July 2022

Madison County Sheriff Deputy Frank McIntyre completed and passed an intense two-week K9 handler academy through Sector K9 Foundation on Thursday, July 21. At the completion of his course, Deputy McIntyre returned to Madison County with his new partner, and the department’s newest Deputy, K9 Maverick, by his side.

The Bedias community had a serious wildfire outbreak last Tuesday, July 19. At least one home was lost along with much of the possessions for a Bedias family. We must be very aware of the present fire danger and diligently watch out for our neighbors. As a side note, one of the responding volunteer fire departments had to stop on the way to suppress a carelessly started grass fire before even getting to the Bedias fire.

If you happen to visit a high-traffic area in one of the state’s larger cities, you might come across some folks wearing sandwich boards, such as one sees during tax season or mattress sales. The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted this marketing device to promote its “Be Safe. Drive Smart” pedestrian safety campaign this month.

The Austin Airtanker Base at the Austin-Bergstrom Internation Airport has been opened by the Texas A&M Forest Service to assist with increased wildfire activity across the state. Overall, the Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to 1,240 wildfires since January, 2022.