Election Results Show Hopkins County Stronghold for Republicans; Local School and Municipal Races Listed
Red is a popular political color in Hopkins County as 6,977 of the 11,958 ballots cast in the November Mid-Term Election were straight ticket Republican. Only 1,591 ballots were straight ticket Democratic. Votes cast in Hopkins County in selected races:
U S Senator:
Ted Cruz, Rep, 9,298
Beto O’Rourke, Dem, 2,542
U S Representative District 4
John Ratcliffe, Rep, 9391
Catherine Krantz, Dem, 2,312
Governor
Greg Abbot, Rep, 9,525
Lupe Valdez, Dem, 2,216
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick, Rep, 8,906
Mike Collier, Dem, 2,778
Attorney General
Ken Paxton, Rep, 8,995
Justin Nelson, Dem, 2,643
Commissioner of Agriculture
Sid Miller, Rep, 9,120
Kim Olson, Dem, 2,446
State Senator, Dist. 2
Bob Hall, Rep, 8,920
Kendall Scudder, Dem, 2,869
State Representative, Dist. 2
Dan Flynn, Rep, 9,364
Bill Brannon, Dem, 2,421
County Clerk
Tracy Orr Smith, Rep, 9,454
Reiko Alexander, Dem, 2,274
Cumby City Alderman
Mayor: Kathy Hall Carter, 57
Alderman Place 1
Douglas Simmerman, 114
Larry White 41
Alderman Place 2
Kristin Thompson, 96
Johnene McLarry, 44
Cumby ISD Board (two elected)
Kyle Pettit, 276
Jimmy Helfferich, 217
David Temor, 206
Cody Talley, 152
Wesley Thompson, 58
Miller Grove ISD (three elected)
Brandon Darrow, 266
Bret Garrett, 262
Ray Sparks, 247
Douglas Lewis, 95
Brandon Kilpatrick 78
North Hopkins ISD (two elected)
Bruce Allen Joslin, 218
Nicole Vaughn, 207
Robert McPherson, 191
Sherry Smiddy, 185
Lori Timko, 167
In those offices not listed, the Republican candidate won in Hopkins County.
Crum Murder Trial: First Day of Testimony
Following jury selection Monday, testimony got underway Tuesday morning in Hopkins County’s 8th District Court for 26-year-old Aaron Tyler Crum on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of
Joshua Paul Cowling at a residence in the 500 block of Pampa Street in the early morning hours of February 24.
As testimony got underway, District Attorney Will Ramsay called Sulphur Springs Police Lieutenant Eddie Moon as the first witness. Moon told the court he responded to the report of a shooting along with three other city officers and two Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies.
At the residence Moon told of finding a shattered glass patio door and Cowling’s body just outside the door on a patio. Moon also told the jury about finding a .9mm Glock handgun, a spent shell casing and blood around and just outside the door.
Ramsay said the sister of the victim called 9-1-1 as soon as the shot was fired and said that several had been locked out of the house and were seeking to regain entrance to retrieve personal items such as a purse and a jacket. However, Crum was not responding to knocks at the door, phone calls, or texts when Cowling reportedly knocked on the glass door and it shattered.
The first evidence presented in the trial was a video recording from Lt. Moon’s body cam. There was no sound with the video. After a recess to consult with attorneys, Judge Eddie Northcutt allowed defense attorney Martin Braddy to present the same body cam video but with the sound track for the jury to consider.
A second police officer, Derrick Williams, was then called to the stand and told the jury that his responsibility at the scene was to take custody of Crum and transport him to the county jail.
As the afternoon wound down, the district attorney called Kadarius Johnson to the witness stand. Johnson told the jury he had met Aaron Crum at a downtown tavern about two weeks prior to the shooting and the incident occurred during an after-hours birthday party at Crum’s residence.
Testimony is due to resume Wednesday morning as the district attorney continues to call witnesses to offer testimony in the murder trail.
Aaron Tyler Crum has been held in Hopkins County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond on the first-degree murder charge since his arrest shortly after the shooting occurred.
