2 Hopkins County Men Returned To Jail On Felony Charge
June 17, 2021 – Two Hopkins County men were returned to jail this week on a felony charge each, one who was released less than 3 months ago and another just four days months after his release, according to arrest and jail reports.
(HCSO jail photo)
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Steve Shing and Kevin Lester located 43-year-old Charles Ray “Chuck” Rollins at his Saltillo residence just before 3 p.m. June 14, 2021, on an indecency with a child by sexual contact warrant. The offense, is alleged to have occurred on June 6, 2021.
Rollins remained in Hopkins County jail Thursday night, June 17, in lieu of the $100,000 bond set on the second-degree felony indecency with a child charge.
Monday was the second time in less than a week Rollins was booked into Hopkins County jail. He was booked into Hopkins County jail Thursday, June 10, 2021, on another indecency with a child by sexual contact warrant; he was released later that day on a $100,000 bond as well.
Lester also took Cory Layne Belz into custody at 10:13 a.m. Tuesday June 15, 2021, in the 8th Judicial District Court and escorted him to jail. The 36-year-old Brashear man was booked on an order revoking his bond on a possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone. He was held at the jail Thursday night without bond.
Belz has been arrested locally about two dozen times since 2005, most recently from Feb. 12 to April 8, 2021, on possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone, failure to identify by giving false or fictitious information and surety off bond on a second offense driving while intoxicated charge. bond on the Feb. 12 charges totaled $16,000.
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.
2021 SSHS Wildcat Football Season Tickets To Be Sold Online
Wildcat football season tickets will be sold online this year, a June 17 release from Sulphur Springs ISD superintendent’s office stated. Individuals who were season ticket holders in 2019 will be contacted first via email (or by letter if the school has no email on file) with instructions on how to secure season tickets in the next week or so. The email will come from the email address of [email protected].
More information will be released to the public when any remaining season tickets are available to purchase online, according to the SSISD release.
Texas A&M System to Observe New National Holiday
BRYAN/ COLLEGE-STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M University System will shut down Friday, June 18, in observance of Juneteenth being designated a national holiday, Chancellor John Sharp announced Thursday.
“This is a special day that originated in Texas and we’re proud to honor it,” Sharp said.
President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act today, establishing June 19 as a national holiday. In recognition of the historic nature of this event, the 11 universities and eight state agencies in the Texas A&M System will observe this holiday Friday.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery. On June 19, 1865 Maj. Gen. Gordan Granger arrived in Galveston and delivered General Order No. 3, which announced that all slaves were free in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation. Months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery.
Given the short notice, employees should report to work if they provide essential services or whose services are needed Friday to support events and activities involving or serving members of the public. They will be provided compensatory time off.
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Current Tax Practices Discussed At Sulphur Springs ISD Board Of Trustees Meeting
It’s no secret school finance is a complicated animal, with many different factors affecting funding, including how high Sulphur Springs ISD and other school districts may set the ad valorem rate. Lucas Janda with Live Oak Public Finance LLC discussed with SSISD Board of Trustees the “current tax practices” aspect of school finance, specifically the state’s values versus appraisal district values in Texas.
“The state for years has always had one big picture, that the higher your property values are, the less amount of state aid they have to give you. That’s been the system they’ve had forever. With House Bill 3, nothing has really changed,” Janda told the board. “Let’s think about that for a second. Values keep getting higher and higher, and the state has to give less and less. Is that on the chief appraisers? Who is really responsible for that?”
The state does a sample of values in every county, with business or tax officials selecting the home or business properties to appraise. The state then gives an estimate of what they think they are worth and determine estimates for counties based on those appraisals. The appraisal rates set by the county’s chief appraiser then is expected to be within 5 percent of the state estimate, either at 95 or 105 percent of the range, for the “state to bless your school districts,” Janda reported.
He said, currently, the state continues to put pressure on chief appraisers for the 254 counties in Texas toward appraisals with higher property values annually. Those appraisers that do not set appraisals within that 5 percent range estimated by the state are given three years to get values up to the level indicated. When they don’t, Janda said, schools are hurt, receiving less and less state aid each year, and there could be repercussions for the chief appraiser, including potentially losing their job, Janda reported.
“We’d have to run numbers to tell you exactly what that means, but for districts in the 4,000-plus enrollment range, I’d venture to say that’s going to be hundreds of thousands and potentially even closer to a million dollars of that kind of loss in state aid,” Janda told the SSISD Board of Trustees during their June 15 meeting. “It’s obviously put in front of you, your superintendent, CFO; everybody’s got eyes on this and you have no control over anything. This is all between the state of Texas and what they think you values are the chief appraiser trying to keep up and ultimately not being at the threshold that the state’s expecting.”
Janda said the percentage that counties or schools are off can be found on a state website. The first year a district is in the “grace period,” the appraisal is typically in the lower lower 90 percentages compared to the state appraisals.
In the past, districts have benefitted from higher tax values. However, recent years’ legislation has capped the amount districts may set their maintenance and operating tax rate at. Now, when appraisal rates go up, districts are required to reduce their M&O tax rates, per HB 3.
