News

Great news was hidden in a common Texas Parks and Wildlife Department press release this week. Their Austin office announced that 18 neighborhood fishing lakes, with five of them located in north Texas, will benefit from the stocking of catfish, starting the week of April 15.

There’s an ancient legend about the ascension of Jesus into heaven. According to the legend, when Jesus reached heaven, his body still showed the wounds of his crucifixion. His hands and feet still bore the prints from the nails. His side bore the mark from the spear. His back bore the stripes from the whip, and head bore the wounds from the thorns. When the people in heaven saw these marks, they fell on their knees before Jesus. They were astounded to see how much he had suffered. Then the angel Gabriel rose up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how greatly you suffered on earth! Do all the people on earth know and appreciate how much you went through for them and how much you love them?” Jesus replied, “Oh, no! Only a handful of people in Palestine know that. The rest haven’t even heard of me. They don’t know who I am. They don’t know how much I suffered, and how much I love them.”

Before the joyous Easter celebration comes the solemn and prayerful Lenten season. Even the devoutly religious may not know all there is to know about this penitential season. The following are some questions and answers about Lent.

Responding to a number of phone calls, Ennis Police put an end to an altercation between two juvenile females at 9 p.m. on Wednesday night at Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store at 900 E. Ennis Avenue.

Explaining Easter to children can be a delicate matter, especially for very young children who may not fully understand the tenets of the Christian faith. Although Easter ends with Jesus Christ emerging from his tomb, prior to this glorious miracle there are subjects of betrayal, suffering and death. These religious messages can confound when commingled with the imagery of bunnies delivering chocolates, chicks and pastel-hued eggs. How do well-meaning parents relay the message of Easter without scaring or confusing children?

Three noteworthy administrative changes within the EISD early this week was announced by Ennis Head of Schools, Jay Tullos. Two of the moves involve new Assistant Principals, one at the high school, the other at the soon-to-open Alamo Middle School, the other is in regard to a key member of the Central Offices downtown who has accepted a position in Fort Worth.

An effort to attract new businesses to nearby Bardwell has led to the placement of Proposition A on the Saturday, May 7 ballot.

Celebrating the 70th year of true-blue Texas. Ennis is once again alive with the bodacious blooms of spring. Fred Phipps Photo

Although she has friends and family here already, Mandy Davis, 45, formerly of Dallas, admits the beauty of spring in this area of North Texas – especially the bluebonnets – helped determine her recent move to Ennis with her son, Mason, and daughter, Katherine (Kate).

Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman was beaming on Thursday when introducing Bruce Stayments, the head of SAGU’s Criminal Justice Department, as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff and Chaplain. Stayments, who came from New York to SAGU over a decade ago, was described by Norman as a wealth of knowledge.