DPS Urges Holiday Sober, Safe Driving
The Texas Department of Public Safety is urging drivers to help make the holidays safer by driving sober and using extra caution. DPS Troopers are being joined by local law enforcement agencies across the state in conducting traffic patrols throughout the holiday Christmas and New Year’s weekends. The patrols will be looking out especially for drunk drivers, speeders, seat belt violators and other dangerous drivers.
During the 8-day Christmas and New Year’s holiday enforcement effort last year, DPS troopers made 466 DWI arrests and issued 9,174 speeding citations, and 893 seat belt and child safety seat citations. The Texas DPS also offers some tips for holiday driving: don’t drink and drive, slow down, especially in bad weather, construction areas and heavy traffic, eliminate distractions including use of mobile devices, buckle your seat belt, slow down or move over for police, fire, EMS, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks that are alongside the road with emergency lights activated, don’t drive fatigued, drive defensively, make sure your vehicle is properly maintained and check the weather forecast before your trip begins.
Trailblazer Wisenbaker Retires After 20-Year Commissioner Career
Commissioner Precinct 1 Beth Wisenbaker and State Representative Dan Flynn
Hopkins County Commissioner in Precinct 1 Beth Wisenbaker is retiring at the end of the year after a 20-year career on the Commissioners Court. She said she was a trailblazer as a woman on the male dominated court.
When Commissioner Wisenbaker started in 1997, Joe Minter was County Judge and the other commissioners were H.W. Halcomb, Don Patterson and Calvin Prince. She said they weren’t quite sure about a woman on the court. However Ms. Wisenbaker said they were wonderful to work with. She did admit that she was an easy target for the jokes they would pull on her. She said she appreciated the people that trusted her and put her on the court 20 years ago.
Ms. Wisenbaker said she was up front during the campaign claiming a good business background but admitting that she would need to learn about road construction. She said what she still does not know how to do is build a road without the appropriate amount of money to do so.
Ms. Wisenbaker said she would leave the precinct in better shape when when she started. She cited several accomplishments during her tenure on the court stressing we did these things and not just I. Included were courthouse restoration, the county fire station that brought EMS vehicles south of I-30, the Equine Pavilion, a new Auditorium through an interlocal agreement with the Sulphur Springs School District and the new County Jail.
Cause of Thursday Fire in Flora Community Undetermined
The cause of a fire that destroyed a home on Private Road 7581 in the Flora community of Hopkins County Thursday morning has been officially declared as undetermined. Fire Marshal Mike Mathews said the fire damage was so extensive that is was impossible to find a cause.
A family was able to get out of the burning house safely Thursday but they lost all of their possessions. The Red Cross is assisting them along with Blue Santa.
The fire call went out at 6:20 a.m. Thursday. Fire units responded from Pickton-Pine Forest, Dike, Saltillo, Sulphur Bluff, North Hopkins and Hopkins County. When the first trucks arrived, the home was engulfed in flames.
Sulphur Springs Man Charged With Arson
A 31-year old Sulphur Springs man has been charged with setting a vehicle on fire after falling a couple of months behind in car payments. The man turned himself in at the Sheriff’s Office Thursday.
James Michael Morris. Jr
James Michael Morris Junior, also known as Bubba, was charged with arson before Justice of the Peace Brad Cummings, who set bond for Morris at $20,000. The car fire occurred on December 12. The incident was investigated by Hopkins County Fire Marshal Mike Mathews and assistant Josh McCord.
Tira News
by Jan Vaughn
Pastor David Larkin would like to invite everyone to a Christmas Eve service at the Tira United Methodist Church on Saturday evening, at 6:45.
Martha Payton send this report, “To those who have wondered about the ‘Old Oak Tree’, it was removed by the Highway Department due to dead limbs and declining health due to old age and drought conditions through the past several years. We will miss its wonderful shade, beauty and rustling leaves. It always reminded me of a poem by Joyce Kilmer, titled “Trees”, we memorized the poem in school many years ago.
Yvonne Weir reported, “The Weirs enjoyed Christmas at the community center with Robert’s sisters and families. Afterwards we came home and celebrated with our children and grandchildren. We opened gifts and then ate a Mexican supper. Dustin, Natalie, Maria, Sarah and Lucas spent the night. It was a good weekend.”
Jimmy and Janie Lewis hosted a family Christmas get-together at their home on Saturday, December 17th.
Chip and I visited Posey Baptist Church on Sunday evening and enjoyed their Christmas program and fellowship afterward. Our daughter, Tiffany, and grandchildren, Kenden and Jaidyn were involved with the presentation.
On Monday evening, Chip and I attended a Christmas party with friends, at the home of Keith and Francis Klein. Others present were Phil and Carla Kenley, Shirley Charles, and John Klein. Tiffany and I shopped in Rockwall on Tuesday, and then she and Jaidyn went with a group from Posey Baptist Church to the North Pole of Texas. On Thursday evening, Chip, Tiffany, Jaidyn, and I met friends, Dayne and Natali Lawson, of Point, for dinner in Sulphur Springs, to celebrate Natali’s birthday.
I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas!
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945-2190 or 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
Merry Christmas – It’s Here
Merry Christmas – It’s Here!
I recently attended a professional association meeting in Denton, and one of my colleagues presented an inspirational to our group. I wanted to share it with you:
“This Christmas, mend a quarrel.
Write a love letter. Share some treasure.
Give a soft answer. Encourage youth.
Keep a promise. Find the time to forgive an enemy.
Listen. Apologize if you were wrong.
Think first of someone else. Be kind and gentle.
Laugh a little. Laugh a little more.
Express your gratitude. Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it once again.”
– Anonymous
On another note, this is the season when many families consume foods that they might not normally prepare. Food allergies can be an issue for many people. Does your tongue itch when you eat shrimp or nuts? Does your stomach ache when you eat dairy products?
