MEMORIAL DAY: Remembering the fallen heroes from Ellis County

ALVIN LEE DEEDS, the son of Roscoe Connelly and Dossie Lee (Duvall) Gilbert, was born on Nov. 1, 1917 in Grand Prairie, but grew up in the Onward community just west of Ovilla, and attended school in Midlothian.

COVID-19 testing center sees slow numbers

WAXAHACHIE – It was a beautiful day – and there were no lines at the Ellis County Mobile Testing site Monday. With a sheriff’s department officer at the site as well as four men in military attire wearing masks, the security staff much outweighed the people who were there to test for COVID-19.

New Wilmer Elementary School named after Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

WILMER – The new elementary school that is currently being built in Wilmer will be named after the 14-term Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. The school is set to open in August of this year.

Rare American Bald Eagle sightings recorded at Lake Texoma

My name is Robert Jones, and the year 2020 will probably go down in history for many reasons. For me, the year 2020 will be the year that a pair of American Bald Eagles had a brood of triplets. The Audubon Society states two to three eggs are laid each breeding season.

Red Oak ISD announces campus and district teachers of the year

RED OAK – Red Oak ISD celebrated the 2019-20 campus teachers of the year across three days the first week of May, which is also celebrated as Teacher Appreciation Week, and then announced the Red Oak ISD Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Blue Angels fly over North Texas honoring frontline health care workers and first responders

First responders in Lewisville offered their own salute to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels as they flew above North Texas on Wednesday, May 6 honoring health care workers and first responders on the front line of the fight against COVID-19.

Wilmer’s heroes recognized

WILMER – It is not the film or television actors, the athletes or even the wealthy millionaires on the frontlines during this COVID-19 pandemic poised to change the world. Instead, the heroes are you and me. The heroes are our neighbors, our families our friends.

Wilmer municipal clerk week honors city secretary

WILMER – The City of Wilmer recognized Municipal Clerk Week from May 3 to 9. Unknown to many, the municipal clerk is also the city’s secretary. In Wilmer, Mayor Emmanuel Wealthy-Williams read a proclamation in honor of City Secretary Mayra Ortiz.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING: Life School students lead art class for senior living residents hands-on

WAXAHACHIE – When 21 students from Life Middle School Waxahachie used their creative skills and talents to lead the residents of Waxahachie’s Brookdale Senior Living Center in an art class in late February, they knew their visit meant a great deal to the residents.

Ellis County jail shows no signs of COVID-19

WAXAHACHIE - While it was recently reported that nearly 1300 inmates and 400 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in Texas prisons - and over 20 inmates have died, some local county jails where prisoners are taken after arrest are making sure their jails are pandemic free.