Crime In Sulphur Springs Rose In 5 Of 7 Major Offense Categories In 2020
City Burglaries At 22-Year Record Low
Crime in Sulphur Springs in the seven major offense categories was higher in 2020 than in 2019, which was a year of record lows. The 188 offense reports, made by Sulphur Springs Police Department last year, places 2020 as the fourth lowest in 22 years. Only 171 offenses were reported in 2017, 168 offenses in 2018 and 162 offenses in 2019. The total number of crimes recorded by SSPD in 2020 was only about half the 22-year record high of 375 total offenses set in 1999, followed by 371 offenses in 2004.
Crime in Sulphur Springs rose in five of the seven major offense categories, declined to a new record low in one category and matched the total posted in 2019 in another category, according to data provided by SSPD.
Violent Crimes Against People
Three homicides were recorded in 2020, tying 2003 for the most murders reported in a single year in the city. However, in only nine of the last 22 years have there been any homicides, including two murders each in 2011, 2015 and 2018; and one each in 2002, 2005, 2009 and 201. There were no homicides from 1999-2001, 2004, 2006-2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 20016-17 and 2019.
In 2020, manslaughter was counted in the updated reporting system as a homicide. Two of the homicides stem from an early morning crash on Interstate 30 May 24, in which two elementary aged boys died; warrants were issued for the arrest of the SUV driver on two counts of manslaughter in connection with the wreck. The third homicide involved a 30-year-old was accused of the stabbing death of a 25-year-old on April 18 on College Street.
Nine sexual assaults were recorded in 2020, which is nearly double the five reported in 2019, and is just one offense shy of the record high set in 2015. The 22-year record low was set in 2012, a year in which no sexual assaults were recorded by SSPD.
Three more “assaults other than simple” or aggravated assaults were reported in 2020 than the 21 recorded in 2019. The 24 aggravated assaults reported in Sulphur Springs in 2020 was seven more than the record low of 167 set in 2013, but only about half the 22-year record high of 56 aggravated assaults set in 1999. In fact, there have only been three years since 1999 in which less than 20 aggravated assaults were recorded: 16 in 2013, 17 in 2016 and 18 in 2018.
Six robberies were reported in Sulphur Springs in 2020, the same as in 2004, 2015, 2016 and 2019. While still three times the record low of two robberies recorded in 2006 and repeated in 2011, the 2020 robbery total is still half the record high of 12 robberies in 2008, according to SSPD reports.
Property Crimes
A new record low of 17 was set in the burglary category, eclipsing the prior record of 20 burglaries set in 2019. That’s 101 less than the record high set in 2002 and repeated in 2004. These include all burglaries of homes and buildings recorded by SSPD, where both home and building burglaries have also been tracked separately since 2004.
Eight home burglaries were reported in 2020 to SSPD, four fewer than the previous low set in 2019, but still only about 1/9th of the record 76 home burglaries set in 2004. This category did not fall below 30 until 2012, and didn’t drop below 20 until 2016, when 19 home burglaries were recorded in Sulphur Springs, but has remained below 20 percent ever since. 2020 was the first year the total of home burglaries was a single digit number.
Last year also matched 2013 with nine building burglaries, which was just shy of the record low of eight building burglaries set in 2019, but still only about 1/5th of the record 42 home burglaries set in 2004. This category has remained below 30 since 2012 and has remained below 20 since 2013.
More thefts over $200 and vehicle thefts were reported in 2020 than in 2019, marking the second year both categories have risen. Thefts include all thefts of items valued at $200 that are not included in the structural burglary categories, including shoplifting, money and vehicle burglaries.
Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jason Ricketson reported these to be two of the most preventable crimes. A majority of the vehicle thefts and vehicle burglary cases were due to vehicles being unlocked and keys left in them. Locking vehicles and taking and valuables and keys when exiting often serve as big deterrents to vehicle thefts and burglaries. Failing to do so can and often does result in these “crimes of opportunity,” according to the chief.
