News

Replacing a generator at the Van Zandt County Jail and supplemental insurance for county employees were two main topics of discussion June 13 during a two-hour regular session of the VZC Commissioners Court.

Commissioners discussed foregoing the bidding process or proposals for the purchase and installation of a new generator for the Van Zandt County Jail.

The old generator at the jail was damaged by lightning during the April 29 tornadoes and the jail is currently operating with a generator borrowed from the city of Tyler.

The Cartwright School in Wills Point received its just recognition June 19 with a special ceremony to unveil a historical marker bringing back former graduates and school staff members to the building located at 315 Bertha Street. The Cartwright School was approved as a historical site by the Texas Historical Commission in December 2016, with donors for the marker including Tommy C. Scott, Ora Dell Howard, Corliss Brown, Clarence Harden, Don Skinner, Esther Moorehead-Gibson, Shirlene Shields-Cook, Leatha Williams-Buchanan, the Wills Point Historical Society, Phillip Williamson, Stepz All Star, Junita Myers, Thelma Myers and Cassandra Haynes.

Trinity Baptist Church is hosting a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 25, at 1104 Goodnight Boulevard in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Jeremy Ogdie at 903-873-3270.

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The Wills Point Municipal Court has continued to follow through on efforts to clear outstanding warrants and monies owed off its books throughout the year, releasing another list of persons being sought for a series of offences.

Names and dollar totals owed include: Jonathan Ray Allen, $897; April Jeannette Bailey, $192; Daniel Barbosa, $346; Brittany Vanae Barrett, $148.90; Douglas Franklin Bass, $194; Christian Lee Bellnoski, $447; Colby Lynn Birdsell, $267; Bert Wayne Bowman, $679.40; Traci Marie Brown, $956; Tristan Taylor Bunch, $564; Crystal Lashun Campbell, $358; Brandon Carraway, $455; Chelsea Willis Caver, $3186.40; Alejandro Lopez Cervantes, $1175.75; Obed Cisneros, $267; Raynesia Victoria Coats, $380; Erick Tyrone Cole, $1579.50; Curtis Lashont Collier, $595.10; Shawn Michael Connell, $375; Caleb Nathaniel Cook, $530.90; Dustin Lee Cook, $589;

Texas Department of State Health Services accredited food handlers program is being offered by Melisa Rhodes, County Extension Agent.  This class is now required for all food service employees to help promote the service of safe food. The class is a basic overview of food safety practices that are necessary to ensure you serve safe food at your establishment. Some practices discussed are:     

· Good Personal Hygiene

Gov. Abbott calls for special legislative session

Van Zandt County Commissioners authorized the VZC Sheriff’s Department to pursue an interlocal agreement with the City of Wills Point on a piece of property to be used for a gun range that is currently owned by the city.

The action by the commissioners took place June 13 during their regular monthly meeting that turned into an almost two-hour session to work through a lengthy agenda.

Discussion over the use of a gun range by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies in the county on property owned by the City of Wills Point continued between the commissioners, the sheriff’s department and Wills Point City Manager Pam Pearson during the meeting.

“We stopped using this gun range for a while,” pointed out VZC Judge Don Kirkpatrick. “The City of Wills Point has said that the sheriff’s office could use that property for qualifying.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Executive Director Ivan Suarez announced that Van Zandt County is approved to accept applications for the Emergency Conservation Program to address damages from tornado, straight-line winds and flooding. ECP signup will begin on June 12, and end on July 12.

According to Suarez, approved ECP practices under this authorization include debris removal from farmland, grading, shaping, or releveling severely damaged farmland, restoring permanent fences, restoring conservation structures and other similar installations.

The city of Wills Point will once again serve as the central hub for area Juneteenth activities, once again playing host for the largest Juneteenth celebration in the area.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with the news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were now free. 

This announcement came two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The celebration of June 19 became “Juneteenth,” and the observance has grown beyond the borders of Texas and traveled to other countries. It became an official state holiday in Texas after having been signed into law on June 13, 1979.

The Talent Box, a nonprofit community theatre, 244 N. 4th Street, Wills Point, will host a Bingo and Spaghetti Dinner night June 24, 2017. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by Bingo at 7:30 p.m.
Admission for this event is $12 for ages 13 to 59, $8 for ages 60 and over and $8 for ages 12 and under. Admission includes dinner and one Bingo card. Additional cards are available for a donation of $1 for each card. The winner of each game will select a prize.
Reservations may be made by calling the theatre, 903-873-8945. Leave your name and telephone, your call will be returned.