Update: Diesel Spill In Miller Grove Reportedly Larger Than Originally Estimated
Some Aquatic Animals Found Dead, Officials Report
State authorities reported Friday afternoon more diesel was spilled in the Miller Grove area near Turkey Creek Thursday evening than originally estimated, and some aquatic life has been affected.
Friday morning, the 6-inch pipeline rupture was estimated to have pumped about 8,000 barrels of petroleum into Turkey Creek Thursday. However, shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, the State of Texas State Operations Center said an update showed a new estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 barrels of product to have been released during the incident.
“Some dead aquatic animals have been discovered and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is expected to conduct a site visit today,” according to the SOC report update.
Hopkins County Fire Department was first dispatched around 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, to the area of County Road 1130 in Miller Grove. After two months of maintenance, a six inch rupture in a pipeline reportedly occurred after diesel was pushed through the pipeline. The pipeline burst, causing the diesel to run into the nearby waterway. The pipeline was shut down and mitigation was started to contain the diesel. The creek bed was dry and contained before getting into any other water way, according to a press release composed by local emergency management officials and disseminated through Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office.
The State of Texas State Operations Center was notified of the initial report of a petroleum pipeline incident. Initially, 8,000 barrels of petroleum were estimated to have been released into Turkey Creek before the leak could be stopped; however, that estimate had been increased Friday afternoon to 10,000-15,000 barrels.
A remediation company was contracted to place a boom to prevent the spill from traveling downstream. Local community volunteers under the direction of the Hopkins County Office of Emergency Management built a temporary earthen barrier in the event the boom is insufficient.
Cleanup of approximately 1.25 miles of Turkey Creek was still underway Friday along with active air monitoring. Terrain, vegetation and darkness have impacted the speed of remediation operations.
“They are doing everything they can to get it cleaned up as fast as they can, but they’re going to be out there a while working,” Hopkins County Fire Chief Andy Endsley said late Friday morning.
The Office of Emergency Management, officials reported, will remain on scene until all the product has been moved and the cleanup of the area is completed.
Responding agencies Thursday evening and overnight included Hopkins County Precinct 1, Hopkins County Fire Department, Hopkins County OEM, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, county officials reported Friday morning.
Friday afternoon, the state update noted Franklin County was providing a Mobile Command Trailer to the scene. The owner/operator had reached out to their cell phone provider and requested a cell on wheels and The Texas Division of Emergency Management was coordinating through the Texas Department of Public Safety to expedite the request. Additional responding agencies include the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management, according to the update.
Cumby Police: Humble Man Arrested For Possessing Methamphetamine
Cumby Police Sgt. Ray Embro arrested 36-year-old Michael Lee Harper of Humble at 1:19 a.m. Friday after finding suspected methamphetamine in the car he was driving.
Embro reportedly contacted Harper after noticing he failed to signal when turning the Crown Victoria he was driving into Valero gas station. When asked for a driver’s license, Harper reportedly handed Embro an ID card and claimed he’d pulled into the gas station parking lot to check out his vehicle. Harper allegedly told the officer he’d just hit a cow down the road, but had not stopped to report it. The passenger’s side mirror was noted to be damaged, Embro alleged in arrest reports.
He had the man step out of the car to talk to him. Embro said he was suspicious of the man’s travel plans and story he gave. When asked if he had anything illegal in the car, he denied having anything illegal but did admit to being on parole, Embro alleged in arrest reports.
After obtaining permission, Embro reportedly searched the car, finding in the middle of the front seat a black sock containing a white crystal-like residue the officer believed to be methamphetamine and a plastic tube with a bag with a “large amount” of suspected meth, arrest reports alleged.
Harper was taken into custody for possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and was issued a written warning and two citations; the car was impounded Embro alleged in reports.
Harper remained in the county jail late Friday morning, Oct. 4. Bond on the controlled substance charge was set at $25,000, according to jail reports.
SSISD Receives 2 Acceptable Bids For Fore Street House Constructed By CTE Students
The 1,550 square foot farm-style house constructed on Fore Street by Sulphur Springs High School students should have a new owner soon.
Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday accepted the two bids, in rank order, submitted for the house, according to Sulphur Springs Independent School District Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams.
SSHS career and technology students worked on the house, with help from trade professionals when required, over the course of two years. The house has two bedrooms, plus a bonus room with sliding barn doors that could be used as an office or third bedroom. It also has two bathrooms, open concept kitchen, granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances, a separate laundry room and easy-care wood-look vinyl plank and tile floors throughout. The structure too includes a wraparound porch and a detached single car garage.
