Walmart Theft Leads To Three Arrests
Massey
Skinner
Williams
Three individuals were arrested Wednesday afternoon for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. Velvin Stewart Skinner, 45, Lucas Wayne Massey, 32, and Christopher Don Williams, 26, were all subjects involved in a theft at Walmart in Sulphur Springs.
Sulphur Springs Police Department Officers arrived at the location shortly after the theft occurred and were advised that the suspects fled the scene in a 2000 model Ford F-150 truck. A responding officer observed the vehicle and made a traffic stop at the corner of Mockingbird Lane and Duckworth Street just after 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Once the vehicle came to a stop, Skinner, who was the front passenger, exited the vehicle and fled on foot after being ordered to stop. Skinner was located in the 1200 block of Broadway by a SSPD Officer and was placed into custody.
All three individuals were identified by Walmart Loss Prevention as being involved in the theft. Massey and Williams were charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and were each placed on $2,500 bond. Massey has since posted bail. Skinner was charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and Evading Arrest and Detention and sits on $5,000 total bond.
Game Day Wildcats, Lady Cats in Hallsville; Track at Paris; Tennis in Longview
Rain has made Lady Cat Park unplayable for softball tonight. JV and Varsity softball has been moved to Hallsville. The JV Blue game against the Hallsville will be played in Hallsville at 4:30 p.m. The Varsity game will follow at around 6 p.m., again in Hallsville. The Lady Cats are 4-1 in district play. Hallsville is unbeaten in district games. The Lady Cats season record is 20-3. Hallsville will return to play in Sulphur Springs on April 19, weather permitting.
The Wildcats’ baseball team is also in Hallsville tonight for a 7 p.m. game. The Wildcats are 2-1 in district play with both wins by the ten-run rule. Hallsville comes in at an unbelievable 1-2 in district play. They have lost their last two games to Texas High and Mt. Pleasant. They only lost a single district game all of last year, that one to the Wildcats at Eagle Stadium.
Meanwhile the Wildcats and Lady Cats’ track teams will be competing at a meet in Paris. Field events get underway at 3 p.m.
Finally the Wildcats’ tennis team is playing in a tournament in Longview. It got started at 8 a.m.
State Highway 37 Improvements Begin in Southern Franklin County
TxDot logo
PARIS – The Texas Department of Transportation has begun work to improve State Highway 37 in Franklin County. TxDOT officials granted the contractor 457 working days, weather permitting, to complete this project at an estimated cost of more than $20.4 million. Work will proceed as weather permits, but should be completed in January 2018.
This project will extend along State Highway 37 from its intersection with FM 21 southward to the Franklin-Wood County line. The contractor will extend drainage and other structures, add safety enhancements and 10-foot shoulders to the roadway, and install new pavement and striping. TxDOT officials said some of these repairs will require temporary lane closures.
Wherever possible, motorists are urged to use alternate travel routes. If that is not possible, motorists should approach work zones cautiously, observe and obey all traffic controls and barricades, and travel through work zones at reduced speed while this work is underway.
Flaggers will be present along the roadway to alert drivers to changing conditions and detours, and guide motorists through these areas safely. Drivers should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems when driving.
Spring Expo at Co-op, Civic Center Thursday
Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op Spring Expo and members meeting will be an all-day event concluding with a hamburger supper Thursday night March 24 at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center in Sulphur Springs.
During the day in Sulphur Springs, vendors will be present at the Co-op to speak with customers regarding various products available for the farm and ranch. At the evening meeting a number of prizes will be given away including a Vet Gun, valued at $226 and HLS 125lb fly buster tub valued at $83.50.
During Thursday night’s meeting, General Manager Brad Johns will speak along with Matt Stokes, Brad Fain, Steve Freeman, David Holt, and Donnie Peters. Stokes will address the myths of electric fencing. Fain will discuss with proper handling of vaccine schedules. Holt and Freeman will discuss bulk feed. Peters will talk about getting more out of your fertilizer. Special purchase prices will also be available on some products.
Other Expos and member meetings were conducted in Greenville on March 21, Canton on March 22, and the last meeting will be in Clarksville on March 29.
KSST spent Thursday morning at the Co-op. Donnie Peters talks about the event:
*UPDATE* Location Change For Softball Games
The Sulphur Springs High School Varsity and Junior Varsity softball games against Hallsville that were originally scheduled to be played in Sulphur Springs on Thursday night have been relocated to the Hallsville softball fields due to poor field conditions at Ladycat Park as a result of heavy rain received overnight. The Junior Varsity Blue Team will play at 4:30 p.m. and the Varsity game will start at 6 p.m..
For those who are planning to attend tonight’s games:
-Hallsville’s Ladycat Softball Complex is located behind the high school football stadium on Bobcat Lane in Hallsville, Texas.
-Here is a link to Google Maps directions from Sulphur Springs: DIRECTIONS
KSST 1230 AM will not broadcast the varsity game tonight.
Business History Month: Blacklands Railroad
Wayne Defebaugh
Blacklands Railroad started in 1999 by Wayne Defebaugh who opened the business after the state-owned railroad running through Sulphur Springs was looking to be abandoned and needed an operator. He quickly leased the track and began his shortline railroad in the middle of the town. He owns the locomotives and provides the crews to work the railroad. “My father was retired from the railroad as a conductor out of Kansas City,” Defebaugh said. “I went to college, got a degree, and decided I wanted to do something on my own. In ’99 I just took kind of a flying leap and started up the company, Blacklands Railroad, and we moved out here and started up the business. It was just me and one other person, and it was pretty much from the bootstraps up. It was our savings and our credits cards to start us off, and we just built it up from there.”
