News

After a challenging week for volunteer firemen in and around Van Zandt County fighting grass fires, VZC Fire Marshal Sean Davis is seeking the public’s help in reducing the number of future fire calls.

A representative from Live Oak Public Finance L.L.C. made a presentation to the Canton School Board about the possibility of becoming the new Canton ISD financial advisor during the board’s regular monthly meeting July 25.

In the police blotter that was published in last week’s print edition of the Canton Herald, the suspect in an assault case was erroneously reported as 77-year-old Alan Ray Franklin. The actual suspect in the case is a 77-year-old person with a different name. The electronic edition of the Canton Herald was updated with the correct information. We regret the error.

Summer is always a challenging time for Texas ornamental and vegetable gardens, but a record heat wave and drought have made it especially difficult to keep plants from turning brown and crispy. So, how can we manage our gardens until rain and cooler temperatures bring relief?

Grace Bible Fellowship, located at 17897 FM 1255 in Canton, will celebrate its 30th anniversary July 31, with a special event and dedication ceremony. Organizers behind the effort noted, “We want nothing more than to have you there! We will have one service on that day starting at 10 a.m.

EXIT Realty Pro in Canton announced the addition of Dominick Young to its team of real estate professionals. “We’re excited to welcome Dominick to EXIT Realty,” says Mike Murdock, Broker/Owner of EXIT Realty Pro.

Unsurprisingly, June was warmer and drier for much of Texas, according to Dr. Mark Wentzel, hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board. At the end of June, drought conditions covered 86% of the state, up eight percentage points from May.

More than 15-million pints of blood are transfused in this country each year. That exceeds 40,000 pints daily. Hospitals in north, central and east Texas are using only a fraction of that amount, but Carter BloodCare still requests 1,000 volunteer blood donors each day to keep pace with local hospital demands.

As we cross the halfway point of July, wildfire danger continues to increase across the state. On Friday, Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters responded to 15 new wildfires that burned 651 acres. As of Sunday, there were eight active wildfires; the largest was the Nethery Road Fire in Kimble County, involving an estimated 3,500 acres. It has been 70% contained.

David Yager, 29, pleaded guilty July 12 in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas to violating a detainee’s civil rights by using excessive force against him. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston for the East ern District of Texas; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno of the FBI Dallas Field Division made the announcement.