Wildcats Senior Linebacker George Greenway Signs to Play Football at Kilgore College
Wildcats inside linebacker George Greenway, who missed most of this football season season with a broken collarbone, was all smiles Wednesday (February 5) as he signed a letter of intent to play college football at Kilgore College. The signing, at the Multipurpose Building, drew a large number of high school students as well as quite a number of Greenway’s relatives. Greenway explained he has family in Kilgore so he contacted the Kilgore College football coach. Greenway said the coach liked his strength and how he performed on the field. Greenway was invited to make a visit and was given an offer that he accepted. He said Kilgore was interested in him played linebacker and perhaps even fullback on offense. Greenway said he likes linebacker because he can be aggressive and hit people in the mouth. Greenway said he plans to major in kinesiology. He said his injury this season is not holding him back.
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra, who has coached Greenway for the past two years had high praise for Greenway. He said Greenway is always excited to come to practice. Coach Guerra called Greenway a fire starter on defense who gets kids going. He cited Greenway’s great attitude and said he was an animated player and a good defender to have. Coach Guerra, a powerlifting coach, noted that Greenway loves the weight room and working out. He said Greenway is a good one who will do big things at Kilgore.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Garland Man Jailed On Controlled Substance Charge
A 28-year-old man was arrested Tuesday morning for having suspected heroin and pills in his wallet, according to police reports.
A patrol officer reportedly contacted Javier Perez Jr. at 8:12 a.m. Feb. 4 at the corner of Lamar and Beckham streets, after seeing the man and another person removing several items from a window of a residence. Perez seemed to the officer to be attempting to gain access to the residence, Sulphur Springs Police Officer Adrian Pruitt alleged in arrest reports.
Both of the individuals appeared to be extremely nervous, and Perez claimed to live at the residence, Pruitt alleged in arrest reports. While being patted down, Perez allegedly gave the officer permission to search is wallet and admitted to having narcotics inside the wallet, according to police reports.
A bag with a brown substance suspected to be heroin and another bag containing several pills in the wallet were allegedly found in the wallet, resulting in Perez’s arrest for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone.
Perez, who in arrest reports is shown to have a Garland address, remained in Hopkins County jail Wednesday, Feb. 5, on the felony charge. His bond was set at $10,000, according to jail reports.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Tira News For Feb. 5, 2020
By Jan Vaughn
Tami Joslin shared that Amanda Caviness, Paige’s teacher at North Hopkins, donated bags of birthday party items for the Tira Food Pantry. We appreciate her thoughtfulness and generosity. If you have a need for items for your child’s birthday, please contact Tami at 903-268-2496.
Joyce Dodd reports, “Our angels donated $100 and 2 dozen cans of meat for the pantry.” We are always thankful for the contributions.
Dustin, Natalie and Everly Weir visited Robert and Yvonne Weir over the weekend. Yvonne comments, “Everly will be walking soon. She is very cheerful.” She adds, “Wes is playing Hoop Dreams on Monday. He was out of school on Friday.”
Chip and I went to Arkadelphia on Friday evening so that we could be there for our granddaughter Jaidyn’s basketball tournament on Saturday. Her team won first place in the tournament. Malcolm and his friend, Melinda, were there, too, along with Tiffany and Perry, and his son, Lance. Linda Ellen Vaughn, Chip’s sister, came and stayed with Grace while we were gone. She returned to Dallas on Sunday.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
News from Hopkins County Genealogical Society/Library
More and more people are getting involved in researching their family tree or the history of their property. There is an organization in Hopkins County with members who are quite knowledgeable as well as helpful with resources and tools for research. The Genealogical Society meets monthly on the third-Thursday evening at 7pm. Visitors and guests are welcome. Here is a message from Society members about 2020 meetings thus far.
“The Hopkins County Genealogical Society met Thursday, January 16, at 7:00 p.m., at 611 North Davis for their monthly meeting. John Sellers was our speaker, and he presented a program about researching both the physical and sociological genealogy of your historic structure, either a home or a building. Various records, such as abstracts, Sanborn maps, city directories and other records were introduced and discussed. He also presented a methodology of the search and how various records can be combined to result in a clearer picture of the previous life of your property. The program was followed by an active question and answer period. We had about 30 people in attendance and all agreed the presentation was both interesting and informative.
