If Mount Vernon voters approve either of two alcohol-sales ballot initiatives on May 11 - and voters in the Piney Woods town of Tatum do the same - that would leave Delta County the last dry county in East Texas.

When Northeast Texas voters go to the polls on Saturday, citizens in four communities will be casting their lots for or against measures that would allow, in some fashion, alcohol sales where such sales are not currently legal.

The cities of Campbell, Josephine, Lowry Crossing and Mount Vernon all have alcohol-related items on municipal ballots in the May 11 elections.

Dry counties dropping off East Texas map?

The Mount Vernon ballot has two proposals - one to allow beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption and one to allow the sale of mixed beverages at restaurants.

If either of those pass, that would make Franklin County, of which Mount Vernon is the county seat, a "partially wet" county, like all but three counties in East Texas.

Among counties in East Texas, only Delta, Franklin and Panola counties remain dry. The rest have mixed, or "partially wet" regulations regarding the public sale of alcoholic beverages.

Deep in "The Woods," the small city of Tatum, which straddles the Rusk-Panola County line, will vote on May 11 on whether to allow the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption.

If both voters in both Panola and Franklin counties decide to allow alcohol sales, that would leave Delta the lone county west of Interstate 35 with dry status. Of the 256 counties in Texas, only 19 remain dry. Of those 19, all but the aformentioned three are in West Texas.

Campbell, Josephine, Lowry Crossing also deciding

The ballot initiatives in Campbell, Lowry Crossing and Josephine won't change the wet/dry status of Hunt and Collin counties, where public alcohol sales are legal, but they would obviously impact the towns in question.

The measures in Campbell and Lowry Crossing would allow sales of all alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption. Josephine's proposition would allow the sales of beer and wine for off-premise consumption.

Campbell is in Hunt County, while Lowry Crossing is in Collin County. Josephine is mostly in Collin County, but extends over the Hunt County line.

It has not been confirmed if the fires are related

A church, home and restaurant were destroyed after two fires last night in McKinney, Texas. There have not been any reports of injuries, and an investigation is underway into the origin of both fires.

Just after midnight on October 24, the McKinney Fire Department responded to a report of a fire on North McDonald Street. NBCDFW said that firefighters first began attempting to extinguish the fire at a church on Wilcox, but did not release the name at the time. Several surrounding houses were evacuated before the fire spread to a nearby home.

“We appreciate the assistance from Allen, Fairview and Plano, Anna, Lowry Crossing and Westminster,” a McKinney Fire Department tweet read.

McKinney Fire Department Public Information Officer and Education Coordinator Merit Ossian confirmed to Local Profile that the church was New Outreach Church of God in Christ at 506 Wilcox Street.

That same night, another fire broke out at a nearby Chicken Express at 411 S. McDonald Street. According to the McKinney Fire Department, as of 3:22 a.m., firefighters were working a big fire near the downtown area. During that time it was also confirmed that the church on Wilcox had been destroyed.

At 6:34 a.m., McKinney firefighters remained on the scene. As of writing, they are currently working to determine what started the fire and where the fire started. They also released that no one was harmed during the fire, and residents were evacuated in a timely matter.

“This was a very intense fire that took a huge number of resources and hours of hard work to extinguish,” said McKinney Fire Chief Danny Kistner in a press release. “As always, the most important thing is the safety of the residents and our firefighters.”

Ossian told Local Profile that the fires are no longer active, but the fire department is still at both locations. Firefighters will continue to search for hot spots that could cause the fire to ignite again.

It was confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing, and the only damages that occurred were to the church, home and restaurant. McKinney Fire Department will also examine whether the fires are connected.

Cemeteries in Farmersville, Blue Ridge, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Merit, Van Alstyne — and throughout Texas and the U.S. — will remember, honor and teach at wreath laying ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.

The ceremonies, which start promptly at 11 a.m. nationwide, honors veterans for their service in a final end-of-year tribute by placing fresh evergreen wreaths with red bows —delivered from Maine —in remembrance.

For the past 31 years, the nonprofit, Wreaths Across America, has sent more than 14.4 million wreaths to various locations, including national cemeteries and veterans’ memorials in all 50 states and overseas. In 2021, approximately 2.4 million veterans’ remembrance wreaths were delivered to 3,137 locations across the United States.

