3 COVID-19 Deaths, 25 New Cases & 27 Recoveries Reported Aug. 17, 2021, For Hopkins County
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to swell in Hopkins County, with 25 new COVID-19 cases reported Aug. 17, three additional deaths and 27 recoveries reported on Tuesday, 2021. That leaves 244 active COVID-19 cases among Hopkins County residents on Aug. 17. Also across the region, only 1 ICU hospital bed was available on Monday.
COVID-19 Deaths
Across the state, only 96 new COVID-19 fatalities were recorded by Texas Department of State Health Services on Aug. 17. Unfortunately, three are confirmed by death certificate to be Hopkins County residents who died as a direct result of COVID-19: two on Aug. 10 and one on Aug. 11. That’s five Hopkins County residents who have died this month from COVID-19, and a total of 119 since July 2020 – when the county’s first COVID-19 death was recorded.
| County | COVID Deaths | % Fatlity to Positive Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Hopkins | 119 | 5.37 |
| Franklin | 26 | 4.08 |
| Delta | 14 | 5.88 |
| Rains | 30 | 5.93 |
| Lamar | 162 | 5.73 |
| Red River | 38 | 7.30 |
| Wood | 134 | 5.55 |
| Titus | 85 | 3.16 |
| Hunt | 185 | 3.02 |
More COVID-19 fatalities were recorded for Hopkins County Aug. 1-17 than during the months of May, June and July combined. Four Hopkins County residents died in May from COVID; four Hopkins County residents died from COVID-19 in May, and none were reported to have occurred in either June or July. In fact, the last time Hopkins County had five COVID deaths in a single month was February, a month with a composite of 269 new COVID cases.
That means that while 5.98 percent of the population of Hopkins County has contracted the virus, 5.37 percent of the county residents who received lab-confirmed positive molecular test results have died from the virus.
Of the 8 counties immediately surrounding Hopkins, more COVID deaths have been reported in three counties, which each have a larger population than Hopkins.
In Lamar County, 162 residents have died from COVID-19, including one one Aug. 5. Hunt County has had 185 total COVID-19 deaths, including three this month, one Aug. 3 and two on Aug. 5, A total of 134 Wood County residents have died as a result of COVID, the latest on Aug. 5, 2021.
Only one of the five other nearby counties has had more than 50 fatalities. Titus County, the closest in population to Hopkins County with about 4,300 less residents, has had 85 residents die from COVID-19, including one on Aug. 4, according to the Aug. 17, 2021, Texas COVID-19 Fatalities County Data by County report.
Franklin County, one of the first in the area to report a COVID fatality on March 11, 2020, has had 26 total COVID-19 deaths, and none since March 2, 2021. Delta County has had only 14 fatalities, the last reported to have occurred on July 4, 2021. Thirty Rains County residents have died from COVID-19, the latest on July 23, 2021. Red River County has lost 39 residents to the coronavirus, the most recent on Aug. 8, 2021.
COVID-19 Case Counts
August has almost matched February in total new COVID-19 cases. From Aug. 1-17, 2021, 268 new COVID-19 cases have been reported for Hopkins County, just one shy of February’s total. Overall, that’s 268 new COVID-19 cases reported during the first 17 days of August 2021, which is 80 more COVID-19 cases reported so far this month than during the entire month of 2020. So far, only December (483 cases) and January (400 cases) have had more COVID-19 cases, but at the current pace August could very well match or exceed those monthly totals in terms of new COVID cases. (The state did not begin keeping track of and daily reporting probable cases until Dec. 11, so only lab-confirmed case counts are available before that date.) Cumulatively, 4,036 Hopkins County COVID cases have been reported to DSHS since March of 2021.
Of the 20,123 new cases lab-confirmed by molecular testing across the state Tuesday, including 21 Hopkins County cases. That’s 25 lab-confirmed cases this week, 76 the first week and 94 last week for at total of 195 confirmed so far during the month of August, bringing the cumulative total for Hopkins County since the pandemic began to 2,216 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 17, 2021. That means 11 more confirmed cases were recorded last month than the 83 confirmed during the entire month of July and 14 more than the combined total of all new cases reported for Hopkins County during the month of June (63 confirmed and 27 probable) and five more than in May. The 94 confirmed cases reported Aug. 8-14 was also 38 more than all of April, when 32 confirmed and 24 probable cases were recorded.
