Delta County Courthouse Reportedly Closed Due To Flooding, Storm Damages
Delta County Courthouse is reportedly “closed indefinitely” due to flooding from the heavy storm which ripped through the area Tuesday morning.
The courthouse staff waded in to protect as many records and county property inside the courthouse as possible Tuesday, Grace Stone Crabb reported in her Delta County Courthouse flooding 8/27/19 Facebook post.
Crabb, who works in Delta County Clerk’s Office, late Tuesday morning reported that all floors of the Delta County Courthouse had sustained flooding and damages. Water reportedly poured down the elevator shaft and through the elevator onto the floor, and flooding in the district/county courtroom was reported to be even worse. Enough water covered the floor of the basement to cover staff’s shoes, according to Crabb.
Delta County/District Courtroom,
2nd floor, courthouse
Delta County Commissioners Courtroom, 3rd floor, courthouse
At least one water rescue was reported to have been performed. An SUV got caught in the raising flood water that rose to the bottom of the vehicle. Courthouse staff reportedly waded out and pushed the vehicle out of the road.
No plan had reportedly been announced to county employees Tuesday night for an alternate location or otherwise for courthouse business.
Bidding Process Open Again For Fore Street Property Constructed By SSHS Classes
Sulphur Springs Independent School District is once again seeking bids for the farm-style home built over two school years by Sulphur Springs High School construction classes.
Because of the value of the new 1,550 square-foot farm-style 2 bedroom, two bath house which was offered for purchase by the school district, law required bids be sought for it. The district opened the bid process over the summer, and had planned to select an owner at their regular August meeting.
Unfortunately, SSISD Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams reported at the Aug. 12 school board meeting, the district did not receive any bids for the property. Thus, no action could be taken on the measure.
The decision was made to rebid it by sealed process, with the minimum bid price set lowered from $154,900 to $134,900.
Kitchen includes stainless steel appliances 
Living Room 
“Bonus” room with swinging doors
Located at 128 Fore Street, the home includes:
- A wrap around porch with a detached single car garage.
- A bonus room with sliding barn doors that could be used as an office or third bedroom.
- An open concept kitchen with granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances.
- A separate laundry room.
- Easy-care wood-look vinyl plank and tile floors throughout, with granite and custom tile in both bathrooms.
- Tankless water heater.
- Spray foam insulation.
- High ceilings.
The kitchen opens into the open living area with fireplace. The kitchen and bathrooms have granite counter tops donated by Texas Rock Tops in Cumby.
The master bath has not only a sunken tub, but double sinks and a tile and glass shower. The second bathroom includes a shower and is centrally located, making it accessible from almost anywhere in the home.
Master Bathroom 
Master Bathroom 
Small Bathroom 
Small Bathroom 
Walk-in Closet 
Closet
The walk-in closet in the master bedroom is large, with shelving and rods on which to hand clothes on both sides, and a window. Most of the other closets do not include shelving, leaving it to the owners to install whatever best fits their lifestyles.
The wraparound porch provides plenty of room to sit and enjoy an afternoon with family or friends.
A small walking path from the utility room leads to the one-car garage with roll up door located behind the home. Located on a corner lot, the garage is accessible via a concrete driveway from the side street.
Signed and sealed proposals will be accepted in the SSISD Business Office, located at 631 Connally Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482, on or before 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Delivery must me made during normal school business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, either visit the link on the SSISD website or contact Sherry McGraw by telephone at 903-885-2153, or in person at 631 Connally St. in Sulphur Springs.
Utility Room “Bonus” room with swinging doors 
Detached garage
Oil Spill Closes Section of Cumby Street For A Few Hours Monday Afternoon
Cumby Residents Can Now Sign Up For Emergency Alerts From The City
Cumby residents who signed up for the new alert system were notified by call, and others learned via Facebook post to avoid Main Street at Commerce Street for a few hours Monday afternoon.