On Thursday, February 20th, we will meet again at 7:00 p.m. at 611 North Davis, for a presentation by Ken Hanushek. Ken has been our speaker in the past and we know he will have a great program for us! Additional information will be sent out prior to that date. Everyone is welcome to attend!”
A new program has begun, called Lunch and Learn. It will be held at noon on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Just bring a lunch and stay for fellowship, education and sharing of ideas. You’ll meet others who want to learn more about doing genealogical research.
The Genealogical Library is located at 611 North Davis Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas, inside the Public Library. The library is staffed with knowledgeable volunteers Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Closed on Wednesday. If you’d like to reach the Society by mail, it’s P.O. Box 624, Sulphur Springs Tx. 75482
City Council Approves Asbestos Abatement And Street Improvement Contracts, Grant Application
Sulphur Springs City Council approved most of the items on Tuesday night’s agenda as recommended, including annexation on of the former Thermo mine property, a franchise agreement, a grant application for a thermal imager, and contracts for asbestos abatement and the street improvement program.
Black History Month
Mayor John Sellers, on behalf of the City Council, officially proclaimed February as Black History Month in Sulphur Springs, and urged “all residents to join together in making a period of re-dedication to the principles of justice and equality of all people.”
Sellers noted that 2020 marks the 94th annual celebration of Black History. The first was in 1926, when Carter G. Woodson instituted Negro History Week the second week of February to coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The first official Black History Month was announced in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford.
“Black History Month affords the special opportunity to become more knowledgeable about Black heritage, and to honor the many Black leaders who have contributed to the progress of our nation,” Sellers read from the proclamation. “Such knowledge can strengthen the insight of all our citizens regarding the issues of human rights, the great strides that have been made in the crusade to eliminate the barriers of equality for minority groups, and the continued struggle against racial discrimination.”
Former Thermo Mine
Sulphur Springs City Council approved on first reading Ordinance 2763 to annex the city-owned property formerly referred to as the Thermo Mine or Luminant properties.
The council also approved an agricultural lease agreement at the mine property with Mark Johnson.
Maxwell said Johnson had previously baled hay on 52 acres. He recommended offering an agreement to Johnson at the same rate as other agricultural leases recently renewed, for $700 a year.
Senior Center, Pacific Park Projects
Approval was given by the City Council on first reading Ordinance 2764 for several matters related to funding improvements at Pacific Park and a new Senior Citizens Center, projects approved by voters in November 2019.
The council will be asked in March to approve on second reading the issuance and sale of combination tax and revenue certificates of obligation, not to exceed $3 million to pay all or a portion of the city’s contractual obligations to be incurred in connection with the projects.
The city approved a contract from EnviroCare Associates, Inc., for abatement of asbestos at 301 Oak Avenue. The city received six bids ranging from $49,500 to $136,429. City staff recommended accepting the lowest bid from EnviroCare to remove asbestos from the property. The building will be removed and used as part of the new senior center. Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski said it costs less to abate it first, then tear it down and remove it than it would to dispose of the waste with asbestos still in it.
Street Improvements
The city approved a contract for $1,174,346 from Texana Land and Asphalt for street improvements. Overall, the city received five bids. Texana’s was the lowest. City officials had anticipated spending around $1.3 million on street improvement projects, according to City Fiance Director Lesa Smith.
Niewiadomski last month reported 19 streets are targeted for varied levels of improvements through the annual Street Improvement Program. The cost could mean more road repairs than anticipated this year.
The city has designated $500,000 raised from the street maintenance fee collected on city utility bills and the rest from the Capital Improvements to pay for the annual street improvements.
Grant Application
Resolution No. 1189, approved by the council Tuesday, authorizes the fire department to submit a grant application to the Office of Governor Homeland Security Division for the purchase of a thermal imaging camera.
Sulphur Springs Fire Chief David James said the thermal imager can be used in situations involving hazardous materials and other operations, a well as during firefighting. The device can be used to help find leaks quickly.
The application asks for just over $10,400 to purchase the thermal imaging camera; if approved, the grant would cover 100 percent of the cost, which would mean no local money would be needed to obtain the equipment, according to James.