At this time last year, 220 Hopkins County residents had received positive molecular test results; at that time probable cases were tracked by Texas Department of State Health Services. That means 1,996 additional Hopkins County residents have received lab-confirmed COVID-19 tests results over the last 365 days.
Four of the 4,299 new probable cases reported for Texas reside have Hopkins County addresses. That’s seven new probable cases this week, three today and four Monday, combined with the 22 reported the first week and 66 44 reported the second week of August, that’s 73 new probable cases recorded for Hopkins County so far this week, including three Monday, four Tuesday, 22 the first week and 44 the second week of the month, according to DHS COVID-19 Case Counts dashboards.
That leaves 244 Hopkins County residents reported to still have coronavirus on Aug. 17, two less than on Monday, when seven new COVID-19 cases were reported, and five more than on Aug. 14, when 38 new COVID cases were recorded. That’s 138 more active cases reported for Hopkins County on Aug. 17 than on Aug. 1. The most active cases reported for July 2021 was 100 on the 31st, while June’s high was 43 on the first and 41 on May 29 and 31. The most active cases on any one day in February was 220 the day after Valentine’s Day. The most active cases reported for Hopkins County during December was 273 on the 14th.
Hospital Reports
Lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients accounted for 12,227 or 24.05 percent of all hospitalizations in Texas hospitals, and 19.48 percent of the total hospital capacity (62,782 beds), leaving 7,803 beds available in Texas hospitals on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Overall, 8,840 of the 50,845 occupied general hospital beds in Texas hospitals were occupiend by lab-confirmed COVID patients, and accounted for 3,186 of the 7,174 ICU beds occupiend in Texas hospitals on Monday.
In Region F Trauma Service Center, which includes all hospitals in Northeast Texas from Bowie to Hopkins County, 179 lab-confirmed COVID patients were hospitalized, accounting for 21.62 percent of the the total hospital capacity (828) and 29.78 percent of total hospitalizations. In TSA F, 59 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were in 82 of the occupied ICUs as well as in 120 of the 600 general beds occupied on Aug. 16. That left only 1 unocuppied ICU hospital bed available on Monday. In fact, Aug. 16 marked the seventh consecutive day in which fewer than 10 ICU beds available across TSA F, and the third day in the last week that only one ICU beds was available in TSA F.
At CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital Sulphur Springs, the patient count in the COVID-19 unit rose from 12 on Monday to 21 on Tuesday, Aug. 16, according to Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management reports. That’s the largest number of COVID-19 patients reported since January, when the COVID unit housed as many as 32 COVID patients on Jan. 6-7. In fact on only 5 days did the patient count drop below 21 in January: 18 Jan. 27-28, 19 on the 25th, 20 each on the 22nd and 29th. In fact, at one point the COVID unit was reported to have continued to have a single digit patient census consistently for several months, and on April 5 city officials reported the COVID unit had no patients at all.
| Hospital Area Covered | Aug. 16 COVID patients | % Of Hospital Capacity | COVID Patients In General Beds | COVID Patients In ICU Beds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total from all Texas Hospitals | 12,227 | 19.48 | 8,840 | 3,186 |
| Trauma Serivice Area F | 179 | 21.62 | 120 | 59 |
| CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs | 12 | 21.88 | Unknown | Unknown |
Lady Cats Volleyball Drops Three Set Thriller to Greenville
The Lady Cats volleyball team came in to the Lion Den on Tuesday, Aug. 17 hoping not to drop a second straight game for the first time this season.
Unfortunately for Sulphur Springs fans, Coach Bailey Dorner’s Lady Cats came out on the wrong end of a three-set thriller to Greenville on Tuesday night.
The match between the two teams began as a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading points and tying it up several times.
Greenville took the lead mid-set at 15-14 after both teams traded blows before taking control the rest of the way for a 25-17 set one win.
Set two was another close one, with ties at 4-4, 5-5 and 8-8 before Greenville went on a scoring run to lead the visiting Lady Cats 14-9 heading in to a Sulphur Springs time-out.
It would be all Lady Lions all the time from there though as they scored 11 of the next 19 points en route to another 25-17 set win over Sulphur Springs.
