There’s Still Time to Write Something

The 50th Annual Writing Contest hosted by the Cisco Writers Club closes soon. The deadline is July 31st at midnight. There are plenty of categories open to short pieces, so there’s still time to write something and get it entered. (Go to ciscowritersclub. org, then click on the Annual Writing Contest tab to enter.)

Some ideas: Write a haiku or a tanka for the Poetry category. There are many tutorials online if you are not familiar with either of these forms of short poems. You know those

Reader’s Digest

humorous or inspiring anecdotes, just a paragraph or two? The Annual Writing Contest has a category for Publication Briefs (Anecdotes), and these entries must be 200 words or less.

If you have a burning opinion on something, consider writing a short essay and entering it in the Publication Briefs (Columns) category.

The limit is 750 words.

Finally, if you are a young writer, 15 years or younger, you can write anything

fiction or nonfiction

or poetic that is 1000 words or less.

I don’t know if librarian and author Helen Cozart has entered the Annual Writing Contest yet, but she will be the speaker at the August meeting of the Cisco Writers Club. Cozart will lead us in an exploration of the mechanics, mystery, and devious delight of crafting the unreliable narrator.

Join us at 7 p.m. on August 6th in the Big Dam room inside the Myrtle Wilks Community Center.

As always, visitors are welcome!

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club.

She’s busy preparing her entries for the Annual Writing Contest.

The menu for July… Beef tacos, beans, rice & dessert. Washed down with tea donated by Dairy Queen in Cisco and then our drawing for gift baskets put together by Wild Flower Florist in Cisco.

Join us from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Holy Rosary Catholic Church Hall, on the corner of 11th & F. The meal is a food ministry project, run by parishioners of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. It’s a homecooked meal. Anyone from any community is invited for food and fellowship. We encourage families and individuals to attend. So, bring friends, strangers, and of course, yourself. We know our guests come for the cooking, but they stay for socializing and drawing. The only requirement is an appetite.

Hey, if you don’t feel like cooking or you want to meet up with friends for a meal, friends for a meal, whatever the reason, come and join us.

(Friendship meal cont. from pg 5)

Next month’s meal, the first Tuesday of August, the 4th, we’re leaning toward pulled pork sandwiches at the First Baptist Church in Eastland at the corner of Lamar and Valley, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please call Pete Loftin at 254-5952303.

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06/5/2026 Arturo M. Escandela, 24, of Venezuela, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/5/2026 Yulieth A. Bohorquez, 21, of Venezuela arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/6/2026 William R. Hernandez, 27, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/6/2026 Erick A. Diaz, 24, unknown residence, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer. 06/6/2026: Marco A. Becerra, 25, unknown residence, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/6/2026 Inocencio C. Diaz, 26, unknown residence, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/7/2026 Bailey E. Nelms, 18, of Cisco arrested for DWI.

06/8/2026 Olman G. Garcia, 33, unknown residence, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/10/2026 Nelson D. Perdomo, 31, unknown residence, arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer 06/10/2026 Madrid C. Adoni, 30, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/14/2026 Jose F. Gonzalez Luna, 37, unknown residence arrested for Immigration Violation.

06/14/2026 Erick I. Garcia, 27, unknown residence arrested for Immigration Violation.

06/15/2026 Christian A. Willis, 31, of cisco arrested for theft prop. >=$100< $500 06/17/2026 Romilio D. Ventura, 47, unknown residence arrested for federal immigration hold.

06/17/2026 Jorge A. Guevara Mora ,42, of Seminole Texas was arrested for DWI.

06/17/2026 Jhonatan D. Argueta, 24, unknown residence was arrested for Immigration Violation.

06/18/2026 Christian Pucheta, 27, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/18/2026 Martin C. Santos, 31, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/18/2026 Marco A. Chigo, 33, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/18/2026 Pedro Garcia, 62, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/18/2026 Juan P. Escribano,47, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/18/2026 Chontal X. Thomas,38, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/21/2026 Grayson D. Craine, 23, of Athens Texas arrested for Public Intoxication.

06/21/2026 Francis G. Jordan, 20, of Montalba Texas arrested for Public Intoxication.