Wildcat Football: Coordinators Review Kaufman Game; Look Ahead to North Forney
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young Looks Back at Kaufman and Ahead to North Forney
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young is seeking solutions to get the Wildcats back into a rhythm so they will play with confidence and with a swagger. The past two weeks this seems to be missing from the Wildcats offense. Coach Young said he has watched last Friday (November 2) night’s loss to Kaufman over and over, especially an abysmal first half, looking for answers. He has concluded that just when the Wildcats were on the verge of getting on a roll, something would happen. The cliché calls it shooting yourself in the foot. Coach Young said the problem is not overall poor execution but rather just one negative thing during a play. He noted that the Wildcats did have a better second half than the first one. North Forney is next for the Wildcats. Coach Young said their defense features two long defensive ends and physical play inside. He said the Falcons have a safety, Tre Barksdale, who is very active. Coach Young said North Forney’s linebackers react to plays in a hurry. He said they are a good team adding the Wildcats need to take care of their business and meet the challenge.
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra Comments on Kaufman and North Forney
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra said he was pleased with the effort from the Wildcats’ defense in last Friday’s (November 2) 30-21 loss to Kaufman at Prim Stadium. He said the Wildcats defense got turnovers and scored on defense. Coach Guerra did express disappointment in the defense allowing a late touchdown by Kaufman that gave them a nine point lead. He said fatigue is no excuse. Coach Guerra said he told the defenders they have got to be ready to play defense regardless of the situation. He said he was proud of the defense for keeping the score somewhat close in the tough first half. Coach Guerra said the defensive linemen stepped up adding the linebacker play was also good. He said nose guard Ignacio Nacho Guerrero is getting better every week. He said inside linebackers Bryce McQueen and Daniel Moreno are triggering really well during plays. He said the outside linebackers are also doing a good job. Concerning this week’s opponent North Forney, Coach Guerra said the Falcons’ current quarterback is accurate and throws short routes very well. He said he doesn’t make mistakes. Coach Guerra said the North Forney offensive line does a good job. He said they also have good running backs and receivers. He said they would create a challenge for the Wildcats defense this week
Wildcat Golf Wins With 10-Stroke Victory in Tournament Play
The Wildcats’ golf team completed a most successful fall golf season with a 10-stroke victory at a tournament at Mount Pleasant Country Club Monday (November 5). Wildcats Golf Coach Chris Owens said they were fortunate to get the tournament in due to rain. He said a 90% chance of rain Monday ended up being a 100% chance. Coach Owens said an hour and a half to two hours into their round, the Wildcats had to stop playing due to hard rainfall. The Wildcats were delayed for about an hour. Despite the delay and the wet conditions, Coach Owens said the Wildcats played well and shot their best team score of the fall, a 319. The Wildcats top two golfers tied for first place in the medalist race. Both Carter Lewis and Andrew Escobar shot 78. Lewis won medalist based on his performance on the highest handicapped holes. Both players shot a 5 on the highest handicapped hole. Lewis had a 4 to Escobar’s 5 on the second highest handicapped hole. Also for the Wildcats Colten Bench shot 81, Grant Mohesky had 82 and Kip Childress came in with an 84. Coach Owens said he was pleased with the scores. The Wildcats played three fall tournaments. They finished second at Sulphur Springs Country Club and then won tournaments at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater and at Mount Pleasant Country Club. Coach Owens said the golfers would continue to play golf and would resume play as a golf team at the end of February.
Wildcat Basketball Won Three at Elite 14 Scrimmage
The Wildcats’ basketball team won three scrimmages and lost none at the Elite 14 Scrimmage Saturday (November 3) at Wichita Falls Hirschi. The scrimmage featured top teams from Texas, Oklahoma and around the nation. The Wildcats won handily over Lubbock Estacado, a ranked Class 4A team, defeated prep school Millwood, Oklahoma by four points and edged by Norman, Oklahoma by one point.
Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta said all three teams were very athletic. He said the Wildcats saw a lot of different defenses and presses include the run and jump press, man defense, 2-2-1 defense, zone and pressure man on man. Coach Cipoletta said his team’s offense is ahead of its defense. He said this year’s team has a special chance to be very good.