Emergency officials were alerted at 12:55 p.m. Aug. 26 that a vehicle hauling 5-gallon buckets of hydraulic oil had spilled approximately 15-20 buckets all over the road. City officials utilized the new alert system to let people know the road would be closed until the spill was cleaned up by a local towing service’s hazardous materials response unit, and a Cumby police officer stood by as well, according to county reports.
On the City of Cumby Facebook page, Place 5 Alderman Julie Isham Morris at 1 p.m. Monday posted: “Please avoid the downtown at this time! There has been an accident with a truck loosing his load. 911 has been contacted.”
Several residents posted that the phone notification system worked, and were appreciative for “this improvement” to city services.
The city joined forces with Cumby Volunteer Fire Department to send emergency alerts to Cumby residents via automated phone call. Those who wish to be put on the call out list for city notifications can write their number on the back of their water bill or stop by Cumby City Hall in person to sign up, according to a post by Morris Monday.
Mount Pleasant Man Jailed For Second Time This Summer In Hopkins County
A 42-year-old Mount Pleasant man’s trip to Sulphur Springs included a visit to the county jail, after he claimed drug paraphernalia found in the sport utility vehicle he was driving Monday night.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy Lance Burdick reportedly stopped a gray Ford SUV at 11:49 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, on the north Interstate 30 servie road at mile marker 134, after allegedly noticing it had defective stop and license plate lights.
The vehicle pulled into a residential property when the officer went to stop it. On contact, the driver reportedly tried to immediately exit the SUV. The man had a shaky voice, which he attributed to having an invalid driver’s license, Burdick alleged in arrest reports.
Burdick had both occupants exit the vehicle and gathered their identifying information needed for records checks. When asked, the pair allegedly gave different accounts of where they were coming from.
The deputy received permission to search the SUV. He alleged two straws with a crystal-like substance he believed to be methamphetamine on them. The substance field tested positive as meth, Burdick alleged. The 42-year-old Mount Pleasant man claimed them and was taken to jail for possession of drug paraphernalia, according to arrest reports. Cpl. Todd Evans was credited in sheriff’s reports with assisting with the traffic stop.
The Mount Pleasant man was released from jail Tuesday on the drug paraphernalia charge, according to jail reports.
The arrest marks the second time this summer the Mount Pleasant man has been arrested and booked into the county jail. He was also arrested June 16 for driving while license suspended with previous convictions. He was released from Hopkins County jail later June 16; bond was set at $1,000 on the charge, according to jail reports.
Winnsboro Man Jailed On Hopkins County Warrant
A 54-year-old Winnsboro man was taken into custody Monday afternoon on a felony Hopkins County warrant, according to arrest and jail reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office was alerted Timothy Allen Gordon would be released from another facility. Deputy Dan Turrentine was dispatched to Greenville, where he took Gordon into custody at 12:45 p.m. and transported him to Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center, where Gordon was booked on the credit card abuse-elderly charge, according to arrest reports.
Gordon remained in Hopkins County jail Tuesday afternoon. Bond on the third-degree felony charge was set at $10,000, according to jail reports.
Lady Cats Volleyball Team Plays at Paris on Tuesday Game Day
The Lady Cats Volleyball Team is back on the court on this Tuesday game day (August 27). The Lady Cats will have a non-district game against Paris on the road. The schedule calls for a JV game at 4:30 p.m. and a varsity game at 5:30 p.m. Paris does not have a freshmen team. The Lady Cats varsity comes into the contest with a season record of 14-8. The Lady Cats are coming off of a fourth place finish at an Edgewood tournament last Thursday and Saturday. They ended the tourney with losses to last year’s Class A State Champion Neches and to tournament host Edgewood. This is the Lady Cats only match this week. They have an open date on Friday.