06/21/2026 Brandon R. Gonzale,19, of Athens Texas arrested for Public Intoxication.

06/21/2026 Luke T. Craine, 19, of Kemp Texas arrested for Public Intoxication 06/21/2026 Yilver R. Montilla, 41, of Venezuela arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/23/2026 Jose V. Chicoa, 34, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Charge.

06/23/2026 Ashlie L. Williams, 39, of Cisco arrested for Poss. cs pg-1<1g.

06/24/2026 Diego I. Mora, 33, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/24/2026 James A. Titus, 39, of Stamford, Texas arrested for Assault.

06/24/2026 David Hernandez, 39, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/24/2026 Erlin J. Leva, 34, of unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/24/2026 Eleno V. Bernal, 46, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/24/2026 Juan B. Mendoza, 35, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Doroteo J. Hernandez, 39, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer 06/25/2026 Alberto M. Nabor, 35, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Jose M. Tetzoyotl, 31, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Jose R. Jimenez, 52, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Jose R. Rodrguez, 28, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Ulises J. Tzompaxtle, 28, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Miguel I. Ibanez, 50, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Yovani G. Buitron, 24, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Aquileo B. Huitron, 39, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Javier M. Barboza, 43, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Juan M. Soto, 51, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/25/2026 Saul L.

20 Cruz, 32, of Honduras arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

6/25/2026 Julio R. Perdomo, 42, of Honduras arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/26/2026 Miguel V. Gomez, 36, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/26/2026 Johny F. Melgar, 37, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/26/2026 Juilio C. Melgar, 33, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Melvin E. Cardona, 39, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Jinmy A. Nolsco, 32, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06//27/2026 Jose M. Gonzales, 32, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Cesar A. Reyes, 41, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Jose Martinez, 35, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Marcial S. Gomez, 38, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/27/2026 Marcelo G. Garduno, 28, unknown residence arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

06/29/2026 Zaddiel Q. Ramos, 28, of Cuba arrested for Federal Immigration Detainer.

.06/29/2026 William S. Stanley, 32, of Cisco, Texas arrested for Failure to Report Change

A Small Writing Exercise

In The Art of Fiction by John Gardner (Knoph Doubleday, 2010), Gardner proposes a writing exercise for when you want to improve your writing skills. He says forget whatever story you’re working on for a while and concentrate on something small, on one element, an exchange of dialogue for instance, or a description of a building. A specific assignment he gives is to write a short description of a barn as seen through the eyes of a grieving father, but you aren’t allowed to use the words death or grief. To convey the father’s emotion, you have to use concrete details. Not, “It was a rainy day,” but “Rain fell in punishing, quarter-sized drops and pocked the newly turned garden soil adjacent to the barn.”

If you improve your small, discrete writing skills, then those skills will be at the ready for when you are in the midst of drafting a full piece.

And, if you try this small exercise, you may find that it makes a good jumping off point for a larger piece of writing— maybe a creative nonfiction piece or a short story, something you can enter in the Cisco Writers Club’s 50th Annual Writing Contest. You can enter by going to ciscowritersclub. org and clicking on the Annual Writing Contest tab.

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club. She’s busy preparing her entries for the Annual Writing Contest.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Melissa Batie-Smoose to Cisco College,” LeCroy said. “Her coaching experience, leadership, and passion for developing student-athletes will be a tremendous asset to our volleyball program. We are incredibly excited to see the impact she will bring in as she leads our program into this next chapter.”

Batie-Smoose, whose student athletes can call her “Coach Melissa,” was born in Detroit but grew up in Miami, Florida, before moving to Pleasanton, California, for high school. From there, she attended Texas Tech University on a volleyball scholarship in 1986. After two years, she transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on another volleyball scholarship. Although recruited by many universities across the country, she chose Southern Mississippi because of their architecture program. However, when she arrived, she learned she could not study architecture and play volleyball at the same time, so she changed her path to coaching. She graduated from Southern Miss in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Administration, and a minor in Recreation.

