Murder Trial Begins with 911 Tape Played for Jury
The second floor courtroom of the Hopkins County Courthouse was crowded Tuesday morning for opening arguments and the first witnesses called by the Prosecution as Gavin Heath Gilbert, 17, is being tried for the murder of 18-year old Tyrese Prior, 18. Gilbert has been charged with one count of Murder and four counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon but is only being tried on the murder charge. The trial is expected to continue until the end of the week. Gilbert has been held in Hopkins County Jail since his arrest in December of this year at his home in rural Hopkins County.
In opening statements the District Attorney’s office noted that the sale of marijuana was involved in the shooting. It was stated that on two previous occasions at least one of those in the vehicle that Gilbert allegedly fired upon had purchased marijuana but had received less than the amount promised in the sale. This time, a scale to weigh the substance was used and again it was short. As the vehicle drove away, Gilbert fired shots into the vehicle striking Pryor twice in the back.
The first witness called was the dispatch officer on duty at the time of the 911 call from the vehicle carrying Pryor to seek aide. A recording of the call was played for the jury. Following a recess, District Attorney Will Ramsey called a witness regarding the autopsy findings. Law enforcement witnesses were scheduled to follow. Both D. A. Ramsey and Assistant D. A. Clay Harrison are conducting the case for the prosecution. Former District Attorney, and now defense lawyer, Frank Long is representing Gilbert.
All entrance to Hopkins County Courthouse during the trial will be through a metal detector at the basement entrance as security is tightened throughout the time of the trial.
All entrance to Hopkins County Courthouse during the trial will be through a metal detector at the basement entrance as security is tightened throughout the time of the trial.
The incident occurred on County Road 1185 near the South Liberty Community in December. Pryor was taken first to Hopkins County Fire Station 20 as directed by the dispatcher in the 911 call. From there, he was met by ambulance and transported to CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital where he was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace B. J. Teer.
Gilbert was arrested when the Texas Ranger, DPS, and the combined Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs SWAT team served a warrant at the Gilbert home around 2 a.m. the next day following the shooting.

Winnsboro Police Report July 30-August 5, 2018
Winnsboro Police made no arrests, investigated one non-injury accident, responded to 178 calls for service, issued 31 citations and wrote 80 warnings during the July 30-August 5, 2018 report period.
A minor two vehicle accident took place in the 200 block of Locust Street July 30th.

Fun for Students, Families Aug 10 During Back to School Fair at Hopkins County Civic Center

The 2nd annual Back to School Fair for all Hopkins County students and families is set for Friday August 10, 2018 inside and outside the Hopkins County Civic Center. Between 3 pm and 6 pm, in addition to distribution of backpacks and school supplies, there will be free health services, food and entertainment.
Qualifying families will have packets reserved for them at the Back to School Fair on August 10th.


For the kids, there will be free hot dogs, snow-cones and drinks, school physicals, vision checkups and haircuts. Parents and adults can receive free screenings for diabetes, blood sugar and blood pressure. Adults can also visit college booths for continuing education, also Job Corps and the TRIO program. The play zones outdoors will feature bounce houses, puppet shows, face painting and kid-friendly booths. For Hopkins County churches and non-profits with programs directed at the youth population, booth space is available. There is no booth fee, but please bring packages of hot dogs for the grill. According to Director Shanna Martin, the annual county-wide free event is put on by CANHelp and participating sponsors.

If you are the parent of a student in need of a back pack or school supplies, apply now at CANHelp by August 6. Qualifying families will have packets reserved for them at the Back to School Fair on August 10th. There will be backpacks and supply packets for elementary, middle and high school age students in all Hopkins County schools.

If you would like to help provide school supplies, help is needed. You can donate as little as $20 to pay for one packet, or you can donate any amount you like. Individual, business and corporate sponsorships are also welcomed. Contact CANHelp at 903-885-9797, stop by the 613 Gilmer Street offices, go to canhelponline.org or check the CANHelp Facebook page for more information.
Wildcat Team Tennis Begins Competition; Freshman Football Workouts Underway
The Wildcats’ team tennis squad got SSHS athletic competition started this school year with a match at Denison that got underway at 8:30 a.m. Monday (August 6). The Wildcats continue their Grayson County tour Monday with a 1:30 p.m. match at Sherman. The two match day is part of a six match schedule this week. The Wildcats play at Waxahachie Tuesday (August 7) at 10 a.m. Then the Wildcats have three straight matches at home, against Spring Hill Wednesday (August 8) at 10 a.m., versus John Tyler Thursday (August 9) at 8:30 a.m. and against Terrell Saturday (August 11) at 9:30 a.m.
Meanwhile ninth grade football players will have special workouts all this week inside and outside the Multipurpose Building. Monday’s (August 6) workout will get underway at around 4:30 p.m. and is expected to wrap up around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. The UIL created this opportunity for freshmen at schools that had spring football for their sophomores, juniors and seniors last spring. The older players can not begin practice until next Monday (August 13) so varsity coaches along with freshmen coaches will be spending quality time with the ninth graders this week.