The Lady Cats, staring down the barrel of defeat for the second straight game, came out on a tear in set three. Coach Dorner’s squad scored eight of the first 11 points in the set, before the Lady Lions came roaring back to tie the set for the first time at 9-9.
From there, it was a heavyweight boxing match for the ages; both teams went blow-for-blow, tying it up 11 times after Greenville was able to type it up at nine-all.
Sulphur Springs fought until the very end, tying set three at 25-25 before the Lady Lions scored two straight to win set three and complete the sweep of the Lady Cats.
Set three showed incredible poise and character from both teams, and Brooklyn Burnside played with a fierce tenacity getting several kills and successful blocks to put her team in a chance to win the set.
The loss to Greenville dropped Lady Cats’ volleyball season record to 4-4 overall.
Next up, Coach Dorner and her squad will be participating in the Wills Point Tournament on Thursday and Saturday. Not only that, but on Friday the Lady Cats will be at Rains at 4:30 P.M.
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.
Chamber Connection – August 18.
By Butch Burney
Lunch and Learn
The Texas State Legislature has been in the national news, and you will have a chance to get the inside scoop when State Sen. Bob Hall and State Rep. Bryan Slaton will be in town for a Lunch and Learn from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. Registration forms are on our website, so sign up to learn how laws passed (and not passed) by the Texas Legislature will affect your business. Lunch will be provided at the Sulphur Springs Country Club. Tickets are $15 for Chamber members and $20 for nonmembers. Thanks for Atmos Energy and Oncor for sponsoring this important luncheon.
All About Stew!
We are currently accepting applications for stew cooks for the 52nd Annual World Championship Hopkins County Stew Contest on Saturday, Oct. 23. Letters to past cooks were mailed out a couple of weeks ago.
Come by the chamber office or send us an email and we will get the registration form to you. We are expecting a big turnout for this year’s event, so be sure and get your spot.
We have also opened up our sponsor call for businesses that would like to sponsor some of the winning stew pots.
Stew Fest Market Vendor Call
The Chamber is excited to announce our vendor call for the Stew Fest Market! The Chamber is currently accepting vendors for the Stew Fest Market, which will be located on the south side of Buford Park during Friday night and Saturday Stew Contest activities. This is a great opportunity to sell goods or to promote your business to 7,000 people who attend the Stew Contest annually. Vendors may rent booth space to sell goods or distribute information about their business. Booths will be assigned on a first-paid basis. Access to electricity is not guaranteed. Generators are permitted. Vendors who are interested in purchasing booth space, call the Chamber of Commerce at 903-885-6515 email us at [email protected]
All Stew Contest Drink Sales
Every year, the Chamber allows a non-profit organization to sell drinks at the Stew Contest. If you are interested in placing your organization’s name in the hat, please call the Chamber. You will be asked to come in and sign an understanding agreement in regard to rules and expectations. The deadline is Aug. 31. Once we have all our volunteers in place, we will literally pick one out of a hat and award drink sales to that organization. Please call if you have any questions.
Photography Contest
It’s time for the 6th Annual Chamber of Commerce Photography Contest! Anyone of any age can enter as we have a children’s category. The picture must be newer than January 1, 2019 and must have been taken in Hopkins County. The contest will be open from August 2 to August 31. There are seven categories you may enter: Natural World, Travel, People, The Hopkins County Experience, Altered Images, Mobile, and Children’s Category. Only digital images are accepted (no prints). To submit your photograph, email the picture to [email protected]. Rules and releases will be available on the Chamber of Commerce website.
Postcards are in!
People ask about Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County postcards, and now the Chamber has them in. We have five different postcards featuring the landmarks and events of the county.
Come in, they are for purchase for $2 each.
Christmas Ornaments
Our annual Christmas ornaments are for sale for $40 at the Chamber office. They feature the City Hall at Christmastime, and are the fourth in our series of ornaments featuring county scenes
Ribbon Cuttings
Nunez Roofing hosted a ribbon cutting at 1121 Loop 301 at noon Wednesday, Aug. 11.
CDC: Third Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine Recommended For Moderately & Severely Immunocompromised Individuals Only
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has ONE mission: To Extend the Health Ministry of Jesus Christ.
By Holly Ragan, Senior Market Development, CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs, [email protected]
Thank you for your patience!
