News

It is with great pleasure that the Board of Trustees announces the appointment of Dr. Jack Welch as the President of Fort Scott Community College, effective June 30, 2025.

Two state officials representing Van Zandt County were in attendance to speak June 23 during the regular monthly meeting of the Republican Club of VZC held at the VZC Farm Bureau Event Center in Canton.

In preparations for the Fourth of July activities, Canton Main Street Administrator Grace Richardson shared parking and parade information for those planning to attend. A full day of activities is planned for residents and visitors alike on Friday, July 4.

A truck driver has been charged with five counts of manslaughter after a deadly crash on I-20 that killed five people on Saturday afternoon, June 28. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Alexis Gonzalez-Companioni fell asleep at the wheel, causing his semi-truck to plow into stopped traffic on the highway, causing a chain reaction.

davidb@vanzandtnews.com Following a closed executive session during a special called meeting June 23, the Van Zandt County Commissioners’ Court voted 4-1 to accept new renegotiated terms regarding the purchase of the Paul Michael building (1930 North Trades Day Blvd.) in Canton.

The Van Zandt County/Sarah Norman Library in Canton recently announced the donation of a table for the children’s area of the library. According to library director Tonja Garten, the table was donated in memory of Kathleen Stanford Barber on what would have been her 100th birthday on July 5, 2025.

A Kaufman County man accused of capital murder requested his trial be held outside of Kaufman County. Trevor McEuen, 32, is seeking a fair trial for the 2023 murder of his 35-yearold neighbor Aaron Martinez.

The Republican Women of Van Zandt County held their second ‘Pizza and Politics’ event on Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Silver Spur in Canton with approximately 100 people attending the free event.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is planning to conduct the fol-lowing construction and maintenance work in Van Zandt County during the week of June 30. Please remember, work schedules are subject to change due to weather condi- tions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues.

Catching fish can be a challenging endeavor especially when conditions change quickly and patterns that have been as constant as the Polar star fail to produce bites. Such was the case with a striper fishing trip at Lake Texoma last week with my friends at Striper Express.