Overall, 36 vehicles were reported to Sulphur Springs Police as stolen in 2020, five more than in 2019 and 27 more than the record low of nine vehicle thefts. Last year was only the second time in 16 years that more than 30 vehicles have been reported stolen in the city, but 2020 still had 14 less vehicle thefts than the record 50 reported in 2001.
A total of 93 thefts over $200 were reported in 2020, 16 more than in 2019 and 18 more than the record low of 75 thefts set in 2011, but still 85 less than the record high of 178 vehicle thefts set in 2004 in Sulphur Springs.
Jan. 20 COVID-19 Update: 1 Fatality, 12 New Cases, 146 Fully Vaccinated
Texas Department of State Health Services Jan. 20 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard showed one additional COVID-19 fatality, 12 new cases and an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations across the region, although Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials reported not change in the patient count in the hospital COVID unit on Wednesday.
Case Counts
DSHS reported 87 confirmed COVID-19 fatalities for Hopkins County, which means for the fifth time in the last seven days another Hopkins County resident has been confirmed to have died from novel coronavirus 2019. The latest death is reported to have occurred on Dec. 31, the third COVID-19 fatality on New Year’s Eve 2020, increasing the total number of Hopkins County COVID-19 deaths in December to 24. Five COVID-19 deaths have also been reported in January, two each on Jan. 2 and Jan. 5 and one death on Jan. 3, according to the Jan. 19 COVID-19 Fatalities over Time by County report.
DSHS’s Jan. 19 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard also showed a total of 1,308 lab-confirmed confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,222 cumulative probable cases, that is those of people who have either tested positive for COVID-19 through an antigen test or have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis.
That means a dozen new COVID-19 cases were reported for Hopkins County on Jan. 20. The three additional confirmed cases and nine new probable cases reported Wednesday increase the confirmed case count this week to 12 and the probable case count this week to 10. This month, 186 Hopkins County residents have received positive molecular COVID-19 tests results and 105 additional probable cases were reported for Hopkins County.
Although 240 Hopkins County residents have recovered from COVID-19 this month, there have been no new recoveries in three days. However, 130 recoveries were reported over the weekend, 80 on Friday and 50 on Saturday. Nonetheless, 2,293 of the 2,530 Hopkins County residents who’ve had COVID-19 have recovered.
That leaves 150 Hopkins County residents who still have active cases, 11 more than were reported on Monday, 15 more than on Sunday and 20 more than on Saturday, but still 21 fewer active cases than on Friday and 85 less than were reported last Friday, according to the DSHS data.
Hospital Data
HC/SSEM officials reported 26 patients in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Jan. 20, the same as on Jan. 19 and Dec. 31 and 14.
The COVID-19 patient count in Trauma Service Area F increased from 210 on Monday to 236 on Tuesday, which is 10 more than on Sunday and four more than on Saturday, but still less than the 241 reported on Jan. 11.
The overall patient count also increased from 1,011 on Monday to 1,056 on Tuesday, which is still 12 less than on Jan. 15 and 79 less than on Dec. 29. A total of 964 inpatient beds were staffed, 45 more than on Monday, but still 124 less than on Dec. 31. TSA-F had 605 hospitalizations on Tuesday, eight more than on Monday but 20 less than on Sunday, 53 less than on Jan. 14 and 112 less than on Dec. 31.
Eleven ICU beds were available, the same as on Jan. 14, three more than on Jan. 19 and 10 more than on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, but one less than on Jan. 13 and 19 less than on Dec. 26, according to the DSHS Test and Hospital data dashboard. Thirty-seven more beds overall were available on Tuesday than on Monday. A total of 73 ventilators were available across TSA-F on Tuesday, one more than on Monday, but still four less than on Jan. 12.
