News

Someone in the Canton area is doing a happy little Texas Two-Step this week.

The Texas Lottery Commission announced July 24 that the lone winning ticket in the July 23 Texas Two-Step drawing was sold at Brookshire Food Store #32 in Canton.

The ticket was a quick pick that matched all four numbers and the bonus and was worth $950,000. Numbers were 7, 25, 31 and 25 with the bonus 22.

According to the lottery commission, the prize hadn’t been claimed as of Tuesday morning, July 28.

Largest state employee association honors lawmakers for their leadership in preserving the Employees Retirement System pension fund

Rep. Dan Flynn (R–Van) and Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D–Dallas) have been named Legislators of the Year by the Texas Public Employees Association, a nonunion, nonpartisan legislative advocacy organization for Texas state government employees and retirees. Flynn and Alonzo distinguished themselves in the eyes of the association’s 15,000 members for the leadership role they took in addressing the unfunded liabilities of the Employees Retirement System (ERS) pension fund through the authorship and passage of House Bill 9. The two lawmakers were honored at the TPEA Awards Luncheon July 18 at the Holiday Inn–Town Lake in Austin.

The Canton Council decided to keep the Mill Creek Trail project as its own project, let the masons set the new city hall’s cornerstone and chose a new auditing firm at last week’s council meeting.

Mark Spencer of MHS Planning and Design talked to the council about the Mill Creek Trail project, a 2.6-mile trail in the natural area around Mill Creek Reservoir off Arnold Paul Road. The project is funded in part through a Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant.

The first time the city went out for bids on the project, three companies vied for the business but their estimates were all too high, Spencer said. The project was scaled back and re-sent out in early July but no bids were received on the smaller scope of work, he said.

Canton Police Chief Mike Echols has announce his retirement effective Aug. 31.

Echols has been with Canton PD since 1987. He has been chief since October 2007.

A reception honoring Echols time with the city will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Canton Senior Citizens, 200 W. Groves St.

City Manager Lonny Cluck said a new police chief should be named in the next few weeks.

“I believe in promoting internally if you have good candidates,” he said. “We posted the job internally and had two good applicants – very qualified candidates.”

A five-person panel interviewed both candidates and made a recommendation, Cluck said. 

The next Canton Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon will be at noon Tuesday, Aug. 4 at the Bunker at the Van Zandt Country Club.

Guest speaker will be Davis Dickson, airport manager at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. He will give an overview of the regional passenger airport including its history and current operations.

“In addition, this event is a great networking opportunity for you and your business,” said chamber administrator Laura Mendoza. “Plan to attend, bring your business cards and network with the people at your table and with others that attend.”

 Lunch sponsor is Texas Bank & Trust.

Reservations are required and are needed by Friday, July 31.

Cost is $10 per person.

 To reserve a spot, call Mendoza at 903-567-2991 or email her at or

 cantontxchamberofcommerce@yahoo.com

The Canton Trail Riders Poor Boy Rodeo was held last weekend. Events included Calf, steer and bull riding; ribbon, calf, team and break away roping; barrel and pole races. 

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Jessica Bunch is out of ICU.

After 17 days in the hospital, Jessica was moved to a room a room last week, according to her dad, Don Bunch.

“She is trying to eat a little, we have got to get the pace picked up a little or they will have to put a feeding tube in,” he said.

Jessica was seriously injured July 7 when a 79-year-old woman driving an SUV and pulling into a handicapped parking spot at the CVS in Canton, hit the gas instead of the brake, jumped the curb and slammed into the teen who was standing in front of the Redbox movie rental machine. Jessica was taken by air ambulance to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler where she has been in a fight for survival ever since.

Texas Department of Transportation crews are resuming the annual summer seal coat operations to help preserve roadways throughout the Tyler District.

Work kicks started this week State Hwy. 11 in Wood County.


Seal coat is the department’s preventive maintenance program that utilizes a two-step process to cover existing roadway surfaces with a layer of hot asphalt followed by rock. The process seals the roadway to keep water out thereby adding years of life and requiring less maintenance while providing a new driving surface for motorists, according to TxDOT officials.


TxDOT said motorists can expect some travel delays and lane closures as the work continues for the next five weeks across seven of the district’s eight counties. Traffic control will be provided by flaggers.

The expected completion date for the $8.5 million contract is the end of August.


July 18 – 2 a.m. – I-20 Service Rd. – Arrest: Sherquira Nicole Williams, 22, of Dallas, theft > $50 and <$500 warrant, cited for speeding and driving without a license; passenger cited for permitting an unlicensed driver to driver vehicle

July 19 – Warrant Arrest: Scott A. Murphree, 48, of Edgewood, possession of controlled substance PG 1 under 1G

July 20 – 11:11 p.m. – 1500 block Shady Ln. – incident report

In the early morning hours of July 16, there was gunfire at the Longbranch coming from Miss Kitty’s room but Marshal Dillon was nowhere to be found.

Longbranch Hotel manager Anthony Lewis reported a gunshot from the Miss Kitty room from the hotel on The Mountain shortly after 2 a.m. July 16. When Canton Police arrived and knocked on the door to Miss Kitty’s room, Mary Lou Hyde answered the door and said she’d been asleep and hadn’t heard anything. After a few minutes of questioning, Hyde admitted a gun shot did wake her and that her traveling companion – Mack R. Christie – had left the room and gone to buy some cigarettes.

Canton officers were joined by Texas Department of Public Safety officers and Van Zandt County Sheriff’s deputies and the search for Christie began.