Hundreds of people stood, hands over their hearts, as the National Anthem was sung Thursday afternoon at the Mineola Civic Center. A few dozen yards behind the singer, the stark black silhouette of the Vietnam Memorial Wall stretched 360 feet across the grass. Many cried. Some stared. All stood in reverent awe.
The wall is a replica of the original wall which stands in Washington D.C. The same names are engraved on its surface. The same emotions are stirred when mothers and sons, nieces and brothers, grandchildren and surviving fellow soldiers walk to the wall and gently reach out to a name.
The wall arrived in Mineola on Wednesday. It opened for visitors Thursday afternoon and will remain open each day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Sunday. The Mineola Detachment of the U.S. Marine Corp League organized the wall's visit. Thousands are expected to visit the memorial before it packs up and moves on.
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Lindale voters have approved $42 million of bonds in two separate proposals for construction and renovation in the district.
The package was divided into two seperare issues. The first, a $32 million bond proposal, passed with 1,314 votes in favor of the issue and 755 against it.
The second proposal, a $10 million bond proposal passed with 1,235 votes in favor of it and 823 votes against it.
East Texans are waiting Tuesday evening for election results. In addition to 11 constitutional amendments, several communities have local elections on the ballot.
In Lindale, where the Lindale Independent School District has a $42 million bond package on the ballot, voting was reportedly extremely heavy, with people still waiting in line to vote 45 minutes after the polls officially closed.
In Precinct 1 in Van Zandt County, voters are deciding three local option elections which could allow alcohol sales.
KMOO will post election results as soon as they become available.
Police officers have arrested a man they say robbed a Grand Saline bank on Monday. Grand Saline Police Chief Larry Compton said Carl Ray Davis, 32, turned himself in late Tuesday afternoon.
Officers arrested a man Monday evening that they say was driving the getaway car in the bank heist. Jay McEvers was arrested on an unrelated charge, but reportedly later admitted he had driven Davis away from the scene Monday.
A car accident north of Grand Saline has left several people injured. The accident happened just before 5 p.m. Monday, around three miles north of the city on FM-17.
At least one person injured in the accident was taken from the scene by helicopter.
Grand Saline fire fighters responded to the scene.
Grand Saline police officers and FBI investigators are searching for a man who held up a bank in Grand Saline this morning.
Grand Saline Chief of Police Larry Compton said the man walked in to Mineola Community Bank around 10:45 this morning, showed the teller a semi-automatic hand gun and asked for cash.
Compton said the man took the money and left the bank on foot. Bank employees reported seeing the man go through the trees near the bank. Officers used dogs to rack the suspect, but lost the scent near Houston Street. Compton said that leads them to believe the man may have gotten into a car and left the area.
Fall is upon us. It is November and the vegetation is greener than it usually is, due to the October Rains. A lot of the “summer” vegetation has started dying off and the winter grasses are starting to thrive.
As the tree leaves die off and fall, the accumulation of leaves on the ground, provides shelter for insects and other “critters”. Now that the weather is pleasant, it is a good time to clean out tall grasses and other growth near our homes to discourage our “creepy crawly” neighbors from taking up residence in or near our homes. It is not too early to start “winterizing” outdoor faucets, flower beds, gardens and pet facilities.
Van Zandt County authorities say what they thought was a car accident, turned out to be a murder.
The Sheriff's Department said they were called to the scene of an accident on County Road 4907 around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday. A witness at the scene told deputies one of the victims of the crash had possibly been stabbed. Deputies found Jonathan Shipman lying on the ground suffering from multiple stab wounds. A woman, Shelly Rackow, had also been injured in the accident.