Federal Holiday Juneteenth on Monday June 19th
June 15, 2023- Juneteenth is Monday June 19th. Juneteenth is a national holiday meaning that the both mail delivery and banks will be unavailable.
Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.
Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States, often broadly celebrating African-American culture. The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law after the efforts of Lula Briggs Galloway, Opal Lee, and others.
Locally, the annual Juneteenth celebration will be held June 17-18th.
Hopkins County Grand Jury Indictments for June 2023
The following charges have been reviewed by a Hopkins County Grand Jury. That Jury found reasonable cause to charge these individuals with the listed offence.
2329823 ARNOLD,KERRY DEVON POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329824 BILLS,JONATHAN HUTCH ABANDON ENDANGER CHILD INT/KNOW/RECK/CRIM NEG
2329825 CRUMP,LEXI TAYLOR ABANDON ENDANGER CHILD INT/KNOW/RECK/CRIM NEG
2329826 BRYANT,DEREK GRIFFIN II POSS CS PG 2 >= 4G < 400G
2329827 CARTEN,BRIAN SCOTT POSS CS PG 2 >= 1G < 4G DFZ
2329828 COOKSEY,JOHN DAVID POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329829 CORTEZ,VICTOR MANUEL POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329830 COVINGTON,TRENTON MARK POSS CS PG 2 >= 4G < 400G
2329831 DAILEY,ZARIYAH JENE EVADING ARREST DET W/VEH
2329832 DAVIS,ALLEN HURST III POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=4G<200G
2329833 DAVIS,ALLEN HURST III EVADING ARREST DET W/VEH
2329834 DELGADO,ALASIALEIGH POSS CS PG2 <1G DFZ IAT 481.116
2329835 DELICH,JACKSON DANIEL POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329836 DELICH,JACKSON DANIEL POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329838 GAVIN,SIDNEY ALEXA POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329839 GIBSON,CHARLIE RAY POSS MARJ 4OZ<5LB DFZ IAT 481.121
2329840 GLEESE,DELZIONE LAMAR EVADING ARREST DET W/VEH
2329841 GLEESE,DELZIONE LAMAR ABANDON ENDANGER CHILD INT/KNOW/RECK/CRIM NEG
2329844 GLEESE,DELZIONE LAMAR UNL POSS FIREARM BY FELON
2329845 GONZALES,MISTY JUNE POSS CS PG1/1B <1G DFZ IAT 481.115
2329846 GONZALEZ,JESUS LEOBARDO MAN DEL CS PG 1-B >=1G<4G DFZ HE IAT 481.1123
2329847 HANSON,STEVEN DEREK BURGLARY OF BUILDING
2329849 HARRIS,BRIDGET DENISE POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329850 HAYNES,JOANNE EVADING ARREST DET W/VEH
2329851 HOPSON,MICAH ISIAH CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD ABUSE
2329852 JOHNSON,BRANDON DONNELL EVADING ARREST DET W/VEH
2329853 JONES,COREY LANE POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329854 KIZER,BLAKE OLIVER POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329855 KNUTSON,JEFFREY BRYANT POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329856 KULL,DAVID BRYAN POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G DFZ
2329857 MARSHALL,TACORRIE JARORRE DAVO POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=4G<200G
2329858 MARSHALL,TACORRIE JARORRE DAVO POSS CS PG 2 >= 4G < 400G
2329859 MARSHALL,TACORRIE JARORRE DAVO POSS MARIJ <= 5LBS > 4OZ
2329860 MCCORD,DUSTIN CODY POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329861 MEJIA-MEJIA,MIGUEL ANGEL CRIMINAL MISCHIEF >=$2,500<$30K
2329862 MEJIA-MEJIA,MIGUEL ANGEL AGG ASSLT W/DEADLY WEAPON
2329863 MOORE,ELLA MIETTE-SHIELA POSS CS PG 2 >= 1G < 4G
2329866 MORELAND,MATHEW EARL UNAUTH USE OF VEHICLE
2329867 MORELAND,MATHEW EARL UNAUTH USE OF VEHICLE
2329868 WHITE,ANTHONY JOSEPH JON TABIN UNAUTH USE OF VEHICLE