She then played professional volleyball, mostly semi-pro beach volleyball but qualifying for a couple of pro events for a year and a half. She then landed her first college coaching job at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Over the next 35 years she coached at many levels, mainly Division One all her life, but with exceptions at Division 3 Allegheny College in Pennsylvania for two seasons, and then a Division 2 coaching job at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She also coached at an NAIA program at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

“And then all my other years have been Division One,” she said, including Florida State University at Tallahassee; Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Creighton University in Nebraska; Cornell University at Ithaca, N.Y.; Holy Cross University at New Orleans, Louisiana; Fairfield University at Fairfield, Connecticut; and San Jose State University in San Jose, California. “I have lived in lots of states,” she said.

Twenty-six years ago, Batie-Smoose suffered a tragedy when her first husband, Maurice Batie, an assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team at the University of Minnesota, passed away from cardiac arrest while playing a recreational basketball game in 2000. He was only 36, and he and wife Melissa had just been blessed with the birth of their daughter, Madison, three months earlier.

(Cisco College cont. from pg 5)

“That was a huge life change for me, with my daughter being 3 months old, and we were there for his coaching job.” Her daughter Madison is now 26 and lives in Orlando, Florida.

While Betie-Smoose was coaching at Florida State, she met her current husband, Michael Smoose, who at that time was in communications and covered volleyball and football. In 2025 he joined Abilene Christian University as Executive Associate Athletic Director for external operations, overseeing marketing, communications, and social media for the Wildcats.

“He followed my coaching career for years, and now I am happy to follow his career,” Coach Melissa said.

Cisco College “is a really good stop for me, because I'm at the end of my career.

I've done everything I've wanted to do. I enjoy coaching, but I also enjoy mentoring and then I get the best of both worlds. They're coming to me and this is college, but I'm also mentoring them to go on to the next level.”

“So now I'm getting best of both worlds. I get to coach at the collegiate level, but I also get to help them.”

“Yes, I’ve won conference championships, and those were very exciting. But I wanted to be a coach because I want to impact young women, to make them a better person, spiritually, mentally, physically.”

Coach Batie-Smoose says she loves being invited to weddings and receiving birth announcements from her former students.

“It’s not as easy being a young person these days, and when they thank you for helping them get through something significant that happened in their life, you never forget those times.”

Coach Batie-Smith is looking forward to working with Assistant Volleyball Coach Lesly Garza. “She’s great, and she’s gotten really connected to this community, and I like that, and she’s strong in her faith, and I love that,” she said.

As for recruiting, “I got here so late . . . but since I got here, we’ve brought in six student athletes. I want to recruit the right people that will take the academic side and the athletic side seriously, with a strong work ethic. I can build and train the rest, but if they don’t have the desire to go to class and they don’t have the work ethic, it’s hard to teach that. I’m very happy with who we brought in as people, and they're all so eager to learn and get better, and they want to be good, and they're competitive. And they're just good people. I'm excited to have that opportunity to coach them. “

Outside of coaching, Batie-Moose loves playing golf, pickleball, gardening, and walking her rescue dogs, Sam and Lynn. “I love just being outdoors.”

The Lady Wranglers will have their opening scrimmage of the season at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at Cisco against Western Texas College. At 12:30 on the same day at the same place, the Lady Wranglers will scrimmage with Odessa College; and finally at 2:30 p.m. with Midland College.

Then on Aug. 28, a big roundup tournament that Cisco hosts with Ranger starts on Aug. 28 with a match against Polk State University out of Florida. “That’s going to be a big match. They’re really good. And that evening we play another Top 10 team in the country, Cowley out of Kansas.” Other teams include Stuart University and Richland College.

The athletes come in at the end of July, and the first day of practice is Aug. 3. Coach Melissa Batie-Smoose can’t wait.

8

PRESENT SEASON TICKET HOLDERS ON MONDAY, JULY 13, 2026, AT THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 1503 LEGGETT.

CURRENT TICKET HOLDERS WILL HAVE UNTIL

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026, TO PURCHASE TICKETS. AVAILABLE SEATS WILL GO ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SIX HOME GAMES THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF FIVE, THE PRICE OF THE SEASON TICKET IS

$42.00.