Coach Cipoletta said he expects his teams to hang their hat on defense so he is eager for them to get better on the defensive end. He said the entire team impressed him Saturday. Coach Cipoletta said Keaston Willis did a good job creating his shot. He said Day Day Hall was impressive with his offensive rebounding. He said Cameron Kahn will be a big surprise for teams this season. Coach Cip said Kahn made 4 of 6 three pointers and also drove to the basket. Big man Xavier Cork did a good job with his big post presence. Coach Cipoletta also had praise for Grayson McClure and Kai Taylor. He was also enthusiastic about the play of guard Jeremiah Roland. Coach Cipoletta said Roland knocked down shots and played with energy and athleticism on defense.
Two of the teams the Wildcats scrimmaged Saturday started the games pressing the Wildcats. After a slew of early points quickly by the Wildcats, the teams abandoned the press. The Wildcats have their second and final scrimmage Tuesday (November 6) in Longview. Cedar Hill was expected to scrimmage also but they have changed their plans.
HCGS Wins Multiple Awards at State Conference
The Texas State Genealogical Society Conference was held at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio, Texas on November 1-4, 2018. Hopkins County Genealogical Society (HCGS) had several members in attendance. HCGS also won awards including first place quarterly with the Hopkins County Heritage.
The weekend was culminated with an awards banquet on Saturday night. The key note speaker was Andrew Carroll. Andrew is currently the director of the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University. In 1997, he created the Legacy Project, an all-volunteer initiative to honor veterans, active duty troops, and their families by preserving their wartime correspondence. The project has collected over 100,000 letters and emails from every war in U.S. history beginning with the Revolutionary War. These letters not only reflect historic events but also tell the human side of the story. They are archived at Chapman University where they are preserved for future generations. Andrew has written several books related to these heartwarming and historic letters. He brought many actual letters with him including one written during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and two WWII letters written by everyday Americans describing the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.
During the banquet statewide awards were announced. HCGS entered its quarterly, website, and two books into the statewide competition. The HCGS quarterly Hopkins County Heritage, published by Editor Carol Ann Dixon, won first place. Carol Ann previously won 2nd place for the quarterly in 2015 and 2017.
The HCGS website HCGSTX.org, created by Bethany Ferrell of Lonestar Web Group and assisted by HCGS Archivist Earl Pogue & HCGS Librarian Jan Stovall, won first place.
HCGS publication Known Only to God, written by Rhonda Bechhold and Carole Ann Smith, finished second in the category “books published by partner societies”. Known Only to Godis the story of the mystery man who died tragically in a car accident on Hwy. 19th just north of Sulphur Springs in August of 1954. It details the two-year search to recognize and honor this World War II veteran named John Everett Phinney. A Celebration of Life Ceremony was held at Sulphur Springs City Cemetery in June 2018 to honor this soldier and unveil the military marker that the author helped to procure. He is now known thanks to the efforts of authors Rhonda and Carole Ann.
HCGS, also, entered Wandering and Wondering by Larry Harman. Larry was a local historian and former board member of HCGS. Larry grew up in Sulphur Springs and enjoyed traveling the back roads researching area history. Several of his stories appeared in the HCGS quarterly. Larry passed away in 2012. His wife Sharon and sister Carol McKeever compiled and published his research in this book. While Wandering and Wondering did not place, Awards Chairman Bill Buckner of Waco Public library, singled it out saying that “this book touched my heart’.
Both books can be obtained by contacting the HCGS library.
In addition to enjoying and learning from excellent speakers, the members manned a successful booth selling books and local publications.
PJC-Sulphur Springs: Taco Lunch
GET YOUR TACOS
PJC-Sulphur Springs Center Director Rob Stanley, center, joins students on campus for a tasty taco lunch. Preparing their lunches are, from left, Rainie English, Sydnee Hawkins, Stanley, and Andre Evans.