2329869 MORELAND,MATHEW EARL BURGLARY OF HABITATION
2329870 MORELAND,MATHEW EARL TAMPER/FABRICATE PHYS EVID W/INTENT TO IMPAIR
2329871 MORELAND,ANNA MARIE FRANCIS TAMPER/FABRICATE PHYS EVID W/INTENT TO IMPAIR
2329872 NEILL,KORTNEE DNISHA POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329873 ODLE,JEFFERY ALAN POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=4G<200G
2329875 PARKER,TODD MICHAEL PROH SUBSTANCE/ITEM IN CORR/CIV COM FACILITY
2329876 PEHL,MICHAEL WAYNE MAN DEL CS PG 1-B >=4G<200G DFZ
2329877 PEHL,MICHAEL WAYNE MAN DEL CS PG 1-B >=1G<4G
2329878 PEHL,MICHAEL WAYNE POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329879 PEHL,MICHAEL WAYNE POSS CS PG 2 >= 4G < 400G
2329880 PHILSON,DEDRICK R ASSAULT FAM/HOUSE MEM IMPEDE BREATH/CIRCULAT
2329881 RICH,LESLIE THEODORE POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329882 RICH,LESLIE THEODORE FRAUD USE/POSS IDENTIFYING INFO # OF ITEMS <5
2329883 RODEN,ERIC POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329884 ROWE,KEVIN EDWARD POSS CS PG 2 < 1G
2329885 RUSHIN,JOHN ANDREW AGG ASSAULT DATE/FAMILY/HOUSE W/WEAPON
2329886 RUSHIN,JOHN ANDREW ARSON
2329887 RUSHIN,JOHN ANDREW POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G 4G DFZ
2329888 SOTO-BARRON,DAVID POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=4G<200G
2329890 TAYLOR,ROBERT ZACHARIAH POSS CS PG 2 < 1G
2329891 TURNER,ANNE MARIE POSS CS PG 1/1-B >=1G<4G
2329892 VALENZUELA,DAVID POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329894 WILLIAMS,SHENTERIA BRINAE POSS CS PG 2 < 1G
2329895 WILLIAMS,HALLIE KATHERINE POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329896 WOOLSEY,ALYCIA JEAN POSS CS PG 1/1-B <1G
2329897 WRIGHT,NATHANIEL RAYLON ROBBERY
Hopkins County Genealogical Society Meeting June 28th
The Hopkins County Genealogical Society invites members and nonmembers who want to learn more about doing genealogical research to join us on Wednesday, June 28th. Bring your sack lunch, salad or drive-through meal and meet with them from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the genealogy library, 611 N. Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Tx. Coffee, tea, water, and soft drinks will be available for purchase.
This month Paula Altenbaumer will be presenting the first in HCGS’s series’ of “Lunch and Learns,” concerning Familysearch.com. Her topic will cover navigating the new FamilySearch homepage and using the Historical Records page. She will explain how to create good searches to find that elusive ancestor. You will not want to miss this informative lecture or the following installments that will be presented in the coming months!! FamilySearch is an absolutely necessary tool for anyone wanting to do genealogical research!
SSISD Hires Hudson Coach as Wildcats Head Basketball Coach
Meeting Monday, June 12, the Sulphur Springs School Board approved the hiring of Cannon Earp as the new Wildcats Head Basketball Coach.
Coach Earp has been the Head Basketball Coach at Hudson for the past three seasons.
A native of Crockett, Coach Earp was also a head coach before that at Fairfield for one year.
His greatest success as head coach though came at Gladewater, who he coached to two state semifinal appearances in 2014 (1A Division 1) and 2017 (2A). Besides falling in the state tourney, he took the Sandies to the Area round once, the Regional Semifinal another time, and coached Gladewater to two straight fifth round playoff games before accepting the head coaching position at Fairfield heading into the 2019-20 season.
