon City Council, Place 4

Alex Wolf City Council, Place 6

Source: Hood County Republican Party voter guide

HOOD COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY

Far more Democrats voted in the Texas primary election than Republicans. If Republicans are going to win, we must ALL show up and vote! We cannot afford to sit this November out!

Take your family, friends, and neighbors to the polls. Vote for each

Republican on the ballot. Every vote matters and every patriot has a part to play in protecting Texas!

It is a critical that you vote in this election!

So goes Texas - so goes the nation!

Source: Hood County Republican Party voter guide

KEEP THIS GUIDE

Paid for by Hood County Republican Party.

Voting details and Harrell’s full letter: page 03.

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

ELECTION INFORMATION & OPINION 03

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 03

GUEST OPINION / GREG S HARRELL A letter to Hood County voters

GREG S HARRELL / HOOD COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN

Hello, Hood County Voter:

The upcoming November 3 General Election (early voting begins Monday, Oct 19 and continues through Friday, Oct 30) is pivotal for both the State of Texas and the entirety of our Nation. Why?

As you may know, the once-proud Democrat Party and its candidates have recently been embracing the dangerous Democratic Socialist agenda; and the policies they adopted during the Obama and Biden administrations unfortunately resulted in an almost unfettered advance of sharia law across the United States. Even today, in Democrat-controlled cities across the United States, there are enclaves where Constitutional law is being subordinated to sharia and where businesses are being forced to flee by extremely high taxation and an oppressive regulatory environment imposed by socialists.

In Texas, we are facing many of these same pressures – unfortunately, the Islamists and Democratic Socialists view Texas as THE KEY in advancing their agenda across our beloved United States.

And, there is indeed a reason for the adage “As goes Texas, so goes America.” – they know that if Texas falls, they have a clear pathway to power.

During the 2026 Election, Hood County must do its part to hold the line in this battle. It is not an overstatement to say that we are now in an existential fight to preserve our Constitutional Republic. That’s why I’m asking every voter that loves Texas; that loves our heritage; that loves our nation; and that truly considers the legacy we are leaving for our children and our grandchildren – I’m asking every Patriot to get out to vote during this election – and when you cast your vote, vote Republican all the way down the ballot.

It’s that simple, and it’s that important – vote, and vote Republican. We need you!

For Texas,

Greg S Harrell, Hood County GOP Chairman

Republican Party of Texas State Executive Committee SD22

Source: Hood County Republican Party voter guide

OCTOBER / EARLY VOTING 19–30

ANNEX 1

1410 W. Pearl St., Granbury

Oct. 19–23 / 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Oct. 24 / 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Oct. 25 / 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Oct. 26–30 / 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

Register by October 5. Mail-ballot applications must be received by October 23.

Official voting information

Ballots, dates and county updates

FROM THE PARTY GUIDE

Letter reproduced in full. Its claims are the chairman’s views and have not been independently established by HCE. Paid for by Hood County Republican Party.

NOVEMBER 3 / 7 A.M.–7 P.M. / VOTE CENTERS

Acton Methodist Church 3433 Fall Creek Hwy

Hood County Annex 1 1410 W Pearl St.

Calvary Church 4800 Glen Rose Hwy

Pecan Activity Center 9145 Plantation Dr.

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 4530 Acton Hwy

First Baptist Church 1851 Weatherford Hwy

Tolar Community Center 120 Tolar Cemetery Rd.

Lipan Church of Christ 112 N. Caddo St.

St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church 2301 Acton Hwy

Generations Church 5718 E. Hwy 377

County directory addresses. Check Hood County Elections for election-day updates and your ballot.

Source: Hood County Elections; Texas Secretary of State

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

RECALL & THE COURTS 04

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 04

GRANBURY / THE SEPTEMBER 28 RECALL HEARINGS NO RESIGNATIONS.

Residents press for accountability. Officials reject the allegations and remain in office.

The city’s official 2025–2026 council and staff photograph. | City of Granbury

THE COURT: DENIED AS MOOT

The September 21 opinion did not decide the recall allegations.