Lady Cats Down Cumby Lady Trojans in First Scrimmage of 2018 Season
The defending district champion Lady Cats’ volleyball team proved to be much too much for a scrappy Cumby team in the Lady Cats’ scrimmage opener at the main Sulphur Springs Middle School Gym Monday morning (August 6). Lady Cats Coach Justin Maness played all eleven current members of the varsity and it seemed that everyone played well.
Senior Autumn Tanton delivered numerous kills and also served well. Returners Madison Vickery and Lexi Whisenhunt both had strong games at the net. Exciting newcomer Sadie Washburn, a sophomore, showed a big potential upside with several kills. Her older sister, Sydney Washburn also had some good moments at the net. Libero Sadie Stroud was solid and had nine straight points off of her serve early in the scrimmage.
Varsity newcomer Maddie Millsap brought out some left handed curving serves that were very hard for the Lady Trojans to return. Newcomer Taylor McElfresh also served some aces. New varsity player Kate Womack also had some good moments serving and finishing. Last year’s district Newcomer of the Year, Erika VanBenthem was unable to play due to an injured ankle.
Coach Maness said the Lady Cats probably had the best first scrimmage he has seen here. He said he was impressed with the Lady Cats passing and serving. Coach Maness said he was excited to see what the season brings. He referred to Sadie Washburn as a high flyer who worked hard on the outside position this summer. Coach Maness said he expects she will get better and better as the season progresses. The Lady Cats also scrimmaged Commerce Monday afternoon.
The Lady Cats open the regular season Tuesday at Sherman. They will face the host Lady Bearcats at 4 p.m. and will take on North Lamar at 5:30 p.m. in the tri-match. The teams will play best three out of five matches.

Watch for Night Work on I-30 in Hopkins and Hunt Counties in August
PARIS – Texas Department of Transportation officials today alerted drivers who frequently travel on Interstate Highway 30 in Hunt and Hopkins Counties that work will begin Aug. 13 to re-stripe that highway.
Contractor Stripe-A-Zone Inc. will be re-striping main travel lanes along I-30 at night, working from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., from Aug. 13 through Aug. 24, weather permitting.

This work will extend from the Hunt-Rockwall County line eastward to the Hopkins-Franklin County line. This is a mobile operation that will affect only one lane of travel at any given time, but the contractor will cover both main lanes of east- and west-bound travel on I-30 during the contract work period.
Motorists who travel along I-30 in Hunt and Hopkins County at this time are asked to pay special attention to all signs and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach and travel cautiously through work zones. They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems.
2018 Summer Reading Program Was a Record-Breaker at SS Public Library
The success story actually began on May 31, 2018 when 275 youngsters checked out 437 books on Kickoff Day. During June, the number of checkouts continued to climb, to over 5,000 books! 244 new library patrons signed up too, breaking last years records. Over 500 children ended the summer as part of the Summer Reading Program which had an exciting Fun with Mary Poppins theme.
Storytime was a very popular part of the program, offering prizes, guest readers and exceptional books and songs. One surprise was Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep, who read to two different groups of storytime kids. Also Brett the Bubble Guy and the Texas A and M Chemistry Road Show were huge hits. Storytime actually continues year-round for pre-schoolers.
August 2 was the final day to turn in reading logs in the program. The success is not only good for the Library, but for the children. When a child completes the three reading log challenge, they will have read over 8 hours total, preventing the possibility of “summer slide” on their reading skills during the summer out-of-school months.
Why is the Summer Reading Program so important to our children? When not engaging our brains, we lose some of what we have learned. Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that when a student hears a book being read, the child will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level-and-above books. This increases their knowledge and expands the experience with text, so the students do better when reading on their own. The library has a section of children’s Audiobooks and eAudiobooks available.
Librarian Hope Cain thanks everyone who took part in the 2018 Summer Reading Program and encourages all ages to explore the Sulphur Springs Public Library and enjoy reading all year round!

City Council Meets Tuesday; Budget Workshop Precedes Regular Session
CITY OF SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY COUNCIL
AUGUST 07, 2018
7:00 P.M.
The regular meeting of the Sulphur Springs City Council will be held at 7:00 p.m.
on Tuesday, August 07, 2018 in the Council Room at 201 North Davis Street. The
following items will be discussed:
- Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag, Texas Flag, and invocation.
- Presentations, proclamations, and announcements.
(A) Roberts Rules of Order / Open Meetings Act
presentation by Jim McLeroy, City Attorney - Manager’s report will include a status report of capital improvements,
wastewater treatment plant operations, accidents and claims for the month,
and a review of expenditures and revenues. - Discussion/action on Consent Agenda.
- Discussion/action on Public Hearing for second and final reading of
Ordinance No. 2725, a rezoning request by Frances Mears to rezone a 0.47
acre parcel located at 601 South Jackson Street, being further described as
Lots 32 & 33 of Block 49, from Light Industrial (LI) to Multi-Family
(MF). - Discussion/action on first reading of Ordinance No. 2726, a budget
amendment for FY 2017-2018. - Discussion/action on bids and award of contract for reinsurance for the City
of Sulphur Springs Employee Insurance Program. - Discussion/action on a motion to appoint the Charter Review committee.
- Discussion/action on Community Facilities Agreement for Roy Lee
Beezley Addition.
2 - Discussion/action on Resolution No. 1152 authorizing an interlocal
agreement with the City of Sulphur Springs, Texas, and Saputo Dairy
Foods, LLC for Texas Capital Funds Infrastructure Project – Saputo Dairy
Foods, LLC. - Visitors and public forum.
- Adjourn.
CITY OF SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS
WORK SHOP MEETING OF THE
CITY COUNCIL
AUGUST 7, 2018
6:00 P.M.
A special workshop meeting of the Sulphur Springs City Council will be held at
6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 in the Conference Room at 201 North
Davis Street. The following items will be discussed:
- Call to order.
- Discussion on the draft budget for Fiscal Year 2018 – 2019.
- Adjourn.

Traffic Stop Results in Arrest for Suspected Meth

Ryan Glen Mize, 25, of Sulphur Springs was observed to be very nervous, talkative, and “…sweating a lot…” when stopped by a Sulphur Springs Police officer for a traffic violation. There seemed to be a reason for his excitement.
During a pat down conducted for officer safety, the officer found a small clear bag containing a white crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine was located in a pocket. A probable cause search of the vehicle Mize was driving produced a clear pipe used for smoking meth.