Top stories of 2023

As 2023 comes to an end, The Gatesville Messenger offers a snapshot of some of the biggest local news stories of the year.

From professional and personal to tragic and uplifting, this list kicks off the first five of the most memorable stories in Gatesville and Coryell County.

#10 Women rise to the head of GISD

Through the years, women of Coryell County have become more visible in official offices and in educational roles. In March, The Gatesville Messenger featured the principals of Gatesville Independent School District’s five campuses in honor of Women’s History Month:

• Former Gatesville Primary School Principal Mashara Streater has a 23-year-long teaching career. She retired from her role in May of this year.
• Gatesville Elementary School Principal Keegan Webb took the lead in 2019 and is now in her fourth year as principal as well as in her 18th year of education.
• Gatesville Intermediate School Principal Bridget Register has been principal since 2019.
• Suzy Penrod has been the principal at Gatesville Junior High since 2021 and has over 25 years of experience in education.
• Marie Barrows was named the principal at Gatesville High School in 2021. Barrows left the military in 2010 and decided to pursue public education full time. In 2019, she became an assistant principal at Gatesville High School.

#9 Local resident returns from Israel

Gatesville resident, Vicki Kieltyka, shared her experience after returning from a trip to Jerusalem in October.

After Kieltyka’s best friend successfully underwent an operation to receive a pacemaker, Kieltyka promised that she would help her cross an item off her bucket list: A trip to Israel.

Kieltyka and her friend arrived in Israel on Oct. 3 with plans to attend a tour that was supposed to take them to various historical and cultural sites. A few days later, on Saturday, Oct. 7, war broke out in the region after Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched a surprise attack in Gaza, killing thousands of innocent people.

Due to flights being canceled out of the Tel Aviv airport, Kieltyka said they had to make a three-hour journey across the border to Amman, Jordan.

After catching four different flights, Kieltyka and her friend finally arrived home on Saturday, Oct. 14.

NBC News reports that more than 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.

#8 Demolition of the old jail and Rotunda   

Gatesville witnessed the demolition of two local buildings this year – the Coryell County Jail and Rotunda Nursing Home.

The historic jail was demolished in May to allow for an expansion that will provide more beds for inmates. Before the demolition, the county donated several historical items from the jail to the Coryell County Museum and Historical Center, including an old jail door and 1880s filing cabinet.

In June, the city moved forward with plans to demolish the old Rotunda Nursing Home located at 2525 Osage Road. The property, which had been abandoned since 2000, was considered a public health hazard in danger of collapse as well as being an eyesore.

Demolition of the building officially began in August. The site has been identified as a possible location for the new Gatesville Police Department.

#7 City welcomes new police chief and city manager

Although he has been on the job since Feb. 3, Gatesville Police Chief Brad Hunt was officially sworn in during a ceremony on Feb. 14 with his family attending. Hunt's wife, Courtney, pinned her husband's badge to his uniform.

"There are lots of good people working for the city of Gatesville, and I am thankful to be working with them," Hunt said to city staff and Gatesville City Council members.

Scott Albert began his role as Gatesville's new city manager on May 10 after accepting an offer for the position from Mayor Gary Chumley.

Albert said he was looking forward to "getting to know the community, the civic organizations, the different leaders, and listening to staff on areas to work on. Bill (Parry) has done a wonderful job, and I want to continue that. There's always room for improvement in moving Gatesville forward for the future."

#6 Construction of county jail begins

After what seemed like an eternity filled with discussion, debates, and planning, the construction of the Coryell County jail addition finally began. In the latter part of July, the foundation was poured, and in early August, the walls began to rise.

 “This is the first construction that we’ve done on the jail since 1991,” Coryell County Commissioner Ryan Basham said.

Although the original timeline planned its completion for December, the 47-bed addition is now scheduled to be completed by February.  

“If we’re going to have a jail facility that is sustainable for many years to come, it needs to be addressed. And, I’m not going to say that this is a no-brainer, but it is a wise step,” Coryell County Judge Roger Miller said.