TxDOT Wants You to Help #EndTheStreakTX
We can halt the string of daily deaths on Texas roadways
By Noel S. Paramanantham, P.E., Texas Department of Transportation, Paris District Engineer
PARIS – Nov. 7, 2019 marked a sad anniversary for Texas. The last deathless day on Texas roadways occurred 19 years ago on Nov. 7, 2000. Since then, at least one person has died each day in highway crashes in Texas. Sadder still, crash statistics show us that, on average, as many as 10 people are killed every day on Texas roads.
That means that about 67,000 of our friends, family and other loved ones are no longer with us.
This is a milestone we should not be marking. It’s also a sad reminder that each of us has a serious responsibility to drive safely.
These senseless deaths destroy families, rob people of their loved ones and cut lives short, but they are preventable.
Safety is our top priority at TxDOT. It is a major component of our daily work and part of our agency culture. We will continue to implement high engineering standards in building and maintaining our highway system, and we will continue to promote safety with our enforcement and education efforts.
But we need your help. Our annual #EndTheStreakTX safety campaign encourages all of us to drive safely and friendly to help end the streak of daily deaths on our roadways.
According to the National Highway Traffic Association, 94 percent of all traffic crashes are preventable.
Most crashes on our Texas roadways are due to driver error, and are entirely avoidable.
All of us can play a role in ending the streak of fatalities on our highways. We can help #EndTheStreakTX by using a few simple driving habits every day: buckle your seatbelt; drive the speed limit and adjust it to road and weather conditions; put your phone away or silence it … don’t let it distract you; and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Saturday Basketball! Lady Cats Open Season at SSMS Versus Mineola, Wildcats Scrimmage at McKinney Boyd
The Lady Cats Basketball Team opens the regular season at home Saturday morning (November 9) with a game against Mineola. Head Coach Brittney Tisdell is in her second year with the Lady Cats. Due to the Veterans Program in the Main Gym at Sulphur Springs High School on Monday, the Lady Cats Saturday game will be played in the main gym at Sulphur Springs Middle School. There will be a JV game starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. The varsity game should begin at around 10:15 a.m. Saturday. The Lady Cats have some scrimmage games under their belt. They scrimmaged Commerce, Saltillo and Emory Rains last Saturday in 20 minute games in the main high school gym. Coach Tisdell led the Lady Cats to a 24-8 record last season. The Lady Cats season ended in a bi-district loss to Jacksonville at Winona.
Meanwhile the Wildcats Basketball Team will have their first scrimmage of the season Saturday at McKinney Boyd. Play begins at 10 a.m. Both Wildcats JV and Varsity Teams will be scrimmaging Frisco Liberty and host McKinney Boyd. Boyd is coached by former Wildcats Basketball Coach Jeremy Josey. Current Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta, in his sixth year, was an assistant for Coach Josey with the Wildcats.
Wildcats Football Team Wraps Up Season With Senior Night on This Game Day Friday
The Wildcats 2019 football season concludes Friday night (November 8) at Gerald Prim Stadium with a significant date on any team’s schedule, Senior Night. There are 20 seniors listed on the current Wildcats football roster and they will be recognized as well as seniors in band, cheerleaders, Blue Blazes, athletic trainers and other groups. Recognition will take place prior to kickoff of the Wildcats district game with North Forney. The visiting Falcons still have slim playoff hopes. They are 4-3 in district play and 6-3 for the season. The Falcons need a win and a loss by Royse City. The Bulldogs are heavily favored to win at home against a one-win Terrell team. Wildcats Coach Greg Owens, in his 14th year here, says the Wildcats also have something to play for, a chance to win their last football game of the season. The Wildcats come in 1-6 in district play and 1-8 overall. North Forney’s Head Football Coach is Randy Jackson in his third year. Jackson has had numerous stops in his football coaching career, most notably at Mesquite Poteet from 2010-2012. KSST Radio will bring you Wildcats football with live audio streaming against North Forney live from Gerald Prim Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be videotaped for replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
TxDOT Urges Drives To ‘End The Streak’ Of Daily Deaths
November 7, 2019 marks grim anniversary of the last deathless day on Texas roadways
AUSTIN — Julian Ekpanya will someday smile while reeling in his first fish. He will experience the joy of hitting his first Little League home run, learn to ride a bike and eventually take a prideful walk across a graduation stage. But his father won’t be there for any of it.
