News

Students across the county returned to campus this week, as Canton, Edgewood, and Martins Mill ISD’s hosted their first day on Wednesday, Aug. 17.

DAVID KAPITAN sports@vanzandtnews.com The number of newly confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported in Van Zandt County increased by 271 over the last two weeks, climbing from 11,877 since the pandemic was first tracked at the end of the July 21 reporting period up to 12,148 at the end of the Aug. 4 reporting period.

The Downtown Canton Farmer’s Market, which operates each Saturday from 8 a.m. - noon across the street from City Hall in Canton, served as a drop-off location for water, snacks and other donated goods that were subsequently distributed to area fire departments Aug. 6. Joe Elerson of the Midway Fire Department summed up the feelings of many stating, “Thank you to all the people that donated to help our volunteer fire departments with water, power bars, power drinks and money, and those that bought raffle tickets to help Ben Wheeler Fire and Rescue Truck 1 get a new set of tires.” Elerson, at right, is pictured alongside Captain Bobby Harvey with just some of the items that were received as part of the donation drive.

Strategies on dealing with drought for livestock producers will be discussed at a program scheduled for August 18 at the Van Zandt Farm Bureau Event Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event center is located at 220 Burnett Trail in Canton. There is no cost to attend.

DAVID KAPITAN sports@vanzandtnews.com The office of Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar released its latest monthly sales tax revenue last week indicating that five out of seven local entities had posted sales tax revenue gains when comparing against the same period from the previous year. Wills Point finished the month with the largest negative dollar change, receiving a payment of $137,242.90 in August.

Fruitvale ISD was one of two Van Zandt County schools to begin its 2022-’23 school year Aug. 11. Students at Fruitvale were greeted by district staff members as well as a student-led drop off crew. Other first days for area districts will include: Canton, Edgewood and Martins Mill, Aug. 17; Grand Saline, Aug. 22; and Van, Aug. 24.

The University of Texas at Tyler has announced the opening of a new Media and Communication Research Laboratory within the College of Arts and Sciences. The MCRL, which officially opened earlier this year, has space to conduct different types of media and communication research studies and includes equipment for studies in media psychophysiology and neuroscience.

Van Zandt Newspaper staffers celebrated a special milestone this week, recognizing David Barber with a party to mark his 40th anniversary with the company. Barber has filled a variety of roles during his 40-year run at Van Zandt Newspapers, working as an ad sales rep, staff writer and sports correspondent. One of Barber’s most impressive accomplishments was a 443-consecutive game streak of covering the Van Vandal football team in person that came to an end in August 2021 due to a bout of COVID.

This season, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Big Time Texas Hunts (BTTH) program is offering Texans some of the very best hunting opportunities in the state. Ten premium guided hunt packages are offered in this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts drawing.

The City of Terrell, in partnership with The Terrell Chamber of Commerce, will host the first annual Terrell Mural Walk on Sept. 17.