Due to a sharp increase in Emergency Room visits as a result of the spike in COVID-19, please expect longer wait times than normal. Rest assured we are doing everything we can to provide high quality care in a timely manner. Thank you in advance for allowing us to provide for your healthcare needs, while extending grace to our staff.
COVID Vaccine Clinics
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs will host a COVID Vaccine Clinic every Friday morning from 9am to 11am in the main lobby of the hospital until further notice. The available vaccines include Moderna (2-doses, ages 18 and older), Pfizer (2-doses, ages 12 and older) and Johnson & Johnson (1-dose, ages 18 and older), Appointments not required, but parent/guardian must accompany anyone 17 and younger.
COVID Vaccine Updates
News from the Texas Department of State Health Services:
“On Aug. 12, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization fact sheets to include guidance on administering an additional dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that people whose immune system are moderately to severely compromised receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after an initial two-dose mRNA series (Pfizer or Moderna).
ACIP’s recommendation includes people with a range of conditions, such as recipients of organ or stem cell transplants, people with advance or untreated HIV infection, active recipients of treatment for cancer, people who are taking some medications that weaken the immune system, and others. A full list of conditions can be found on CDC’s website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.
The additional dose should be the same vaccine product as the initial two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). If the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available, the other mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered. A person should not receive more than three mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses.
It’s important to note that an additional dose is only recommended for individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised — CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time.
Currently, there are insufficient data to support the use of an additional mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose after a single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccination series in immunocompromised people. FDA and CDC are actively working to provide guidance on this issue.
Immunocompromised individuals may discuss with their health care provider whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them. If their health care provider is not at a site administering vaccines, these individuals can self-attest and receive the additional dose wherever vaccines are offered. For more information, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html.”
Carter BloodCare Blood Drive
The Carter BloodCare Bus will be parked in the front parking lot of our hospital in Sulphur Springs on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Our local blood supply is at an all-time low creating a serious supply issue.
To sign up to give blood, or for questions, please call Yeon Mi Kim at 903.438.4380 or call/text Carter Bloodcare at 800.366.2834. All donors will receive a free t-shirt.
Sports Medicine
FREE Saturday Athletic Injury Clinic for student athletes of all ages is here! Saturday sports clinic will be held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., on August 21 through November 13. Athletes will get an exam and free x-ray to determine a plan of care to treat their injury. The location will be the CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Orthopedic Office at 103B Medical Circle in Sulphur Springs.
For more information about our Sports Medicine program, or Orthopedic services, please call our office at 903.885.6688.
Please help us preserve our masks for our healthcare providers, and BRING YOUR OWN MASK
With COVID cases rapidly increasing in our community, the hospital requires all visitors to wear a mask while in the facility. There is no entry into the hospital without a mask. Visitors may wear a cloth or medical mask. Thank you for your continued support of the safety of our patients and associates.
Hospital Bed Availability
While some hospitals are on divert due to a “critical COVID surge,” CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital continues to serve patients, and has available hospital beds, both for COVID and non-COVID diagnoses.
Hospital Visitation
Please note the following guidelines for hospital visitation:
- Visitors must acquire masks themselves prior to entering our facility; cloth masks are acceptable. Masks must cover both the nose and the mouth. Visitors must remain masked during their time in the hospital.
- Emergency Department entrance open 24/7
- Main Entrance open 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
- Gift Shop open
- Visiting hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Types of Visitors:
- COVID receiving aerosol treatments: via tele-visitation only.
- COVID not receiving aerosol treatments: 1 Essential support person at a time – Essential support person will be given a visible wrist band
- COVID unit visitor must remain the same throughout stay
- ICU/ER: 1 Essential support person only
- All other patients may have 1 essential support person and 1 visitor (up to 2 persons in room at a time).
Hours of Operation
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Urgent Care – Sulphur Springs
The CHRISTUS Urgent Care hours of operation are as follows:
- In-Person Care Hours: Monday, 9-5; Tuesday, closed; Wednesday-Saturday, 9-5; Sunday, closed.
- Virtual Visit Hours: Monday-Friday, 8-5
- To schedule a virtual visit, please visit urgentcare.christushealth.org, then select your location and click “Virtual Visit”
The Urgent Care is located at 1339 S. Broadway, and the phone number to call is 903.951.1001.
