Columns

Thursday, Oct. 22 is the big day to find out who are the lucky people that  will take home the American Girl Doll, and the Chrome Notebook offered by the Friends of the Van Zandt County Library.  

New Advisory Board members will begin their terms at the regular meeting Oct. 22.  Their job is to keep policies up to date and to advise the commissioners court of needs and any problems with the library. 

Preschoolers Storytime continues to be well attended.  The Oct. 23 theme is “llama, llama.”  It is a great way to encourage love of books.  Studies show that children who are introduced to reading early are  more successful in the classroom.

At 2 p.m. Saturday Oct. 24, the Genealogy Society will be back in the Buchanan Room for their regular meeting.  Visitors and new members are always welcome.

Noah and his family

Grew up in a world of sin

He served the Lord in worst of time

He was chosen above all men.

Noah found Grace in the eyes of God

Grace is the protector of life

God said Noah, I have a job for you

Your sons also and your wife.

I repent for making mankind

Satan has control of his heart

I will send a flood and drown them all

And then give flesh a new start.

Noah, build an ark of fine wood

Call in a pair of each kind

Don’t worry about drawing or anything

For I have made up my mind.

Rains came down and covered the earth

The ark saved Noah and his kin

The Grace of God still full power

And Satan will never again win.

LB 2004

Recently a friend asked how someone would evacuate in an emergency. Turns out, the answer isn’t all that simple.

I have a friend who escaped from a house fire with the clothes he had on: pajamas. Everything else burned up. He was happy he had the pajamas, and his life. Fortunately one of our friends invited him to stay with his family. In a month or two, he rented a furnished apartment and started over.

The kinds of emergencies that require us to leave, or evacuate, range from house fires to epidemics. What we can bring with us depends on the urgency of the evacuation and transportation available.

A house fire is the ultimate in urgency for evacuation. It’s possible to save family records only if they can be grabbed instantly on the way out the door. If you have a 72-hour survival kit by the door, that may be pretty helpful, too.

 Gospel teaches lessons

A great one is a man named Saul

He challenged our Lord Jesus

And brought about his own fall.

Saul fell off his own donkey

His mind became a blank

His vision became darkness

Jesus revealed to him his rank.

His power and wisdom vanished

And then the truth he saw

God’s power and truth is Jesus

And never in the law.

He then heard the voice of Jesus

Calling out his name

He said I hear you Lord

And I will never be the same.

He then saw Jesus as Savior

The King of all man kind

And gave his heart unto Him

His heart, his soul, his mind.

Mrs. Fugate died Tuesday Afternoon at Baker Clinic, Oct. 11, at 4:15 o’clock, following an illness of several days.  Interment was in White Rose Cemetery. Mrs. Fugate was the mother of Mrs. Guy Martin and Calvin Fugate of Canton.

Miss Becky Scott a Board 4H Club member has been selected as Gold Star Girl for Van Zandt County for 1949. Miss Sarah E. Ellenberger assistant county home demonstration agent, announce this week.  Her story was selected as the most outstanding by a committee of Home Demonstration and Club women and adult leaders.

On Thursday evening Oct. 6, Mrs. Ted Robertson, recent bride, was complimented with a miscellaneous shower in the home of Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Addy. Those in the house part were Mrs. Geneva Reynolds, Mrs. Jake Slaughter, Mrs. Athol Emerson, Miss Angie Paschall, Mrs. Rudolph Taylor and Miss Beth Shivers.

Mrs. W. H. Corley of near Canton celebrated her 87^th birthday Sunday, Oct. 9, with a dinner at her home.

Knowing what to do, being prepared part of key to surviving disaster

In a survey conducted by the Ad Council, sixty percent of Americans reported that they did not have a family emergency plan. The Ad Council's survey also found that although 91 percent of Americans strongly agree that taking some simple steps to prepare could help protect them and their family in the event of a disaster, only 58 percent of respondents report having taken any steps to prepare for a disaster. Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when the seconds start to count.  Better Business Bureau urges families to plan for the unexpected and devise their own emergency preparedness plans.

Canton Herald, Oct. 6, 1949:

Jerry Bledsoe a Canton 4H club member has been selected along with another 4H club boy and two girls and four outstanding leaders to represent Texas at a Recreational Laboratory in Brookings, S.D,

Oct. 3-19.  The all-expense paid trip which Jerry won as a results of his recreational activities.

Miss Finnie Oneida Cole, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Cole, is among nearly 2000 students enrolled at Texas State College for Women for the fall term.

I use my nose to smell things and to breathe through when I walk with my mouth closed. I love the smells. If something smells bad, my nose puts me on notice to become aware of what to look for or get away from.  Skunks come to mind. Dog doo doo is another unpleasant smell that requires attention. Mothers have a very keen sense of smell and fathers use “selective smelling.” Noses are a good thing.

Van Zandt County citizens will have the opportunity in November to cast their ballot deciding whether a new county tax for maintenance of county roads is imposed starting with the 2016 tax year. 

Adoption of this Special Road Tax is authorized and the process is detailed under Transportation Code Sec. 256.052. 

Several questions have arisen concerning how current county property tax exemptions will be applied if the election for the new tax were to pass.  I hope to answer those questions here.

Sec. 256.054 (e) of the Transportation Code states, “If a majority of the votes received in the election favor adoption of the tax, the commissioners’ court shall impose the tax each year in the same manner as other county ad valorem taxes.”