Due to the possibility of winter weather, TxDOT crews began brine operations on Interstates 30 and US 75, this week. All bridges and overpasses across the nine-county district are also scheduled to receive an application of brine, which is a solution consisting of salt and water designed to help prevent ice and snow from sticking to surfaces. The Paris District includes Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Rains and Red River counties. photo by Allen Rich

Due to severe winter weather forecast for all weekend, the Republican County Candidate Forum has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until noon, at the Roy Floyd Community Center (Armory) located at 1100 W. 5th Street in Bonham.

The event concluded with the presentation of the annual MLK Visionary Award to Pastor Robert Softly of The Friendly Church of Sherman. “I would just like to say thank you to all of you and to the community,” said Softly. “The theme this year is building bridges, and that is the life I have tried to live—building bridges.”

As we approach the March 3, 2026, Primary Election (and the potential May 26, 2026, Primary Runoff), my office is sharing two updates that have generated questions from residents: (1) USPS postmark timing for time-sensitive mail and (2) a statewide delay in mailing new voter registration certificates.

Fannin County Commissioners court approved a Proclamation recognizing the Fannin County Historical Commission for their efforts on restoring 100 Fannin County Historical Markers and reminding us of the importance of Fannin County’s history. Larry Stanley spearheads the effort to restore Texas Historical Markers located in Fannin County. The Fannin County Historical Commission is also responsible for raising funds to restore Allie Tennant's statue of James Butler Bonham that graces the southeast corner of the courthouse grounds. "We are all volunteers, we are all passionate, and we appreciate the support of commissioners court," Fannin County Historical Commission member Malinda Allison remarked. David Keene furnished writing pens fashioned out of local bois d'arc wood for the members of Fannin County Historical Commission. photo by Lisa Loiselle

1788 – birth of Lord Byron, English poet and playwright. George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), was a British poet. He was one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest British poets. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular. Byron was educated at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. Following graduation, he traveled extensively in Europe, living for seven years in Italy, in Venice, Ravenna, Pisa, and Genoa, and then was forced to flee to England after receiving threats of lynching. During his stay in Italy, he would frequently visit his friend and fellow poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Later in life, Byron joined the Greek War of Independence to fight the Ottoman Empire, for which Greeks revere him as a folk hero. He died leading a campaign in 1824, at the age of 36, from a fever contracted after the first and second sieges of Missolonghi.