“They’re probably doing their best to get values where they think is fair, but when the state says this is what they think it should be, now it’s fair plus premium,” Janda said.
Coach Owens and Football Edge Continue Building on Progress After Week 2
On Thursday, June 17, we met up with Wildcats head coach Greg Owens to discuss how the Edge has gone for him and his squad as the second week of Edge has concluded.
Coach Owens said he still wishes more students would participate in the summer strength and conditioning program, but recognized that so many student-athletes are still away on vacation, participating in a summer sports league, or away on a church camp.
The Wildcats football coach says he still wants these kids to participate in those types of activities, but stressed how falling behind can affect the progress of not only the student’s conditioning as they prepare for football season, but also the Edge.
Coach Owens said that they want the kids that are here in Sulphur Springs to come to the Edge, be on time, and work hard. The coach said he’s been praising athletes that attended the camp this week have been “busting their tails.”
Earlier today at the Edge, Coach Owens and his staff have implemented a new drill, called “The Tribe Test.”
This is a drill where football players had to run to the goal line, pick up a cone, and run as fast as they can in the hopes of making it back to the 10-yard line.
The quick nature of the drill, and making players pick up the cone and as quickly as they can run in the opposite direction, will be an incredibly valuable conditioning drill moving forward due to the nature of how quick some plays in football can be.
According to Coach Owens, the average football play is four to six seconds, so the ability for players to quickly pick up the cone (or ball), and take the ball in the opposite direction provides players with the practice they may need to dive at the ball, scoop a fumble, and do what they can to move the ball after the turnover.
“We’re doing those things now with the change of direction that’s really kind of taxing them,” Coach Owens said.
The Wildcats football head coach said that the drill and effort was really good, but they were taxed and just as quickly it was over.
Speaking on the Tribe test, Coach Owens said that it “Hopefully it gives us a good judgment of where we’re going to be and where we’re at.”
The Edge continues to build on what they have done over the last two weeks, while continuously adding on new challenges and drills to make sure that as many athletes as possible still have “The Edge” on their foes come football season.
The Edge for football runs Monday through Thursday at the Multi Purpose Building, from 8 A.M. to 10 A.M. for students entering ninth through twelfth grade, and 10 A.M. until noon for students entering the seventh through ninth grades.
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.
Emergency Sirens to be Tested Today
Emergency Sirens will be tested in Sulphur Springs today, Thursday June 17, 2021. The test will be conducted by the Sulphur Springs Emergency Management office. The test will be conducted at noon.
The test is to gauge the reliability of the emergency warning system and is conducted to find any potential flaws in the system. Recent tests have shown the emergency sires to be a ready source of warning in case of emergencies such as weather or other threats to safety.
This is only a test.
Court Issues Nationwide Preliminary Injunction Blocking Biden Administration’s Pause On New Oil And Gas Leases
AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton announced that a district judge has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on the Biden Administration’s oil and gas leasing moratorium, which intended to put a pause on the sale of new oil and gas leases on federal public lands and offshore waters by an executive order issued January 27, 2021.
The executive order was a clear violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the Mineral Leasing Act. The moratorium would have cost millions, possibly billions, of dollars for oil and gas workers, state and local government funding, and funds for the restoration of state coastlines, the news release from Paxton’s office states.
“I am pleased that the court recognized this federal overreach and worked promptly to end the implementation of this ill-advised moratorium that would harm the U.S. economy and cost many their livelihoods,” AG Paxton was quoted in the release “President Biden does not have the authority to revise Congressionally-mandated statutes on a political whim. Alongside Louisiana, and the eleven other states who joined our cause, we will continue to challenge any unconstitutional executive orders that this Administration tries to implement.”
Read the Judge’s Ruling here.
According to the judge’s order signed June 15 by Judge Terry A. Doughty, US District Court Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division, the plaintiffs ( the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia) allege President Biden and the government defendants “violated provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act),” entitling the states to a preliminary injunction.
The 44-page court order states states that the preliminary injunction shall remain in effect pending the final resolution of the case, or until further orders from this Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, or the United States Supreme Court.
Tira News: Homecoming Slated July 4
By Jan Vaughn, Tira News correspondent, [email protected].
The Tira Homecoming is quickly approaching. It will be held on Sunday, July 4. The program and business meeting will begin at 11 a.m. inside the Tira Methodist Church, and then a covered dish lunch will be shared at the picnic tables on the grounds. Donations for the upkeep of the cemetery grounds may be given that day or you can mail them to the Tira Cemetery Association, c/o Jan Vaughn, 776 FM 1536, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. We always appreciate
the contributions.
Joyce Dodd reported that Georgia Smith made a donation to the Tira Food Pantry. Joyce added, “She, also, brought the American flag that Danny Rawson’s daughter donated to the Tira Community Center.”
We want to express our appreciation to Georgia and to Sophie Markides, daughter of the late Danny and Judy Rawson and granddaughter of the late Dwight and Mary Rawson, of Tira.
Yvonne Weir reports, “Shana Parkinson, Caleb and Aaron visited from Friday to Sunday” Also, Robert and Yvonne’s grandson, Levi, spent Saturday night with them. Yvonne says, “We shot fireworks and went to Cooper Lake State Park and had a good time.”