RESERVE SEAT TICKETS ARE NOT FAMILY PASSES SO REMEMBER TO PURCHASE A TICKET FOR EACH SEAT. CISD IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR NOTIFYING CURRENT TICKET HOLDERS ABOUT PURCHASING DEADLINES, NOR ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOLDING SEATS OR MOVING PLACES WITH OTHERS.

THIS ADVERTISEMENT WILL BE ON THE WEBSITE UNDER ATHLETICS/ FOOTBALL AND ON THE COMMUNITY PAGE UNDER RESOURCES.

Season ticket sales will be handled as in the past. Purchases will be made at Cisco ISD Central Office MONDAY thru THURSDAY.

(7-9, 7-19-2026)

Cameras are named Flock Safety Cameras launched in 2017 out of Atlanta, and were pitched as small police departments wanted surveillance cameras but could not afford sophisticated infrastructure. Flock provides cameras cheap (sometimes free upfront) in exchange for a subscription contract and data rights. It still has contracts with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies and 6,000+ communities across 49 states. Flock cameras scan over 20 billion license plates per month. It is the largest private vehicle location database in American history. It is NOT about the cameras but the DATA. Every Flock camera logs every license plate that passes it. Timestamp, GPS coordinates, direction of travel, and vehicle description which goes into Flock’s proprietary system, called Safety Network, which has a checkbox called “Enable National :ookup.” So the agency’s camera data can be shared with every other agency in Flock’s National Lookup.

Flock’s official position is that cities control their own data sharing settings. They do not have to share with federal agencies;however, the default settings favor maximum sharing, and the oversight mechanisms to verify what was actually happening were nonexistent at the city level. WHO’SACTUALLY IN THE NETWORK? FRONT DOOR: some federal agencies have formal agreements with Flock or with specific local departments that authorize direct access. BACK DOOR: in Washington state, at least eight local law enforcement enabled direct data sharing with the U.S. Border Patrol during 2025, in some cases without the knowledge of the cities that owned the cameras. Washington state legislature passed SB 6002, the Driver Privacy Act, in 2026 specifically to close this pathway: requiring warrants for most ALPR(Automatic Number Plate Recognition) data sharing with federal agencies. SIDE DOOR: unauthorized or unauthorizedbut- tolerated access through default data sharing settings that agencies did not actively monitor. SCHOOL CAMERAS: Flock has contracts with hundreds of K-12 school districts. An investigation by The 74 (a nonprofit news website) found that in a single month, more than 3,100 police agencies ran over 733,000 searches on cameras belonging to just one Texas school district: the Alvin Independent School District, which paid for eight cameras. The specific communities that canceled in 2026 include: Mountain View, CA; Evanston, IL; Dayton, OH; Santa Cruz, CA; Santa Clara County. CA; Hillsborough, NC; Woodburn, OR; Los Altos Hills, CA; and Edmonds, WA. Legislation has been passed in Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Washington and Illinois. This all leads to the constitutional question: does pervasive ALPR tracking constitute a FOURTH AMENDMENT SEARCH?

by Priscilla Bettis Facebook@ PriscillaBettisAuthor

On the Justin Sung YouTube channel, Sung himself often discusses how to learn hard things. (Are you struggling through med school? Sung is your guy.) Anyway, Sung has a onetwo- three approach to learning, and his approach applies to writing, too, as in how to get your first, second, and third draft written.

First, get the story down on paper. (Yes, pen and paper, not the screen.) Write it in the worst way possible. This is the way you fear your writing will come out, horrible and cringeworthy. In other words, do not aim for a good story. Aim for words on the page that create a basic plot, no matter how disorganized it is and no matter how trite your word choices are.

Next, look at what you’ve written, and with a red pen, draw out the logical plot progression. Should your third scene go before the second? Did you wrap up all the subplots by the end, or do you need to add a paragraph about that support character’s problem? This stage looks messy. You’ll have brackets and arrows and asterisks all over the place.

That mess serves a purpose: to help you learn your story inside and out. Use that mess to write a second draft. This time, go ahead and type the draft into your laptop. As you type this draft, more precise verbs and impactful adjectives (and other parts of speech) will pop into your head. They’re little gifts from your creative mind. Use them.