Atmos Franchise Agreement
Ordinance No. 2765 was given council approval on first reading Tuesday night.
City Attorney Jim McLeroy explained this is an ordinance that’s been in place for 20 years that requires Atmos Energy Corporation under agreement to pay a franchise fee to provide natural gas service in Sulphur Springs. The agreement protects city right of ways in places natural gas service is given. The city receives a royalty from Atmos.
Secretary Recognized
Sellers recognized City Secretary Gale Roberts for earning Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification. She was among the graduates at a ceremony held last Thursday.
“We should be very privileged and honored that our city secretary has taken the time to go through that and to elevate herself. We already thought she was perfect anyway. This just makes her more so that way,” Sellers said.
Other Council Business
The City Council during the Feb. 4 meeting watched “American Makeover Episode 2: Seaside, the City of Ideas,” a video about the town of Seaside, Florida, built as an answer to urban sprawl, and the city manager recommended the council attend The annual Congress of New Urbanism conference this summer put on by Andrés Duany, architect codesigner of Seaside and founder of CNU.
The City Council also approved resolutions calling for the May 2 City Council Election and heard the annual racial profiling report regarding traffic stops and arrests for 2019 read by Sulphur Springs Police Lt. Rusty Stillwagoner.
Sulphur Springs Woman Arrested After THC Oil Vaporizer, Firearm Found During Traffic Stop
Hopkins County sheriff’s deputies arrested 38-year-old Desiree Delyn Pharis of Sulphur Springs, after allegedly finding a THC oil vaporizer and a firearm in her truck during a traffic stop.
Deputy Aaron Chaney reported stopping Pharis at 9:10 a.m. Feb. 4 on County Road 4703 because the truck she was in didn’t have a front license plate. Chaney alleged her leg began shaking erratically while holding down the brake pedal and she was having trouble locating her driver’s license, so he asked her to step out of the vehicle.
As she did, Chaney alleged in arrest reports, Pharis made furtive movements, as if trying to conceal an object. She held a vaporizer pen with what the officer suspected to be a THC oil cartridge in her hand, Chaney alleged in arrest reports. Chaney placed her into custody. She allegedly admitted the object was a THC oil vaporizer. The deputy reported finding a pistol under the console during a probable cause search.
Pharis was taken to jail for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to arrest reports.
Pharis remained in Hopkins County jail Wednesday morning, Feb. 5. Bond was set at $5,000 on the controlled substance charge and $2,000 on the weapon charge, according to jail reports.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
City Manager's Report For Feb. 4, 2020
Below is the City Manager’s Report presented By Marc Maxwell to Sulphur Springs City Council on February 04, 2020
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
This project is completed. We will be paying the final bills this month. Budget for the project was $18,800,000. We expect total expenditures on the project to come in at $18,400,000. This project has finished on-time and under-budget.
GRAYS’ BUILDING
We have a set of plans for the Grays’ building. We have an estimator working on the probable cost of the building. I expect to do some value engineering on the project once we have a detailed estimate.
WOODBRIDGE
The Capital Construction Division has repaired the drainage/street issue in the Woodbridge addition. The road will re-open Thursday, February 06. The Woodbridge Homeowners association paid $46,125 to replace the drainage structure between the two ponds. Reconstruction of the concrete street between the two ponds is paid as a capital street item.
BELLVIEW STREET
The Bellview project has begun. Installation of sewer mains is complete. Installation of water mains begins next week.
CONNALLY STREET
The Capital Construction Division continues with the construction of sidewalks, driveway approaches and cross-street connections.
S.H. 11 WIDENING (LIFT STATION)
This project is nearly completed. We replaced a lift station and sewer main along S.H. 11. TxDOT paid for almost all of it. The next phase of the S.H. 11 project will require the relocation of a sewer force-main and a water main. The city will bear much of the cost on the next phase.
