On Their Way to Child Custody Court with 65-g of Meth in Vehicle Trunk
Traffic at Celebration Plaza was backed up Friday morning as Hopkins County Investigators and Deputies initiated a traffic stop in front of Alliance Bank between City National Bank and the County Courthouse. The traffic stop and court activities in the courthouse created a more than usual traffic flow prior to 9 a.m. The two lanes of traffic were closed and traffic was diverted to alternate routes as city crews assisted in directing traffic. In the traffic stop, a male and female were handcuffed and were being interviewed separately during the stop.
Investigator Wade Sheets initiated the traffic stop and soon called for additional backup as he observed classic signs of criminal activity in the actions of the two occupants in vehicle. Sheets and others observed contraband in plain sight in the vehicle. A search of vehicle produced an amount of marijuana, digital scales, and 65-grams of methamphetamine in a safe in the trunk of the vehicle.
Sarah Moses and John Hearn, Jr. were arrested at the scene and transported to Hopkins County jail. Moses and Hearn are in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, less than 200-grams.
Moses and Hearn were on their way to child custody court at the time of their arrest.
SKYWARN Training Boosts Storm Spotting Skills
A small number of area citizens participated in the National Weather Service SKYWARN training at Sulphur Springs City Hall Council chambers Thursday night. Mark Fox, Meteorologist with the NWS presented various photos and videos that depicted various types of cloud formations and severity of storms.
Fox stated that without instruments most people misjudge the speed of wind. He stated there are various ways to judge wind speed without instruments. When whole trees are in motion and there is some resistance to walking, wind speeds are 32-38 miles per hour. If twigs and branches with a diameter of 1-inch to 3-inchs are broken off trees the wind speed is 39-46 mph. Wind speeds of 47-54 mph will blow off chimney covers and roof tiles and a lot of twigs and small branches will be on the ground. Roof damage begins to occur and small trees are blown over or uprooted when winds reach 55 to 63 mph. Widespread damage occurs and large trees are uprooted or blown over with 64-75 mph winds. Severe and extensive damage occurs when wind speeds are 75-112 mph. At that wind speed, RV’s and small mobile homes overturn, moving cars are pushed off the road, and windows are broken.
He stated that the largest hail stones in Texas have been around 6 inches in diameter. He urges those who are curious to wait until the hail stops before seeking to measure hail stones. No matter the size, he stated the speed of the stone falling was the concern. He said a quarter sized hail stone was like being hit by a Yu Darvish pitch.
Fox also presented examples of various cloud formations and tested those attending regarding their ability to recognize the formations and the strength of the storm based on the formation.
As tornadoes develop, wind blows toward the wall cloud. Fox pointed out that if you feel the wind at your back while observing the storm cloud the potential for a possible tornado and it moving toward you is great. He taught those attending how to know the direction of a storm cloud by observing its formation. He also warned to wait at least 30-minutes before going outside following the last lightning strike. He said lightning has been known to strike 30-miles from a thunderstorm.
Those in the audience received a basic storm watcher certificate.
Major Pasture Fire Thursday Motivates Call for Caution Due to Wildfire Conditions
Hopkins County Fire Station #20, and Volunteer Fire Departments from Dike, Saltillo, Brinker, and Pickton-Pine Forest responded to a fire in a heavily wooded and pasture land off County Road 2336 Thursday night around 7 p.m. The Forest Service was dispatched but those responding were able to control the fire and called off the Forest Service. The smell of smoke permeated the air for miles around.
According to County Fire Chief Andy Endsley, the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. However, he does advise that if county residents do desire to burn anything, they use extreme caution. The risk of wildfire is high at this time due to dry conditions and high winds.
Downtown Traffic Slowed by Traffic Stop
Traffic at Celebration Plaza was backed up Friday morning as Hopkins County Investigators and Deputies initiated a traffic stop in front of Alliance Bank between City National Bank and the County Courthouse. The traffic stop and docket call for District Court and other court activities in the courthouse created a more than usual traffic flow prior to 9 a.m. The two lanes of traffic were closed and traffic was diverted to alternate routes as city crews assisted in directing traffic.
In the traffic stop, a male and female were handcuffed and were being interviewed separately during the stop. More information will follow, but preliminary reports say the two were arrested.
Morning Chapel Baptist Church – Soul Food Cafe
Morning Chapel Baptist Church – Soul Food Cafe
Back by popular demand, the Soul Food Cafe is back. Proceeds benefit the upcoming Youth Ministry Trip.
Westbound I-30 Traffic Backed up 4 miles at Highway 50
February 10, 2017 – Traffic is backed up for 4 miles on Westbound I-30 between Sulphur Springs and Greenville. Officials are directing traffic to Highway 50 as HAZMAT assists with the clean up of the accident that resulted in a scrap metal truck roll over at the 101 mile marker.
KSST thanks Leslie for the report and photos.
