Opinions Vary Regarding Unit Road System
By Allison Bledsoe Upshur County has it. Titus County Commissioners face petition seeking it. The pros and cons of the Unit Road System creates varying opinions. Hopkins County currently maintains 960.9 miles of county roads under the Ex-Officio Road System. As a recap, within the Ex-Officio System four County Commissioners oversee the county road maintenance of the four precincts while serving on the County Commissioners...
City to Rebuild Wastewater Treatment Plant
Construction could take two years for the rework of the Sulphur Springs Waste Water Treatment plan. It could cost near $18-million and continue with the same capacity as now. Governmental regulations and requirements for waste water treatment plants have increased, according to Peter Karsten, City Finance Director. Karsten stated that if the city were to add two more industries that employ three to four hundred people or gain 6,000...
In Child Porn Case, Calhoun Sentenced to Federal Prison for 11.25 Years with 10-years Probation to Follow
According to Sheriff Butch Adams and Sheriff-elect Lewis Tatum, Chad Calhoun was sentenced Wednesday afternoon in Federal Court in Tyler to 135 months for receipt of child pornography and 120 months for possession of child pornography. The sentence will run concurrent and He will also face 10-years of probation following his 11.25 years stay in Federal Prison. He will serve day-for-day in Federal Prison. Calhoun, former pastor of Lake...
TxDOT Unveils Plans for I-30 Rest Stop at Cumby
PARIS – Texas Department of Transportation officials today said work on two new safety rest areas along Interstate Highway 30 in Hopkins County will begin Aug. 8. TxDOT unveiled plans for the new rest areas in March 2015 at a public meeting in Cumby, Texas. The new travelers’ facilities will be constructed just east of Cumby, between FM 499 and FM 275 South, at an estimated cost of more than $23 million. Haydon Building...
Salary Increase, Step Plan in Proposed City Budget
Sulphur Springs Police and Firemen salaries will increase in proposals made in the new city budget, according to City Finance Director Peter Karsten. There will be a 2% cost of living increase with an additional 6% increase and a step plan for police. The step plan will enable the city to pay police officers based on experience. For the Firemen, there is an 11% increase as well as the 2% COLA. A step plan will also be introduced for...
Hotline Established for Truck Drivers to Respond I-30 Corridor Study
PARIS – One in three vehicles traveling along Interstate Highway 30 in East and Northeast Texas is a semi-trailer truck, or “big rig.” That is why the I-30 East Texas Corridor Study group has created a hotline for truck drivers to text or call in; to voice their ideas and concerns as part of the planning process for the future of this highway. Here are a few things the study group wants to know: Are more truck stops needed? Do...
Regional Training for Law Enforcement Focused on Negotiation
A regional training for 25 law enforcement officers from across Northeast and Central Texas is being conducted at the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Squad Room this week. The training was initiated by the local Texas Ranger and is utilizing the skills of highly successful experienced educators in the field of negotiation. Retired FBI Special Agent Max Howard told KSST News the negotiations process was discovered and refined in the...
Guilty Plea Entered Minutes Before Jury Selection
About 20 minutes before jury selection began Monday, August 1, in Eighth Judicial District Court at the Hopkins County Courthouse, Amy Sue Philips pled guilty before the judge to Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 (methamphetamine) less than 1-gram. Entering the plea bargain agreement, she received five (5) years of felony probation and 90 days in Delta County Jail. Her trial was set to begin Tuesday, August 2....
Intoxicated Brothers Face Bigger Issues
Two brothers arrested for intoxication are facing Felony 3 charges. Vernon Ray Kelly, 49, of Sulphur Springs was arrested following a traffic stop that found him to be intoxicated. Mr. Kelly was not was not pleased and told the officer that he “… would die with the rest of the officers that are dying.” Vernon Ray Kelly is in Hopkins County Jail on a $10,000 bond charged with Public Intoxication and Obstruction or Retaliation, which is...
Theft of Property Once Too Often
Diane Julie Oglesby, 32, of Sulphur Springs was staying with a family member on FM 3236 but when she left the residence she took with her an iPad Air. When she refused to return it, the resident on FM 3236 called the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy went to Oglesby’s home on FM 1567E and mirandized she. She admitted taking the item. She was charged with theft of property under $2500 with two or more previous convictions,...