COVID-19 hospitalizations as a result accounted for 22.35 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F on Tuesday, up from 20.77 on Monday, but still less than the 23. 42 reported on Jan. 11. The area remains under GA-32 restrictions, business capacities reduced from 75 to 50 percent and elective surgeries on hold, due to high hospitalizations since Dec. 26. The area must remain at 15 percent or less for seven consecutive days
Testing Data
HC/SSEM officials also reported a total of 8,344 COVID-19 tests have been conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street since the Red Cross building was converted in September to a free COVID-19 testing center, which means 83 additional COVID-19 tests were conducted at the facility on Tuesday, 410 in the last seven days and 1,376 COVID-19 tests have been conducted this month at the facility.
Cumulatively since March, 13,204 molecular COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. Another six antigen tests were conducted in Hopkins County on Tuesday, increasing the cumulative total since the state began tracking the data to 1,488. No antibody tests were conducted on Tuesday, so the total remains 1,751. All together, that makes 16,443 COVID-19 tests conducted in Hopkins County that have been reported to DSHS.
Free oral swab (molecular) COVID-19 testing will continue to be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays in January inside the Red Cross (old Fidelity Express Building) in Sulphur Springs. Free testing is open to anyone regardless of age or address. Registration is required online at www.GoGetTested.com in order to be tested at 128-A Jefferson Street in Sulphur Springs.
COVID-19 Vaccine
A total of 1,324 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Hopkins County as of 11:59 p.m. Jan. 19, that’s 111 doses administered Tuesday. Cumulatively, 1,178 people had received the first dose of the vaccine and 146 had received both doses of the vaccine. That’s 82 additional people who received the first dose of the vaccine and 29 additional people who were fully vaccinated on Tuesday.
In Hopkins County, CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic vaccinated people on Wednesday and will administer the remainder of the 700 doses of the vaccine on Saturday. Registration is exclusively through the chatbot on the www.christushealth.org website. All of the available appointments for the first 2-3 hours of vaccine administration for Wednesday filled in less than 30 minutes of the registration opening being announced on Tuesday afternoon.
For addition information about the COVID-19 Vaccine click here or the link on the DSHS COVID-19 page, https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/
Click the Available COVID-19 Vaccines in Texas link, to view information about providers allocated vaccines, including maps with contact information.
Click the Vaccine Data link for information about COVID-19 vaccine allocation, and demographics on vaccinations by state and county breakdown.
Nursing Home Reports
Two fewer active resident COVID-19 cases and seven less active resident cases, 10 additional resident recoveries and one additional resident death were reported at Sulphur Springs nursing homes on Jan. 4 than on Dec. 31, and three additional resident recoveries were reported on Jan. 6, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Jan. 19 COVID-19 nursing facility report.
A 10th resident COVID-19 fatality was reported for Rock Creek Health and Rehab on Jan. 4. On Jan. 6, the facility had five active employee and 40 active resident cases, and a total of 29 employee and 31 resident cases.
Neither Carriage House Manor nor Sunny Springs Health & Rehab had any active COVID-1 cases on Jan. 6.
Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab had one active employee case on Jan. 6, according to the HHS Nov. 19 nursing facility report.
Swatsell, Johnson, Christian Receive RSVP Presidential Award
Polly Swatsell, Pamela Johnson and Linda Christian received the Retired Senior Volunteer Program “Presidential Award.” To qualify for this prestigious award, individuals have to volunteer 4,000 hours of their time.
Polly Swatsell volunteered for Meal A Day for many years driving the Como/Pickton Meal A Day meal delivery route. She can be found volunteering her time and talents all over Hopkins County, including with the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation and the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce.
Pamela Johnson is a long time Meal A Day Volunteer, driving the Como/Pickton Meal A Day Route and helps in the kitchen whenever she is needed. She also meets the North Texas Food Bank Truck every week and picks up food for Meal A Day. She volunteers with Hopkins County Historical Society, and loves working at the Museum during special occasions. She is an Army veteran and also volunteered her time working at military funerals with the Hopkins County Military Coalition until her health forced her to retire. She still works very hard in spite of her Multiple Sclerosis, working hard not to let it get her down.