Friday, November 9th Veteran’s Day Program for Sulphur Springs High School
Program
Welcome……………………………………………………… Mike Lamb
SSISD Superintendent
The Meaning of Veterans Day and…………………. Josh Williams
Introduction of Veterans by Conflict Assistant Superintendent
Presentation of the Colors (please stand)…… SSHS Color Guard
Accompanied by “Yankee Doodle” Flautist – Elizabeth Lopez; Drummer – Mason Gillem
US……….. Dakota Clark Navy…………. Haley Kovach
POW……. Ty Connally Air Force…… Austin McCain
Army……. Matthew Harper Coast Guard Trinity Sherman
Marines.. Kacie Bates Texas………… Brandon Williams
National Anthem…………………………………………….. Ensemble
(remain standing) SSHS Choir
US Pledge (remain standing)…………………………… Alexis Lopez
Student Council President
Service Songs…………………….. SSHS Band and Elizabeth Cole
“Salute to America’s Finest” Arranged by Paul Lavender
(Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard)
Posting of the Colors……………………………. SSHS Color Guard
Service Lighting Ceremony…………………… SMSGT Gene White
U.S. Army…………………………………………….. TEC-5 Cleotha Miller
U.S. Marines…………………………….. SGTMAJ Henry O. Askew, Sr.
U.S. Navy……………………………………………. RM3C Roger K. Arnold
U.S. Air Force…………………………………….. SGT Clifford F. Randall
U.S. Coast Guard………………………………………… PO3C Pat Chase
Families of KIA’s……………………………. PFC Benjamin Z.O. Askew
(Represented by Barbara Askew Fannin)
“Here Lies an American”………………………. Annmarie Gunn
MIA/POW Ceremony…………. Narrator, W.T. Allison, USMC
with SSHS Color Guard
“Amazing Grace”………………………………………….. Jim Dial
“God Bless the USA”………………………………… Darren Gray
Moment of Silence for US Troops……………….. Derek Driver SSHS Principal
Taps……………………………… Adam Ost and Nathan Braddy
“Thank You”……………………………………… Rachel Bramlett
Benediction……………………………………… Clayton McGraw
Veteran
National Anthem Etiquette
During the rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform shall stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should render the military salute at the first note of the anthem and retain this position until the last note. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform. When the flag is not displayed, those present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed there.
Definition of a Veteran
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an account of “up to and including my life.” –That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
~ Author Unknown
Today, it is our privilege to say “thank you” to all of America’s veterans, to let them know that we appreciate them for their service and honor them for their sacrifices. The price of freedom is high. We cannot afford to forget those willing to pay it. We celebrate America’s veterans for keeping this nation “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
SSHS Principal Driver Says He’s Blessed with a Great School and Excellent Staff
In a KSST Good Morning Show interview, SSHS Principal Derek Driver enthusiastically sang praises of the teaching and coaching staff, the administration and the student body at Sulphur Springs High School. He includes the community in contributing to that success, too. “Of the schools I’ve been associated with, Sulphur Springs has the most active community, parent and fan support I have seen”, he commented on the air. “Besides the Wildcats having clinched a District berth in football and having had a great volleyball season, our Marching Band has earned a “1” again, our Choir is advancing in competitions, and Cross Country runner Landon Thornton recently competed at State. And with the Basketball season just ahead, there will be more opportunities for the loyal Wildcat fans to keep up the spirit they supply so generously at games. Additionally, the SSHS FFA Chapter plans a big Stew and Auction event on November 17, and that’s a change from the Spring date it traditionally had. Come out and support it! All our Sports and Extra-curricular activities have been positive and successful this year, just like our Academics”. Driver bragged on the teaching staff, observing that many classroom teachers also serve students in other capacities, like being Activity Sponsors and assisting in sports activities. And the high school students have greatly enjoyed the “Food Truck Fridays” during 2018, having helped make this food feature a reality through the Student Council.
Principal Driver is also proud of the Veterans Program that SSHS hosts each year. “This event is one of the most apparent ways to notice the community’s positive involvement in the school. There are many pluses to holding a Veterans Program at the school. It honors worthy individuals as well as teaches our young people to be aware of sacrifices that have been made on their behalf”. Driver encourages people in the community to attend this important program on Friday November 9, 2018 at 1pm in the high school gym. A reception will begin at 12 noon.