FEDERAL CIVIL-RIGHTS CASE HCE LAWSUIT

Mediation set for October 22

HCE reported September 16 that October 22 mediation was scheduled through the Fifth Circuit in publisher Kolton Krottinger’s civil-rights case against Hood County, Sheriff Deeds and investigator Luckie over his meme-related arrest.

Mediation is a settlement discussion, not a ruling. This is the September scheduling report.

Source: HCE, Sept. 16

GRANBURY — Residents confronted the mayor and four council members at September 28 recall hearings over Project Patriot, transparency and public trust. The officials who attended rejected the allegations against them.

“I intend to serve my entire term. I will not resign,” Mayor Jim Jarratt said. Councilman Gary “Skip” Overdier reached the same conclusion: “I will not resign.”

The hearings concerned petitions against Jarratt, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Wadley and council members Overdier, Zeb Ullom and Greg Corrigan. Wadley was absent on an excused, previously scheduled family trip.

Recall supporters argued that city leadership had lost residents’ trust. Rachel Jacobson called on the targeted officials to “Resign, stand down, and let the voters of Granbury decide the future of this city.” Andy Wolford said the city’s citizens were

its most important economic-development component.

Other testimony challenged the petition process. Sally Walther said she believed she had signed a request for more information about data centers, not petitions to recall five officials. “I signed one petition,” she said. “I did not sign five petitions.” Her account describes her own experience; it does not establish how other signatures were collected.

Jarratt denied violating the Texas Open Meetings Act and questioned what he described as identical signature pages among petitions. Overdier also denied wrongdoing and said only a court could determine the legal validity of his petition.

Ullom disputed allegations involving open meetings, Knox Ranch rezoning, contract zoning and public notice. He argued that the zoning action increased the city’s ability to regulate future

development. The hearing did not independently decide those legal or land-use questions.

Corrigan said he initially intended to resign but would serve through the end of his term in November. He described mixed accounts from petition signers and stopped short of alleging misconduct without direct evidence.

The city says the petitions were certified and presented September 8; organizers disputed the timing. On September 21, the Second Court of Appeals denied the mandamus petition and attorney-fee request as moot, with costs assessed to the city respondents in their official capacities. That disposition did not decide the truth of the recall allegations. The September 28 hearings produced no resignations; any later election action remains a separate question.

Source: HCE Sept. 28 reporting; city Sept. 29 recap; Recall status filings, Sept. 17–18, 2026; Second Court of Appeals, Sept. 21 opinion

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY 05

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 05

Granbury’s Flock cameras: When is a warrant required?

Police can search past vehicle detections. Two rulings show why the reach of a search matters.

Editorial illustration / Hood County Express

PORTER / FIFTH CIRCUIT

LIMITED ROADSIDE SIGHTINGS

March 17: At most 10 cameras recorded periodic public-road sightings. The court found no Fourth Amendment search. This appellate ruling governs Texas.

KYLE / NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA

A MONTH OF TRAVEL HISTORY

October 1: More than 50 records traced about a month of travel nationwide. The judge found the warrantless search unconstitutional. This Oklahoma ruling does not bind Texas.

26 CAMERAS

Granbury / July 26 snapshot 30 DAYS

Reported data retention 323,444

Detections in prior 30 days

WHAT REMAINS UNANSWERED IN GRANBURY

Granbury’s automated license-plate readers record vehicle detections. The legal question is when searching those records becomes an extensive history of someone’s movements. The two rulings above do not make every Flock search unconstitutional.

In Kyle, Judge Sara E. Hill suppressed the camera-derived evidence and evidence from a later vehicle search. Flock disputes that ruling and expects reversal,

according to the company response cited in HCE’s report.

Granbury’s July 26 snapshot also lists 151 search sessions and 4,097 hotlist hits. These are dated figures, not an October live count.

Can city officers search only local cameras, or broader networks? Can they reconstruct weeks of travel? HCE is seeking records on warrants, supervisory approval, sharing and audits. Those answers are needed to

assess Granbury’s practices. Camera count alone cannot resolve the issue; the breadth of a search and the information it reveals matter.