CLAIMS
We had two workers compensation claims in January. A Water and Sewer employee twisted his knee while stepping into a trench resulting in lost time. A Parks & Recreation employee suffered bruises and scrapes from a slip & fall incident at the Coleman Lake water fall; this did not result in lost time. We had 3 liability claims for flooding as a result of a wastewater main blockage. They have all been submitted to TML, and they will be considered under our supplemental sewage back up coverage. These types of calls are more common during the winter months. Cold temperatures cause grease in the mains to coagulate at low points and around obstructions. We had 51 sewer stoppages in January, compared to 6 in September. We also had a liability claim from Frontier Communications for two cables that the Water and Sewer Division cut performing a water tap installation. The claim has been submitted to TML.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES
Finance Director Lesa Smith will give a year-to-date report of revenues and expenditures.
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Replaced Cedar planks on 28 park benches at Coleman Park.
- Began preparing athletic fields for the upcoming season.
- Cleaned up brush around Coleman Lake.
- Made 5 street repairs following utility repairs.
- Repaired 267 potholes.
- Replaced various stop signs.
- Hauled street sweeper spoils to the landfill.
- Installed new crosswalk signs (strobe) on Church Street at the U.S. Post Office and at Alliance Bank.
- Conducted 30 building inspections, 26 electrical inspections, 26 plumbing inspections, 3 mechanical inspections, and issued 25 building permits.
- Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids reading of .41 mg/L, a new plant record.
- Repaired 6 water main ruptures.
- Replaced 15 water meters.
- Unstopped 51 sewer mains.
- Repaired 10 sewer mains.
- Flushed 36 dead-end water mains.
- Treated 128 million gallons of potable water.
- Responded to 191 animal control calls while achieving a 78% adoption rate.
- Made 6 felony arrests in the Special Crimes Unit.
- Responded to 36 accidents, issued 654 citations, recorded 56 offenses and made 58 arrests in the patrol division.
- Checked out 2,969 items from the library plus 764 eBooks.
- Sold 1,220 gallons of AvGas and 6,185 gallons of JetA fuel.
- Responded to 165 calls for fire/rescue including 0 structure fires and 7 grass fires.
- Performed 38 fire inspections and 38 pre-fire plans.
- Performed preventative maintenance on 73 fire hydrants.
Manuel Rodriguez-Cruz Arrested For Child Porn Distribution In Sulphur Springs
Investigation of possible distribution of child pornography by a local resident resulted in 36-year-old Manuel Rodriguez-Cruz’s arrest, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office reports.
According to Sheriff Lewis Tatum, the investigation lead by HCSO Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford was launched based on a tip the sheriff’s office received about possible involvement of a local resident in the distribution of child pornography.
The investigation traced an IP address used to upload images back to the 100 block of West Ross Street in Sulphur Springs. Rodriguez-Cruz was identified as a suspect in the alleged child porn distribution.
A search warrant was obtained and served, after officials confirmed Rodriguez-Cruz was at the residence, according to HCSO reports. During a search of the property, Rodriguez-Cruz allegedly confessed to accessing, possessing and the distribution of child pornography, as well as for his own personal use, sheriff’s officials reported.
Consequently, Rodriguez-Cruz was taken into custody and jailed on a second-degree felony possession with intent to promote child pornography charge. HCSO reported all electronics from the residence were seized for further analysis.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Sulphur Springs City Council Tables Proposed Curfew For Minors Ordinance Again
Sulphur Springs City Council for the second month in a row tabled the proposed curfew ordinance, following discussion on the matter.
The curfew hours for minors ordinance was pitched at the January City Council meeting in response to two businesswomen’s request for help with middle school aged children being left unaccompanied at night downtown. The City Council, after he tabled at the January meeting. City Attorney Jim McLeroy Tuesday night told to the City Council the proposed ordinance was pretty much the same, except for one change. The age of the proposed curfew was lowered, so it would only impact youth 15 years and younger.
Five community members addressed the City Council regarding the matter.
Jay Julian said establishing a curfew would be like using a big paint brush to touch up a small piece of wood trim. A curfew ordinance for all youth younger than 16 years to address a problem that he estimated to be caused by 3 percent or less of the youth in Sulphur Springs is too big and broad a brush.
“The bigger picture is 97 percent of those students are great kids, are not the problem. Yet, we are reaching with the big brush for that 3 percent problem. I’m not standing here in denial that there is a problem. The downtown merchants say they’ve got a problem, then I believe they do. I just don’t agree with reaching for a big wide paintbrush that is the ordinance for a curfew,” Julian said.