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System includes CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospitals – Tyler, South Tyler, Jacksonville, Winnsboro and Sulphur Springs; the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital – Tyler; CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital, a partner of Encompass Health; Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, a long-term acute care facility; and CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic.
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic is the area’s preferred multi-specialty medical group, with more than 400 Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers representing 36 specialties in 34 locations serving Northeast Texas across 41 counties.
For more information on services available through CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, visit christustmf.org
- Bed count – 402 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler
- Bed count – 8 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – South Tyler
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville
- Bed Count – 96 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Winnsboro
- Bed count – 94 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital
- Bed count – 96 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart – Tyler
- Bed count – 51 – Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital
Game Day Tuesday Brings Tennis and Volleyball
The day before school starts brings more Wildcats sports in tennis and volleyball.
The first team up today, Tuesday Aug. 17 will be team tennis, coached by Tony Martinez. Wildcats team tennis has stayed busy since August began, playing in their fifth contest today since their first on Aug. 2.
Wildcats team tennis will be back in Tyler for the second time in a week when they play Tyler High today at 3 P.M.
Last week Team Tennis played Bullard High School in Tyler on Wednesday.
The other team prepped for action the day before school starts on Wednesday, Aug. 18 is volleyball.
Coach Bailey Dorner and her Lady Cats will be traveling out to Greenville later today when they take on the Lady Lions at 5:30 P.M.
Like team tennis, Coach Dorner’s squad has kept busy since the onset of August. They played their season-opening tri-match versus North Lamar and Sherman last Tuesday before participating in the Garland Tournament last weekend.
Lady Cats volleyball’s season record heading into the bout with Greenville tonight is 4-3 overall.
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.
Constable Arrested Four While Attempting To Serve Paperwork On Connally Street
A Hopkins County Constable arrested four teens while while attempting to serve paperwork on Connally Street Monday afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies assisted at the location, according to arrest reports.
Jesus Leobardao Gonzalez 
Micah Ann Mothershed 
Paislie Paige Lappin 
David Alexander McCulloch
Precinct 2 Constable John Beadle knocked on the door at a Connally Street residence at 2:04 p.m. Aug. 16 while working a writ of possession. Two women, including Micah Ann Mothershed who was named in the paperwork, and a male arrived at the door together. For officer safety and that of the other person named in the writ as well as a worker with him, Beadle patted down the male, who reportedly kept reaching into his pockets. Beadle reported finding a bag of white, powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine hanging out of one front pocket. At that time, he placed the male, identified as 17-year-old Jesus Leobardao Gonzalez of Sulphur Springs, into custody for possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and asked dispatchers to send Precinct 1 Constable Norman Colyer to the location to assist due to multiple individuals present.
Colyer arrived and served as a cover unit while Beadle entered the Connally Street residence to remove, from a back bedroom, a fourth person reported by one women to be passed out asleep. After yelling at the male multiple times, 17-year-old David Alexander McCulloch of Sulphur Springs awoke, was placed into handcuffs and removed from the house.
While in the bedroom, however, Beadle alleged seeing in plain view multiple needles and a drugs throughout the room. All four individuals, including 18-year-old Preslie Paige Lappin and 19-year-old Micah Ann Mothershed, both of Sulphur Springs. Assisted by Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Richard Brantley and Sgt. Todd Evans, Beadle retrieved 8.4 ounces of marijuana and multiple vape pens.
As a result Mothershed, McCulloch, Lappin and Gonzalez were arrested just before 4 p.m. with possession of 4 grams or more but less than 400 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance (the substance in the vape pens) and possession of 4 ounces or more but less than 5 pounds of marijuana. Gonzalez and Mothershed were also charged with possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance. Bonzalez too was reported to be wanted for not taking care of a second offense no driver’s license charge.
All four remained in Hopkins County jail just before noon Tuesday. Bond was set at $20,000 each on the Penalty Group 2 controlled substance charge and $5,000 on the marijuana charge.
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.
Texas Ranger Ticket Giveaway #10
KSST has Texas Ranger Baseball tickets available this weekend’s Saturday and Sunday games against the Astros. Winners will get to chose from available tickets, first come first served.