Linda Christian volunteers her time each week preparing and serving the meal at the Dinner Bell. She volunteers her crocheting talent making lap blankets, shawls, hats and cute animals for cancer patients, hospice patients and children who are in the hospital. She can also be found every year in front of Walmart ringing the Salvation Army bell during the holidays.
Congratulations to the women who so generously donate their time to serve others in the Hopkins County community.
The Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center is a place where Senior Citizens age 50 and over can have a good time with old friends and make some new ones. Meal-A-Day is just one service the center provides. The coffee pot is always on and a smile is on each face. The SCC has a full library with all different kinds of reading books that can be taken, read and returned. Take as many as you like and bring some of your books in to share with others. Click here to find more information for seniors citizens.
23 SSHS Students Advancing To Virtual State BPA Contest
Twenty-eight members of the Sulphur Springs High School Business Professionals of America competed virtually in the Regional BPA Competition on January 16, at the high school, with 23 advancing to the virtual State BPA Competition to be conducted March 3-6. Six students placed as state alternates and one team placed fifth. Every student who competed placed in their event, according to Jenny Arledge, SSHS Director of College & Career Readiness, and Career & Technical Education noted.
Students who qualified for the State BPA contest and their rank include:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley | Alba | Advanced Interview Skills – Associate | 1 |
| Emily | Atkinson | Admin Support Research – Indiv | 2 |
| Jack | Bain | Legal Office Procedures | 3 |
| Cameron | Beard | Banking and Finance | 2 |
| Jacob | Beggs | PC Servicing & Troubleshooting | 1 |
| Mika | Boren | Basic Office Procedures | 2 |
| Talley | Brown | Interview Skills | 1 |
| James | Goggans | Business Law & Ethics | 1 |
| Kenia | Herrera | Graphic Design Promotion | 2 |
| Ashland | Hooten | Prepared Speech | 1 |
| Kelsea | Meadows | Digital Media Production | 1 |
| Ryan | Mitchell | Computer Network Technology | 1 |
| Jaqueline | Monroy | Health Administration Procedures | 5 (Promoted) |
| Katlyn | Noe | Banking & Finance | 4 |
| Makayla | Pullen | Admin Support Research – Ind | 1 |
| Kinslei | Smallwood | Small Business Mgt | 5 |
| Jacob | Semler | Intermediate Word Processing | 1 |
| Jessica | Snyder | Adv Spreadsheet Applications | 1 |
| Daniel | Soto | Payroll Accounting | 2 |
| Perla | Tinajero | Interview Skills | 2 |
| Peyton | Willis | Basic Office Procedures | 3 |
| Joel | Villarino | Java Programming | 1 |
SSHS students selected as alternates for the State BPA contest include:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Allen | Interview Skills | 3 |
| Padraig | Flannery | Graphic Design Promotion | 3 |
| Norrisa | Lane | Legal Office Procedures | 5 |
| Karen | Martinez | Advanced Interview Skills | 3 |
| Kami | White | Banking & Finance | 6 |
| Macey | Williams | Basic Office Systems | 5 |
Team competitors recognized at the Regional BPA Contest included:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Allen | Small Business Mgt | 5th |
| Kinslei | Smallwood | Small Business Mgt | 5th |
Arledge encourages the community to join her in commending these students and sponsors Lynn Smith, Heath Robinson and Jordan Owens for doing “an amazing job.”
Alliance Bank To Make Substantial Organizational Changes
Sulphur Springs, Texas – January 19, 2021 – Alliance Bank plans to make substantial organizational changes, according to an announcement made on behalf of the Board of Directors-Alliance Bank/Alliance BancShares, Inc.
Tom Sellers is to assume the role of Chairman of the Board and remain Chief Executive Officer for Alliance Bank/Alliance BancShares, Inc. James Law will assume the role of President of Alliance Bank and remain Chief Financial Officer for Alliance Bank and its holdings.
