Van Zandt News (Wills Point, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 47, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 31, 2013 Page: 4 of 20
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Page 4A—VAN ZANDT NEWS, Sunday, March 31,2013
Newsworthy
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Call (903) 873-2525
Photo by Pam Millican
Students in Fruitvale ISD’s Gifted and Talented Program performed their original plays during a
recent school board meeting. The students also designed their costumes for the plays.
Gifted Students Perform Plays At Board Meeting
By Pam Millican
Correspondent
FRUITVALE — The Fruitvale ISD School
Board was honored with special performances
from the district’s Gifted and Talented Program
students at a board meeting on March 21.
The students recently wrote and performed
plays at a local competition. The older students
did a play about robots and humans while the
younger ones performed a play about a surprise
birthday party. The students made the costumes
and memorized all the lines for the competition.
In business matters on the agenda, the school
board voted to purchase new cafeteria software
which will enable parents to pay for meals via a
website, using a debit or credit card, as well as see
what their children are eating.
The new software will enable the school to have
more accurate reporting on free and reduced
meals as well as what foods the students prefer.
The system will cost approximately $10,400
initially, then $1,300 per year for a maintenance
fee.
The board also voted to purchase a plasma cut-
ter for the agriculture and technology classes.
Plasma cutting is a process that is used to cut steel
and other metals of different thicknesses using a
plasma torch.
The device can be programmed to cut various de-
signs using computer technology. This will enable
both departments to learn new skills and make items
that can be sold to make money for the school. The
plasma cutter will cost $19,000.
In other school district news, the wastewater treat-
ment project is progressing and still on target to be
completed over the summer.
Fruitvale ISD received recognition for not hav-
ing any workers comp claims for three years.
Van Zandt County Sheriff Lindsey Ray will be
featured, along with a doctor from the Univer-
sity of Texas at Tyler and a teacher as guest
speakers at the high school career day event.
Texas Once Again Gets Highest Rank
Among States For Online Transparency
AUSTIN —Texas
Comptroller Susan
Combs’ Texas Trans-
parency website and
other transparency mea-
sures have once again
earned top national rec-
ognition. The U.S. Pub-
lic Interest Research
Group (U.S. PIRG)
ranked Texas number
one in its annual report
on government spend-
ing transparency.
The group noted the
Comptroller’s user-
friendly transparency
website,
texastransparency.org,
and the multiple levels
of spending and finan-
cial information avail-
able for citizens to see.
Texas received an “A”
grade and the top score
in the report.
“I have led the trans-
parency initiative in
Texas since taking of-
fice in 2007 because
taxpayers expect and
deserve to know how
government is spending
their money,” said
Combs. “We are al-
ways looking for ways
to shine a light on
spending in Texas.
Currently, we are
working with state
lawmakers to expand
transparency for local
government debt and
spending, which
would allow residents
to fully understand how
much they’re on the hook
for.”
U.S. PIRG conducted
an extensive state-by-
state analysis as it pushes
for higher standards of
government transpar-
ency. The group’s fourth
annual report Following
the Money 2013 can be
found at http://
texpirgedfund.org/re-
p orts/txp/f olio wing-
money-2013.
Grand Saline Chamber
Banquet Slated April 5
GRAND SALINE—The 56th annual Grand Sa-
line Chamber of Commerce banquet is scheduled
for Friday, April 5, at the chamber pavilion.
The event will start at 6:30 p.m. The pavilion is
located at 203 N.E. Pacific in downtown Grand
Saline.
This year’s banquet has a fiesta theme. The din-
ner will feature fajitas and frosty sangrias.
The program also will include annual commu-
nity awards, silent and live auctions, and entertain-
ment.
Tickets are $18 each or two for $30, and are
available at all banks in Grand Saline, The Cyber
Shop at 200 N. Main and Thompson State Farm at
202 W. Frank.
For more information, call (903) 962-7147.
Concert
From Page 1A
Erwin, the current Inspirational Country Music
Association’s Band of the Year, The Crossfire Gos-
pel Band, and Grand Saline’s own John Randolph,
who is currently nominated for several Christian
Country Music awards including New Artist,
Male Horizon, Favorite Male Vocalist and Song
of the Year.
To purchase tickets online, go to itickets.com and
search for any of the artists that will be performing.
You can also go to cowboysforchrist.weebly.com
for more information on each artist and a link to
purchase tickets.
To discuss potential sponsorships of the event or
to purchase tickets locally, call (972) 955-8842.
A portion of the proceeds from the concert will
go to benefit the Hope Pregnancy Center.
Caney Creek Cowboy Church is located at
1144 Van Zandt County Road 1806.
Murder
From Page 1A
Van Zandt County Sheriff Lindsey Ray contacted
the Texas Rangers, the Van Zandt County Criminal
District Attorney’s Office and the Smith County
Sheriff’s Office to request assistance with the
investigation and the processing of the crime
scene.
Search warrants were issued by 294th State
District Judge Teresa Drum to search the resi-
dence as well as Larry Maples’ vehicle. A third
search warrant was issued to search Larry
Maples residence in Ben Wheeler.
Sheriff Ray stated, “We are absolutely con-
vinced that Larry Maples acted alone in this
horrific crime. This was a senseless murder that
will affect many people in our community, es-
pecially this family. My heart goes out to this
family.”
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Van Zandt News
Kelli Baxter, General Manager
Editorial Staff
Advertising Staff
Julie Vaughan, Editor
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sports@vanzandtnews.com
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David Barber
Glenn McNeill Jr.
Barbara Robertson
Canton Guide
Office Staff
Linda Nielsen —Accounting • Salina Berry—Accounting • Kelley Black—Proofing/Layout
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Lori Davis—Layout • Rachel DeLira—Typesetting • Robin Campbell—Classifieds
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Canton, Texas 75103
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MEMBER
2013
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
VAN ZANDT NEWS
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Vaughan, Julie. Van Zandt News (Wills Point, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 47, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 31, 2013, newspaper, March 31, 2013; Wills Point, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth867653/m1/4/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Van Zandt County Library.