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra Comments on Wildcats Defense and Wakeland’s Offense
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra said he liked what he saw from his defense during last Thursday’s (August 22) scrimmage. He said his #1 unit did a good job while his #2’s answered a lot of his questions and stepped up. Coach Guerra said his defenders played fast and aggressive. He said the defense is right where it needs to be right now. He said Frisco Wakeland has a lot of offensive weapons. They feature senior quarterback Dylan Laible who Coach Guerra said throws well. He added Laible doesn’t make mistakes and makes good decisions. He said their backs run hard. The Wolverines also return talented wide receiver Kevin Rychel. Last year the Wildcats held the Wolverines to just 39 yards rushing. Coach Guerra also remembers that Wakeland did hit some long passes against the Wildcats. He said he is telling his defenders that they need to play fast and aggressive again Friday. Coach Guerra said he is also asking for second and third effort and he wants defenders to create turnovers.
With Season Opener Coming Up, Wildcats OC Talks About His Offense and Wakeland’s Defense
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young weighed in on the Wildcats offense and the Frisco Wakeland defense that will collide Friday night (August 30) at the season opener at Gerald Prim Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Concerning last Thursday’s scrimmage at Liberty-Eylau, Coach Young said he liked the execution by the Wildcats offense and how well they communicated. He noted only a couple of busts where plays were not run properly and he liked the pace of the offense. Coach Young said he was pleased by the play of quarterback Kaden Wallace. He said he liked the direction the offensive line was headed. He said center Steven Jonaitis was physical. Coach Young said the line is getting good leadership from right guard Alfredo Olavide and right tackle Giovanni Pizano. He said backup guard Ryan Hammons is making strides, Coach Young said left guard Raydon McCormack has made himself part of a three player rotation. He said Chandler Leo and Somjai Pryor are part of the rotation at left tackle. Coach Young said he expects much bigger participation Friday from running backs Chock Sims and Caden Davis. They only had a few plays during the scrimmage. He said he is also hoping for development from back ups J.J. Hall and Jaden Janway. Coach Young said Kylan Wade made a good catch during the scrimmage. He said receiver Landry Meskimen was physical and he said Bryant Sanchez did a good job catching a touchdown pass. Coach Youing said he would have liked more yards and touchdowns but he said lots of players got to participate, Concerning Wakeland’s defense, Coach Young said they have a lot of numbers and their coaches just keep rolling players in. He said they are aggressive and they play fast. Coach Young said the Wolverines give you a lot of looks in the secondary while up front they are more vanilla. He said they play hard for 48 minutes and just keep plugging away. Coach Young said they kept the game close last year all the way to the end. He said keys for the offense would be execution and taking care of the ball.
PJC Employees Receive Service Pins
Fall convocation was held recently as Paris Junior College welcomed faculty to campus in preparation for the fall semester that began August 26. One of the highlights of a day of meetings and training was recognition of faculty and staff for their time of service at the college.
Receiving service awards included:
Ten year service pins were awarded to English Instructor Dr. Marian Ellis, Plant Operations and Maintenance Secretary Tina Ruckman, Testing Center Clerk Sheila Kyle, and Mathematics Instructor Lana Steich, Campus Police Chief Shane Boatwright and Custodian Carolyn Ellis.
Fifteen year pins were awarded to Economics Instructor Jeffrey Tarrant, Spanish Instructor Mayra Cummings, Biology Instructor Dr. Jack Brown, Mathematics Instructor Mallie Hood, Speech Instructor Alex Peevy, Director of Nursing Stephanie Parker, and Building Mechanics Paul Chappel and Randy Johnson.
Honored with 20 year pins were Mathematics Instructor Jeff Norris and English Instructor Dr. Ken Haley.
Pins for twenty-five years of service went to PJC-Greenville Center Secretary Deanna Hutchinson, Library Services Clerk Susan Ingram, Human Resources Coordinator Peggy Callaway, Post Office Clerk Ricky Woods, and Biology Instructor Jason Taylor.
Receiving 30-year pins were Jewelry Technology Instructor Shannon Calloway, Testing Center Coordinator Callie Thompson, and Athletics & Kinesiology Secretary Stephanie Booker.
Thirty-five year pins were received by English Instructor Diann Mason, Information Technology EX Coordinator Mary Mims, and Office of the President Executive Secretary Pam Bennett.