Let the story rest, the longer the better, so you can read it with fresh eyes (like your readers will). And when you do read it, decide where you can trim wordy sentences, cut scenes that don’t go anywhere, combine two characters into one stronger character, reword clichés, and fix punctuation errors. Then type the third draft.

At this point, you’re ready to send the story out to a trusted reader for feedback and/ or to Cisco Writers Club’s Annual Writing Contest. The deadline is July 31st, and anyone, anywhere can enter. Just go to ciscowritersclub.org, and look for the Annual Writing Contest tab.

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club. She’s busy preparing her entries for Cisco Writers Club’s Annual Writing Contest!

For Readers and Writers

Roy Peter Clark’s The Art of X-Ray Reading (Little, Brown Spark, 2016) is an excellent resource for showing readers how to look for and enjoy clever literary techniques that master authors have used over the centuries. Clark examines passages from Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Flannery O’Connor, Shakespeare, and others. With obvious love for language and literature, Clark “x-rays” 25 works in all. When he points out the structure, allusions, and beauty used within passages, he’ll make you want to run to the library or the book store and grab each of the classic stories he examines.

Or Clark will make you want to write your own story using the techniques of these famous authors because Clark’s book is for writers, too. In fact, the subtitle is How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing. For the writer, Clark goes one step past pointing out skillfully written passages and gives short exercises at the end of each chapter to help writers practice advanced techniques for themselves.

What kind of techniques does Clark highlight? Well, for example, in Nabokov’s Lolita, Clark points out the importance of the sounds of words. In A Farewell to Arms, we see how Hemingway uses repetitive sentence structure then a sudden change in structure for a foreshadowing effect. In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Clark shows how the author creates a foreboding atmosphere by dropping vague but disturbing hints into her story along the way. I highly recommend The Art of X-Ray Reading. I got my copy from Amazon.

I also highly recommend the next Cisco Writers Club meeting featuring Dr. Linda Spetter, professor of English & Communication at Cisco College. The title of Dr. Spetter’s presentation is “The Power of Folklore in Writing.” Dr. Spetter will talk about how folklore is used in writing, from political speeches to great works of literature, with the goal of inspiring members to experiment with folklore in their own writing. We hope you join us at 7 p.m. on July 2nd in the Big Dam room inside the Myrtle Wilks Community Center. Visitors are welcome!

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club. She’s busy preparing her entries for Cisco Writers Club’s Annual Writing Contest which you can also enter via the ciscowritersclub. org website.

Ana Cunningham of Eastland, a sophomore majoring in Child and Family Services Kirah Tippie of Comanche, a sophomore majoring in Nursing Taylor Hall of Comanche, a sophomore majoring in Integrated Studies Abilene Christian University serves a diverse student population of about 7,200 with world-class teaching in a Christ-centered community. Founded in 1906, this Carnegie Research 2 university is nationally recognized for undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research. Students choose from 90 baccalaureate majors that include more than 186 areas of study, 77 areas of study in master's degree and specialist programs, and five doctoral programs. ACU's mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. Learn more at acu.edu.

Road Conditions: Dry Vehicle 1: 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan sport utility vehicle The driver DECEASED was Douglas Hartley, 56, male from Granbury, Texas Seatbelt: Yes Injury / Death: Pronounced dead at the crash site on 6/19/26, at 3:41 p.m., by Justice of the Peace Jesse Spear Passenger Vehicle 1: DECEASED Autumn Campbell, 44, female from Granbury, Texas Seatbelt: No Injury / Death: Pronounced dead at the crash site on 6/19/26, at 3:51 p.m., by Justice of the Peace Jesse Spear Vehicle 2 was a 2000 Freightliner Truck Tractor towing a 2015 Dirt semi-trailer Driver 2: Yancarlos Vazquez, 37, male from Red Rock, Texas Seatbelt: Yes Injury / Death: Transported to Eastland Memorial Hospital with minor injury Description: The preliminary investigation determined that Vehicle 1 was traveling northbound on SH 6 near FM 1853, while Vehicle 2 was traveling southbound on SH 6, approaching from the opposite direction. The driver of Vehicle 1 crossed the center dividing line and struck Vehicle 2 in a head-on collision. The passenger in Vehicle 1, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

