News

The search for a new Edgewood Police Chief is ongoing but the city has received six applications, Mayor Charlie Prater said.

Prater asked council members to review the applications and submit their top two selections to City Secretary Petra Marley.

The council had contemplated disbanding the police department and placing the city under the jurisdiction of Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office. However, council members approved next year’s budget this week and decided to continue with the hiring process.

Council members were asked to have their interview recommendations to Marley by Sept. 14 at which time she will tabulate the selections. The top three candidates will be contacted for interviews. The finalists be interviewed by Prater and the council.

Budget

Texas State Rep. Dan Flynn was recently honored by the 36th Infantry Division Association for his passage of House Bill 923 which allowed for the creation and sale of commemorative T-patch license plates honoring the historic 36th infantry division.  

At the event, a model of the license plate was revealed to members of the division and their families.

Among the guests there were Assistant Division Commander, Brigadier General Richard Noriega and 36th Infantry Division Commander Major General Lester Simpson who presented Flynn with his own T-Patch license plate and bayonet.  

Flynn served with the 36th Infantry Division which included many notable members such as World War II's most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy.

Wills Point ISD Trustees held their regular monthly meeting  Sept. 14, focusing on potential facility needs, specifically at both the middle and high school campuses, and appointing a new trustee to fill one of the board’s two current vacancies.

Business opened with interim Superintendent Randy Hancock and Assistant Superintendent Damon Davis each giving presentations on the middle and high school campuses and the lighting issues caused by a light pole collapse during the 2014-’15 school year.

Regarding the middle school cafeteria and high school, Hancock said, “We’ve had issues with the middle school cafeteria and some ongoing issues at the high school with structural movement.”

The district worked with WJE (Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc) an engineering firm that specializes in existing facilities and looking at potential safety issues, who reviewed both sites and found that both facilities were safe in their current condition.

Wills Point High School will be a hub of activity during the upcoming week, due in large part to homecoming week festivities and the big 5-year reunion that will bring hundreds of Tiger faithful to their high school home for a weekend.

Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally

Wills Point’s homecoming week festivities will kick off with a parade and community pep rally Sept. 21 at the high school campus.

Last year’s event proved to be a success, with hundreds of attendees lining the brick streets of downtown to watch the parade and take pictures.

To help traffic flow throughout the area, organizers moved this year’s parade and pep rally Wills Point High School campus.

The parade route will begin next to the football stadium, and work its way around the entirety of the main campus before the pep rally takes place in the south end of the high school parking lot.

The Wills Point FFA Showteam headed east this past week competing at the Four States Fair in Texarkana, Ark.

The Showteam brought home honors and numerous accolades for their performance during the fair.

The Junior Show opened up Sept. 11 with the Junior Brangus Show.

Wills Point FFA team member Tori Goggans won third place with her Class 4 Brangus heifer.

D.J. Wood then competed with his Class 3 Red Brahman heifer and won first place. He then returned to the ring during the Champion drive to win Reserve Grand Champion.

Krista Lambeth entered the Santa Gertrudis show with her Class 3 heifer winning third place.

The Sept. 12 competition started out with Kaden Morris entering the ring in Class 2 Angus heifers and winning first place.

During the Sept. 8 Van Zandt County Commissioner’s meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved the budget and tax rate for fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2015, and ending Sept. 30, 2016.

The tax rate for the fiscal year is $0.485847, which is the same as last year’s tax rate.

Court regular Ronnie Jones spoke during the public comment section on the 2016 budget hearing.

Jones told the commissioners that there were several things that needed to be “done,” including obtaining a final outside audit and finding out where the county stood financially.

Jones also asked for transparency regarding what the court does and why it does it, specifically asking commissioners to “do what you say you will do.”

A bit of banter was heard as commissioners discussed the holiday schedule for FY 2016.

Currently, VZC employees receive a holiday on their birthday.

The burn ban put in place for Van Zandt County Aug. 11 has been lifted.

County commissioners met Sept. 14 with County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen to hear his recommendation concerning the burn ban.

 A burn ban was placed on the county for a period of 90 days, as approved by the Van Zandt County commissioner’s court Aug. 11.

At that time, the Keetch-Bryam Drought Index used by the Texas A&M Forestry Service to predict fire danger for the area, rated that the county was in dangerous range and the level was expected to rise.

Allen told commissioners that the county was at a level of 700 with the max level being 800 and said without significant rains the county would remain under a ban.

But, due to recent rains, Allen told commissioners that he felt like the burn ban could be lifted.

“We are still dry, but we can allow people to go ahead and burn their big brush piles and stuff like that. There is still some green vegetation around also.”

A 12-year-old Edgewood boy was killed while crossing Hwy. 19 about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 28.

Shawn “Austin” Phillips was hit when he and two other youngsters where trying to cross 19 near Van Zandt County Road 1105, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brady Lunceford said.

“The kids were on the west side of Hwy. 19 and were running to the east side,” Lunceford said. “The other two made it across. He didn’t.”

The accident happened at 8:23 p.m. Aug. 23. “It was dark and (Austin) was wearing blue jeans and a dark shirt,” Lunceford said.

Austin was killed upon impact. Justice of the Peace Ronnie Daniell pronounced him dead at the scene.

Brenda Sue Smith, 56, of Emory, was driving the vehicle that hit Austin.  She immediately stopped to help and called 9-1-1, the trooper said. She was not speeding, was cited in the accident and no charges will be filed in connection with the death, he said.

Law enforcement officials throughout the state banded together on Sept. 4, answering a call from Governor Greg Abbott and paying their respects to a fallen Harris County Deputy killed late last month.

According to reports, Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren H. Goforth was exiting a convenience store at Houston gas station after filling his patrol car on Aug. 28 when a man, identified as Shannon Miles, walked up and shot Goforth to death. Miles was subsequently arrested.

Prior to Goforth’s funeral service on Sept. 4, Governor Abbott asked that people wear blue to show their support for law enforcement.

Additionally, Abbott requested that that all law enforcement officers turn on the emergency lights on their patrol vehicles for one minute and that all other Texans who are driving at that time show their support by pulling over and headlights and emergency flashers for one minute at 11 a.m. on Sept. 4 to mark the beginning of Goforth’s funeral.

Organizers behind this year’s homecoming week festivities and annual five year reunion continued their hard work this week, putting some additional finishing touches on what is shaping up to be one of the busiest weeks on the Wills Point events calendar.

Homecoming Parade and Community Pep Rally

For the second consecutive year, Wills Point’s homecoming week festivities will kick off with a parade and community pep rally Sept. 21.

Last year’s event proved to be a success, with hundreds of attendees lining the brick streets of downtown to watch the parade and take pictures. To help traffic flow throughout the area, this year’s parade and pep rally will be moved to the Wills Point High School campus.

The parade route will begin next to the football stadium, and work its way around the entirety of the main campus before the pep rally takes place in the south end of the high school parking lot.