February: Time to Think About Your Heart By Johanna Hicks
February: Time to Think about Your Heart
Throughout the month of February, we are swarmed with decorations and candy that remind us of Cupid, love, and February 14th. While the hearts that cover Valentine’s Day merchandise are meant to represent love, they should also serve as a simple reminder for us to take care of our hearts. The next time you see one of these hearts, think about your own heart, and ask yourself if you are living a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Many risk factors of cardiovascular disease can be controlled by a living a healthy lifestyle and making wise choices every day. A pro-active approach to heart health also involves visiting your doctor to find out about your cholesterol and blood pressure.
While some risk factors of heart disease are out of our control, such as age and genetics, there are many things we can control through our everyday choices. Everyday choices include what you eat and how much you exercise. A heart-healthy diet is nutrient rich and includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low fat dairy products. It limits foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients, and also limits saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
It is recommended that healthy people ages 18 to 65 exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The exercise you do can be whatever you enjoy the most—swimming, jogging, gardening, walking, biking, or playing a sport—the important thing is that you are engaging in physical activity.
Finally, as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, you should make the pledge to quit smoking or better yet, vow to never start. While many people associate smoking with lung cancer, which is true, it is also a major risk factor for heart disease. One added bonus to living a heart-healthy lifestyle is that it is also a cancer-preventative lifestyle. By exercising regularly, eating healthfully, and not smoking you will help reduce your risks of developing certain types of cancers along with greatly benefiting your heart-health.
Seeing one of cupid’s hearts should also remind you to visit your doctor and find out how your own heart may be doing. You should have your blood pressure measured to know if you have pre-hypertension or hypertension, which is high blood pressure. It is estimated that one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure. Having hypertension or pre-hypertension can increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure. While at the doctor’s office, you should also have a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels. Having high cholesterol levels may also put you at increased risk for heart disease. Knowing you have high cholesterol or blood pressure can help you and your doctor make decisions about changes you can make to help lower or decrease these numbers and lower other risk factors.
Have a happy, healthy Valentine’s Day and remember the most important heart of all!
4-H Exchange Trip
Think about your most memorable trip. What made it special? Was it the people with you, the places you visited, the road trip, or things that happened? Several of our Hopkins County 4-H members are gearing up for a 4-H Exchange Trip to Montana. Many of them have participated in previous Exchange trips to Wisconsin and Virginia. For some, this will be a trip of a lifetime.
Our former Hopkins County 4-H agent, Juli Hutchins Thurston, is employed with Montana Extension and has issued the invitation for our 4-H’ers to visit her county. The ball is rolling and the dates have been set for July 22-30, 2017. While in Montana, our group will stay in host 4-H homes. We have a good group (15) who have applied to participate, and a planning meeting has been scheduled for Monday, February 20, 5:00 p.m., at the Extension Office. Fundraisers, travel routes, lodging, and sites to see along the way will be discussed. We are open to suggestions, and gladly welcome financial support for these kids and chaperones!
Closing Thought
Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground – unknown
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Henbit By Mario Villarino
This winter season has reality become a challenge for everyone. With temperature oscillations of close to 40 degrees in the same week, the winter really looks like spring at times. Even the royal empress tree at the park is responding to the warm temperatures by beginning to bud. One of the real questions becomes to when the spring really starts and when those springs weeds will germinate? If we have another cold spell before too long, then those triggered buds will suffer and the impact will be seen all year long. My suggestion is to not consider these warms spells and consider it still a winter season, and do not prune heavily, since those tender tissues will become even more stressed. A common weed over lawns an pastures this week is Henbit. When referring to henbit, R. L. Duble, for aggie horticulture wrote: “Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a cool season, annual broadleaf weed. Seedlings begin to emerge in early fall and grow throughout the fall, winter and spring. Henbit can dominate turfgrass in the spring throughout the southern region. Although henbit is not known for any herbal or medicinal purposes, this plant is used in flower arrangements because of its unusual leaf shape and arrangement. Henbit, a member of the mint family, has characteristic square stems. Stems are slender, ascending or prostrate, and freely branched at the base. Stems may root at the lower nodes. Leaves are opposite, nearly circular, deeply veined, hairy and petioled. Upper leaves clasp the stem and the lower leaves are distinctly petioled. Roots are shallow and fibrous. Flowers, conspicuous in early spring, are tubular, pink to purple, and borne in the leaf axile. Seeds are borne in a pod. Henbit is most effectively controlled with herbicides in the fall while plants are small and immature. Products containing dicamba, MCPP and 2,4-D have demonstrated effective control in the fall and early spring. In dormant bermudagrass, glyphosate, diquat or metribuzin will control henbit. If applied prior to germination, products such as surflan, bensulide, pendimethalin and simazine also provide good control of henbit. Follow label directions on all products recommended for henbit to obtain the best control”.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443.
Mario Villarino DVM, Ph.D.
Hopkins County Extension Agent for Ag and NR
1200B Houston Street
Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482
903-885-3443
Flynn Named Chair of House Pensions Commission for 85th Texas Legislative Session
AUSTIN- Representative Dan Flynn named Chairman of the House Pensions Committee for the 85th Legislative Session.
