Hopkins County Accepting Applications for County Court at Law Judge
December 12, 2023 – As the current County Court at Law Judge Clay Harrison has announced he will be stepping down January 1, 2024, it will be up to the Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court to fill the vacany. Appllications are now being accepted to appoint the next person to fill that vacancy.
Qualification specifics for applicants of the postition will follow the State of Texas Government Code Chapter 25: Statutory County Courts as follows:
Sec. 25.0014. QUALIFICATIONS OF JUDGE. The judge of a statutory county court must:
(1) be at least 25 years of age;
(2) be a United States citizen and have resided in the county for at least two years before election or appointment; and
(3) be a licensed attorney in this state who has practiced law or served as a judge of a court in this state, or both combined, for the four years preceding election or appointment, unless otherwise provided for by law.
Applicants may mail their resume to:
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom
P.O. Box 288
Sulphur Springs, TX 75483
For more information about the position, call (903) 438-4006.
Holiday Express Train Event 2023 in Pictures
December 12, 2023 – Thanks goes out to everyone who attended and donated during this holiday event. By the numbers, over 2700 attended and the Salvation Army received $564 in donations. The Hopkins County Community Chest also collected a significant amount of food for distribution.
This special train makes an appearance almost every December in Sulphur Springs, TX.
Foundation’s Gala Impact on Hopkins County Health
Sulphur Springs, Texas – Have you ever driven down Airport Road and passed CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs? Maybe you noticed to the west of the main building an immaculately kept garden. The Gardens at Memorial was installed in 2007 as the first project funded by proceeds of the Hopkins County Health Care’s Gala. Funds raised from the first two Galas, which were held in 2006 and 2007, were used to pay for the garden construction.
Since then, over thirty health-related projects have been funded by the Foundation. The Foundation Board of Directors selects projects for their impact on local healthcare. To ensure the projects are for public benefit, the Foundation only funds projects for the local hospital and Hopkins County Hospital District. The Board looks for medical projects or equipment that are not normally found in a community as small as Hopkins County. Opportunities that will help save lives or improve local healthcare are of primary consideration.
Projects have included five new critical care beds with additional functionality to protect patients and staff; a portable X-ray machine to use in the Mobile Athletic Training Room; 4D sonogram equipment; a Hologic 3D mammography system; an Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill; three telemedicine units; and a Children’s Therapy Garden. Each of these projects was the latest advancement at the time of their purchase.
Some projects are partnerships. In 2021, the Foundation worked with CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs to purchase a second CT Scanner for use at the hospital. This project was over $1,000,000 which included the room preparation and equipment. The Foundation donated $400,000 toward the purchase of the CT Scanner.
Though we are all appreciative of having amazing local healthcare providers and resources, we may not consider why Hopkins County has so many healthcare opportunities. Part of the reason is that twenty-six years ago a wise group of local leaders decided to start a healthcare foundation. This was truly a gift that continues to give.
To learn more about the Gala visit, LOLGala2024.GiveSmart.com or follow the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation on Facebook and Instagram. The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which is governed by a local, volunteer board of directors.
For additional information, please get in touch with the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation
at 903-438-4799 or [email protected].
Hopkins County Judge Stepping Down to Enter Private Practice
December 12, 2023 – In a press release received by KSST News, Hopkins County Court at Law Judge Clay Harrison has announced he will step down from his appointed position January 1, 2024 to enter private practice in the Sulphur Springs area. Harrison has served in the post since 2019 upon the retirement of Judge Amy Smith. The Hopkins County Commissioners Court will announce a replacement to take over the position.
The full press release received from Harrison:
Press Release
December 12, 2023
Judge Clay Harrison to Transition into Private Law Practice in January Clay Harrison, the Hopkins County Court at Law judge, has announced that he will resign from his position effective January 1, 2024, to open a local law practice. Judge Harrison took office in 2019 upon the retirement of Judge Amy Smith.
Judge Harrison’s full statement is included here:
“For the last five years, I have had the honor of serving as the judge of the Hopkins County Court at Law.
I have divided pots and pans in divorces, I have sentenced repeat criminal offenders to jail, and I have ruled on messy will contests and civil disputes, to name a few things. During those five years, I’ve noticed a couple of unmistakable patterns.
First, our community continues to thrive and grow. Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs are consistently drawing new businesses and new neighbors from other counties, other states, and even other countries. This has increased the demand for legal services across the board.
Second, an entire generation of long-serving attorneys in our community have already retired or are in the process of doing so. Many local lawyers have maintained busy law practices since before I was born, and they are beginning to enjoy a much-deserved opportunity to slow down.
As a judge, I have observed that our community’s rapid growth combined with the retirement of so many qualified attorneys has created a problem:
Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County residents consistently have to retain counsel from outside the area, sometimes even traveling to the metroplex, where lawyers inevitably charge a much higher fee.
After an extended season of prayer and consideration, and after discussing it with my family, I decided to step down as judge at the end of December and open a local law practice on the square.
I believe every problem is an opportunity, and I look forward to serving in this new capacity.
As for my position as judge, I have been working with Hopkins County leadership and the Secretary of State to ensure a seamless transition, and whoever the Commissioner’s Court appoints will have my full support from day one.
It was an honor to serve my country as a military JAG officer, then to serve my state as a criminal prosecutor, and then to serve my county as a judge.
Now, I look forward to trading my black robe for a sword as I directly represent the residents of our community and throughout East Texas.”