Julian’s father, Endy, was a Pearland police officer responding to a call on a Sunday morning, when his patrol car was struck head-on by a wrong-way, drunk driver. He died on the way to the hospital. He was 31.
“Julian is five now, and he’s started asking me, ‘When is Daddy coming home? Where is Daddy?’,” said Lucy Lugo Ekpanya, Endy’s widow. “I tell him that Daddy is on a very important mission, he is protecting us, he is our hero and he lives in our hearts. He is in Heaven.”
Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on roadways in Texas. That means for 19 years straight, at least one person has died every single day. Texas Transportation Commission and TxDOT officials held a press conference in Houston today, launching the annual #EndTheStreakTX campaign that asks all Texans to join the effort to end this deadly 19-year streak.
An average of 10 people die every day in crashes in the state, prompting Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan to issue a public challenge at today’s press conference. Announcing her “Texas Tag 10 Challenge,” Ryan urged the crowd to tell 10 people about #EndTheStreakTX, and then have each of those 10 tell another 10, causing a wave of commitment and a surge of support for ending the fatal trend.
“I want to challenge everyone here to tell 10 people right now about #EndtheStreakTX,” Ryan said. “Take out your phones and let them know that you need their help to #EndtheStreakTX. Text them this message or share it on social media and tag at least 10 people. Challenge them to share the message with 10 of their friends, and so on. Let’s not have a 20th anniversary next Nov. 7th.”
TxDOT is asking people to share personal stories of loved ones lost in car crashes on their social media pages using photo and video testimonials with the hashtag, #EndTheStreakTX. The agency also will post statistics for the public to repost on social media outlets to help share this important message.
“We all have the power to end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways,” Ryan said. “And while we are committed to invest in the best engineering practices to make our roads safe, we also need drivers and passengers to act more responsibly and help us end the streak of daily deaths on our roads to reach our goal of zero deaths by 2050.
TxDOT will dedicate an additional $600 million for more safety improvements along Texas roadways over the next two years. The effort includes widening some roads and adding rumble strips that alert drivers if they are veering out of their lane or off the road. We will also add reinforced shoulders and select turn lanes, and deploy new technology that will increase safety on the entire system of roads.
In May, the Texas Transportation Commission approved a goal aiming to end all fatalities on Texas roads by 2050, with an interim goal to reduce them by half by 2035. Texans can play a major role in ending fatal crashes with a few simple driving habits: wear seat belts, drive the speed limit, put away the phone and other distractions, and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“It’s heartbreaking to know that every day for the past 19 years someone has lost a spouse, child, friend or neighbor on our state’s roadways,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Ending this daily death streak is a shared responsibility. While we are committed to continue making improvements to our highway system, we all must work toward ending preventable crashes caused by drivers including distracted driving, speeding and drunk driving. Let’s make it a priority to be safe, focused and responsible behind the wheel. Let’s end the streak.”
Since Nov. 7, 2000, fatalities resulting from vehicle crashes on Texas roadways have numbered almost 67,000. The leading causes of fatalities continue to be failure to stay in one lane, alcohol and speed. To decrease the chances of roadway crashes and fatalities, TxDOT reminds drivers to:
- Buckle seat belts – all passengers need to be buckled
- Pay attention – put phones away and avoid distractions
- Never drink and drive or do drugs and drive –get a sober ride home
- Drive the speed limit – obey speed limits and drive slower when weather conditions warrant
Economic Outlook Conference 2019 To Be Held At Civic Center Dec. 4
Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce and Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation present Economic Outlook Conference 2019 at from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 4, at the Hopkins County Civic Center.
The keynote speaker will be Christopher Slijk, assistant economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. As a member of the Research Department’s regional group, Slijk’s work focuses on economic growth in Texas and the 11th Federal Reserve District. Slijk is a Certified Business Economist by the National Association of Business Economics and has a BA in economics from Cornell University.
“We are thankful to have the opportunity to bring a new voice and opinion to the Economic Conference, and we are certain the Economic Outlook Conference will be very informative to attendees,” said Lezley Brown, Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.
The Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Corporation present this program every year for the community with help of sponsors. Chamber of Commerce members are invited to be sponsors for this year’s conference.
The luncheon will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Civic Center. Tickets for the event are $20 each.
To sponsor the Economic Outlook Conference let Brown know before Friday, Nov. 22. Tickets area also available and questions may also be directed to Brown at 903-885-6515 or [email protected].