“Tom Sellers has overseen unprecedented growth and stability over the last 22 years in his role as President/CEO,” stated Alec Bridges, outgoing Chairman of the Board-Alliance BancShare, Inc.
“His leadership has been instrumental in Alliance Bank’s unparalleled dominance in our markets and continues to show exceptional leadership even under the most trying market conditions,” continued Bridges. “We expect Tom’s new role as Chairman of The Board to be a seamless transition of that continued thoughtful leadership. I can’t imagine a more suited person to assume this role, which I have personally held for 22 years.”
Sellers has positioned the bank for continued success with several key people assuming pivotal roles within Alliance Bank, and James Law has accepted the everyday role of President for Alliance Bank, in addition to his existing role as Chief Financial Officer, Bridges stated.
“James Law is by any measure an outstanding Chief Financial Officer and has through his expertise positioned Alliance Bank for continued tremendous growth and expansion over his 22 years in that role,” stated Bridges. “Alliance Bank and it’s holdings have enjoyed a very solid financial foundation, in no small part due to James Law’s guidance as CFO. We are very excited that he has accepted the additional role as President and expect him to add continued expertise in his new role as President/Chief Financial Officer.”
Alliance Bank Biographical Information:
Alliance Bank was established in 1927 with corporate offices in Sulphur Springs, Texas and began serving Greenville and Hunt County in July of 1990. It expanded into Wolfe City and Commerce in August of 1993. In February 1996, the bank purchased Colonial Bank of Greenville and now has (2) branches serving that community. Alliance Bank completed construction of its branch in Rockwall, Texas in October 2005 and now operates (2) branches in Rockwall. In July of 2015, the bank opened a Loan Production Office in McKinney, Texas. In November of 2018, Alliance Bank acquired First National Bank of Mount Vernon and now operates (3) branches in Mt. Vernon and Cypress Springs. Additionally, the Bank owns and operates Galyean Insurance Agency and Alliance Bank’s brokerage company-Alliance Bank Financial Services.
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and are not insured by any financial institution insurance, the FDIC/NCUA or any other government agency, are not deposits or obligations of the financial institution, are not guaranteed by the financial institution, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal. Raymond James is not affiliated with the financial institution or the investment center.
Jan. 19 COVID-19 Update: 1 Fatality, 5 New Cases, 139 Active Cases, 117 Fully Vaccinated In Hopkins County
While one additional Hopkins County COVID-19 fatality was reported by the state on Tuesday, local officials report COVID-19 hospitalizations across the region seem to be stabilizing; and Texas Department of State Health Services reports the same number of new cases on Jan. 19 as on Jan. 18, and 117 people have been fully vaccinated in Hopkins County, according to the DSHS and Hopkins County Jan. 19 COVID-19 updates. Up to 700 more people are expected to receive the first dose of the vaccine by the end of the day Saturday in Hopkins County.
Case Counts
One additional Hopkins County resident was confirmed Jan. 19 to have died for COVID-19, for at total of 85 COVID-19 deaths confirmed by cause on death certificate to have died as a result of COVID-19. The death, according to the DSHS Jan. 19. COVID-19 Fatalities Over Time By County report, occurred on Dec. 29, making three deaths reported on that date. So far, 23 Hopkins County COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed by death certificate and reported by DSHS to have occurred in December 2020. While there have been more than a dozen days on which two fatalities occurred, there have been only three days on which three COVID-19 fatalities occurred in Hopkins County: Oct. 18, Oct. 5 and Sept. 30, according to the Fatalities Over Time By County and County Trends reports.
Five new confirmed cases were reported on Tuesday, one more confirmed case than was reported on Monday, but two less than on Sunday. That makes 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported so far this week, which is 21 less confirmed cases than the first three days of last week and 29 less than the week of Jan. 3-9. Cumulatively, 183 Hopkins County residents have received lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 results from molecular testing this month and 1,305 have had confirmed COVID-19 cases since March 2020, according to the DSHS Ja. 19 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard.