Because of education rules regarding school, the property had to be sold not through the normal channels such as a realtor but through a sealed bid process.
Sulphur Springs Independent School District administrators put the home up for bid over the summer. However, at the close of the bidding period in August, no bids had been received, Williams reported at the Aug. 12 school board meeting.
After consideration, Sulphur Springs Independent School District again sought bids for the home last month, this time lowering the minimum bid price set from $154,900 to $134,900.
When the sealed bids were opened at the close of bidding Friday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m., two acceptable bids were received, both above the minimum bid price, Williams reported.
Both bids were from private individuals. The top bid was for $142,500, and the second was for $137,259. Both were accepted, with the home going to the top bidder. The second bid was approved as a back up in case something does not go through in the process. Then, the home would go to the person bidding $137,259, without having to hold another school board meeting regrading the matter, according to Williams.
The assistant superintendent said the district is thrilled with this, especially the experience it’s provided the students who worked on the Fore Street home. It’ll be something in 30 years they can point to and their kids or grandchildren they helped build.
The bidders were contacted Tuesday. Officials are in the process of executing the sale agreement, which is expected to be presented at the end of the week to the title company, according to Williams.
The sale will allow SSISD to recover the amount the school district put into the home and put money back into the career and technology education program.
Students currently enrolled in construction trades-related CTE classes are currently working on a few projects identified around the district. Once those are tidied up, the students will begin work on their next big project: a tiny house. With the hiring of teachers with trade credentials, the students will be able to learn the entire process of constructing a house. The tiny house then can be sold through regular means, according to Williams.
Family/living area 
Detached garage 
Kitchen includes stainless steel appliances
Gilmer Street Closed Friday From Linda Drive To Spence Street For Water Line Repair
Motorists traveling in “midtown” along Gilmer Street toward or from downtown should make note of a road detour while a water line is being repaired.
“While RK Hall Construction was repaving Gilmer Street one of our water lines which crosses Gilmer near Schlotzsky’s ruptured. Rather than just repair the broken pipe, we decided to replace it all the way across Gilmer. We have had to break up the concrete on 3 feet of Bill Bradford Road to replace it,” said Sulphur Springs City Manager Mark Maxwell.
Work is expected to continue on the water line repair into Friday evening.
“Be aware, multiple lanes of the road are shut down while this is going on. People driving in the area should plan accordingly,” said Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jason Ricketson.
Those who can are encouraged to seek alternate routes of travel other than Gilmer Street, between Linda Drive/Bill Bradford Road and Spence Street, which is currently closed to traffic, to help reduce traffic congestion.
All traffic traveling south on Gilmer is being directed off Gilmer onto Spence Street, left onto Fisher Street (watch for the dip at the intersection), then onto Lee Street and South Broadway Street.
Northbound traffic is diverted off Gilmer Street at Tennessee Street, around the impacted area of Bill Bradford Road, onto side streets.
While Gilmer is expected to reopen late Friday evening, a section of road near the impacted area is expected to be closed again next week for road work.
“RK Hall should return on Tuesday to repave that section of Gilmer, and we will repave the 3 feet of Bill Bradford soon,” Maxwell said.
Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel Meeting
Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel have announced their next meeting and program.
Tuesday, October 8 at 10:00 am
Location: The Oaks B&B, 516 Oak Ave, Sulphur Springs
Program: Blake Cooper, Director of Friends of Texas Public Schools, will share information regarding this advocacy group that supports public schools and those who teach and work in them.
Friends of Texas Public Schools also supports the needs of retired school personnel. Mr. Cooper will provide details regarding the ongoing work of this valuable organization.
Hopkins County Court-at-Law Judge Appointed to Mental Health Task Force
Clay Harrison, who took office on January 1, 2019, as the Hopkins County Court-at-Law Judge, was recently appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to serve on a task force created by Senate Bill 362 to address emergency mental health issues across the state. The order appointing Judge Harrison
was signed on October 1, 2019, by the nine justices of the state’s highest court.
“Our county works hard in these tough cases. District Judge Eddie Northcutt has an extensive background in the field of mental health and County Judge Robert Newsom currently serves on the state’s Judicial Commission on Mental Health. Sheriff Lewis Tatum and Lt. Tanner Crump, our County Attorney Dusty Rabe, and our Justices of the Peace Brad Cummings and B.J. Teer have reinvented the way we do emergency mental health detentions,” Harrison continued.
Emergency mental health issues have recently taken center-stage in the national debate on mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year and one in twenty five experience serious mental illness. Last year, 19.1% of
U.S. adults, or 47.6 million people, experienced mental illness.
