September 2021

The very first service at FBC Canton was held in a rented school building, located on the present site of the First Baptist Church of Canton at 303 Athens St. The Rev. J. B. Daniel was serving as the first pastor, with about 12 charter families in attendance. The church was organized on Sept. 21, 1871, during a series of revival meetings, and called The First Baptist Church of Jesus Christ.

Van City Council members took action on a number of items including the adoption of the tax rate for 2021 and fiscal year 2022 duringits regular monthly meeting Sept. 9 at the new Van City Hall location inside the Van Community Center building.

The Northeast Texas Public Health District reported that there have been 6,800 confirmed or probable cases (cases with a COVID-19 positive antigen test), including 4,037 confirmed cases and 2,763 probable cases as of Monday, Sept. 13, in Van Zandt County.

On Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, Van Zandt County Sheriff Hendrix and members of his CID Team arrested Brent Lee Smith in Henderson County. Smith was on three recently obtained warrants out of Van Zandt County.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Canton Police Department along with EMS and the Canton Fire Department responded to a two-vehicle crash at Interstate 20 and Highway 64. Upon arrival they found a Cadillac SUV and a Chevrolet pickup truck both with major front end damage. Reports at the scene indicate that the drivers sustained minor injuries. The driver of the pickup truck had a small puppy who appeared to be in distress and was later taken by a friend to the veterinarian clinic to be examined. Reports on the scene indicated that the driver of the pickup did not see the oncoming vehicle in the problematic intersection. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Canton Police Department. The accident occurrence at the location (next to Duke’s) marks one of many, and citizens are pushing for TxDOT to make changes to the flow of traffic in the area. Photo by Nick Gibbons

The third week of the 2021 football season proved to be less than kind to county football programs with Canton, Edgewood, Fruitvale, Grand Saline and Wills Point all coming up short in their respective games. With those setbacks, Van became the last team to retain its perfect early season record.

The Van Lady Vandals hit the court twice last week, continuing their preparations for the start of District 14-4A play with matches against both Whitehouse and Paris. Van began its week at home, scoring a hard-fought 21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-20 win over the Whitehouse Wildcats Sept.

The Canton Running Eagles welcomed runners from across the area to the First Monday parking area Sept. 11 for the annual Henry Lewis Memorial Invitational. Prior to the start of the races, there was a 9/11 tribute in honor of those who lost their lives and who have served our country.

With a winning percentage of 78, Bobby Mayne of Grand Saline is the winner of Football Contest No. 3 in the Van Zandt News.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Offi ce released the following arrest report for Sept. 8-14.