By Scott Harvey

Paris – The Paris High School National Honor Society is working to collect over 1,000 items of clothing during a back-to-school drive to benefit needy students.

The organization has teamed with Maurices in Mirabeau Square to serve as a drop off site for donations of gently used or new clothing in all sizes.

Commerce – The Thalian Culture Club in Commerce is gearing up for their annual fundraiser this Saturday, a signature and live auction.

The event is the organization's only fundraiser of the year, and supports numerous local charitable efforts, as well as provides scholarship opportunities for eligible seniors from Commerce High School.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – A Commerce man, already in police custody on a local warrant, is facing additional charges after setting fire to the mattress in his jail cell.

City personnel were able to quickly extinguish the Thursday fire after Curtis Laron Williams reportedly was able to set fire to a bible and toilet paper on the top of his bed.

By Scott Harvey

– As the severe drought continues, we're getting a clearer view of just how negative the implications will be down the road.

Dr. Travis Miller is a professor in the department of soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M University. Speaking on last week's edition of The Lead, Dr. Miller said that while crops are being severely affected now, the drought may set some ranches back a few years.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – A Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) in Hunt County, specifically within the boundaries of Greenville and Commerce, is projected to enhance the economic viability for both cities.

The Commerce City Council will consider a resolution supporting the measure when it meets Tuesday.

When the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was slated for closure back in 1995, the goals were to improve care for wounded soldiers, and to save money. The final patients left this past week.

But with closing Walter Reed now estimated to cost more than $1 billion more than originally predicted, it could take many years before the military will realize any savings.

By Brad Kellar

– Trial begins Monday in Kansas for a former Greenville resident, charged in the 2009 shooting deaths of his wife and three other family members.

The trial of 48-year-old James Kraig Kahler is expected to last three weeks. Two years ago over Thanksgiving weekend, Kahler is alleged to have shot to death his wife, their two daughters and his wife's grandmother near Topeka, KS. The couple's son was able to flee from the scene uninjured.