For months, a group of Hood County, Texas, residents has been pushing to create a new town of their own. The effort began in March, when citizens living in a two-square-mile unincorporated stretch of the county, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, started gathering signatures to form what they hope will become Mitchell Bend, Texas.

By April, organizers believed they had enough support and submitted their petition to county officials. After it was verified, Hood County Judge Ron Massingill agreed to place the incorporation question on the November ballot. But what seemed like a straightforward process soon ran into complications—disputes that have only deepened in the months since.

At the heart of the fight is a Bitcoin mining operation that sits inside the same unincorporated area. T

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