Jan. 10 marked the beginning of the 85th legislative session for the Texas Legislature and State Representative Dan Flynn said he would continue to push for legislation that would embody faith, family and freedom. "I am excited about the opportunity to continue the direction of Texas as a leader for faith family and freedom. My number one priority this session is American law on American soil," said Flynn. This is Representative Flynn's 8th session representing East Texas and the interests of all Texans in important conservative values that he has reinforced in previous sessions of the legislature.
Elle Monus describes herself as a T-shirt and jeans type of girl while growing up, a member of the Peer Assistance and Leadership group at Canton High School and a daughter raised by a single father. But her life changed after she left Canton, and she became a fashion-forward trendsetter, who took New York City by storm and is now bringing fashion back home. “I was asked in high school if there was anything in the world that I want to do, and I knew I wanted to be in fashion. The fact that I found myself in this type of career is nothing short of a miracle. A girl from Canton, making waves in the New York City fashion world. Who knew?” said Elle. Elle credited a lot of her success to a former Canton High School teacher Gail Howard who took an interest in her and pushed her to overcome bullying and torment.
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement Jan. 12 following the filing of Senate Bill 12 - Protective Vests for Police by Senator Royce West, (D - Dallas): "Last year, Texas had more law enforcement officers die in the line of duty than any other state in America. Families were shattered by senseless tragedies -- some of which could have been prevented if these law enforcement officers had been outfitted with protective vests capable of stopping high-caliber bullets.
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Throughout 2016, the Van Zandt County Jail has been on a rocky path. From escaped inmates, to deaths of inmates, budget problems, overcrowding and outsourcing of inmates the jail has seen its slew of problems. VZC Sheriff Dale Corbett said he had a plan to combat all of the speed bumps in the jail’s way, starting with staffing changes. Corbett said that effective Jan. 1, 2017 “former VZC Chief Deputy of Jail Administrator George Flowers is no longer there.” Corbett said that while he would “not go into detail,” it was clear that “Chief Deputy of Jail Administration George Flower’s services were no longer needed and we are going to head in a different direction.” Corbett said that in the interim that he and his staff are “overseeing the budget of the jail right now to get things back on track,” but that he has full faith in the staff that he has chosen.
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Captain Timothy Scharfenberg, left, and Sgt. Bernardo Garza gave a video presentation about the need for body cameras in the VZC Sheriff’s Department during a special meeting of the VZC Commissioners Court Jan. 9.
By David Barber Senior Reporter
The process to follow through with a grant application for the purpose of supplying Van Zandt County sheriff’s deputies with body cameras was approved during a special meeting of the county commissioners court Jan. 9. A video and a power point presentation on the benefits of body cameras for deputies was given to the commissioners by Captain Timothy Scharfenberg and Sgt. Bernardo Garza of the county sheriff’s department. In-car cameras are currently being used in the department but body cameras are currently not available for all members of the sheriff’s office, according to Scharfenberg and Garza.
Canton Independent School District Superintendent Jay Tullos released a statement regarding the passage of House Bill 2804, a bill that is currently under fire from Texas educators. The bill will change state’s public school accountability system beginning with the 2017-’18 school year. Passage of the bill essentially established an A-F grading system whereby districts, as well as individual campuses within those districts, are given letter grades in five different domains. Superintendent Tullos said that despite the passage of the bill, Canton ISD has “consistently prepared students for successful college and work careers for many years, and the tradition will continue.” Superintendent Tullos issued the following statement:
The East Texas Gem & Mineral Society will hold the 21st annual jewelry, rock, mineral and fossil show at the Tyler Rose Garden Center Jan. 27, 28, and 29. Visitors will be able to see club member’s display cases, demonstrations, and dealer’s booths supplying a variety of jewelry, jewelry making, lapidary and earth science related products. Mineral specimens, dinosaur bone, and meteorites are also favored attractions. “There will also be the famous rock food table and geode cracking demonstrations held. There are hourly door prizes, plus adult and children’s grand prizes,” organizers of the event said. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 27 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 29.
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The East Texas Chapter of Master Naturalist, a nonprofit organization announces it 2017 classes from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the Tyler Nature Center, 11942 FM 848. Classes will continue on most Tuesday evenings through early April. There will be one Saturday class and three Saturday field trips. The 40 plus hours of classroom and in-the-field instruction aim to educate and prepare participants for service and volunteerism in the field of natural resources, and will include topics such as archaeology, mammalogy, aquatic systems, native plants and forests, and much more. All-inclusive class fees are $125. Space is limited, visit http://txmn.org/etwd/ for an application and more information, or contact Beverly Guthrie at finwren@sbcglobal.net. Deadline for applications is postmarked by Monday, Jan. 16.
For those who have experienced the death of a loved one, a GriefShare program will be held at First Baptist Church of Canton. This nondenominational program features Christ-centered, biblical teaching that focuses on grief topics associated with the death of a loved one. The DVD seminar features nationally respected grief experts and real-life stories of people, followed by a small group discussion about what was seen on the DVD. Many grieving people find they are only beginning the work of healing when friends or family have returned to their daily routines. Past participants have related how helpful the information and follow-up discussions were to them.
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The Canton Museum Board will meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Blackwell House Museum, 315 First Monday Lane (State Hwy. 859 next to the VZ County Library). The board is made up of volunteers who are interested in preserving the historic collections housed at the Blackwell House and the Plaza Museum. Business meetings are held quarterly beginning in January and work days are scheduled throughout the year as needed. New members are being actively recruited at this time. The Blackwell House, built in 1886, is the oldest home standing in Canton. The house is open to the public at an Annual Christmas Open House early each December and available for private gatherings throughout the year. Many small family reunions, baby and wedding showers and small parties are scheduled. You can call 903-848-0675 for availability and rental cost.
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