The Wills Point City Council doubled up on meetings Tuesday night, holding its regular monthly session with a called emergency meeting to address a collapsed sewer line immediately following suit.
Regular monthly business began with the council hearing from two speakers during the public comment portion of the agenda: Kay Crosby and O.B. Thompson.
Citing a lack of local activities, especially for children of the community, Crosby used her time to request that city leaders look into obtaining a splash pad.
Local law enforcement officials, including officer (from l-r) Cassie Mosley, officer Adam Wall, WPPD Chief Lonnie Carroll, officer Troy Tucker and Precinct 3 Constable Robert Tisdale met at the flagpole near the veteran’s park memorial along Highway 80 July 7 for a moment of silence to commemorate the one-year anniversary of an attack that took the lives of five Dallas officers.
From Staff Reports
A number of law enforcement agencies throughout Van Zandt County participated in a moment of silence July 7 to honor the fallen Dallas Police Department officers that were killed in the line of duty in downtown Dallas one year ago.
Last year, one day after the shooting in downtown Dallas that took the lives of five police officers and wounded numerous others, Van Zandt County came together in a prayer vigil to honor the fallen and wounded Dallas and DART police officers.
Pct. 4 Constable Bob Keltner was one of the organizers of the event last year and said that he felt a “deep sense of brotherhood,” with the men and women of law enforcement during the July 7, 2016, attack.
On July 7, 2017 at approximately 9:53 p.m., Troopers responded to a three-vehicle fatal crash on IH-20 in Van Zandt County near the city of Van. Preliminary crash investigations revealed that a 2014 Ford F-350 was traveling east on IH-20 when it struck the back of a 2004 Ford Taurus that was also east bound. The impact caused the Taurus to crash into the back of a 2007 Audi.
The driver of the Ford F-350 was identified as 48 year-old Terry Donte Rose of Garland. Rose was not injured.
The Wills Point ISD Board of Trustees held their regular monthly meeting on Monday night, taking a giant leap forward in the district’s effort to establish an education foundation while also reviewing reports on the district’s STAAR test results and awarding a fuel bid for the 2017-’18 school year.
Board business opened with a series of administrative items, including a brief update from Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Accountability Barbie McMath regarding the district’s preliminary STAAR report.
Tawakoni South Volunteer Fire Department members prepare to move their boat from the Lake Tawakoni State Park boat ramp Saturday evening after the recovery nearby of a drowning victim. Capt. Kevin Torrance and firefighter Colby Cope deployed the department’s boat. Other members assisting at the scene were Assistant Chief Delmar Waldrop, Secretary Holly Neagle and firefighters John Jones, Dakota Lowe, Cassie Jones, Blair Villegas, Jessie Villegas and Austin Simmons.
By Larry Briscoe Correspondent
The body of a 46-year-old man who apparently drowned was recovered Saturday evening near the Lake Tawakoni State Park boat dock.
Justice of the Peace Jennifer Reeves of Commerce pronounced the man dead and ordered an autopsy by the medical examiner. Judge Reeves said at press time Tuesday that she had not yet received a report from the medical examiner on cause of death.
She identified the victim as Johnny Wayne Aday, a 46-year-old white male, of Wylie.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department State Park Police Officer Nick Eaton and Game Warden Gary Miller Jr. responded to the incident.
Officer Eaton said he was on patrol inside the park when he was flagged down and told of the incident.
The Wills Point Police Department will be keeping its fingers crossed heading into the weekend, hoping that potential bad weather stays away long enough for them to complete their second major community outreach event of 2017.
Events for the department are scheduled to include both a car show and audio competition at the Wills Point High School July 15, and a BBQ Cook-Off the same day at the Lester Park ballpark.
The Back the Blue Car Show, hosted by the WPPD and Unique Karz, is set to include a Full 28 Class Show with first and second place being awarded in all classes beginning at 9 a.m. at the high school. Additionally, several Best of Show Awards will also be presented. Proceeds raised from the event will be going towards the K-9 and WP Youth Programs. The audio competition will also be taking place at the high school throughout the morning.
As the sun rose and storm clouds parted early Saturday morning of June 24, more than 100 people from the Wills Point community gathered on Gospel for Asia’s campus to participate in a 5k run to help provide needed school supplies for students of Wills Point Independent School District.
Russell Memorial United Methodist Church organized the Supply Run that GFA hosted. 120 people, including WPISD teachers, GFA staff and fitness enthusiasts signed up to help, knowing their registration fees will provide a wide variety of school supplies to pre-k through high school students for the upcoming school year.
Around 65 percent of students within the WPISD qualify for free or assisted lunches because of lower income levels. Although they receive help with lunches, many of those students still aren’t able to afford the school supplies needed to make it through the school year.
A Distinguished Service Award certificate was presented to the Van Zandt County Historical Commission by the VZC Commissioners Court June 27.
VZC Judge Don Kirkpatrick presented the certificate and VZC Pct. 4 Commissioner Tim West presented a plaque designating the VZC Courthouse to be listed in the National Registrar of Historic Place by the United States Department of the Interior.
“This recognition is from the Texas Historical Commission,” pointed out Kirkpatrick. “This is the ninth year in a row that the Van Zandt County Historical Commission has received this honor and that is not an easy thing to accomplish. Congratulations. What a great job you do for Van Zandt County.”
The Wills Point ISD’s music department has established an impressive body of work over the years, garnering widespread praise for its success at competitions and contests throughout the state. Much of the success from the program’s continued excellence can be traced to the work done by Linda Roberts at both the primary and middle school campuses.
Roberts has taught Elementary Music for 25 years, including the past 20 years as a WPISD staff member.
“I am currently teaching Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 5 Music. WPISD has an Elementary Music Curriculum in place for P-K-Grade 5. The students receive music instruction one day per week throughout the calendar year. They learn and experience fundamental music concepts by singing, dancing, dramatic play, as well as playing and improvising on percussion instruments and recorders.”
“In October 2016, Judy Callaway Ostler, Texas State Regent for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announced that the National Society approved the organization of a new chapter to be chartered in Terrell, to serve Kaufman County and neighboring communities. Terrell resident and fourth generation DAR member, Stacey Browning, will serve as Organizing Chapter Regent.
This new chapter has one year to organize and during that period, anyone who joins will be a “founding member”. The window is rapidly closing for new members to join in time to be a “founding member”.
Are you interested in becoming a part of the very first DAR chapter in Kaufman County? Was your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother or aunt a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution? Do you recall relatives talking about your family being eligible? Do you think your family may have been in the New World at the time of the American Revolution? If so, please contact us!