Hood County’s separate three-camera program was terminated. Commissioners authorized covering and unplugging those cameras August 11 and sought approximately $126,000 back.

Source: HCE, Oct. 3; July 26 portal snapshot; U.S. v. Kyle, N.D. Okla., Oct. 1, 2026; U.S. v. Porter, 5th Cir., March 17, 2026

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

PUBLIC MONEY 06

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 06

HOOD COUNTY / FIVE-YEAR MOTOROLA–BRINC PRICE SCHEDULE $432,994

A vehicle-crime grant funds the launch of a camera in the sky.

Product image | Motorola Solutions / BRINC

THE $2 GAP

$113,000 equipment budget; $112,998 first-year package.

Year 1: $79,999 subscription + $32,999 operations.

$319,996 AFTER YEAR ONE

The four remaining payments. Site work is additional.

YEAR 1 $112,998

Subscription + operations

YEAR 2 $79,999

Annual subscription

YEAR 3 $79,999

Annual subscription

YEAR 4 $79,999

Annual subscription

YEAR 5 $79,999

Annual subscription

HOOD COUNTY — While the county continues seeking approximately $126,000 from its terminated Flock camera agreement, records reviewed by HCE show a Motorola/BRINC Drone as First Responder price schedule totaling $432,994 over five years.

The program began with a grant titled the “Hood County MVCPA Task Force Program To Reduce Vehicle Crimes and Catalytic Converter Theft.” After commissioners voted April 1 to discontinue Flock participation, officials requested a scope change to Motorola’s First Responder Drone program.

The agreement bears County Judge Ron Massingill’s signature dated May 26, 2026. A later $79,999 invoice bears Sheriff Roger Deeds’ signature. HCE’s records also identify site-preparation spending for concrete, fencing and a

gate, separate from the five-year price schedule.

The Sheriff’s Office policy allows uses extending beyond vehicle theft, including suspect searches, barricaded individuals, fires, hazardous materials, search and rescue, disasters and other emergency operations.

Motorola advertises zoom and thermal imaging, live video, two-way audio, remote operation and automatic launch and return. Beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations depend on FAA authorization.

The policy requires warrants for certain surveillance while describing some intentional “plain view” surveillance with approval by a sworn division captain or higher. A policy’s wording does not, by itself,

resolve whether a particular future use would be constitutional.

The records produced to HCE do not plainly identify a guaranteed cash-refund mechanism if the county terminates early. That leaves a practical question after Flock: what protection does the public have if this system does not perform as promised?

HCE’s reporting indicates the drone had not entered regular service. The available material does not establish that it has violated anyone’s constitutional rights. Before routine operation, residents need to know who funds the remaining $319,996, what can be refunded upon cancellation, when warrants are required and how video is retained and shared.

Source: HCE review of county records and Motorola proposal

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

HEALTH & ACCOUNTABILITY 07

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 07

CANYON CREEK / LAKE GRANBURY “It’s sewer.”

A lakefront resident says repeated wastewater spills have made her property unusable.

HOOD COUNTY — A Canyon Creek lakefront resident says repeated wastewater releases from an Aqua Texas plant have left her property unusable.

“We can’t go swimming. We can’t use the lake. We can’t do anything with the lakefront property that I own because it’s sewer,” she told HCE.

Hood County Environmental Health’s September 2 notice confirmed untreated material entered an inlet of Lake Granbury. The three reported spills are listed at right.

The resident says TCEQ complaints have not brought a permanent fix. She credited Environmental Health Director Jeannie Stacks and county staff for posting warning signs.

Aqua Texas owns the plant and says water quality and continuous service are its highest priorities.

How much material entered the lake, why do releases recur, and what action will follow? The notice is a dated spill report, not a current lakewide advisory.

Source: HCE interview; county spill notice, Sept. 2

Illustration and county notice from HCE’s September spill coverage. | Hood County Express

THREE REPORTED SPILLS

August 26 • August 31 • September 2 Untreated material entered a Lake Granbury inlet.