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
Steve Killian Reports Cooper Lake State Park is Summer-Ready!
Steve Killian is Complex Supervisor for Cooper Lake’s dual State Parks. He’s renewing his invitation to everyone in the community to take advantage of the affordable fun, recreation and education offered by the Doctor’s Creek Unit, situated on the north side of the lake and the South Sulphur Unit, located on the south side of Cooper Lake. Whether it’s fishing, boating or swimming at the sandy beach, there’s going to be plenty of water in the lake and for hikers, bikers, horseback riders and campers, plenty of fun to be had at this ‘gem’ of a State Park in our own back yard!
In an interview on the KSST Good Morning Show with Enola Gay, Kilian shared that during the 15 months of COVID, people who became restless being indoors turned out for State parks all across Texas. “And doing so may have made them re-discover just how great our park system is! The rate of visitors has not slowed down but has continued to build with each month that passes. Studies show that 54% of visitors are from the Dallas/Ft Worth area, and 39% are from rural Texas with a small percentage being out-of-state visitors. So Texans, go ahead and plan your trip to a State park far away or right here at home!
There are four new faces on the park staff; Marissa Powers who is a Maintenance Ranger, Breeanna Hicks who is a Seasonal Program guide, Callie Shell a summer intern and Tony Smith who was hired last year as Asst. Complex Superintendent. These new staffers have been added to bring back programs which could not be conducted during COVID, and to add oversight park-wide. Along with 25 total staffers who interact with park visitors, there is also a law enforcement presence for both the north and south park areas.
This weekend is a good example of the fun and recreation offered. At the sandy beach swimming area on the South Sulphur Unit, a shaded educational area will be set up on Sunday to present “Skins and Skulls”, a hands-on nature program showing artifacts from many of the types of animals which inhabit the park. And coming up is a celebration of the 25th Birthday of Cooper Lake State Park. The 2-day event October 15/16 will feature a Living History group’s ‘The Buffalo Soldiers” re-enactment, plus a live outdoor music concert by the Reilly Springs Jamboree, to mention just a few of the unique attractions.
For day-use or overnight camping reservations, go online to tpwd.texas.gov.
Cranford Street Lot And Setback Variance, Industrial Drive Sign Variance Granted
The Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals granted two variances Tuesday evening, a Cranford Street lot and setback variance and an Industrial Drive sign variance.
Cranford Street Variance
Susan Stearns asked the ZBA to allow a variance for the lot and setback requirements for 639 Cranford St. Essentially, Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski explained the variance would allow Lots 2C and 3C in Block 34 1 to be subdivided. The property, zoned single family, has a 25-foot front yard setback, 6-foot side yard and 10 foot rear yard setback and minimum 6,000 square foot lots. The lot currently contains two homes, with a total lot size of 11,314-square feet. It is not possible to create two 6,000 square foot lots based on its existing footprint.
While the city’s ordinance regarding lot standards within a subdivision recommends avoiding double frontage lots, most of the lots between Brinker ad Cranford streets in that section of the city have two homes, some separate lots have less than 6,000-square feet each. there are no utilities running through the middle of the proper.
Allowing 639 Cranford to be separated into two lots meets the spirit of the ordinance, thus city staff recommended approving the variance. Records checks showed no initial plat records for the property, Niewiadomski noted.
Stearns, in her application, noted that there had been no interest in buying the house with a loft in the rear.
The ZBA granted the variance with setback, receiving approval from all voting; Janet Martin abstained because her “for sale” sign is in front off the property.
Industrial Drive Variance
The ZBA was also asked to consider approving a “meritorious exemption” to the sign ordinance to Kramerica Outdoor Advertising for property at 430 West Industrial Drive. The existing billboard was demolished and Kramerica proposed replacing it with a digital billboard. The existing sign was a double stacked sign with two 10.5′ x 36′ signs totaling 756 square feet. The applicant is proposing to install a smaller 672-square foot sign.
The sign ordinance allows billboard on I-30, SH 19, SH 154/South Broadway south of I-30, Loop 301, SH 11/Wildcat Way. Signs must be monopole design, cannot exceed 300 square feet or 40 feet in height, cannot be closer than 2,000 feet from an existing billboard, and must conform to TxDOT sign rules and regulations when on a state highway, and may be digital. These sign requirements were drafted to ensure against the kind of signage that results in low visual quality and guarding against overregulation of signage.
While the proposed billboard doesn’t meet the location and spacing standards, it is more compliant than the previous billboard. It’s more than 2,000 feet from another billboard on the same side of I-30, but there are two signs across the highway within the 2,000-foot separation requirement. It would not obstruct surveillance from emergency vehicles, would provide efficiency communication without being overwhelming and doesn’t detract for its surroundings.
Niewiadomski noted that city staff did recommend approval of the sign, which is smaller than and more conforming than the previous sign, and would be located more than 2,000 feet from another billboard on the same side of I-30.
The Zoning Board approved Kramerica’s application for a variance to the sign ordinance for 430 West Industrial Drive.