The Judicial Commission on Mental Health was created by a joint order of the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The mission of the Judicial Commission on Mental Health is to engage and empower court systems through collaboration, education, and leadership,
thereby improving the lives of individuals with mental health needs and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“These issues are complex and we all have a lot to learn,” Harrison said, “but I’m confident we’re going to keep making it better as we go.”
- Links/Sources:
- https://www.texastribune.org/2019/08/07/trump-considers-red-flag-laws-texas-lawmakers-have- blocked/
- https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers
- http://texasjcmh.gov/
Helpful Programs for Seniors Coming Up October 8 and 10
A free Health Expo for Senior Citizens is planned on Tuesday morning October 8 at League Street Church of Christ.
“Medicare Choices for Seniors” on October 10 at the Seniors Center is a free educational program which will offer information necessary for making choices about 2020 health care coverage.
‘Walk to Remember’ Reaches Terrific Tuesdays Goal!
For the first time, Celebration Plaza hosted the annual “Walk to Remember” which annually raises money for the Terrific Tuesdays program in Sulphur Springs. What is Terrific Tuesdays? It is a Respite Care Program for anyone with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Senility, Stroke and any other type of Brain Injury. Director Tammi Reardon and her group of volunteers take care of these participants between 9am and 2pm on Tuesdays while their caregivers can have a day off to run errands or just have time for themselves. Terrific Tuesdays is held each Tuesday inside First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs.
The goal of the series of ten mini-walks during September 2019 and the big “Walk to Remember’ in October is to pause and remember friends and loved ones affected by Alzheimers or other types of brain-related illnesses. Participant T-shirts were purple, a color that popularly represents awareness of the devastating effects of the disease. Vendor tables by health care and hospice care workers also carried a purple theme. Emcee Enola Gay Mathews of KSST welcomed the crowd, and DJ Gary Spraggins furnished music for walking. A prayer was offered by Reverend Ed Lantz. Hillis Bass read a testimony moving listeners to never ignore the early signs of Alzheimer’s in a loved one. A purple carnation from Danna’s Florist was given to each walker. Grilled hot dogs were provided by City National Bank.
The final total of this year’s fundraiser was over $13,000. Because health care facilities in Sulphur Springs join in so readily to promote Alzheimer’s awareness, a “Spirit Award” was created for the facility which raised the most money. This year, there were three top facilities which brought large contributions of funds to the program. They are Wesley House Assisted Living $2,965.00 and Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab $2,080.00 and the Senior Citizens Center $1,948.00. The Community Spirit Award goes to the business or industry which raises the most money for Terrific Tuesdays, and once again, that was Saputo, Inc. which donated $1,000 in employee contributions and matching funds. A Volunteer Appreciation Award, voted by peers, went to Karen Strickland. The winning entry in a drawing for a handmade quilt made by Linda Taylor was Sandy Reardon.
Walkers made leisurely laps around the sidewalks encircling Celebration Plaza and the Veterans Memorial in front of the Hopkins County Courthouse. According to Tammi Reardon, the purpose of the Walk to Remember is ‘to pause and remember friends and loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s disease and any of the other brain-related illnesses’.
Winnsboro Woman Accused of Assaulting Hopkins County Jailer
One of two Winnsboro women arrested in Como on a drug paraphernalia charge ended up with three additional felony charges after methamphetamine was allegedly found in her mouth by a member of the jail staff, who she also was accused of assaulting.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Russell, Deputy Chris Baumann and Investigator Wade Sheets reportedly stopped a Nissan Sentra at 4:04 p.m. on State Highway 11 east in Como for a traffic violation.
The car was reportedly driven by a 44-year-old Winnsboro woman. The passenger, identified in arrest reports as 61-year-old Marlene Abbott Johnson, reportedly showed signs of nervousness and possible criminal activity, the Baumann and Russell alleged in arrest reports.
The driver reportedly gave the officers permission to search the car. The officers in arrest reports reported finding drug paraphernalia in the car. Consequently, both women were taken into custody and transported to jail for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Upon arrival at the jail, a white, crystal-like substance was reportedly found in the seat of one deputy’s vehicle and on the floor of the sally port at Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center.
Johnson was reported escorted by a jailer into the jail, where she reportedly found to have a bag with a crystal-like substance in her mouth and assaulted the jail staff member while being searched. The jailer was checked out at the hospital following the incident, according to arrest reports.
The substance was seized as evidence. It later tested positive as methamphetamine and weighed 1.44 grams, Baumann alleged in arrest reports.
Johnson was also charged with possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and assault on a public servant, according to arrest reports.
Both women remained in Hopkins County jail Friday morning, Oct. 4, according to jail reports.
