News

During an emergency meeting Dec. 5, the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to have holiday lights and decorations installed around the courthouse in time for the Saturday, Dec. 13 Canton Main Street Christmas Parade and Festival downtown. “I wanted to bring up a couple of things on this,” said VZC Pct. 2 Commissioner Cliff Williams to the commissioners’ court. “First, I wanted to discuss if it was legal to bring Christ- mas lights to the courthouse. On that end, in October 2016, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton handed down an opinion letter that, under the local government code, that the commissioners’ court may spend county funds on holiday lights and decorations on county buildings and facilities and may spend county funds to contract with or donate to a local organization. It was the attorney general’s opinion that it was not prohibitive for the county commissioners’ court to spend money on Christmas lights for the courthouse. The caution was is to be sure and don’t attempt to establish any particular religion within the county.

Texas District 2 State Representative Brent Money will be the guest speaker at the next Van Zandt County Republicans meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 at Christ is King Reformed Baptist Church located at 30487 State Highway 64 in Wills Point.

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According to a Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department Facebook post, at approximately 9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, the VZC Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an armed robbery in progress at the First State Bank of Ben Wheeler in Edom.

J. Brett Harrison of Files, Harrison, and Millslagle P. C. of Tyler, the law firm representing Van Zandt County Pct. 1 Commissioner Mitch Curtis, commented recently on the indictment and arrest of his client.

Love them or hate them, cormorants have flocked to lakes and private waters in Texas to spend the winter months roosting on standing timber on our lakes and devouring both baitfish and gamefish as though there is no tomorrow.

The deadline for filing to run in a Van Zandt County or state office in the March 3, 2026, Primary Election was Monday, Dec. 8, according to VZC Republican Party Chairman Lance Lenz.

Members of the Canton Elementary School Student Council for the month of December are front row, left to right, Mila Navarro, Addison Glover, Lawsyn Liptak, and Adelaide West; and back row, Bo Tabraham, Danny Damron, Cade Peace, Weston Priest, and Kai Fox.

Hunting seasons are well under way and chances are good many of you already have a freezer well stocked with everything from venison steaks and ground meat to dove breasts. Let’s not let all this tasty meat get freezer burned.

A recent article listing the candidates that had signed up for the March 2026 Primary Election had a couple of errors. Deborah Decker is the candidate for Van Zandt County Precinct Chair for Pct.