Dove Hunters Warned About Wildfires
August 30, 2023 – During the upcoming dove hunting season, Texans are urged to help protect the lands and natural resources that we all love by being mindful of activities that may cause a wildfire. Persistent triple-digit temperatures and minimal rainfall over the past two months have resulted in extremely dry vegetation across the state, which increases the likelihood of dangerous wildfires. Any outdoor activities that create...
Burn Ban In Effect for Hopkins County
August 28, 2023 – The Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court voted to enact a burn ban for Hopkins County effective immediately. No outdoor burning of any kind will be allowed during the ban. The dry conditions and lack of rain have elevated drought conditions across the State of Texas and few counties are left without burn bans. Hopkins County recently entered the “Abnormally Dry” level on the Texas Drought...
Eggshells and Banana Peels for your Tomato Plants From Master Gardener David Wall
There’s a lot of confusion lately about what egg shells can do for your tomatoes. Literature, in the past, recommended putting egg shells in the planting hole before you transplant. It’s also recommended you crack an egg and drop the whole thing in the hole. This will help your tomato plant perhaps late in the season or, better yet, if you plant a tomato in the same spot next year! The calcium in egg shells is highly desired by tomato...
ERCOT Operating on Thin Margins
August 25, 2023 – As record heat continues all across Texas, cooler temperatures cannot come soon enough to give Texas’ Power Grid some needed relief. ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) has issued several Voluntary Conservation Requests across Texas during the heat wave as the difference between forecasted supply and demand on the grid has been very narrow. As the pastel lines on the graph below get closer...
Hopkins County Enters Drought, Burn Ban Coming?
August 25, 2023 – Although North East Texas has avoided severe drought so far this summer, the latest repot from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows Hopkins County has now entered the lowest level of drought at the D0 or “Abnormally Dry” stage. As other counties in Texas are rapidly moving up the scale, some in Central Texas have achieved the most severe level of D4 or “Exceptional Drought” and more counties...
White House Announces New Student Loan Repayment Program
August 24, 2023 – The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, like other income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, calculates your monthly payment amount based on your income and family size. The SAVE Plan provides the lowest monthly payments of any IDR plan available to nearly all student borrowers. The new plan can significantly decrease your monthly payment amount compared to all other income-driven repayment plans. Your...
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is Hiring
August 22, 2023 – Full time and part time positions are available at the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office as local Sheriff Lewis Tatum has added (3) new full time positions to next year’s budget, which will start October 1, 2023. In addition, salaries are increasing for all county employees including the newly needed Patrol Deputy positions which will start at $59,400 after October 1. Other positions are also...
Texas 4-H is Like a Club for Kids and Teens, and it’s BIG! by Mario Villarino
Texas 4-H is like a club for kids and teens ages 5-18, and it’s BIG! It’s the largest youth development program in Texas with more than 550,000 youth each year. No matter where you live or what you like to do, Texas 4-H has something that lets you be a better you! You may think 4-H is only for your friends with animals, but it’s so much more! You can do activities like shooting sports, food science, healthy living, robotics, fashion,...
Texas Attorney General Shoots Down Franklin County’s Fight Against Solar Plant
August 17, 2023 – Angela Comenero who is serving as provisional attorney general for the State of Texas dealt a blow this week to nearby Franklin County who has been searching for solutions to fight proposed solar plants. Angry residents in Franklin County have asked their county commissioners to impose restrictions on proposed solar farms in their county, including a 180-day moratorium on commercial solar development. The...
Hopkins County Commissioners Vote to Lower Tax Rate
August 14, 2023 – Hopkins County Tax Assessor-Collector Debbie Pogue Jenkins made the recommendation to the court Monday morning to lower the effective tax rate for county residents. The recommendation came as a result of an increase in the overall valuation of properties in the county as over 900 new properties were added to the tax rolls. The current tax rate for Hopkins County is set at .523900/$100 or a little over 52 cents...