In Lowry Crossing, for the fifth year in a row, the Wilson Chapel Cemetery will honor veterans in a special ceremony in its historic chapel before moving outside for the placing of wreaths on the graves of veterans.

Linda Dillard, a resident of Lowry Crossing is also in her fifth year as the location coordinator for the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at Wilson Chapel Cemetery. Pamela Gillard will serve as the backup location coordinator, said Dillard, because “she has family members buried at the cemetery that are veterans and she is also a member of my John F. Greer Chapter.”

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) John F. Greer Chapter has been involved as the fundraiser for the group since the beginning.

“This is the fourth year to be fully funded so that every veteran buried at Wilson Chapel Cemetery will receive a live evergreen wreath,” Dillard said. “Initially, when we began hosting in 2018, we had identified 145 veterans in the cemetery.”

Dillard said their list of veterans has now grown to 229, “with more veterans identified who were buried but never properly identified, along with the deaths of veterans who have been buried since 2018.”

The wreath count for the Wilson Chapel Cemetery WAA ceremony was planned for 230, she said, “in the event the death of a veteran occurs after the cutoff date to order wreaths for the ceremony.”

Dillard said she is always nervous the week before the ceremony as she “never knows when the truck will arrive with our wreaths until the day before or the day of their arrival.”

“I always have our pickup truck empty with the sideboards on it — and plenty of gas — so that I can immediately drop everything and meet our truck driver,” she said. “I have a group text ready to send out to my volunteers who have offered to help me unload/load the boxes of wreaths to our pickup truck.”

The 27 boxes of wreaths will remain in Dillard’s truck in her garage until Saturday’s ceremony which will start promptly at 11 a.m., inside the historic Wilson Chapel, located in Wilson Chapel Cemetery at 100 Chapel Lane.

“I am asking veterans who attend to place the ceremonial wreaths on the easels at the front of the chapel during the ceremony,” she said. “This is the most emotional part of the service in my opinion as they salute the wreath after it is placed on the easel.”

After the ceremony, families of veterans buried at the cemetery will be dismissed first to place their wreaths on their family veterans’ grave. Then the remaining guests will be dismissed.

The idea for Christmas wreaths honoring veterans at Arlington National Cemetery was spearheaded 31 years ago by Morrill Worcester, the owner of a Maine wreath company. His vision, along with the support of a Maine senator, veteran groups, a trucking company, and other organizations, quickly developed into an annual tribute.

Last week, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Maine’s U.S. Senators, Susan Collins and Angus King, designating Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, as “Wreaths Across America Day.”

“From Arlington National Cemetery that overlooks our nation’s capital, to Normandy American Cemetery above the beaches that Allied troops stormed on D-Day, the wreath laying ceremonies on Dec. 17 are a powerful demonstration of respect and appreciation for our veterans,” said Senators Collins and King in a Dec. 7 news release. “This resolution remembers and honors America’s veterans this holiday season, while also teaching younger generations of the sacrifices that have been made to secure our freedoms and to defend our liberty.”

Dillard said, for her, this is now a Christmas tradition for the holiday season to pay tribute to veterans — some whose graves are not visited all year — who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“Thankfully, they will be remembered this Christmas, as we say their name, thank them for their service, and salute them either with our hand over our heart, or if the wreath layer is past or current military/first responder, properly saluting the veteran’s grave,” she said.

Dillard said anyone is welcome to attend this “very patriotic, emotional ceremony.”

“Adults and children alike are invited to attend,” she said, “as this is a perfect time to Honor, Remember and Teach.”

For more stories like this and to support local journalism visit The Princeton Herald.

A report from the NWS Fort Worth TX on Wednesday at 2:45 a.m. is warning residents of strong thunderstorms. The storms may bring wind gusts of up to 40 mph and marble-sized hail (0.5 inches).

"At 2:45 a.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm near Princeton, or 11 miles east of McKinney, moving southeast at 35 mph," says the NWS. "Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible."

