July 2022

The number of newly confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported in Van Zandt County increased by 97 last week according to figures published by the Northeast Texas Public Health District July 21. Van Zandt County had seen 6,968 confirmed cases and 4,909 probable cases since the pandemic was first tracked.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state’s sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5-7.

The City of Canton joined a growing chorus of Van Zandt County entities to call for water conservation efforts to intensify, following similar announcements issued by the cities of Wills Point, Van and Edgewood in recent weeks.

As the temperatures rise across the country, extreme heat can have a significant impact on everyone’s safety, but it can be especially stressful and confusing for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Alzheimer’s disease causes a number of changes in the brain and body that may affect their safety, including changes in sensitivity to temperatures.

As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I am responsible for the licensing of more than 850 entities that currently grow, handle, sample or process hemp in Texas. Hemp and marijuana are two different names for the flowering plant known as cannabis. The legal difference between the two is the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is what gives the ‘high’ feeling people associate with cannabis. By law, marijuana has a concentration of THC that is 0.3% or higher. Hemp has a concentration of THC that is 0.3% or lower by dry weight.