Wills Point residents will gather together once again Sept. 21, celebrating their Tiger pride at the third annual Wills Point Homecoming Pep Rally and Bonfire.
Organizers behind the event announced "We are so excited about this years Homecoming events and we want you and your family to take part in this epic evening. We will begin the celebration with live music from WPHS alumni, food, games, beat the heap and much more!
"We will have amazing performances by our Tiger Band, cheerleaders, Tigerettes as well as introduction of our Homecoming Court, coaches and much more!"
National Dog Dag was celebrated Aug. 26, a day that highlighted man’s best friend and also shed light on the problems facing strays of Van Zandt County.
Over-population of pets and the lack of available funds has led to Canton having the only shelter in the county. County residents are taking strays and unwanted pets to the Canton Shelter, placing a burden and strain on funding that the shelter receives from the City of Canton.
The Van Zandt County Commissioners will now be faced with another hurdle, as the City of Canton has requested that the county and local municipalities enter within an interlocal agreement to help pay for the Canton Animal Shelter.
For now, the Canton Animal Shelter is funded by Canton taxpayers, not county taxpayers- a dilemma which the City of Canton officials want to rectify.
As it stands, the City of Canton operates the only animal shelter in Van Zandt County.
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 14, former Texas State Rep. Rick Green will provide the citizens of Van Zandt County with a look at how the faith of our founding fathers and their religious convictions influenced the drafting of our Declaration and Constitution.
The event is free to the public and will be held in the Van ISD Auditorium, 250 N. Pecan St.
Green now spends most of his time speaking across the country on topics of freedom. He travels the nation speaking for David Barton’s WallBuilders organization. Green and Barton co-host the national daily radio program, “WallBuilders Live!”
Green is also the author and executive producer of “Constitution Alive,” a study of the U.S. Constitution.
A Dallas man was killed in a single car accident on I-20 about 11 a.m. Sept. 3.
The accident occurred about 5 miles south of Wills Point.
According to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, a “preliminary crash investigation revealed that a 2004 Ford Explorer was traveling eastbound on IH-20 in the left lane. The driver of the vehicle drove into the right lane and then off the south side of the roadway.
“The driver then overcorrected to the left and overturned the vehicle. The vehicle came to rest on its roof, partially on the roadway facing north.
Lester Wills, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene by Judge Ronnie Daniel. His body was taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.
The Wills Point ISD will enter its next phase of its effort to educate voters about its proposed $42.5 million bond next week, hosting the first of three planned community meetings to give the public an opportunity to see a brief presentation regarding the district’s plans and ask questions of district administrators.
Current meeting times, dates and locations are set to include: Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in the WPMS library; Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Earnest O. Woods Intermediate library; and Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the WPHS cafeteria.
Superintendent Scott Caloss is slated to oversee all three sessions, outlining plans that would call for additions and renovations at the primary, renovations of the intermediate and high school, and the construction of a brand new junior high campus to be located on property east of Ken Autry Davis Field.
AUSTIN – As the start of the new school year approaches, the Texas Department of Public Safety cautions Texans to watch for children who are walking to and from school or waiting for buses. Drivers should be especially alert and careful around school buses – which make frequent stops – and always follow traffic laws regarding school buses and school zones.
“DPS is calling on drivers to do their part in keeping our children safe this school year by always obeying school zone speed limits and stopping for school buses,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Individuals who disregard the law and illegally pass stopped school buses not only face significant traffic fines, but they needlessly put children in harm’s way – and we take these violations very seriously.”
August proved itself to be a tough month for Van Zandt County cities when it comes to sales tax revenue figures, with only one city bucking the downward trend according to the office of Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar.
Canton was the exception to the rule for the month of August, receiving $14,349.37 more than the $310,948.54 collected for the same calendar month in 2015.
After posting the largest percentage gain for any city in the county in July, the city of Edom went the complete opposite direction by posting a 20.88 percent drop down to $2,295.61 for the month of August.
The Van Zandt County Master Gardeners along with the Van Zandt County Extension Wildlife and Natural Resources committee will be hosting a Native Plant Seminar Sept. 8 at Farm Bureau, 281 E. Hwy 243 Canton.
Registration for the event starts at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m.
Cost is $10 per person which covers the cost of the program, snacks and handouts. RSVPs are needed to the County Extension office by Sept. 1 and can be made by calling 903-567-4149.
The Van Zandt Extension Livestock and Forage committee will be hosting a Cattle Handling and Winter Pasture Program Sept. 6 at Circle M Farms in Grand Saline.
Circle M is located at 602 FM 1652 in Grand Saline.
Dr. Ron Gill, professor, extension livestock specialist and associate department head for extension, will be the guest speaker for the event.
Gill is world renowned for his low-stress cattle handling technique and chute side manners presentation. He will be presenting both of these talks at this event.
