News

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.

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.

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.

Members of the Myrtle Springs Fire Department, Canton Fire Department and Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office rushed to contain a vehicle fire along Interstate 20 July 15.

During an unusual noon time meeting July 12, the Canton City Council heard a report on the city’s drone program as part of their special called session. Canton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bud Sanford presented the update to the council members through a power point presentation.

The projected fire risk for much of the state remains high according to the most recent projections by the Texas A&M Forest Service published July 18. Local departments have been stretched thin throughout the summer despite the implementation of a 90-day burn ban by county commissioners.

The office of Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar released its latest monthly sales tax revenue last week indicating that, for the second consecutive month, six out of seven local entities had posted sales tax revenue gains when comparing against the same period from the previous year.

A bid for the awarding of a contract regarding a downtown sidewalk project was approved by the Canton City Council during a special called noon meeting July 12.

Average gasoline prices in Texas have fallen 17.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.20/g July 11, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 45.0 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand $1.36/g higher than a year ago.