News

A number of proposals received approval from the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court regular meeting Monday, Nov. 7

The meeting was held a day earlier than normal due to Election Day Nov. 8, according to Van Zandt County Judge Don Kirkpatrick.

The commissioners approved the purchase of regular license plates for two newly acquired exempt vehicles the sheriff’s department.

A proclamation that will be read at the Nov. 12 First Responders Appreciation Day Banquet in Canton was approved by the commissioners.

Another proclamation, which will be read at the Memorial Dedication for the Kneeling Soldier bronze statue that same day, was also approved by the commissioners court.

Soliciting bid proposals for commissary services at the sheriff’s department was approved after commissioners heard a presentation from Van Zandt County Auditor Freddy Thomas.

4 to 6 weeks

Locally and nationwide, results of the General Election and local elections have impacted the community and lives of numerous people.

Change is coming to Canton, and City of Canton citizens voted in favor of allowing the sale of beer and wine.  

Voters had two propositions to vote on, proposition 1 would allow the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption only. Proposition 2 was for the sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only in the city of Canton.

Both propositions passed by convincing margins.

Proposition 1 passed with a total of 740 votes for and 635 against, a difference of 105 votes.

Proposition 2 passed with a total of 812 votes and 551 against, a difference of 261 votes.  

Memorial held to dedicate statue 

The veterans of Van Zandt County battled and believed in a vison- a vison to create one of the best veteran’s memorials in the state.

The Marine Corps Reserve will keep in tradition and provide toys for families in need from Thanksgiving until December.

“We rely on donations from citizens and businesses to make this happen.  Every dollar collected turns into $3  due to the generosity of toy companies who give deep discounts to the program,” said Jerry Prsall.  

 The Marine Corps League of Terrell is responsible for the collection and distribution of toys for Terrell, Quinlan, Kaufman, and all rural areas, including Van Zandt County.

Wallace UMC will hold a soup/chili supper and pie/cake auction at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. The price for the supper will be $5 and all you can eat. The pie auction will start at 7 p.m. All proceeds from the supper go to Relay for Life- American Cancer Society and funds raised from the pie auction will go towards church missions.

Brian Cummins will be the auctioneer. “Come one and all for an evening of fun and fellowship and raising money for two great causes,” event organizers said.

More than 150,000 volunteers including families, churches and other groups are linking arms across the country to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind.

In 2016, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with 9.5 million coming from the United States. 

During Nov. 14 – 21, caring people around the country will transform 9.5 million empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these shoebox gifts to children overseas living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster.  

Texas Star Quilters Guild recently released the winners of the October 2016 quilt show. They are as follows:

Hand quilted, pieced, one person: 1^st, Hand Merit award, Viewers’ Choice Saturday, Elizabeth Rinks, Battle of Mobile; 2^nd and Hand Merit award, Elizabeth Rinks, Grandmother’s Sunday Hats; 3^rd Gloria Harmon, Texas Two Step; and HM Gloria Harmon, Optical Illusion.

Hand quilted, applique, one person: 1^st Beverly Pendergrass, Sweet and Simple (wool applique). Also Best of Show Hand Quilted, Guild Choice and Viewers’ Choice on Friday.

Hand quilted, all other techniques, group: 1^st Julia Retzloff, Calico Flower Garder with Butterflies.

Machine quilted, pieced, one person: 1^st Virginia Ledbetter, Ginny’s Diamonds; 2^nd Linda Mathis, Snail at Sea; HM Barb Lathem, Christmas Celebration; and 3^rd Cathy Anderson, Patriotic Quilt.

First Baptist Church of Canton will host ‘A Parents Journey: Assisting Our Seniors and Parents Through the Aging Process’ at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15 at First Baptist Church, 303 Athens St, Canton.

“A panel of 12 experts in senior care and solutions will cover a wide range of topics dealing with caring for and guiding aging parents. Topics for discussion include: Caregiver Burnout, Legal/Financial Issues, Senior Counseling, Local Resources, Medical Care/Equipment, Safety/Monitoring, VA Assistance, Dementia/Alzheimer’s, Exploitation of the Elderly. There is no cost to attend but space is limited, said organizers. To reserve a spot, call Ricky Parker at 469-323-3689.

The event is presented by First Baptist Church of Canton and Country Place Senior Living.
 

On Sept. 30, Citizens National Bank of Wills Point and City National Bank of Sulphur Springs joined in a merger that resulted in one of the oldest and strongest small town banking systems in Texas.  City National Bank, chartered in Sulphur Springs in 1889, was already a thriving and growing East Texas bank, but as bank president Ricky Reynolds explained, “We wanted to find a way to serve the market in Van Zandt County.”

Reynolds continued, “Citizens National Bank had a friendly, customer-focused reputation we really valued.  And after talking to their management, we discovered that joining forces met some of their goals for growth as well.”

The Canton Police Department now has a new home to call headquarters. The whole department picked up and moved in late October, rooting into a new building that is almost double the size of the CPD headquarters.

“The space has really helped us a lot,” said Canton Police Chief Brad Allison. “We now have a gym that the police officers can utilize along with locker space.”

The building that the police department moved into was previously the Texas Health and Human Services Commission building and was bought from Jack Paul of Tyler at a discounted rate.

“The Canton Police Department has gone from having 4,400 square feet to 9,000 square feet which almost doubled the size, which is more efficient than what we previously had,” said Chief Allison.