News

Local fire departments have been kept busy in recent weeks, answering dozens of calls despite the implementation of a 90-day burn ban by Van Zandt County Commissioners at their June 22 meeting.

Canton Bridge Club Results Bridge results for July 5 are: First, Bonnie Magee and Charles Ford; Second, Elaine Dorsey and Barbara Bradford; Third, Gloria Rowland and Judy Adams.

A change in the criminal history clause of the Van Zandt County Game Room Ordinance received unanimous approval from the VZC Commissioners Court during its regular session July 6. The action by the commissioners’ court was taken following a presentation by VZC Criminal District Attorney Tonda Curry.

Dozens of hot air balloons lit up the night sky in Canton last week during the annual Tailwind Regional Balloon Festival July 8-9. Despite blistering temperatures, the event was bigger than ever this year, attracting attendees from across the state in the thousands.

County officials received a welcome bit of good news last week with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards removing the VZC Jail from its list of non-compliant facilities.

Steven “Craig” Shelton, 61, pleaded guilty July 6 in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas to violating an arrestee’s civil rights by using excessive force against him.

The number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Van Zandt County has remained steady over the summer months, with just 295 confirmed or probable cases reported during the most recent nine-week period between May 2 and June 30.

Maintenance crews are scheduled to begin base repair on FM 859 between IH 20 and US 80. A second crew will be rehabbing the south service road on IH 20 at mile marker 542. Expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic.

Voters in rural areas across the country heavily rely on alternative ways to vote, including voting by mail and in-person early voting, and newly proposed state legislation would restrict their ability to cast a ballot, according to a new report by the nonpartisan election policy group Secure...

New opportunities and scenery are available to hunters this fall through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) drawn hunt permits program, now accepting applications for a shot at almost 10,000 permits in 62 hunt categories.