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.
Speight Returned to Hopkins County to Face Child Sex Abuse Charge
June 14, 2023 – JOHN LEWIS SPEIGHT, age 66, was released from the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville on Tuesday this week. A Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy was waiting to transport him back to the Hopkins County Jail.
Speight is chanrged with:
1 21.02(B) SEX ABUSE OF CHILD CONTINUOUS: VICTIM UNDER 14
His bond has not been set.
This is not the first time Speight has been in Hopkins County Jail. In 2018 he was arrested after an altercation occurred in Cumby, TX. Speight, who now lists himself as homeless, was living in a camper at that residence. See that story here.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
De Kalb Man Stopped with a Pound of Marijuana
June 14, 2023 – A De Kalb, TX man was stopped on I-30 on Tuesday. Inside his vehicle was a pound of marijuana.
After a hit on a Licence Plate Reader, Deputies followed Forte’s vehicle along I-30 for several miles. When they neared mile marker 122, the driver began a more aggressive driving style. Forte began passing vehicles and started following a semi too closely. At that point, Deputies initiated a traffic stop.
During contact with the driver, an odor of marijuana was emitted from the Lincoln Continental. When asked if there was marijuana in the car, Forte initially said that there wasn’t. He later admitted that there was. A search of the vehicle yield a bag of marijuana weighing approximate one pound.
Forte was arrested and transferred to Hopkins County Jail without incident. The white Lincoln was impounded. He is charged with:
481.121(B)(3) POSS MARIJ <= 5LBS > 4OZ
Forte was arrested in 2021 after he allegedly fired a .40 cal Glock handgun into a rear taillight of a red Jetta. The incident occured in Bowie County near New Boston, TX. Once a report was filed, Forte’s family helped locate him at his De Kalb home. He admitted to firing the handgun because he felt the other party had ‘vandalized’ his white Lincoln Continental. He agreed to surrender the Glock, and led investigators to a lawn mower in his yard. The gun was located under the mower’s deck. At trial he pled not-guilty to two counts of deadly conduct.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Failure to Yield Lands Couple In Jail
June 14, 2023 – A Sulphur Springs couple, out for a drive at 1 AM Wednesday, are now in Hopkins County Jail. A Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputy witnessed the couple’s car fail to yield to oncoming traffic. The couple pulled out in front of the Deputy’s patrol vehicle. A traffic stop was initiated near Helm Lane.
The occupants, 42 year-old Nicole Rae Pritchard and 40 year-old Richard Otto Hall, Jr., showed signs of nervousness and deception when contacted by law enforcement. When asked, they refused to let their vehicle be searched.
A K-9 unit was called to the scene, and gave a positive alert on the vehicle. The couple exited the vehicle and a probable cause search of the Nissan Frontier was performed. Items found include: A bag of methamphetamine hidden in the center console and a bank type bag filled with paraphernalia including a scale and baggies.
The couple were then arrested and transferred to the Hopkins County Jail without incident. The Nissan was impounded. The meth weight approximately 54 grams.
This is not the first time Pritchard has been in Hopkins County Jail.
In 2022 Pritchard was arrested in Hopkins County and charged with manufacture/delivery and possession of a Controlled Substance. He bond at that time was set as $55,000.
In 2016 she was arrested and charged with possession. See that story here. She pled guilty to drug related charges and was sentenced to several years. See that story here.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Chamber Connection – June 14 By Butch Burney
We are gearing up for the 54th Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival, so be looking for sponsorship and registration forms which will be going out this week.
The stew festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 28, at Buford Park, with the annual concert, appetizer contest and other activities starting on Friday, Oct. 27.
Our sponsorship forms will be mailed out this week, and registration forms for stew cooks will be online later this week.
Mark your calendars and get ready for one of the biggest and best stew festivals ever!
Business After Hours
Join us for a fun and interactive Business After Hours this month at Northeast Texas Gellyball from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15.
NET Gellyball has not only the paintball-type game but also axe-throwing and other fun activities.
Business After Hours is a great way to interact and network with other business professionals and members of the community. You don’t have to be a Chamber member to attend and there is no cost.
NET Gellyball is located at 1151 South Broadway in the Spring Village Shopping Center.
Leadership Sulphur Springs
Even if you think you know Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County, you are sure to learn a lot through Leadership Sulphur Springs, which is back on this year, with applications online! The leadership class is for Hopkins County men and women who want to learn and become more invested in their local community. It’s an intensive nine-month program that immerses the participants in the business and government of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The tentative dates for this year’s program are attached to the application, which can be accessed at HopkinsChamber.org.
The registration fee is $500 and that covers the cost of the food, drinks, transportation, etc. for the year.
Journey Road Ministries Fundraiser
The 3rd Annual Journey Road Ministries Golf Tournament is set for June 26, at the Sulphur Springs Country Club, with a 4-man shotgun start at 8 a.m. The $400 entry fee includes lunch and two golf courts.
Register at JourneyRoadMinistries.com.
Journey to Joy
Camp Brave Heart, a grief camp for children ages 6-12 sponsored by Cypress Basin Hospice, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 22 and 23 in Sulphur Springs. The theme is Journey to Joy: Navigating Life Together.
For more information, visit cbhospice.org.
Hopkins County Law Enforcement
The Hopkins County Law Enforcement Association will have a Golf Tournament fundraiser at the Sulphur Springs Country Club on Aug. 21. The four-person teams will tee off at 10 a.m. For sponsor or player information, call Michael Russell at 903-438-4040 or email [email protected].
Wedding Expo
The DIY Wedding Expo is coming back to the Civic Center from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 23. For more information on sponsorships or vendor spaces, contact Tracey Treadway at 214-683-7669 or [email protected].
Ribbon Cutting
DKSC East Texas hosted a ribbon cutting at Coleman Park on Wednesday, June 7, as part of their soccer camp. Please welcome them to the community.
Bubble Speech Therapy hosted a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, June 6, in their office inside the Chamber building, 110 Main St. Please welcome them.
The Yard at the VFW will host a ribbon cutting at noon on Wednesday, June 14, at the post on 1 Veterans Drive. Please join us for this event.
The Pines RV and Resort will have a ribbon cutting at noon on Friday, June 16, at their facility located at 4069 CR SE 4250 in Mount Vernon. Please join us if you can.
Designs by Vivian will host a ribbon cutting at noon on Wednesday, June 21, at the shop in Shannon Square. Please join us for this event.
