Speeding Doesn’t Save Time, it Costs Lives
July 17, 2025 – TxDOT working with law enforcement to encourage people to slow down PARIS – Whether it’s catching a fish or smoking a brisket, Texans know the importance of patience. So, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is reminding drivers to use that patience behind the wheel and drive like a Texan: Kind. Courteous. Safe. Speed contributed to nearly 160,000 traffic crashes in Texas in 2024, resulting...
A Cold Case Murder has Been Solved
July 10, 2025 – A cold case murder has been solved after nearly 30 years according to an announcement from the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. A statement from the Sheriff’s Office says: “After nearly three decades, a major development has been made in the 1996 murder of Geraldine Blackmon. On Tuesday, 71-year-old William Doyle Magness of Midlothian, Texas, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the cold case.”...
Federal Grand Jury has Indicted a Sulphur Springs Woman in Connection to the Death of a Juvenile
July 1, 2025 – A federal grand jury has indicted a Sulphur Springs woman in connection to the death of a juvenile who overdosed on a drug called N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene. Twenty-four-year old Diamon Leann Yates is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance resulting in death. The case was the first instance of the drug being identified in Texas and the seventh in the U.S. Because it was the first...
Real Lives, Real Losses of Drunk Driving
June 17, 2025 – One quarter of the total traffic fatalities in Texas in 2024 were DUI-alcohol related PARIS – Marcus Nalepa and his 8-year-old daughter Kelsey were on the way to her softball practice in League City when their lives changed forever. Just feet from Kelsey’s elementary school, a drunk driver slammed into the family car at a stop light. Kelsey suffered brain injuries and died two days later. The Texas...
Staff Changes at Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office
May 9, 2025 – Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum is pleased to announce the well-deserved promotions of three dedicated members within the Sheriff’s Office. These promotions recognize the individuals’ commitment, experience, and leadership potential. Michael Russell has been promoted to Chief Investigator. With many years of service and a proven track record in complex investigations, Russell has consistently...
Student Taken into Custody Following What’s Called a “Spoofing” Incident
May 5, 2025 – The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office says a student has been taken into custody following what’s called a “spoofing” incident which targeted a teacher. The Como-Pickton Consolidated ISD says a person called a teacher Friday from a spoofed number and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t change the caller’s grade. Superintendent Dr. Greg Bower says: “The student suspect has been identified and...
Paris Junior College to Host First Female Texas Ranger Major Wende Wakeman for Special Campus Presentation
April 21, 2025 -Paris Junior College invites the community to a special presentation by Texas Ranger Major Wende Wakeman, to be held this Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM in the Math and Science Building, Room 101 on the PJC Paris campus. Major Wakeman will share insights into the proud tradition and modern role of the Texas Rangers, one of the most storied law enforcement organizations in American history. Her visit offers a...
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 26th
April 6, 2025 – [SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX] – On Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at locations across the country. DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, the event has helped Americans easily rid...
A Mother’s Plea: Put Down the Phone, Save a Life
April 1, 2025 – Distracted driving was the second-most common factor in traffic crashes last year PARIS – Maria Espinoza never imagined a routine walk to school with her 6-year-old son would turn into a life-altering tragedy. But in an instant, a distracted driver jumped the curb, striking her son and trapping him beneath the vehicle. He spent six months in a coma, with doctors warning he might never walk or talk again....
SSHS Senior Jordan VanWinkle Stopped by for a Second Cup Of Coffee With John Mark Dempsey
Sulphur Springs High School Senior Jordan VanWinkle, an intern at the Hopkins County office of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, sat down with John Mark Dempsey on this episode of KSST’s A Second Cup Of Coffee. Jordan shared with John Mark how she is spearheading a program for female trustees at the Hopkins County jail. The project will involve the building of a greenhouse and will use hydroponics to grove fruits and...