The Hudson regime under Coach Earp fell in two straight Bi-District games before missing out on the playoffs due to tiebreaker this past basketball season. In 10 seasons as head coach, it was his first missing out on the postseason.
Coach Earp has a record of 239-106 (.693 winning percentage).
He is a graduate of Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Coach Earp replaces Brandon Shaver, who took the Wildcats basketball team to two straight third round playoff games. This last season though, Sulphur Springs made it back to the Regional Semifinals (or fourth round) for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The board also accepted Coach Shaver’s resignation. He has been named as the Head Basketball Coach at Lake Travis.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Governor Abbott Signs Into Law 4 New Fentanyl Related Bills
June 15, 2023- Governor Greg Abbott has recently signed into law four new Bills each relating directly to combating the national fentanyl crisis. The laws signed by the Governor today represent a significant step in the state’s fight against the deadly opioid that will prosecute fentanyl deaths as murder, ensure death certificates reflect when people are poisoned by fentanyl, provide more life-saving NARCAN to Texas colleges and universities, and educate young Texans about the dangers of fentanyl.
“The fentanyl epidemic has taken far too many innocent lives, but thanks to the work by brave parents and loved ones, like those here today, we have made Texans aware of this crisis,” said Governor Abbott. “These four laws will forever change Texas through new protections that will help save lives. In 2022, more than 2,000 people died from fentanyl in Texas—or more than five a day. It is the No. 1 killer of Americans ages 18-45. And as I noted at our fentanyl summit a few months ago, just one pill kills. In my State of the State address at the beginning of this session, I made curbing the fentanyl epidemic an emergency item. Today, I am signing four new laws that will save countless lives.”
During Gov. Abbott’s State of the State Address in February, the Governor made fighting the fentanyl crisis an emergency item for lawmakers to address in the regular legislative session.
Governor Abbott was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Senators Brandon Creighton, Donna Campbell, Joan Huffman, and Royce West; Representatives Craig Goldman, John Lujan, and Terry Wilson; Texas Against Fentanyl (TXAF) Founder Stefanie Turner; Leander High School alumna and student fentanyl advocate Jenna Mitchell; dozens of families who lost loved ones to fentanyl; and other fentanyl awareness advocates.
“I am honored that Tucker’s Law is officially a law starting today that will provide education and resources to our students and parents across the state,” said TXAF Founder Turner. “While Tucker’s Law is named in honor of my son, it isn’t for my son. It’s for every living son and daughter across Texas. Thank you, Governor Abbott, for recognizing this massive problem and for trailblazing across the state.”
“Fentanyl is a clandestine killer, and younger Texans, like me, are especially vulnerable,” said student advocate Mitchell. “Many students have never even heard about fentanyl or its deadly effects. There is a critical need to increase awareness and expand education on the dangers of fentanyl in our schools. Over 5.4 million Texas public school students depend on it. Thanks to Governor Abbott and members of the legislature, Texas is fixing that today.”
House Bill 6 (Goldman/Huffman) creates a criminal offense of murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death, enhances the criminal penalty for the manufacturing or delivery of fentanyl, and requires deaths caused by fentanyl to be designated as fentanyl toxicity or fentanyl poisoning on a death certificate. Current law does not require such classification on a death certificate, with most fentanyl-related deaths currently classified as an overdose.
House Bill 3144 (Lujan/Campbell) establishes October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to help increase awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
House Bill 3908 (Wilson/Creighton), also known as Tucker’s Law, requires public schools each year to provide research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students grades 6 through 12. The bill also requires the Governor to designate a Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week.
Senate Bill 867 (West/Rose) allows the distribution of opioid antagonists, including life-saving NARCAN, to Texas colleges and universities to prevent opioid poisonings.
