William Byrd Hooten
Funeral service for William Byrd Hooten, age 87, of Sulphur Springs, will be held at 2 P.M., Saturday, January 14, 2017 at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home with Reverend Fred Lewis officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Sterling Cemetery with Jason Brumfield, Bryan Shultz, Chris Carpenter, Major Willis, Dustin Brumfield and David Jacobs serving as pallbearers. Harlan Patterson, Nolan Hill and Clifford Hill serving as honorary...
Superintendents Press Conference Opposing A-F Grading System for Schools–Video Presentation
During the last legislative session in Texas, a law was passed requiring the Commissioner of Education to develop a system that would give every campus and district in the state a grade from A to F in five domains. As required by law, the commissioner has developed a system and prepared a report for the legislature that is a preliminary attempt to comply with the law. The report is unofficial and one possible method of assigning...
Castleberry, Jackson-Grant Sentenced Wednesday Afternoon
Wednesday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court, James Christopher Castleberry pled guilty to Delivery of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 More than 1-gram, less than 4-grams and was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Castleberry will serve the first five years day-for-day before being eligible for paroled because the delivery was in a drug free zone. This is his second trip to the TDCJ. If...
Winnsboro Police Report January 2-8, 2017
Two arrests, 124 calls for service, 27 citations, 32 warnings, and no accidents complete the January 2-8, 2017 Winnsboro Police Department report. On Sunday, January 8, James Swann, 33, of Winnsboro was arrested for driving while license invalid with previous convictions. On Thursday, January 5, Jason Bearden, 38, of Winnsboro, was arrested on a Wood County warrant.
Area School Superintendents Think A-F Grading System for Schools Unfair
(Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 with additional information to follow Thursday, January 12, 2017) Superintendents of Hopkins County and Delta County Schools stated their opposition to the A-F grading system implemented Tuesday in Texas. The superintendents conducted a press conference Tuesday afternoon in the board room at the SSISD Administration Building. Superintendent of Sulphur Springs Schools Michael Lamb said they did not...
Arthur Ray “Papa” Marlar
Memorial service for Arthur Ray “Papa” Marlar, age 60, of Cumby, will be held at 11:00 A.M on Monday, January 16, 2017 at Oates Drive Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas, with Pastor Jim Moore and Pastor Jim Burt officiating. Mr. Marlar passed away on Wednesday January 11, 2017 at his home. He was born May 16, 1956, in Dallas Texas, the son of Thomas and Hazel Marlar. He married Laura Jo Burt on October 30, 1976 in Farmers Branch,...
Ewton Sentenced to 15 Years For Theft
William Pearce Ewton, 44, was sentenced to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as the result of a plea bargain agreement Wednesday morning in Eighth Judicial Court. Ewton plead guilty to theft more than $30,000, less than $150,000. His story was an interesting one. When a tractor almost hit a vehicle on Spur 71, Hopkins County Deputies were called. Upon arriving near the scene of the near accident, the deputy found a...
Local Woman Told Officer Meth Was in Her Purse
Stopped for a traffic violation at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday at the 124 mile-marker eastbound on I-30, Ashley Nicole Bruce told the Sulphur Springs Police officer that she had methamphetamine in her purse. Bruce is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram (a state jail felony) and is being held on a $10,000 bond.
Hopkins County Bond Rating Upgraded As County’s Financial Position Improves
Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded from A2 to A1 Hopkins County, TX’s General Obligation Limited Tax Bonds. The rating action affects $18.3 million in rated debt. The upgrade reflects the county’s improved financial position and the stable outlook for the county’s financial position based on healthy revenue levels. The rating incorporates the stability of the county’s moderately-sized agricultural tax base, below average wealth...
Wednesday Forecast
Wind Advisory 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.; Chance of drizzle until 1 p.m.; High: 76; Low: 65; Wind: South, southwest 15-20 mph, gusting to 35 mph