A preliminary crash report will be available for purchase online in 10 days. Link: https://cris.dot. state.tx.us/public/Purchase/ crashReport-Search.htm Follow us on Facebook @ Texas Department of Public Safety- Northwest Texas Region and “X” @ TxDPS - Northwest Texas Region Marc A. Couch, Sergeant Texas Department of Public Safety

The Blessing Box in Cisco, TX, is located inside the Myrtle Wilks Community Center (1498 W Interstate 20) and is open on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.. It provides free food for residents, generally serving the 76437 zip code area.

She will continue to serve as Head Coach of the Women’s Cross Country Team as well. For the past year she had also served as Assistant Athletic Director to Dr. Jerry Dodds, who retired in May.

“My time working with Dr. Dodson allowed me to gain valuable experience and insight that I know will benefit me in this new position,” LeCroy said. “I am thankful for the preparation I received along the way.”

She is believed to be the first female Athletic Director at the college. “It is truly an honor and I am excited about the opportunity.”

Her new duties will involve overseeing all aspects of the athletic department, including budgeting, personnel, compliance, facilities, and supporting coaches and student-athletes.

“While my responsibilities have expanded, I do plan to continue building our cross-country program. Coaching has always been a passion of mine, and I look forward to continuing to invest in those student-athletes while serving in this new leadership role.”

Amanda LeCroy is married to Head Softball Coach Cody LeCroy. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Dakota, who can often be seen at athletic games at the Cisco campus.

Coach Amanda said her husband is her biggest supporter. “At the end of the day, we’re a team both at home and at work, and we’re both committed to doing what’s best for Cisco College and our student-athletes.”

A native of Marble Falls, Coach LeCroy graduated from the high school there before receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Major Sports and Leisure from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls in 2017. At Midwestern, she was an all-conference catcher.

In 2019, she received a Master of Science degree in Sports Administration, also from Midwestern.

She coached five years of college softball at Midwestern and then coached at public schools in Evant before becoming Head Softball Coach at Jonesboro High School, leading her team to the state championship.

The first year that her husband coached at Cisco College, she taught second grade in Eastland for a year before starting her CC coaching job in 2024.

Her priority this summer will be “ensuring a smooth transition into this new role while preparing our programs for the upcoming year. I want to make sure our coaches and student-athletes have the support and resources they need to be successful and continue building on the strong foundation already in place.”

“I am incredibly excited and grateful for this opportunity,” she said. “Cisco College has become home to my family and me. It is an honor to step into this role, and I am eager to continue supporting our coaches, studentathletes, and programs as we work toward continued success.”

She plans to continue building a department “that our studentathletes, coaches, and community are proud of. I want to create an environment where students thrive academically, compete at a high level, and leave Cisco College prepared for success beyond athletics.”

Remember to renew your subscription to

Eastland County Today 254-629-1707

309 Conrad Hilton Blvd in Cisco Stars, Stripes & Handmade Nights ciscochamberofcommerce@gmail.com

254-442-2537

Cisco Writers Club Participates in Community Event

by Priscilla Bettis Facebook@ PriscillaBettisAuthor

Cisco Writers Club participated in the Cause for Paws event in Ranger on June 12th through the 14th. Authors from the club handed out brochures, free bookmarks, and even a few bonus copies of the club’s anthology, Golden Nuggets.

Shann Arriaga, Robert Workman, Shane Tovar, and other club members took part, selling their individual books and meeting avid readers as well as adorable shelter animals. Shann Arriaga, who is the president of Cisco Writers Club, said it was good to “celebrate community, great reads, and a wonderful cause.” Club member Robert Workman said, “The Ranger Cause for Paws event to support the local animal shelter was a lot of fun. I sold some books, and I was able to donate some proceeds to help pups.” Cisco Writers Club’s next community event is a book signing at Centennial Memorial Library, 210 S Lamar St. in Eastland on August 4th at 5:30 p.m. Authors from all over the county will read excerpts from their published works, and anyone who attends can purchase signed copies. (There may be some freebies, too!) There is no cost to attend, and we’d love to see you there.

