Shelby County Today

The water on N.E.W. WSC no longer requires boiling.

January 28, 2026 - On January 17, 2026 and January 26, 2026, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the N.E.W. Water Supply, #2030034, to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

N.E.W. Water Supply has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes. We have also provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of January 28, 2026.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact the office: 220 West Columbia Street San Augustine, Texas. 936-288-0489 or Charles Sharp 936-201-5001. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

January 26, 2026 - Due to electrical issues at the plant, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the N.E.W. Water Supply Corporation PWS # 2030034 to notify all customers in Geneva, on Hwy 87, FM 1279, FM 330, Crockett Lane and the East end of FM 353 to boil their water prior to consumption (eg., washing hands/ face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, seniors and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.

In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received the notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact N.E.W. Water Supply Corporation at 220 W. Columbia Street, San Augustine, Texas, 75972, or call 936-288-0489 or Charles Sharp at 936-201-5001.

Jamuary 28, 2026 - SET YOUR ALARM CLOCKS!

School in session: Thursday, January 29 Regular bus and bell schedule

PON TU DESPERTADOR!

Clases: Jueves, 29 de enero. Horario habitual de autobuses y timbres.

January 27, 2026 - Due to power outage at the middle school and outages in the surrounding area, Tenaha ISD will remain closed Wednesday, January 28th. Please continue to follow our social media for information on basketball updates/changes.

Tenaha ISD Cerrado El Miércoles 28 De Enero

Debido a un corte de electricidad en la escuela secundaria y a cortes en los alrededores, Tenaha ISD permanecerá cerrado el miércoles 28 de enero. Por favor, sigan nuestras redes sociales para obtener información sobre novedades y cambios relacionados con el baloncesto.

January 28, 2026 - You may qualify for a new property tax exemption.

In an area declared a disaster area by the Governor, Tax Code Section 11.35 allows a qualified property that is at least 15 percent damaged by a disaster to receive a temporary exemption of a portion of the appraised value of the property. A property owner must apply for the temporary exemption and the deadline for application is 105 days after the governor declares a disaster area. Governor Abbott issued a Disaster Declaration for Shelby County Texas on January 25, 2026. The deadline for filing the application for exemption is May 10, 2026.

The exemption applies only to qualified property. Qualified property includes:

• Tangible business personal property used for income production if the owner filed a 2026 rendition;
• An improvement to real property, which would include residential buildings (homes), commercial buildings (businesses), industrial buildings (manufacturing), multi-family buildings (apartments), and other real property buildings; and
• certain manufactured homes used as a dwelling.

The appraisal district determines if the property qualifies for the temporary exemption and assigns a damage assessment rating of Level I, II, III or IV based upon available information. The district may rely on information from a county emergency management authority, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or other appropriate sources like insurance adjusters or repair estimates when making this determination.

The amount of the exemption is determined by multiplying the building (note: this is the value for the structure only, land is not qualified property and land value is not included in the calculations) or personal property value, as applicable, by the exemption percentage based on the damage assessment level and is then multiplied by a proration factor (the number of days remaining in the tax year after the date the governor declares the disaster is divided by 365). The proration factor for this disaster is 0.94 (344/365 = 0.94).

Sample disaster exemption calculation:

A $100,000 house (structure value only) received $20,000 in damage from the storms.

$20,000 Damage / $100,000 House value = 20%. Damage assessment level is Level 1

$100,000 House Value times 15% exemption percentage = $15,000

$15,000 times proration factor 0.94 = $14,100 exemption amount reducing the taxable value for 2026

The appraisal district must send written notice of the approval, modification, or denial of the application to the applicant. The temporary disaster area exemption expires on Jan. 1 of the first tax year in which the property is reappraised. Click Here For Application!

The deadline for filing the 2026 Temporary Disaster Exemption application is May 10, 2026.

You can mail your application to the Shelby County Appraisal District or via email to SCAD@SHELBYCAD.COM

January 28, 2026 - Emergency responders with the Center Fire Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Department responded to a two-vehicle crash incident on State Highway 7 East just east of SL 500 on January 24, 2026.

Acording to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) the preliminary crash investigation indicates that at approximately 3:30am, a 2014 Kia Sorento driven by Ladonna Martin, 38, of Center and a 2006 Chevrolet 1500 driven by Luis Bacilio, 19, of San Augustine were traveling east. It is reported that Martin was distracted in her vehicle by a child, failed to control her speed, and struck the rear of the Chevrolet. 

Martin was not injured. Her two passengers, a two-year-old child and a one-year-old child, were transported to Nacogdoches Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. 

Bacilio was not injured and was subsequently arrested for driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor offense, after the crash.   

According to DPS, this is an ongoing investigation, and no further information is available at this time.

Sheriff's Deputies and fire depaertment personnel assisted at the scene until the vehicles had been towed from the scene and it was clear.