Tracy Byrd at Emory Founder’s Day May 6, 2017
Country music’s Tracy Byrd is not the only one coming to Emory, Texas on Saturday May 6, 2017. People will come from far and near as Rains County celebrates it’s birthday with the third annual Founder’s Day Festival at it’s county seat. Early in the day, there will be a pancake breakfast and 5K, vendors, quilts, tractors, antique cars, games and more in the downtown area and Heritage Park areas. At 4pm, gates will open on the music festival inside Sandy Creek Park, located on the west side of downtown. Opening bands lined up to play include Colton O’Neil of Emory, Tyler and the Tribe of Sulphur Springs and Holly Tucker of Waco. About 9 pm, country music superstar Tracy Byrd will come onto the Sandy Creek Stage. Tracy has 30 top-forty hits and has four gold records and when not on the road, makes his home in Beaumont, Texas. Tickets for the music festival are $25 through midnight Friday May 5. Tickets at the gate on Saturday will be $30 each. To order tickets and for full details on the festival and Rains County history, visit foundersdayfestival.org.
Proclamation Names May 19th, Lupus Awareness Day; City Council Report
May 19th is Lupus Awareness Day in Sulphur Springs and citizens are asked to wear the color purple to heighten awareness and unify support for those in the community who living with lupus, which is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. Mayor Emily Glass read a proclamation officially naming the day during the Tuesday night, May 2nd City Council meeting.
In her proclamation, Mayor Glass stated that Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses, and major gaps exist in understanding the causes and consequences. The proclamation also noted the necessity of raising funds for research for those affected by lupus and calls upon the community to advocate on behalf of those with the disease as well as encourage educational programs so everyone affected by lupus can have an improved quality of life.
In other action, the City Council noted that 98% of property taxes have been collected by the city for the past year and gave approval to refinancing the Economic Development Corporation debt. The debt was incurred to build roads in business parks on both the east and west side of the city. The new rate will be a fixed rate of 3.05%. A fixed rate was chosen at this time due to increasing rates on the variable rate loan.
Sulphur Springs Woman Arrested on Theft Charges
May 3, 2017 – Dana Lynn Gandy, 26, of Sulphur Springs used the self-checkout line at a local box store. She rang up items valued at approximately $300. However, she failed to ring up other items valued at approximately $700. As she left the store with the items valued at $1,000, she was stopped by store security.
Dana Lynn Gandy
This was not Gandy’s first time to be stopped for theft. Sulphur Springs Police arrested Gandy for Theft under $2,500 with two previous convictions. She is in Hopkins County jail charged with a State Jail Felony.
Hollowed Bolt Contains Meth
A hollowed bolt with the nut serving a cap did not feel the proper weight when the DPS Trooper found it in the center console of a vehicle he stopped on State Highway 11 in Hopkins County. Inside the hollowed bolt was a yellow plastic baggie containing methamphetamine.
The trooper inventoried the Chevrolet Suburban after noting the invalid driver’s license of the driver and gaining consent to search the vehicle.
Darin Lee Gibson, 48, of Sulphur Springs is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, less than 1-gram.
More Than Swedish Snuff in Tin
A Plano man attempted to drop a Snus tin and push it under his seat but law enforcement noted the act and found not only Snus, a Swedish brand of snuff, pouches in the tin but also a clear baggie with pills inside. The pills were methadone weighing 3-grams.
Thel Wallace Renfro, 37, of Plano is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence With Intent to Impair and with Possession Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1 gram but more than 4-grams. He is held on a $10,000 bond for each charge.
Sulphur Springs City Manager’s Report May, 2, 2017
SPRING CLEANUP – The spring cleanup has concluded. We sent 54 40-yard roll off containers to the landfill and accumulated a large pile of green waste which will be burned this summer.
LOCUST STREET – The utility work (water, sewer, gas) is complete. Cement stabilization and concrete work continues to progress from north to south. Cement stabilization is 60% complete, and concrete work is approximately 25% complete.
MOORE STREET – Utility work continues on Moore Street. The Capital Construction Division is currently installing sewer lines while Atmos is replacing the gas main. We have installed 1,200 feet of sewer main, or about half the total distance.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT – Work continues at the wastewater treatment plant. The contractor is laying the foundation for three large clarifiers and the aeration blowers.
CLAIMS – We did not receive any liability claims or workers compensation claims in April.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT – Total suspended solids (TSS) came in at 2.49 mg/L, well within the limit of 10 mg/L.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES – Budget Analyst, Lesa Smith will present a year-to-date summary of revenues and expenditures
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Made 12 extensive street repairs following utility repairs.
