February 2023

sports@vanzandtnews.com The Wills Point Tigers continued to inch their way closer to the start of postseason play last week, hosting the Caddo Mills Foxes in a senior night show- fashion as the Foxes eked out a 44-42 win to drop the Tigers out of the top spot in district play.

The Martins Mill Lady Mustangs have been a fixture at the State Basketball Tournament over the years, reaching the final four 16 times overall including 15 since the 2015-’16 season. The quest for a 17th appearance at the State Tournament began in earnest this week as the District 19-2A champions clashed with District 20-2A fourseed Centerville in bi-district round action Feb.

The Wills Point Lady Tiger softball program officially opened its season Feb. 13, traveling to Tyler to take on Chapel Hill in an early season test.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office released the following arrest report from Jan. 24-Jan.

The Texas State Comptroller’s Office delivered welcome news to cities aroundVan Zandt County Feb. 8, indicating that six out of seven local entities had posted sales tax revenue gains when comparing against collection totals against the same month from the previous year.

The Van Zandt Extension Livestock and Forage committee and the Van Zandt County Farm Bureau are sponsoring a soil test campaign that kicks off Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Farm Bureau Event Center. This is for any forage producer or home gardener.

Members of the Captain James Burleson Chapter Texas Society US Daughters of 1812 and the James Pinckney Henderson Chapter Daughters of the Republic of Texas met in the Buchanan Room of the Public Library in Canton Jan. 28.

Writer and journalist P.A. Geddie’s new book Upper East Side of Texas: Small Towns & Cultural Districts was released this week through Speckled Crow Media. Filled with 300 photographs of sites, scenes, and local artwork of the region, she writes about the beauty and simplicity that makes the area meaningful for residents and visitors alike.

Benny B. Howard, 82, of Canton, passed away on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, after a long illness with his beloved wife, Kay, by his side. He was born in Dallas on Nov. 21, 1940, to Les and Elizabeth (Crumpton) Howard. Benny grew up and attended schools in Dallas, Ohio, and Maryland and graduated from Bordentown Military Institute in Trenton, New Jersey. Upon his return to Texas, he attended Texas A&I University in Kingsville, TX and earned an Associate Degree in Fire Protection from Dallas County Community College.

1921-2023 Gladys Louise Leibold, formerly of Pipe Creek, Texas, passed away on Feb. 2, 2023, at the age of 101 at Crestwood Assisted Living in Wills Point.