After graduating from Sulphur Springs High School in 2002, Harrison attended the University of Texas at Austin on a full-tuition Air Force ROTC scholarship, graduating in 2004 at age 20. He then attended Baylor Law School on a full-tuition academic scholarship, graduating in 2007. Harrison served as an Air Force JAG attorney from 2008 to 2012 in Georgia, Japan, and the Philippines, spending six months deployed with Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines.
In 2012, he returned home to Texas and transitioned to criminal law. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney with the Smith County DA’s Office and then the 8th Judicial DA’s Office, which covers Hopkins, Franklin, and Delta Counties. In 2018, he became Board-Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
In 2019, Harrison was elected as the Judge of the Hopkins County Court at Law. He was later appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to serve on a Mental Health task force.
Evening Chapel CME Hosts Curbside Luncheon December 24th
Evening Chapel CME will host their “Round The World” Curbside Luncheon December 24th, 2023, from 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Cost is a $13 donation. Call before December 22nd for delivery. To place an order, or for more information, please call 903-951-3558.
Calvary Baptist Church Choir Will Host Their Christmas Program December 17th
The Calvary Baptist Church, at 130 Lee Street in Sulphur Springs, Texas, will be presenting their Christmas program, “The Carols of Christmas” Sunday night, December 17th at 6:30. They will also be having refreshments after the musical and would love for all of the community to come and enjoy a beautiful, worshipful night of music to honor and lift up the name of Jesus and to enjoy a time of fellowship.
Forestry and Survival From Master Gardener David Wall
December 11, 2023 – Forestry and survival have been linked together since the beginning of time. Wood for spears, bows, shields and barriers against enemies, were common even in ancient of times. Wood for rifles, cannons, heat for cooking and hundreds of other uses helped make it possible for us to defeat England and become the start of a great nation. Wood for ships was paramount to early naval support. Such support has continued through to the present day, although wood forms have considerably changed. In WWI, enough wood from U.S. forests to build one million six-room homes (8 billion board feet) was used for war purposes. In WWII forests supported the war effort by providing enough wood to build 6.5 million homes (about 65 billion board feet). It’s not an exaggeration to say forests have been indispensable to national defense.
As our nation expanded westward, wood provided wheels, wagons, barrels, forts, as well as homes, and yes, paper for news. Even those sod prairie homes you’ve heard about nearly always had wood supporting their roofs. Leaky and muddy in a rainstorm perhaps, but they provided a home, at least for a few years at a time. Wood treatment was unknown, but species, such as Osage Orange (Horse Apple, Bois d’arc, hedge) and Cedar were found to provide long lasting fence posts.
Today, we still buy regular lumber, but wood is often used with glues and composite materials to provide new and much improved products, such as flooring, insulation, countertops, desks, shelves, and so on. And yes, it’s still being used for pulp to provide newsprint for this paper. Wood; it’s like the postman. It’s so visible, it’s invisible, but without it, life as we know it would change drastically for the worse. Forests today keep 57.8 billion tons of carbon out the atmosphere.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report 12-4-2023 – 12-10-2023
Arrests:
Orton, David, 51 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 12-8-2023 for Driving While Intoxicated.
Vasquez, Agustin, 58 years of age, of Tampa, FL, was arrested on 12-8-2023 for Driving While Intoxicated with child under the age of 15.
Murphy,Rayman 59 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 12-10-2023 for Criminal Trespass. Subject was also wanted on Warrant out of Franklin County.
Stone, Eli, 21 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 12-9-2023 for Driving While Intoxicated, Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest search or transport, and Violation of Bond Conditions.
Calls for Service:
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 127 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations:
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 29 citations and 28 warnings during this reporting period.
Deadlines Ahead For Shipping Christmas Gifts
December 11, 2023 – If you need to ship your Christmas gifts this season, you should consider shipping sooner rather than later as time is now getting short with Christmas day just two weeks away! As December 25th falls on a Monday this year, the time to get those packages to their intended destination becomes more challenging as Saturday and Sunday deliveries right before Christmas may prove cumbersome. Below are some good guidelines and hard deadlines for shipping those gifts this year with different carriers. All dates are giving with the hope of good weather between you and your intended recipient’s address:
United States Postal Service:
Dec. 16: USPS Ground Advantage (5-day); First Class Mail (5-Day)
Dec. 20: Priority Mail (3-Day); USPS Ground Advantage (2-Day); First-Class Mail (2-Day); and
Priority Mail Express (2-Day)
Dec. 21: Priority Mail Express (1-Day); and Priority Mail (2-Day)
Fedex
Dec 13: Fedex Ground Economy
Dec 15: Fedex Home Delivery
Dec 15: Fedex Ground
Click Here for All Fedex Options including Freight
UPS
UPS 3 Day Select: Tuesday, Dec. 20
UPS 2nd Day Air: Wednesday, Dec. 21
UPS Next Day Air: Thursday, Dec. 22
Click Here for to calculate for all other UPS options
Cumby ISD Middle School Play Wraps After Winning Award
December 11, 2023 – Middle School Students from the Cumby ISD wrapped up their production of a play titled “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” on Monday. They performed the one act for fellow Cumby ISD Students.
Sunday they performed for friends and family at the Cumby ISD Cafeteria while onlookers ate chili and jambalaya.
The performance at District UIL competition earned them first place. The students and teacher Mrs. Robin Wheat are all looking forward to the 2024 production.