- Replaced or reset 8 traffic signs.
- Repaired 78 potholes.
- Installed a concrete pad for a kennel at the animal shelter.
- Cleared 6 fallen trees from the road.
- Sold 1,736 gallons of AvGas and 8,020 gallons of JetA fuel.
- Checked out 2,537 items from the library, plus an additional 441 eBooks.
- Responded to 133 fire/rescue calls including 2 structure fires.
- Performed preventative maintenance on 87 fire hydrants.
- Fertilized athletic fields.
- Removed several dead trees from parks.
- Made repairs at Kids Kingdom.
- Responded to 23 accidents, recorded 65 offenses, made 67 arrests and wrote 528 traffic citations.
- Repaired Mockingbird school zone lights.
- Repaired 7 water mains and replaced 10 water meters.
- Unstopped 25 sewer mains.
- Repaired 15 sewer mains.
- Washed 85,000 feet of sewer mains.
- Flushed 35 dead end water mains.
- Reset and restarted water treatment plant after recent storm.
- Treated 121 million gallons of potable water.
- Conducted 27 building inspections, 15 electrical inspections, 11 plumbing inspections, 7 mechanical inspections and issued 19 building permits.
Wind Advisory From 1 PM Until 8 PM Wednesday
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a Wind Advisory which is in effect from 1 PM Wednesday afternoon until 8 p.m. Wednesday evening. Wind speeds will increase behind the passing cold front this afternoon and will remain gusty into the evening hours.
Sustained northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected. Crosswinds on east-west oriented roads will make driving difficult at times for high profile vehicles. Lightweight outdoor objects will be blown around in the strong winds. Boaters should use extra caution when venturing onto area lakes. Residents may wish to take action to secure trash cans, lawn furniture and other lightweight outdoor objects that may be blown around in strong winds.
Reds, Whites, and Brews Downtown-May 6th-Benefits Local Animal Shelters
In the continued search of the City of Sulphur Springs for an organization to manage and produce the “Reds, Whites, and Brews” event on Main Street and Celebration Plaza each May, the City has turned to a new organization, the Buried Bones Foundation. City Manager Marc Maxwell said the city does not wish to run an event but to provide a venue and have another staff, plan, and promote the event. He believes Buried Bones is a great fit.
Last year the Hopkins County Fall Festival Board was responsible for the event. The city decided not to continue with the Festival Board. Enter Art Foster, Jr. and Matt Dunn who quickly formed Buried Bones Foundation. Foster is well known in the area for his knowledge of craft beer. Foster owns Foster’s Place, a popular pub for Hopkins and Wood Counties residents. Some would say that Foster knows more about craft beer than anyone in the area. His venue provides music and “stout” conversations every weekend. Both have stated they will take no paycheck on their part. The money made on the event will go to both the Sulphur Springs Animal Shelter and Hearts of Life Animal Rescue.
Along with Buried Bones, the local Rotary Club will be involved this year. They will sponsor and work “canine corner”. Neva Mohesky and other Rotary members will be in charge of that addition. Mohesky said, “The Rotary Club had been in discussions to do a dog festival and when we found out about the Buried Bone Foundation, we offered to help bring dogs to their event. The groups will set up on Main Street in front of Muddy Jake’s, whose mascot is a dog, and the Sulphur Springs Animal Shelter will be combining their regular adoption events into this event exclusively.”
According to a representative of Hearts of Life, they, too, will host adoptions for animals in their care.
Also, the new chapter of Love On a Leash Pet Therapy will be set up with information regarding pet therapy recruitment and potential agencies needing services. Lake Country Ladies rescue group will also have dogs available for adoption.
Last year some 20 craft beers were offered. This year over 40 craft beers from 11 breweries, five wineries offering a variety of wines and one cidery with various hard cider options will be represented. Popular local music artist Dubb Williams has agreed to perform. Williams has performed at a number of venues from Dallas to Oklahoma to the local area.
A local blogger, formerly affiliated with the Fall Festival Board, began using social media to attack the event this week. He raised questions regarding Buried Bones stating that they are a nonprofit foundation. City Manager Maxwell pointed out that having a nonprofit organization has never been a criteria for Red, White, and Brews. He stated that the foundation’s decision to give the proceeds from the event to animal care is their choice. The city is only a source for the event and the place where the event is held. He stated that the city has only looked for someone to produce a good event that will provide a successful event year after year. The city has already provided the legal requirements and will guide in providing a public place within the bounds of state and local laws for the event.
Hopkins County VFW Post 8560A, Ladies Auxillary Donates to Senior Center and Meal A Day