Originally, Blacklands only saw a couple of hundred rail cars pass through its station. Now, over 4,000 cars pass through the Sulphur Springs Blacklands station each year. “We interchange cars with Union Pacific and others here in Sulphur Springs, and what that means is is that has cars on our railroad can ship them anywhere in the country,” Defebaugh said. “They can go from here to California or New York City or wherever the customer wants their product to go or come in from. We only run from Mount Pleasant to Greenville, and at the end of Mount Pleasant we give those cars to Union Pacific who can then take them anywhere.”
Blacklands is a freight railroad, meaning they do not transport passengers. Blacklands primarily transports commodities and other shipments to and from the Sulphur Springs area for local and distant industries and businesses. “One of our big customers is ‘Custom Commoditites’ who does all of the trucking for us,” Defebaugh said. “They can take plastic, for instance, out of the rail cars and take it down to Hawkins, which is a large water-bottling plant, and they make bottles out of the plastic. So if you get a bottle in East Texas, it’ll tell you if it’s been bottled in East Texas, so we supplied the plastic to that plant to make that bottle.”
Blacklands also supplies products for the East Texas Farmer’s Co-Op as well as ship to Greenville and Mount Vernon. Defebaugh employes 20 workers across three operations in Sulphur Springs, Henderson, and Odessa. “We have two office personnel and most of our employees are trainmen, who are either engineers or conductors that operate the trains,” Defebaugh said. “We also have people that fix the track, known as track-men. They keep the tracks going and maintaining the rails. The people we hire are intricately involved, either from an operating standpoint or a maintenance standpoint.”
Blacklands Railroad won “Shortline Railroad of the Year” in 2011 in the Railway Age magazine and was awarded in 2014 by Trains magazine the “Jake Award” for being accident free every year since its inception.
Call 1-903-439-0738
[email protected].
www.blacklandsrailroad.com
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Until Midnight
Severe Thunderstorm warning for western and central Hopkins County, southwestern Delta County, and Hunt County until midnight. Radar indicates a severe thunderstorm capable of 70 mph winds and hail the size of ping pong balls, according to the National Weather Service.
“Updated” Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Hopkins and Surrounding Counties Until 4 AM
The thunderstorm watch for Hopkins county has been extended until 4 a.m. Thursday morning.
Earlier this evening, The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until midnight Wednesday night for 27 counties in North Central Texas. Hopkins County and surrounding counties are included in the watch area.
At the time of the watch issued, radar showed a line of thunderstorms stretching from Forestburg, Texas, north of Decatur, into Oklahoma as a cold front makes its way across the area. Currently, that line of thunderstorms is nearing Hunt County as it passes through Collin County. Large hail resulted in Tarrant and Collin Counties as a result of the storm line. The intensity of the storms did seem to be decreasing as the storms moved east.
A thunderstorm watch means that conditions are present to create storms with damaging wind, hail, and heavy rain. It does not mean that such storms are present at this time.
KSST will monitor radar and broadcast any severe weather in the area.
Lady Cats Golf Previews District Course
The Lady Cats’ golf team got a preview of the course where their district meet will be held on April 4-5. I’m sure the Lady Cats hope the wind will not be blowing as strongly at the Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club in April as it did Tuesday. Lady Cats Golf Coach Chris Owens said his team struggled in the tough wind. The team recorded a 455 score. Jessie Ash shot 96, Alissa Sotelo and Morgan Landers had 114 each and Emma Lane shot 131. With no more tournaments on the schedule before district, the Lady Cats will spend time practicing.
Coach Owens said it was important for the Lady Cats to play a round on the course where the district meet will be held. He too is hoping for less wind in early April.
Animal of the Week: Mufasa
Mufasa
Mufasa is a male long-haired cat of roughly 2-4 years of age. He is currently the only cat at the Animal Shelter.”Somebody found him running around on Whitworth ST, which is a pretty busy road,” Animal Shelter Officer Barbi Blanch said. “They decided to bring him here before he got hit by a car. He’s very sweet and he gets into everything.”
Based on Mufasa’s interactions with humans and dogs, Shelter Officers believe that the cat had once lived in a household with other dogs before being abandoned by his previous owners. No one has yet come to claim the cat. “He doesn’t like being in his cage,” Officer Blanch said. “He likes running around, and normally during the day — even when I’m not here — he just wanders. He’ll walk through the Shelter and up to all of the dogs. He’ll sit in the office chair if you’re in there, and if you’re trying to do paperwork, he’s all in your business.”
Aside from the more aggressively playful dogs, Mufasa has had no issues around dogs of any size. Even some dogs that tower over him do little to intimidate or scare him. “[Officer Patridge’s] dog, Gracie, was here once and Mufasa just ran up to her and butted her in the head,” Officer Blanch said. “He doesn’t have any fear of any dog. We’ve had a big, huge one that’s been allowed outside during the day, and every time I bring him in, Mufasa’s sitting at the door and he looks at the dog like, ‘whatever, see you later’.”
There will be no off-site adoption this weekend, but the Shelter will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.
In other news, construction began yesterday on the five outdoor kennel runs for the Shelter’s animals so they may enjoy the outdoors more safely. The concrete groundwork has already been completed and poles inserted, and work on the sidewalk leading to the entrance of the Shelter has begun. “The current cage in the back is not geared for little puppies,” Officer Blanch said. “They can get into stuff back there, and they can get out of the gate. They just finished the concrete around where the kennels are going to be, and then we have somebody else that’s going to come up and the fencing in.”