You may have food allergies…but, you might not. People often confuse food allergy with food intolerance. Food allergy affects the immune system and can range in reaction from mild to life-threatening –even if a tiny amount of the offending food is ingested, the allergic person can have a severe reaction. Food intolerance, however, is typically related to inability to metabolize an ingredient and is usually dose specific – meaning you can eat small amounts of the offending food without a reaction. The most common food allergies are milk, egg, peanut, tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.), fish, shellfish (shrimp, crab, etc.), soy, and wheat. Recent epidemiologic studies sited in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggest that nearly 4% of Americans are afflicted with food allergies. Still, approximately 20% of the U.S. population alters their diet for a “perceived reaction,” which may or may not be food allergy.
If you suspect you have food allergy, the first thing you should do is see your doctor, says Extension Health Associate, Janet Pollard. You will likely be referred to an allergist or immunologist who specializes in such disorders. The allergist will likely perform a physical exam and ask for a detailed history. Without your help in discussing past symptoms and reactions, it is very difficult for the allergist to assess the potential culprits of the problem. Once your doctor has some ideas about what may be causing the symptoms, he/she will try to diagnose food allergy with some of the following measures:
- keep a written record of your diet and when you have a reaction.
- participate in an elimination diet, in which certain foods are taken completely out of the diet to see if it eliminates the symptoms.
- Performing a skin test, in which small amounts of a potential allergen are placed under the skin to see if it creates a local reaction.
- Performing a blood test, which is sent to a laboratory to see if food-specific Immunoglobin-E antibodies are present. These IgE antibodies suggest that your body thinks the food is a foreign agent and tries to fight it off, producing harmful chemicals such as histamine. Blood tests are typically expensive and used on those with severe reactions, since the other tests could result in a life-threatening reaction.
Common, mild symptoms of food allergy may include hives, swelling, itchy-red rash, eczema, itching or swelling of lips, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy-watery eyes, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, or wheezing. More severe symptoms can include shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, tightness of chest, itching or swelling of tongue or throat, change in voice, drop in blood pressure, fainting, and the most severe reaction –anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock can be fatal, either through swelling that shuts off the airway or through a dramatic drop in blood pressure.
If you are diagnosed with food allergy, it is important to learn how to manage your food allergy and to educate others. There is no cure for food allergy. The only way to manage food allergy is by strict avoidance of the offending food. To avoid the food you must read food labels and learn terminology that may be used on the label to identify said allergens; talk to your host, chef, or wait staff when dining away from home; educate others about cross-contamination and how to administer medications in an emergency, including antihistamine and epinephrine.
Master Wellness Volunteer Training
I offer this training every-other-year, and 2017 is the year! Participants in the Master Wellness Volunteer training will receive 40 hours of health and wellness education. Upon completion of the training, participants are expected to return 40 hours of volunteer service. There are numerous opportunities and methods for participants to volunteer within the program.
The training will be a combination of in-class and self-study education. It will include information on basic nutrition, food safety, health education, weight management, trends in health and nutrition, public speaking, and more. The training will take place on five consecutive Mondays, starting January 30, and ending February 27, at the Extension Office, 1200-B W. Houston Street, in Sulphur Springs. Cost is $50 for the entire course, which will cover the cost of the training, materials, and at least two lunches. Contact our office at 903-885-3443 for more information.
Closing Thought
May the Lord bless you in the coming new year!
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]
Hopkins County Sheriff Butch Adams Retires
Sheriff Butch Adams
Hopkins County Sheriff Butch Adams will end his more than 39 year law enforcement career when he retires December 31. He started at the Sulphur Springs Police Department before moving over to the Sheriff’s Department. When he was first elected Sheriff, he decided his goal was to serve for 20 years. Sheriff Adams said when he hit that mark, he decided he was done and was ready to go. He said the job had its’ trials and tribulations but he said he had fun and he enjoyed it. The Sheriff kidded Sheriff-Elect Lewis Tatum by saying he tried to teach Tatum everything. Retirement plans include spending more time with grand kids, with his mother and with his wife Beth around the house. He figured people would remember him since he has his name on plaques at the county courthouse and at the jail. Sheriff Adams said he’ll remember a lot of good things but he added jail escapes were hard to forget and they always drove him nuts.
Chief Deputy Ricky Morgan Retiring
Lewis Tatum and Chief Deputy Ricky Morgan
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ricky Morgan is retiring at the same time as Sheriff Butch Adams, a man that he worked alongside for the past 20 years. Chief Deputy Morgan also was a Sheriff’s Patrol Deputy for 10 years. He said his favorite thing about the job was the friends he had made that he now considers family. His plans are to continue flying his airplane and doing flight instruction. Chief Deputy Morgan also wants to do more fishing and to spend more time with his wife.
Hopkins County Officals Swearing-In
Officials in Hopkins County like to swear-in newly elected and re-elected county office holders on January 1. They will do so again this time except, since New Year’s Day falls on Sunday, the time will be later than usual. The ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. in the District Courtroom at the County Courthouse. County Judge Robert Newsom said the later time would allow those who want to attend to go to church Sunday morning and to watch the Cowboys game at noon. Judge Newsom encouraged the public to attend. Local officials elected in November include Eighth District Court Judge Eddie Northcutt, Sixty-Second District Court Judge Will Biard, District Attorney Will Ramsey, County Attorney Dustanna Hyde Rabe, Sheriff Lewis Tatum, Tax Assessor-Collector Debbie Pogue Jenkins, County Commissioner, Precinct 1 Mickey Earl Barker, County Commissioner, Precinct 3 Wade Bartley, Constable, Precinct 1 Norman Colyer and Constable, Precinct 2 William B. “Bill” Allan.