JUSTICE FOR EVELYNN / OCTOBER 14, 2024 Evelynn deserves answers.

20 months old. Acute leukemia. A natural-death finding. Questions about the response.

GRANBURY — Nearly two years after Evelynn LeighAnn Black died at 20 months, advocates want answers about her medical care and the investigation.

HCE’s reporting on Tarrant County Medical Examiner records identifies acute leukemia as the cause and a natural manner of death. Evelynn died October 14, 2024, in pediatric intensive care.

Circulated Facebook screenshots describe a seriously ill child. Their complete dates and authorship have not been independently verified.

Other screenshots appear to contain the mother’s account of home treatment, later seeking hospital care and regretting not going sooner. She disputed claims that law enforcement forced her to seek care.

The screenshots do not establish that a delay caused her death or that symptoms indicate inflicted injury. The official natural-death finding remains central.

HCE is asking which agency investigated, whether the matter is open or resolved, when concerns were reported, whether qualified

medical professionals evaluated an alleged delay and whether a referral went to prosecutors.

Agencies should explain as much as the law permits. Redacted child-protection records alone do not prove concealment or mishandling. The available material does not establish homicide or misconduct by a particular official.

A documented account of the investigation would help distinguish unanswered questions from supported conclusions.

Source: HCE reporting on medical examiner record and advocates

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HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 THE MONTHLY EDITION

AROUND HOOD COUNTY 08

HOOD COUNTY EXPRESS OCTOBER 3, 2026 08

Beau Harris | Artist photograph / Spotify profile

MUSIC / LOCAL TALENT Beau Harris: a bigger stage.

Granbury native Beau Harris earned a Josie Music Awards Song of the Year nomination in the Country Male division for “Oughta See the Other Guy,” HCE reported September 17.

“This nomination means the world,” Harris said. “Coming from Texas and watching this song connect with people has been incredible.”

Harris has spent more than a decade performing, writing and recording original music while building a catalog of independent country releases. His nomination places a song recorded in North Texas on a national independent-music stage.

The song was written by Brad McKinney, Elizabeth Eckert and Derek James and produced by Elijah M. Parr. Harris also plays bass for Cameron Hobbs while developing his solo career.

Source: HCE, Sept. 17

UTILITY WATCH

Former Granbury Mayor Rick Frye is calling for more transparency about utility rates and transfers to the city’s general fund.

HCE’s report describes two 6% increases, one in July and one in

October. Compounded, those changes equal 12.36%. The report identifies a $2.73 million interfund transfer in the FY2026–27 budget.

“Is there a revenue problem, or a spending problem?” Frye asked.

Source: HCE report on Rick Frye’s utility concerns

911 COMMUNICATIONS / THE COUNTY BUDGET Pay rises. Vacancies return.

MARCH 2022 / PER HOUR $15.63

AFTER THE 2022 RAISE $20.63

ADVERTISED / SEPT. 19, 2026 $24.28

Up $8.65 from March 2022

BY ROGER TEAGUE / STAFF WRITER

Hood County’s recurring 911 staffing shortage is returning to the budget debate, and HCE is examining whether compensation remains the principal cause or whether hiring, training and retention problems also contribute. HCE is asking what the increased spending has achieved.

In March 2022, the operation was down seven dispatchers after five departures since the beginning of that year. Then-supervisor John

Hurley told commissioners the $15.63 starting hourly wage was the lowest among the area agencies he compared. Commissioners approved a $5 increase, to $20.63.

HCSO has also raised deputy-pay concerns. HCE is seeking to independently examine the office’s comparisons.

On September 19, HCE questioned Sheriff Roger Deeds and Emergency

Communications Director Sean McGuire and sought interviews with Commissioners Kevin Andrews and Dave Eagle.

Nearby recruiting competitors and similar-size counties measure different things. HCE is examining both, plus workload, scheduling and retention. The reporting has not concluded that compensation alone explains the shortage.

Source: HCE, Sept. 19, Roger Teague