News

The Barn Fellowship, located at 220 Hwy 110 in Grand Saline, will be dedicating their new facility at 6 p.m. Saturday evening, Aug. 29.

“Along with the dedication there will be a Southern Gospel Jubilee Concert with the Bent Bucket Band from Athens that will make you want to tap your foot, slap your knee and clap your hands!” organizers said.

The Myrtle Springs Alumni Straw Hat dinner theater will host a concert starring Barbara Cooper. Concert official LaRea Miller remarked, “Barbara lives in VZC and is about the most talented female singer in our area with the same smooth voices as Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee and other successful country female singers. It is almost impossible to distinguish the difference between the songs rendered by Barbara and those whom she fashions and presents in her concerts.”

The Wills Point City Council met Aug. 11, hearing a report on the 2013-2014 audit report conducted by Yeldell, Wilson and Company CP and putting the wheels in motion on a sales tax audit that could potentially bring in additional revenue to the city.

Council members opened business by hearing a report from Greer Yeldell of Yeldell, Wilson, and Company CP.

Yeldell advised that overall the city performed well in its 2013-2014 audit, with some minor fixes but “no significant violations.” Yeldell noted that the biggest issue for auditors came from the city’s conversion to new financial and accounting software recently, but that future audits shouldn’t suffer extra delays or lags.

After several brief talking points, council members heard a presentation from City Administrator Pam Pearson and Mark Turner on the possibility of hiring a company to come in and conduct a sales tax audit.

Law enforcement officials from both Kaufman and Van Zandt counties had their hands full on Tuesday afternoon after an attempted armed robbery of a convenience store in Terrell led to a high speed chase.

The chase ended when the suspect lost control of his vehicle just west of Wills Point.

According to reports, 22-year-old Matthew Colby Johnson, of Mineola, entered the GAS convenience and gas station on South Virginia Street in Terrell attempting to commit an armed robbery.

Store owner Fahed Fatayri then pulled out his own weapon, a .38 pistol, and fired a single shot that struck Johnson in the buttocks.

Johnson fled the scene, disposed of the weapon and set off on a high-speed chase that began with officers from the Terrell Police Department attempting to apprehend the suspect.

Johnson led authorities down Highway 80 going east at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05) held a town hall meeting Aug. 7 to update the citizens of Van Zandt County on his continued efforts to hold Washington accountable to the American people and to hear from them about the issues that are most concerning to them.

Hensarling discussed topics ranging from Obamacare, the Supreme Court, Planned Parenthood and the export and import fight. 

The meeting was opened by County Judge Don Kirkpatrick thanking the people for showing up and introducing Hensarling, “he’s a friend to Van Zandt County, East Texas and he serves us well in Washington.”

Obamacare

Turner Baptist Church is having a community-wide Back to School Bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 15.  The church is located at 1802 VZCR 3412, Wills Point.

Children from grade school to high school are invited for an old-fashioned field day, church officials said, and parents are also encouraged to attend.  At the end of the event, school supplies and refreshments will be distributed to all children who joined in the fun.

Registration is at 10 a.m. 

Field Day Events will occur from 10:30 to 11 a.m. 

A video will be presented from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary and school supplies will be distributed from 11:30 a.m. to noon. 

Children should bring their school supply list.

A rogue squirrel left Wills Point residents in the dark on Saturday night, causing a small fire at a local power substation while causing major power and phone outages across the area.

The incident disrupted services to local customers began before 8 p.m. and was first believed to be a transformer fire.

The Wills Point Emergency Management Facebook page, which offers updates and notices on happenings in the city, posted a notice stating: “Transformer fire has caused significant power outages in and around Wills Point. Local police and fire non-emergency numbers appear to be not working. All requests for Police, Fire and EMS need to call 911. Any urgent request for assistance with medical devices also need to call 911.”

Teams from Oncor and Trinity Valley Electric Co-Op responded to the scene to assess the damage and initiate repairs.

The Wills Point ISD Board of Trustees continued with what has already been a busy month on Tuesday night, holding their regular monthly meeting after two special called meetings  Aug. 3 and Aug. 7.

Business this week settled on several key talking points, including adopting a budget and tax rate for the upcoming year after a brief hearing lead by Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Student Services Damon Davis, and receiving the latest state and local accountability from the district from Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability Amanda Wallace.

Davis, who had assumed the duties of superintendent following Suzanne Blasingame’s resignation last month, explained to trustees that a tax rate of 1.144 (1.04 for maintenance and operations, and .104 for the interest and sinking fund) had been proposed.

The Wills Point ISD Board of Trustees hit their stated goal last week, finding an interim superintendent to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Superintendent Suzanne Blasingame at the July 16 meeting.

Randy Hancock, formerly a superintendent with the Maypearl, Howe and, most recently, Royse City ISDs, was selected after a series of interviews with potential candidates conducted on Aug. 7.

The Wills Point ISD’s course of action was outlined for the public several days prior at a special called meeting on Aug. 3.

The Wills Point ISD, Wills Point Parent Teacher Organization and Wills Point Chamber of Commerce staged their 4th annual Back to School Fair on Aug. 8 at the high school campus, distributing supplies and providing services to help district families start the upcoming school year on the right foot.

Previous fairs have helped provide school supplies, haircuts, vaccinations, dental supplies and eye screenings to 293 students in 2013 and 339 students in 2014.

Additionally, groups and organizations such as the Van Zandt County Retired Teachers Association set up tables to provide free books for students.

District employees and volunteers also use the event to provide parents with the opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork to receive free or reduced meals, get information about the CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) program, the Lone Star Card and Medicaid.