Lady Cats Volleyball Team Gives Forney All They Want In Heartbreaking Area Loss Thursday Night
In the end, Forney just made a few more plays than the upstart Lady Cats Volleyball Team as the Lady Rabbits survived an Area game, 3-2 at Canton Thursday night, Nov. 7.
The Lady Cats won the first two sets, 25-22 and 30-28. Forney then took the next two, 25-11 and 25-19. The fifth and deciding set was close right until the end. Forney only led 12-11 before putting away the last three points to take the match with the 15-11 set five win.
Just as in the stunning 3-0 win over Hallsville Tuesday night, the Lady Cats played some of their best volleyball of the season in the Area game Thursday night. Junior Sadie Washburn had another beastly game getting 22 kills. Senior Sydney Washington had 10 kills. Sophomore setter Peyton Hammack had 36 assists. Hammack and sophomore libero Parris Pickett had 15 digs. Sophomore Brooklyn Burnside had seven blocks.
After some tearful farewells with several of her seniors, Lady Cats Coach Bailey Dorner said her girls worked hard and she added she was proud of them. The Lady Cats end the season with a 24-18 record.
The Lady Cats will lose seniors Erika VanBenthem, Aliyah Abron, Sydney Washburn and Kaylee Malone.
Eight members of the playoff roster are expected to return: sophomores Pickett, Burnside and Hammack and juniors Sadie Washburn, Czhela Moya, Nylah Lindley, Bre’Asia Ivery and Caroline Hurley. Other sub-varsity players are expected to challenge for spots on the varsity next year.
After an inconsistent, up and down season, the Lady Cats ended by playing their finest volleyball of the season for Coach Dorner on the the big stage of the playoffs.
CPS Investigation Leads To Methamphetamine, Sulphur Springs Woman’s Arrest
Sulphur Springs police arrested a 37-year-old Sulphur Springs woman after finding suspected methamphetamine at her residence Thursday afternoon, according to arrest reports.
Sulphur Springs Police and Special Crimes Unit officers were requested shortly before 3 p.m. by Child Protective Services personnel, who requested their assistance in an investigation at a Helm Lane residence. Upon arrival, the police office reported talking to and receiving Stefani Dawn Adkins’ permission to search her residence.
During the search, officers alleged drug paraphernalia and a small amount of a white, crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine were found. Consequently, Adkins was arrested for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
She remained in the county jail Friday, Nov. 8. Bond was set at $5,000 on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
1 Arrested in Hopkins County For Dallas County Trailer, Auto Parts Thefts
A 46-year-old Sulphur Springs man was arrested at a rural residence, where sheriff’s officers reported finding at least $14,000 worth of property that was reported earlier this month to Dallas Police Department as stolen, according to arrest reports and investigators.
Hopkins County sheriff’s deputies at noon Nov. 7 received information about stolen property possibly being housed at a County Road 3502 residence. Deputies contacted Paul Shane McCool at the residence. McCool reportedly told them he was renting the residence and had only lived there for a few weeks, according to arrest reports.
Deputies contacted the property owner and obtained permission to search the property for stolen items, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Chaney and Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford noted in arrest reports.
The sheriff’s officer located a cargo trailer with items on top of it, which officials believe were strategically placed in an effort to obscure the trailer from view of drones used by the sheriff’s office for location and recovery efforts, according to HCSO Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford. The sheriff’s officers also located about $10,000 in new auto parts, which came back during a records check as having been reported to Dallas Police Department earlier this month as stolen, the sheriff’s officers alleged in arrest reports.
While speaking with McCool, he “did not provide deputies with information that would lead us to believe he was not in possession of the stolen items,” the sheriff’s officers alleged in arrest reports. Consequently, they took McCool into custody for thefts and the property was recovered.
A truck used in the theft was also reportedly recovered in Greenville, where it had been abandoned, Weatherford said.
Through interviews and investigation, sheriff’s officers received information implicating McCool and at least two more people as having been involved in the thefts, transfer and concealment of the stolen property, according to Weatherford. Thus, McCool was booked into jail for engaging in criminal activity-theft of property valued at more than $2,500 but less than $30,000, which enhances the charge to a third-degree felony offense, according to arrest reports.
Weatherford said McCool is the only person in custody in connection with the thefts at this time, but anticipates warrants will be sought for additional suspects’ arrests in connection with the thefts.
