Fannin County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a woman whose body was found lying beside State Highway 11 outside of Bailey Sunday. Area residents' commutes to church and to run errands were detoured as one man reported officers had the roadway closed for at least three hours for the investigation.

A press release issued by FCSO states that a motorist discovered the body of a 57-year-old female who lived in Bailey as they passed through the area around 7 a.m. Her remains were reportedly discovered a short distance west of the intersection of Highway 11 and State Highway 78. The woman's car was located not too far from her residence a few minutes after the body was discovered. At the time of the investigation, it appeared the woman had left her car on the county road and walked across pastures towards Highway 11 where her body was found.

March 24, 2011 - The Fannin County Family Crisis Center (FCFCC) was blessed to be the recipient of a donation check recently from the City of Leonard. Leonard City Administrator Butch Henderson recently presented the check to FCFCC Executive Director Becky Williams, in the company of several FCFCC directors who live or work in Leonard, and the staff of the center.

The Leonard Graphic has received the unfortunate news that the bodies of the three Leonard residents reported missing this week were discovered early Saturday afternoon. Fannin County Sheriff's deputies - who have worked around the clock since Wednesday on this case - recovered the remains of 73-year-old Harold Harpst, 79-year old Sue Harpst and 48-year old Regina Taunton in neighboring Grayson County. The silver 2007 Dodge Caravan also reported missing with the three has not been located, however. A source stated that their cause of death was undetermined at this time, but that Sue Harpst's 52-year-old son, Thomas Taunton - who was named as a person of interest from the beginning and arrested Thursday in Louisiana on capital murder charges - remains their prime suspect.

March 31, 2011 - The Leonard Chamber of Commerce's big event of the year - the Annual Banquet and Awards Night - is scheduled for this Monday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Leonard High School auditorium. Community members are invited and encouraged to be a part of the evening's festivities, which will include lots of fun events, a wonderful meal and the awarding of the Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Educator of the Year.

After making an over 200-mile one-way trip to Louisiana Thursday, Fannin County law enforcement officials did not find the bodies of three Leonard residents who are missing - but, they did not come up empty handed. The latest press release from Fannin County Sheriff Donnie Foster states that additional evidence was located inside the vehicle and utility trailer of 52-year-old Thomas Taunton, who is suspected of murdering his mother, 79-year-old Sue Harpst, his step-father, 73-year-old Harold Harpst; and his sister, 48-year-old Regina Taunton.

March 3, 2011 - The Fannin County Family Crisis Center had a very successful "You Hold the Key" fundraiser last Saturday. The organization is working on renovating their new building in downtown Bonham for move in, and the dinner and auction was held in part to take care of some of the improvements - estimated at over $100,000.

Jan. 19, 2011

A source close to the investigation into the disappearance of three Leonard residents confirmed late Thursday that Thomas Taunton, 50, was taken into custody in Louisiana at an automobile dealership. Taunton, however, has not been arrested or charged with any crime - he is only wanted for questioning in the case. Taunton's Ford truck and a utility trailer being pulled behind it were taken into possession by authorities in Louisiana, but authorities were awaiting a search warrant by Fannin County Sheriff's Office to open it.

The case began Wednesday after police received information that there may be three people missing from the county. Officers went to the location on State Highway 78 north of Leonard, but were unable to make contact with anybody at the residence. After gaining entrance and searching the property, they still were unable to locate anybody at the home, but did see several suspicious things that led them to believe foul play was involved. Due to the fact that no bodies have been found, police have deemed the investigation a missing persons case.

March 3, 2011 - The Leonard Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the Business, Citizen and Educator of the Year awards, which are presented each year at the annual chamber banquet. Nomination forms are available at KD Johnson, The Leonard Graphic, The Leonard Pharmacy and all school campuses (for Educator of the Year), or below. Completed forms should be returned to KD Johnson, The Leonard Pharmacy or any school campus by the March 11 deadline. The winners will be announced during the banquet.

Dec. 22, 2011 - Early Sunday, Dec. 18, the Leonard, Bailey and Wolfe City Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire on FM 816 in Bailey. After battling the blaze and watching it spread, the firefighters believed the home couldn't be saved. They entered the front of home where the Christmas tree was located and removed all of the presents for the family of seven. The house didn't burn down after all, but it isn't livable, and Christmas was saved for the Killgo family.

The home belonged to Robert Killgo, his wife, Frances, and their five girls ages fourteen to six. Robert's mother, Linda Lines, reported that the fire started in a detached garage behind the house and grew so large that it spread to the residence.

Feb. 17, 2011 - As noted in the city council story from this issue, the Council named next week Severe Weather Awarness Week, in conjunction with the State of Texas. Pamphlets are available at City Hall for those interested in severe weather awareness and preparedness.