How To Manage Your Algae Problem
When looking at the old fishing hole or stock tank, if there’s a thick mat of bubbly yellow green substance floating on the surface of the pond, or the pond appears to be colored bright green, blue-green, or sometimes even red, then there may be an algae problem. Algal overgrowth is one of the most common issues plaguing pond owners. The first step to effective algae management is to understand what type of algae resides in the pond. There are three different types of algae commonly found in farm ponds and small lakes: planktonic algae, filamentous algae, and macroalgae. Planktonic algae are the kinds of algae pond owners actually WANT and the fish NEED! It is important to manage and promote planktonic algae to build good fish populations because they provide food and oxygen for fish. Clear water is not good if pond owners desire a good fishery. Clear water is the equivalent of a disked, fallow field with little vegetation. Just like many cattle can’t be raised well on a fallow field, fish can’t thrive in clear water. Now imagine a lush rye-grass field twelve inches tall. A lot more cattle can exist in this field because it has the food they need. The same is true with green water—many more fish can survive because it contains the food they need. In order to properly manage planktonic algae, provide nutrients the same as one would for the grass used for cattle forage.
Strive to maintain hardness and alkalinity above 30 ppm, which means agricultural limestone (ag lime) may need to be added to the pond every 3 to 7 years. The quickest way to treat algae in ponds is with copper based algaecides such as chelated copper complexes or copper sulfate. However, integrated management practices are the most effective way to manage algae in ponds and prevent it from quickly returning after an algaecide treatment. A combination of the following typically produces more effective, long term algae control: aeration; creating a 10’ to 20’ buffer zone around he pond with taller vegetation to filter excess nutrients; decreasing the amount of fertilizer used on lawns and forage fields near the pond; preventing livestock from defecating in or near the pond; locating septic fields far away from ponds; deepening the edges to a slope of 2:1 decline; or a chemical treatment followed by a fertilization program for the good planktonic algae in the pond.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
2023 Dairy Festival Milking Contest Results
Despite a delayed start of over an hour — the Junior Dairy Show ran over, the 2023 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Milking Contest Saturday progressed almost as smooth at butter, with only a few “surprises” — but certainly not enough to completely sour the fun.
The 2023 Dairy Festival Milking Contest featured all of the 2023 pageant contestants, each assigned a cow to milk. Six heifers were used, with girls assigned numbers 1-6, which determined whether they were in the first or second round of competition. Each round was timed. Each contestant did her best to squeeze as much milk from her assigned cow into a pail as possible before time was called.
Then, each contestant turned in her milk pail, which was weighed. After all milk was accounted the pails and pails emptied, the girls’ parents then together tried their luck at milking. The contestants’ parents too were charged with filling the pail with as much milk as possible before time was called.
While those tallies were being figured to determine which contestants and parents went home with trophies, hot air balloon pilots then tried their hands at milking too, in keeping with what has become a competitive tradition. They competed only for the experience, fun and bragging rights.
When dealing with large animals such as cows, there are always a few surprises. In this instance, a few heifers appeared to be tender before all six rounds of competition, others tired from being at the show all day.
One step taken to encourage the milk cows to remain standing in place during the duration of the contest is to delay feeding them until right before the contest begins. That way they are hungry and too busy eating to focus on being milked by strangers in an arena and half a stadium full of people and cows. A couple of heifers were also a bit contrary, perhaps even a bit nervous from so much attention and noise, and tried to pull away from trying to milk them. A few contestants’ milking pails were tipped over, spilling the freshly squeezed milk onto the Arena ground, forcing the competitors to start over.
Trophies were presented to the three contestants and parents teams who were able to get the most milk in their pails.
Among the parent participants, Dave & Jennifer Graves received the first place trophy. Second place honors went to Mario Villarino and Leah Larsen, parents of pageant contestant Alexis Villarino. Taking third place were Chris & Lezley Brown, parents of contestant Kelley Brown.
Among contestants, Tomi Pirtle received the first place trophy. Logan McCain received the second place trophy. Finally, the third place trophy went to Dairy Festival Pageant contestant Caroline Prickette.
