New concrete was poured early during the morning on June 20 at the handicapped walkway in front of Latham’s Bakery on the west side of the downtown square in Canton. The repairs on the sidewalk were necessary to keep foot traffic from tripping over uneven surfaces. Photo by David Barber
Lucy Marine Maloney, her husband, Mal, and son, Mark from Palm Springs California, visited the Hillcrest Cemetery in Canton on June 14. This visit completed a long-awaited journey of Mrs. Maloney as she researched her family’s genealogy.
Hope Pregnancy Center held a BBQ fundraiser on June 16, at the Pregnancy Center catered by BBQ & A Prayer. The event was designed for patrons to donate needed items to the Center and also have a chance to have some great barbeque. Donations are still needed including: Johnson & Johnson baby toiletries, Dr. Brown’s bottles, bathing suits, clothes size 9 months to 2T, Amazon and Walmart gift cards. Photo by Britne Hammons
Courtesy photos
The Van Zandt County Library opened up their Summer Reading Program with Rob Holladay, also known as the Magical Balloon Man. There were 75 children and 60 adults attending the first program. “We hope to see these numbers growing,” stated VZC Librarians. The next Summer Reading Program will be held at 10 a.m. with performer Eric Brittingham with Wildlife on the Move. There were 10 children who received prizes as part of the Summer Reading Program. Those winners are Josie Reynolds, Jude Snyder, Emma Weeks, Jackson, David Blood, Ashlynn Macc, Violet, Audie Cooper, Kase and Tayler (some last names have been withheld.) Get a chance to win a prize on June 17 after the Wildlife on the Move presentation. Everyone who attends the Summer Reading Program gets a ticket for a chance to win.
The SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office served a search and seizure warrant at a property in Van Zandt County, before removing 14 animals from the property June 10. The animals included five dogs, five koi fish, two cats, one macaw and one deceased cockatoo. The SPCA of Texas has closed all adoption locations for at least the next two weeks out of an abundance of caution due to exposure of canine distemper virus. Recently, many shelters in North Texas have been facing similar outbreaks.
•Names will not be withheld. •Letters will be edited for grammar, space and legal concerns. •500 word limit. •Acceptance does not guarantee publication. •Deadline for inclusion in the current week’s
The school shooting in Uvalde is an unimaginable tragedy, and my heart continues to break for the families who lost a child, a mother, or a loved one. There are 21 families in Texas that are forever shattered, and I will do everything in my power to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. We must secure our children’s schools, address the mental health crisis gripping our nation, and restore respect for the sanctity of human life.
Husband has had a horrible time at work that day. Feeling kicked around, unappreciated and definitely out of sorts, he pulls into the driveway, only to find that his three-year-old has left her tricycle blocking the garage door… again. He leverages his tired body out of the car and lumbers slowly into the house, ready to snap the head from the first person he sees.
Finances keep getting scarcer for school budgets. With this mind, spending on per pupil athletes far outpaces spending per pupil in core subjects. A research of some large Colorado high schools indicated athletic budgets occupied almost 10 percent of each school’s overall budget. Per pupil spending in athletics was nearly double over non-athletic students.
Octavia (Sis) Kirkland Hill was born on August 10, 1926, in Van Zandt County and went home to be with her Lord on June 10, 2022. She peacefully passed away on the same homestead where she was born 95 years ago. She was the first of three daughters born to William Abe and Flora Davis Kirkland.
Zachary James Norman—a loving son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend—passed away on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at the age of 27.
A funeral service was held for Anna Lou “Ann” Waites, 95, on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at Eubank Funeral Home, with Bro. Mike Roberson officiating.
A graveside service was held for Jane Shanks Mayer, 82, of Ben Wheeler, on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at Holly Springs Cemetery, under the direction of Eubank Funeral Home with Bro. Derek Rogers officiating.