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club. She’s busy preparing her entries for Cisco Writers Club’s Annual Writing Contest.

52

See the full list of graduates at angelo. edu/commencement/ graduates.ASU spring graduates from your area include: Brooke Ainsworth of Ranger - Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, summa cum laude

Nathan Anderson of Comanche - Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Charity Baker of Rising Star - Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, cum laude Gena Camacho of Eastland - Master of Arts in Mental Hlth and Wellness Couns, Sarah Keeling of Rising Star - Master of Arts in English, Rechinda Perry of Ranger - Bachelor of Social Work in Social Work, cum laude Angelo State University, founded in 1928, is a thriving four-year public school in Texas. Our Ram Family environment and Core Values help students feel at home, a place where they know faculty and staff care deeply about their success. Our excellent faculty make it possible for students to conduct undergraduate research, rank above state acceptance averages for professional schools, and receive personal access to instructors and progressive facilities.

A member of the dynamic Texas Tech University System with campuses across the state, Angelo State has ranked as one of The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” in the nation since 2010. We are also a College of Distinction, a “Military Friendly School” and a First-gen Forward Institution.For more information, log on to angelo.edu.

5/1/2026 Douglas L. Kendall, 54, of Cisco, Assault CBI-FV arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/6/2026 Felipe G. Cantu, 25, of Texas, Municipal Court Warrant arrested by Officer Justin Pope.

5/6/2026 Edwin J. Gonzales, 20, non-residential federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/7/2026 Maria G. Rodrigues De La Cruz, 31, non-residential immigration violation detainer arrested by Officer Edgar Sanches.

5/7/2026 Ramon E. Zarate, 51, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/7/2026 Francisco A. Lopez, 28, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/7/2026 Jose F. Romero, 45, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/18/2026 Rafael B. Galvan, 51, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/18/2026 Angel V. Garcia, 24, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/18/2026 Jorge S Villela, 25, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/18/2026 Noe C. Cordova, 22, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/18/2026 Emanuel R. Cardona, 27, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/18/2026 Loza B. Flores, 51, non-resident, federal immigration detainer arrested by Officer Mark Purpura.

5/19/2026 Jose P Mendoza, 36, non-resident, federal immigration detainer arrested by officer Samuel Munoz 5/19/2026 Jared L. Hall, 38, of Cisco, Evading Arrest or Detention/ Injury to Elderly, arrested by Officer Mark Purpura 5/20/2026 Shawn A. Caloway, 32, of Cisco, Continuous Sexual Assault of Child Warrant, arrested by Officer Edgar Sanchez.

5/20/2026 Payton M. Boyd, 24, of Cisco, Municipal Court Warrant, arrested by Officer Justin Pope.

5/22/2026 Braden K. Morrison, 27, of Cisco, Assault CBI-FV arrested by Officer Sanchez.

5/22/2026 Sarag R. Scuderi, 38, of Texas, Assault CBI-FV arrested by Officer Sanchez.5/23/2026 Cesar A. Rodriguez, 36, of Texas, failed to maintain financial responsibility, operate a vehicle with unapproved sun screening device, expired trailer registration arrested by Officer Justin Pope.

5/23/2026 Jose I. Mendoza, 44, non- resident, federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/23/2026 Miguel A. Mendoza, 41, non-resident, federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz. 5/23/2026 Jose R. Mendoza, 44, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/23/2026 Juan J. Camarillo, 34, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by officer Samuel Munoz.

5/25/2026 Kelly Maddox, 62, of Cisco Texas, Man/Del Controlled Substance DFZ arrested by Sgt.Derek Gunstanson.

5/25/2026 Tommy Davis, 54, of Cisco Texas, Man/Del Controlled Substance DFZ arrested by Sgt.Derek Gunstanson.

5/25/2026 Brandi Campbell, 36, of Cisco 20 Texas, Man/Del Controlled Substance DFZ arrested by Sgt.Derek Gunstanson.