Heat Waves May Crash Texas Power Grid This Summer
June 14, 2023- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas anticipates record-breaking peak electricity demand of 82,739 megawatts this summer, according to the summer 2023 seasonal assessment that ERCOT published in May.
With record temperatures right around the corner, several people are worried that the grid can’t handle the heat.
Texans were asked to conserve energy after six power plants went offline amid a heat wave. In May and June 2021, Texas experienced solar farm shutdowns, which disrupted power plants, interfered with grid recovery operations and caused outages of power units.
ERCOT issued a weather watch earlier this week, warning that an unexpected heat wave could strain the power grid. The watch begins Thursday and runs through June 21st, when temperatures are expected to reach 106, according to the Natural Weather Service.
In its seasonal assessment, ERCOT concluded that the grid has enough generation capacity to avoid rolling blackouts between June and September under typical summer weather conditions. Over 97,000 megawatts are expected to be available for the summer peak load, ERCOT says. There’s a reserve margin of 23%, an improvement from the last two years.
NERC estimates that ERCOT has a 4% risk of Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 in Summer 2023, meaning the operating margin has dropped below 2,300 megawatts. That risk increases up to 19% in the evening due to reduction in solar generation.
ERCOT added over four gigawatts of solar-generated power to the ERCOT grid since 2022. Also, load reductions from dispatchable demand response programs have grown by over 18%, totaling 3,380 megawatts. Meanwhile, this is offset by the fact that ERCOT’s peak demand forecast has risen by 6% as a result of economic growth. There is a risk that dispatchable generation can be insufficient for high demand levels when wind output is unusually low, states the report.
The Climate Prediction Center projects a 50-60% chance that most of Texas will have a warmer than normal summer, while West Texas has a 60-70% chance of above normal temperatures and North Texas has a 33-50% chance.
Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston, says the main reason for the record demand is that the Texas economy continues to grow.
With the growing population and economic growth the need for more electricity in Texas. Peak electricity demand last summer hit 80 gigawatts. This week, with 100 degree temperatures, ERCOT forecasts that we may see a peak demand of 83 gigawatts.
Be prepared for outages, Hirs said, not just because of a shortage of generation capacity, but because of storms disrupting local service. Have plenty of bottled water handy in case the electricity to the local water utility is disrupted, he suggests.
Cupcake Day and Watercolor Painting Today At 3:30
June 14, 2023 – Head on over to the Senior Center today at 3:30 to celebrate National Cupcake day. While you are there grab a brush or two and practice your watercolor technique.
Treats provided by Summer’s Sweets and Treats of Como, TX.
The Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Activity Center is located in the heart of Sulphur Springs, Texas. The City of Sulphur Springs has provided a place senior adults age 50 and over can go to for fun and fellowship. The Center offers a variety of activities for seniors citizens Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Activity Center can be found at 301 Oak Ave in Sulphur Springs.
Gov. Abbott Signs In New “Athena Alert” Bill
June 14, 2023- Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law the new Bill that will lower the threshold for local missing child alerts.
House Bill 3556 allows law enforcement in Texas to send out localized alerts- known as “Athena Alert”- within a 100-mile radius of where a child has gone missing and in adjacent counties.
The law was inspired after the tragic death of 7-year-old Athena Strand in November. Strand was found dead 2 miles away from her fathers home two days after she went missing. Police arrested former FedEx delivery driver Tanner Horner in connection with her death. He’s charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Strand went missing from her father’s home in Cottondale Nov. 30 of last year, but without initial evidence of an abduction, an Amber Alert was not issued for nearly 24 hours. Two days after she disappeared, delivery driver Tanner Horner led authorities to Strand’s body near Boyd.
The bill was created and sponsored by Wise County’s representatives in Austin. Rep. Lynn Stucky (R-Sanger) filed House Bill 3556 in March, and it was passed by the Texas House of Representatives on May 9. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) in the Senate, where it passed May 24.
The Homeland Security and Public Safety committee voted unanimously to advance the Bill to the Texas House of Representatives, where it was passed by a 139-3 vote. The Bill passed 31-0 in the senate.