The warning is for McKinney, Wylie, Royse City, Princeton, Melissa, Farmersville, Lowry Crossing, Lavon, Blue Ridge, Nevada, Josephine, New Hope, Westminster, Altoga, Copeville, Frognot and Lavon Lake. This includes Interstate 30 near mile marker 79.

According to the NWS, "If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building."

This warning is in effect until 3:15 a.m.

Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually. The majority of these strikes happen during the summer, causing around 20 fatalities each year, according to the National Weather Service. The likelihood of lightning increases as a thunderstorm gets closer and reaches its highest point when the storm is directly overhead. This risk decreases as the storm moves away.

Here are tips on how to stay safe during a thunderstorm:

• To minimize risk of being struck by lightning, when going outside, have a plan to get to a safer place.

• If the sky becomes menacing and thunder becomes audible, seek out a safe place to seek shelter.

• Once inside, abstain from touching corded phones, electrical devices, plumbing, and windows and doors.

• Wait for 30 minutes after the most recent lightning or thunder before venturing outside.

If finding indoor shelter is not an option:

• Steer clear of open fields, hilltops, or ridge tops.

• Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.

• If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members.

• If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low area. Remember, a tent offers no protection from lighting.

• Stay away from water, wet items, and metal objects. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity.

• Turn on your headlights — Even when it's light outside, using headlights can improve visibility and alert other drivers to your presence.

• While driving — Stick to the middle lanes and stay on elevated ground. Rainwater tends to accumulate at the road edges.

• Avoid puddles — Driving into puddles or low rainwater areas can lead to vehicles hydroplaning or losing control.

• Don't tail large vehicles closely — Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.

• Avoid flooded zones — If you encounter a flooded road, make a U-turn and go back. The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road. Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.

What is hydroplaning?

Hydroplaning is when a vehicle starts uncontrollably sliding on wet roads.

This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle’s weight can push water out of the way. The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control. The top three contributors to hydroplaning are:

1. Vehicle speed — When a vehicle’s speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases. Drive at a reduced speed during wet weather.

2. Water depth — The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road. It doesn’t matter how deep the water is, even a thin layer can lead to hydroplaning.

3. Tire tread depth — Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.

In the event of your vehicle hydroplaning, here’s what to know:

• Ease off the accelerator — Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.

• Turn into the skid — Turning into the skid can help the vehicle’s tires realign to regain control.

• Make sure the tires reconnect with the road — During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.

• Brake gently as needed — Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.

Source: The National Weather Service

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UPDATE 10-25-22 4:02AM

McKinney (WBAP/KLIF) – Residents of McKinney’s historic Wilcox neighborhood are stunned by an early Monday fire that destroyed 3 structures.

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of the blaze that torched the New Outreach Church of God in Christ, a Chicken Express and a house where an adult and three children escaped unharmed.

Residents in the area call the fire at the church “devastating.”

On the church’s Facebook page, a post reads:

Father GOD we are seeking YOU for direction during the loss of our church. Bless us to come together stronger!

The church is seeking donations:

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a call for a structure fire just after midnight Monday. Fire crews arrived to find fire at the rear of the New Outreach Church of God in Christ (506 Wilcox St.).

A resident was safely evacuated from a residential structure that also caught fire. As a precaution, nearby homes were evacuated.

As firefighters attacked the flames, another fire was reported a short distance away at Chicken Express (411 S. McDonald St.) All three structures were destroyed.

Fire investigators are on the scene to determine where and how the fire started – and whether the two fire scenes are connected. ATF has been called in to assist with the investigation.

Additional photos and video can be found here.

“This was a very intense fire that took a huge number of resources and hours of hard work to extinguish,” said McKinney Fire Chief Danny Kistner. “As always, the most important thing is the safety of the residents and our firefighters.”

We are grateful for assistance from: Anna, Melissa, Plano, Fairview, Princeton, Frisco, Lowry Crossing, Weston and Allen.

—

Original post: 10-24-22

McKinney, TX (WBAP/KLIF) – McKinney firefighters, with the assistance of several neighboring fire departments spent 5 hours overnight battling a blaze in the downtown area that torched 3 structures.

The fire broke out around midnight, a destroyed a church on Wilcox, as well as a home and a chicken express restaurant on North McDonald. Crews remain on the scene putting out hot spots.

There’s no word on any injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News.)