5/25/2026 Kimberly Winblad, 37, of Cisco Texas, Man/Del Controlled Substance DFZ arrested by Sgt.Derek Gunstanson.

5/25/2026 Ann Michelle Young, 60, of Cisco Texas, Man/Del Controlled Substance DFZ arrested by Sgt. Derek Gunstanson.

5/28/2026 Bilder A. Santos, 27, non-residential federal immigration detainer arrested by Corporal Samuel Munoz.

5/28/2026 Santos T. Ramirez, 47, non-residential federal immigration detainer arrested by officer Samuel Munoz.

5/29/2026 Gabriel P. Moreno, 52, of Mexico, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/29/2026 Rubert Sanchez, 25, of Venezuela, immigration violation arrested by Officer James Thomas.

5/29/2026 Jose V. Rosales, 20, of Honduras, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt.Lee Risdon.

5/29/2026 Luis F. Mateo, 28, of Honduras, federal immigration detainer arrested by Lt. Lee Risdon.

5/30/2026 Luis A. Benitez, 49, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Officer Mark Purpura.

5/30/2026 Jose A. Vasquez, 40, non-resident federal immigration detainer arrested by Officer Mark Purpura.

5/31/2026 Linda Phillips, 45, of Cisco Texas, Injury to Elderly arrested by Officer James Thomas.

5/31/2026 Christian G. Ramirez, 27, non-residential federal immigration detainer arrested by Officer Mark Purpura.

5/31/2026 Mario P. Perez, 29, non-residential federal immigration detainer arrested by Officer Mark Purpura.

Cisco Writers Club’s 50th Annual Writing Contest

by Priscilla Bettis Facebook@ PriscillaBettisAuthor

Cisco Writers Club is excited to announce that its 50th Annual Writing Contest is now open! The deadline for submitting entries is midnight (Central Time) on July 31, 2026. Anyone, anywhere may enter. You do not have to be a Cisco Writers Club member. (You must be 15 years or younger, born on or after August 1, 2010, to enter the Adventures in Writing category.)

Cisco Writers Club awards cash prizes of $100, $50, $10, and $5 respectively for judges’ determinations of first, second, third, and honorable mention. Additionally, the David Autry Sweepstakes Award is $250; ten other special awards are $50 each. There are noncash prizes only for the Adventures in Writing category which is only for young writers 15 and under. (In previous years, the Adventures in Writing prize was a 15-minute loop around Cisco in a private airplane, followed by a pizza party.)

There is a modest five-dollar fee to enter (no entry fees for Adventures in Writing).

The six entry categories are Poetry, Publication Briefs, Articles, Short Stories, Books, and Adventures in Writing.

For complete rules, including maximum word counts and category guidelines, and for details on how to enter, visit ciscowritersclub.org and look for the Annual Writing Contest tab. Happy writing, and good luck!

Priscilla Bettis is secretary of the Cisco Writers Club. She’s busy preparing her entries for Cisco Writers Club’s Annual Writing Contest.

The menu for June… Pot Roast, vegetables, salad, rolls & dessert. Washed down with tea donated by Dairy Queen in Cisco and then our drawing for gift baskets put together by Wild Flower Florist in Cisco.

Join us from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Holy Rosary Catholic Church Hall, on the corner of 11th & F. Because of a kind donation from Cisco Strong, this coming year’s meals will be thanks to their generosity.

The meal is a food ministry project, run by parishioners of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. It’s a home cooked meal and anyone from any community is invited for food and fellowship. We encourage families and individuals to attend. So, bring friends, strangers and of course, yourself. We know our guests come for the cooking, but they stay for socializing and drawing. The only requirement is an appetite.

Hey, if you just don’t feel like cooking or you want to meet up with friends for a meal, whatever the reason, come and join us.

Next month’s meal, the first Tuesday of July, the 7th, we are at the First Baptist Church in Eastland at the corner of Lamar and Valley, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. July’s dinner, Taco Tuesday. And our apologies to our Eastland guests for not having enough pot roast, but it seems Chicken Express was well received as a sub.

If you have any questions, please call Pete Loftin at 254-5952303.