Julian said a narrower solution is needed, perhaps assigning a beat cop to patrol downtown at night during certain hours, which he said he believed was done when Coleman Park was built.
Aimee Huppert said young people don’t have a whole lot to do outside of church and work. She said she thinks young people need to be given something to do and a place to do it. She said it’d be worth the cost to establish a youth center where young people can congregate happily and share their creativity. She said in her opinion it’s better to focus on what kids should do and not what they shouldn’t.
Justin Brown said like Julian he feels the curfew would not be fair to everyone, but might might be needed temporarily while funds or another means of addressing the problem are being worked out.
Brown, speaking from his observances as the overnight assistant manager at the local Walmart but not on behalf of the business, described issues with youth at work also. He said juveniles are “getting to be more and more of a problem where they’re running, throwing, breaking, climbing, tearing down.” He said some youth are becoming habitual offenders, and law enforcement have been involved.
Another point to consider, Brown said, is the fact that it’s not safe for youth to be out at night walking down dark streets and crossing dark highways. Brown said a curfew might help keep them safe and keep the local business from being vandalized until additional night officers can be put on to walk a beat instead of driving on patrol.
McLeroy said he’s talked with the police chief over the last 2 months about the issue. Having additional reserve officers downtown was discussed, McLeroy said. However, having the curfew ordinance would give officers a tool if youth won’t listen or mind when out late at night; they can write Class C citations. However, he said he’d be surprised if more than two tickets were written in a year.
City Manager Marc Maxwell pointed out that there is law enforcement downtown. While not all the time, an officer does walk around downtown. He said not often, but the officer has had kids laugh when he’s talked to them. He’s even been asked, “What are you going to do cop? You can’t take me to jail,” Maxwell. The curfew for minors ordinance would give the officer an option, to tell the youth the potential consequence, the city manger said.
Councilman Harold Nash said he would like a curfew. However, he’s spoken with some community leaders and heard their concerns. He expressed concern more investigation is needs into the matter.
Councilman Doug Moore said he’s talked to multiple people and multiple law enforcement personnel, not all in Sulphur Springs.
“Ultimately, I look at it as just a tool. When you swing a hammer and you do constructive things with it or do you swing a hammer and do destructive things? I’m not for over over enforcement, but at this point I think we have to have that tool. I think we can’t do it without the hammer,” Moore said.
Huppert contended that, in general, the more bored youths becomes, the more they misbehave; the more “you crack down on them,” the more they misbehave. If given something else to do, youth won’t go to stores to destroy things; instead, they’ll go somewhere and create, she said.
Maxwell conceded that may be true, until they get bored with that too, as was the case with the skate park.
Huppert said youth didn’t create the skate park, they made a few loops and got bored. Youth, she said, need a place where they can meet, exchange ideas, paint a painting an put it on the wall for other people to see or buy, create art, read a book, make music, play a games, hang out. The key would be that it’d be constantly changing so they wouldn’t be bored and they’d have control, she said.
Kerry Roy asked if there’s any way for responsibility to reflect back on the youth’s home, if perhaps there could be enforcement at the adult level.
Moore asked if there was anything like in truancy offenses, where the parents are held responsible.
The city attorney directed the councilman to the “offenses” section of the proposed ordinance, regarding the child and parent.
Tommy Harrison said the restriction shouldn’t be on the whole community. The focus, he said, should be on the businesses, where the problems are occurring. A curfew would affect other parts of city, including 16- and 17-year-olds playing basketball late nights on the east side of town, not causing a problem.
Mayor John Sellers pointed out that youth ages 16 and 17 years wouldn’t be affected by the proposed curfew.
Sellers said he’d like to talk to police about the difference in having or not having the ordinance. He asked if police were and could do something if they observed youths doing something wrong.
McLeroy said action is being enforced for acts such as pushing over and breaking a monument or causing damage to the glass restrooms.
Maxwell recommended postponing taking action on the proposed ordinance setting a curfew for minors until the officer who patrols downtown and the police chief can visit with the city officials regarding the matter.
The council voted for the second month in a row to table the curfew ordinance, until the next council meeting.
Read more about the proposed curfew for minors ordinance and other City Council action at KSSTRadio.com
