Flash Flood Watch Issued for Weekend
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood watch for the eastern two-thirds of North Texas from 6 a.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. Hopkins, Delta, Rains, Van Zandt and surrounding counties are included in the watch.
Rainfall will begin across the watch area on Christmas night as an upper level storm system approaches from the west. Rainfall intensities will increase on Saturday with embedded thunderstorms a possibility though out the day.
Rainfall will continue through Sunday and into Sunday night before moving northeast of the region on Monday. Rainfall totals of 3-6 inches are possible with localized higher amounts especially across the northeastern-most area.
A flash flood watch means that conditions are favorable for heavy rain, which may lead to flash flooding. KSST will keep you apprised of any severe weather or flooding conditions.
Zoning Board of Adjustments Reschedule Starbucks Sign Question
A meeting of the City of Sulphur Springs Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals has been rescheduled. It features property owners at 1320 South Broadway next to Chili’s who want to bring a Starbucks to town. The board will try for a quorum on Tuesday, January 12 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. Recently two meetings of the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals had to be postponed due to lack of a quorum. One member of the board has resigned meaning all four of the members left have to be present to have a quorum. City Manager Marc Maxwell said the city council is expected to appoint additional members and alternates to the board soon. The property owners at 1320 South Broadway, N3 Realty in Southlake, are seeking a variance to the city sign ordinance. They are wanting a sign 85 feet high. The city sign ordinance allows signs to be only 24 feet high. City staff is in favor of the variance.
Also at the meeting, a property owner at 1111 West Industrial Drive will be seeking a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals. The special board does not just provide recommendations to the city council but actually has the power to make decisions.
DPS Increasing Patrols for Both Christmas and New Year’s
The Texas Department of Public Safety will be increasing patrols around both the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The emphasis began Christmas eve and will continue through Sunday for the Christmas holiday. A news release notes patrolling troopers will be looking for drunk drivers, speeders, seal belt violators and other drivers who are endangering themselves and others on the state’s roadways. DPS Director Steven McCraw says that drinking and driving is always a concern during the holidays and he adds these DPS patrols help by identifying impaired or reckless drivers who endanger the safety of the traveling public. McCraw urges Texans to do their part to save lives by always driving sober and adhering to all traffic laws. During the Christmas New Year holiday enforcement effort last year, DPS troopers made 403 DWI arrests. They also issued 7,274 speeding citations, 724 seat belt child safety seat citations, made 292 fugitive arrests and 166 felony arrests.
Expect Rain and Slight Chance of Snow During Holiday Weekend
Christmas Eve will find the wind giving Santa a light tailwind for his journey from the North Pole to Sulphur Springs although temperatures will just be in the comfortable stage for his warm red suit. Low temperature Christmas Eve will be 54. However, the jolly elf with be bringing more winter-like weather to the region.
Christmas Day will find a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms increasing to 60% Friday night, 70% Saturday, and 90% Sunday. Sunday night or Monday, the rain may transition to snow along and west of a line from Dallas to Bonham. Any accumulation of snow would be only on bridges and overpasses thanks to warm ground temperatures.
Sheriff’s Department Seeks Funding for Blood Hounds
In hopes of getting some financial support from the Hopkins County Commissioners Court, Sheriff’s Department Corporal Walt Kimmel put on a demonstration of his bloodhounds Tuesday behind the Sedalco Construction Building on Houston Street across from the new jail. The dogs have already been out three times to aid Sheriff’s Office cases. Kimmel, the department’s dog handler for the bloodhounds, said the dogs are only used to trail individuals that are lost or an escapee.
Kimmel is in the process of receiving certified for the work. A jailer purchased the two dogs but did not have enough time to train them for the work. Having the dogs locally will enable a quick response to the need for the dogs.
Kimmel said that a GPS system records the trail the dog followed and that information is admissible in court. Kimmel demonstrated the dogs to the commissioners Tuesday afternoon.
Thunderstorm Creates Power Outage
As of 6:40 a.m. Wednesday morning, 92 Oncor customers were without electrical power. Power is expected to be restored before 8:30 a.m. The outage was caused by a severe thunderstorm that passed through the area until 6:45 a.m. Cloud to ground lightning, hail, and high winds along with heavy rainfall highlighted the thunderstorm warning for the Sulphur Springs and eastern Hopkins County area at 6:15 a.m.
FEC reports no customer outage as a result of the morning storms.
Tornado Watch Issued for Hopkins County Area
At 12:06 a.m., the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Hopkins, Rains, Van Zandt, Anderson, and Henderson Counties until 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. The watch area extends from Hopkins County eastward into southwestern Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana.
Local Car Business Expands
Along with the new Hodge Chevrolet dealership, which is set to open on Wildcat Way in January, a local car dealer plans to move his dealership to a location on Gilmer Street. Hometown Auto Sales, owned by Tim Merrell, has been operating from their League Street lot for many years, but has purchased land on Gilmer Street and plans to build a new office building and a lot to hold up to 30 cars. The new location will be at 1017 Gilmer is property formerly occupied by AES Alternator and Starter.
Merrell comes by the car business as a “family tradition.” He has operated his own lot full time for the past ten years, but worked at his father’s lot since a young boy. Also, his extended family includes the Stubblefield’s who owned a car lot on Broadway for many years. Merrell plans to start construction on the new office in January and, with good weather, hopes to have it opened by March 1st. He tells KSST news that there is “a growing need for special financing that some of the big dealerships can’t offer.” His lifetime experience trading cars has served him well in meeting the needs of his customers.
Broadway Laser Wash Torn Down
The Broadway Laser Wash owned by Clay Johnson of the Johnson Law Firm has been torn down. Johnson had closed the car wash after business declined.
The Broadway Laser Wash opened in 1998 and was the only automatic car wash in town at that time. Johnson owned it as a side business while he worked at the law firm with his father Coy Johnson. It had a very successful first decade until competition and high expenses caused business to dwindle. The car wash eventually needed remodeling and updates, but Johnson decided to close the business instead.
He had tried to sell the business, but no one was interested. Johnson chose to tear down the car wash before the first of the new year in a move to limit expenses.
County Court at Law Judge Smith Interprets Ruling; Commissioners Leave Sign in Place
The Hopkins County Commissioners Court took action Tuesday morning on the new state open carry law set to take effect January 1. The court was swayed by the opinion of County Court at Law Judge Amy Smith who had read the Attorney General’s opinion on the matter.
Judge Smith said that according to the Attorney General’s opinion any premise of any government offices and grounds that are utilized by the courts allows a ban on open carry by those licensed by the state. Judge Smith said open carry cannot be prohibited in the basement because that area is not used by the courts for any reason. However, under the AG’s ruling the courtroom and premises of the courtroom “where transactions of the court take place” are areas where open carry can be prohibited. According to her honor, this includes areas such as hallways that are used for witnesses awaiting their time to testify, consolation by attorneys, transfer of jurors from the courtroom to the jury room, and other specific activities of the court. She stated at all areas inside the Hopkins County courthouse except the basement qualify for prohibiting open carry.
Commissioner Beth Wisenbaker, concerned with the bigger issue of courthouse security, offered this motion that was seconded and approved. Her motion called for the current sign to be left in place at the front door of the courthouse based on the AG’s opinion and the interpretation of Judge Smith. The motion also called for a work session to further study the question with the commissioners’ court attorney and look into fulltime courthouse security to be implemented during this budget period.