This years tickets will be offered in a digital format. To be a winner, you will need to download and install the Offical MLB Ball Park App for your smart device. Think of the app as a digital wallet for your tickets.
How to Win
Like KSST and like this post on Facebook to enter. Winners will be chosen at random. Winners will be notified via Facebook. Remember, you will need to provide a valid email address, and that email must be linked to your MLB Ballpark app.
The Process
Once you win, KSST will forward the digital ticket information to your email. Your MLB Ballpark app will accept the ticket information and store them until you need them. You will need to take your device to the ballpark to display the QR code at the gate. Get all the details at MLB.COM
Just to be clear, KSST and KRVA did not receive paper tickets, so we can not furnish paper tickets to our winners.
Sulphur Springs Job Fair and Career Showcase Scheduled Thursday, Aug. 19
The Sulphur Springs/Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation, in collaboration with Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas and the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, announce the Sulphur Springs Job Fair and Career Showcase.
This event will take place on Thursday, August 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hopkins County Civic Center, 1200 Houston St. in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Job seekers are invited take advantage of this opportunity to meet with more than 20 employers and potentially find their next career.
About That Blue Alert Monday Night …
If you have a cell phone, chances are you too received a loud alert and a “Public Safety Alert” late Monday night for a “Law Enforcement Blue Alert.” Unless you’re plugged into the alert system or in public safety, that probably didn’t mean a lot to you and didn’t give enough information at that time of night to be much help except to alert you that something was going on.
While most are familiar with Amber and Silver Alerts, there are six types of Texas Department of Public Safety Alerts designed to quickly notify the general public about a situation involving a missing person. The six alerts you could potentially receive include
- Amber Alert – to help located abducted children,
- Silver Alert – missing older adults with a documented mental condition.
- Blue Alert – relays information regarding a suspected assailant accused of killing or seriously wounding a local, state, or federal law enforcement officer.
- Endangered Missing Persons Alert – for missing persons (of any age) with an intellectual disability.
- Camo Alerts – for a missing current or former member of the United States armed forces, including the National Guard or a reserve or auxiliary unit of any branch of the armed forces.
- CLEAR (Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue) Alert – for missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death, as well as aid in locating any potential suspects.
The announcement issued Monday night, Aug. 16, by Texas Department of Public Safety asked people to be on the lookout for a vehicle in connection with case in Clay County, near Wichita Falls. A deputy was reportedly shot during a traffic stop, but is “expected to be OK.” Authorities were looking for a white male last seen driving a white four-door Cadillac with dark window tint, vehicle damage and the license plate FXJ-1334, which was not registered to the car it was on.
The man is a suspect in the shooting of a Clay County deputy, according to police reports. The man was last seen wearing dark colored clothing and a dark flat-billed cap. The white car was believed to have damage, including a possible broken or damaged rear window and possible bullet holes. The male was last seen in the car traveling northbound on US Highway 287 in Jolly around 7 p.m. Aug. 16, according to the DPS release.
The vehicle was reported to have been found in Wichita Falls, but he suspect at last report was still at large.
Anyone who may have information about the suspect’s location, or who thinks they see the suspect is urged to call 911 immediately.
Registration Now Open For New Landowner Seminar Series On Sept. 3
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Hopkins County have developed a series of educational programs to assist new landowners with the concept of agriculture production and rural living. The New Landowner Seminar Series is designed with you in mind, providing opportunities to hear from leading experts and successful producers in the field of agriculture on what it takes to start, manage, and maintain your own agricultural enterprise and effectively manage your natural resources.
You will hear from AgriLife Extension Specialists, County Extension Agents, and others on concepts related to Wildlife Management, Pond Management, Forage Production, Weed & Brush Control, Horticulture Production, Honey Bees, Livestock Production, Rural Laws and Codes, and much more.
Networking is another great opportunity provided through this program series; bringing landowners from the four-county-area together to talk about plans, successes, and challenges in an effort to help one another.
The series is schedule to start September 3, 2021, at the Hopkins County Extension Office. The series has a cost of $20 per person, $25 per couple.
Please register by August 27, 2021 by calling the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email Mario Villarino at [email protected] (a minimum of five attendees are required for the series to make).
Submitted by Dr. Mario Villarino, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Hopkins County