There were no probable cases reported on Jan. 19, so the total this week remains four. While that’s still two more than this time last week, it’s eight less than the week of Jan. 3-9. So far this month, 96 probable cases have been reported. Since the state began tracking probable cases, that is those of people who have either tested positive through an antigen test or have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis, Hopkins County has had 1,213 probable cases.
Cumulatively, that’s 2,518 COVID-19 cases reported to DSHS officials since the pandemic began in March 2020. No new recoveries were reported on either Monday or Tuesday, although there were 80 recoveries on Saturday and 50 on Sunday. So far, that’s 240 recoveries reported during January. Cumulatively, 2,293 of the 2,518 cases have recovered from the virus.
That leaves 139 Hopkins County residents who actively had COVID-19 as of 2:40 p.m. Jan. 18, four more than on Monday, and nine more than on Sunday, but 32 less than on Saturday and 100 less than on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.
Hospital Reports, GA-32 Measures
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials reported 26 patients in the COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Jan. 19, which is two less than on Jan. 14 and three less than on Jan. 15 and Jan. 4, and six less than on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8.
The COVID-19 patient count at CMFH-SS went as high as 33 in the last two weeks, but has remained below 30 for the last week, CMFH-SS CEO Paul Harvey said. Hospital health professionals have been able to appropriately manage COVID and non COVID patients, both critical and normal medical surgical, through the pandemic, to ensure all appropriate procedures needed to manage health conditions are done.
He said there was at least one time recently when all hospitals across Northeast Texas were full, to the point that they were temporarily unable to send patients to Longview, Tyler, Texarkana and Dallas hospitals for more critical care needs. But, he said, the staff were good to manage that.
COVID-19 patient counts have stabilized and appear to be declining a little bit in CHRISTUS facilities across Northeast Texas, specifically in regions F and G. While COVID-19 hospitalizations still account for more than 15 percent of overall hospital capacity, if the current trend continues, those rates could potentially drop below the 15 percent high hospitalization threshold in the next week or two, the hospital officer reported Tuesday afternoon.
In Trauma Service Area F – which covers all of Northeast Texas from Bowie and Cass Counties across to Lamar, Delta and Hopkins Counties – there were 210 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Jan. 18, which is the same as on Jan. 4, 16 less than on Jan. 17, 22 less than on Jan. 16, 31 less than on Jan. 11, but still four more than on Jan. 5, and 46 more than on Dec. 26.
Total staffed hospital beds declined Monday for third consecutive day, from 1,068 on Jan. 15 to 1,058 on Jan. 16, 1,044 on Jan. 17 and 1,011 on Jan. 18. Total hospitalizations across TSA-F declined for the second day in a row, down from 232 on Jan. 16 to 625 on Jan. 17 and 597 on Jan. 18 – the first day since Dec. 27 that there were fewer than 600 hospitalizations across TSA-F. There were fewer staffed inpatients beds for the third consecutive day as well, down from 976 on Jan. 15 to 966 on Jan. 16, 952 on Jan. 17 and 919 on Jan. 18.
Available in TSA-F on Jan. 18 were eight ICU beds, one more than on Jan. 17 and seven more than on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, but two less than on Jan. 16 and four less than on Jan. 14. Seventy-two ventilators were available in TSA-F on Jan. 18, one less than on Jan. 17 and five less than on Jan. 12, but still 13 more than on Jan. 6 and eight more than on Jan. 14.
COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for 20.77 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F on Jan. 18, down from 21. 65 on Jan. 17, 21.93 percent on Jan. 16 and 23.42 percent on Jan. 11.
| TRAUMA SERVICE AREA F | 1/12 | 1/13 | 1/14 | 1/15 | 1/16 | 1/17 | 1/18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Staffed Hospital Beds | 1022 | 1,051 | 1,066 | 1,068 | 1058 | 1,044 | 1,011 |
| Available Hospital Beds | 315 | 310 | 316 | 321 | 308 | 327 | 322 |
| Available ICU Beds | 7 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Available Ventilators | 77 | 74 | 64 | 70 | 70 | 73 | 72 |
| Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in Hospital | 231 | 232 | 220 | 221 | 232 | 226 | 210 |
| Total Hospitalizations | 615 | 649 | 658 | 655 | 658 | 625 | 597 |
| Total Staffed Inpatient Beds | 930 | 959 | 974 | 976 | 966 | 952 | 919 |
| Percent Capacity | 22.6 | 22.07 | 20.64 | 20.69 | 21.93 | 21.65 | 20.77 |
TSA-F has been considered according to GA-32 to have “high hospitalizations” since Dec. 26, and has been on the list for high hospitalizations since Jan. 2, which means certain businesses allowed in October to open with 75 percent capacity are supposed to have reduced capacity back to 50 percent.
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom Tuesday afternoon said he’s talked to some retail and restaurant owners. Many restaurants proprietors said they hadn’t really reached 75 percent capacity since being allowed to do so, so scaling back to 50 percent hasn’t impacted their business as much it has some other businesses. Newsom said reported that the business owners indicated if they stay close to that 50 percent they will be able to stay in operation, but cannot stand reductions of much more than that.
Newsom said that local officials announced the need for reduction and are dependent on the businesses to “do what they’re supposed to do” and self regulate as local officials “don’t have staffing” to regulate them. City and county officials ask businesses to honor that reduction in capacity as applicable to their enterprise as the state has asked them to do. Bars and businesses that serve alcoholic beverages and others that have to have certifications are regulated to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and state agencies.
COVID-19 Vaccines
DSHS’s Jan. 19 COVID-19 Vaccine dashboard showed a total of 1,213 COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Hopkins County as of 11:59 p.m. Jan. 18. That’s 40 more people who have received at least the first dose of the vaccine in Hopkins County. Cumulatively, 117 people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, 22 more than on Jan. 17, and 1,096 had received the first dose of the vaccine on Jan. 18, 12 more than on Jan. 17.
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic-Sulphur Springs received 700 doses of they vaccine Tuesday afternoon Jan. 19. Appointments for the vaccine are being made exclusively via christushealth.org chatbot for individuals who meet 1A (healthcare worker or first responder) and 1B (over 65, or age 16 and up with certain underlying health conditions that place them in the “high risk” category). They are only offered Jan. 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 23 at the clinic at Medical Plaza.
Registration for appointments the vaccine at the clinic opened at 3 p.m. Tuesday for slots open Wednesday evening. All filled up by 3:30 p.m. Registration resumed Wednesday morning for slots available late Wednesday evening and on Saturday, for up to 700. Appointments will continue to be available until all slots are filled. In the event slots open up, they will be made available on the website “virtual assistant” Christy, the yellow chat box, so anyone who has difficulty registering or is told there are no appointments are encouraged by CHRISTUS officials to continue checking back for opening.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs was initially one of three providers allocated vaccine in Week 2 of distribution. However, after a few days, the hospital was removed from the list. The clinic and Brookshire’s Pharmacy remained on it and received doses later. After working with a couple of legislative support staff local authorities were eventually able to get the 400 doses originally allocated for the hospital; all were administered to health care professionals and first responders, including employees at one local nursing home and some local school district nurses. Doses for the nursing care facility (the others did not respond when local officials reached out offering the vaccines) were administered at the facility but tracked through the hospital.
Before the hospital received doses, some CHRISTUS associates received the Pfizer vaccine at another CHRISTUS facility, according to Harvey. Those individuals have already gotten their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, as that dose is due in 21 days, while the Moderna vaccine has one additional week before the second dose is due. Many of those in the first week of COVID-19 vaccine administration in Hopkins County have now also had the second vaccine.
Local doses administered were Moderna vaccine. The clinic distributed all of the first dose to any 1A workers and those meeting the 1B criteria on a Wednesday and Saturday. Among them were some school district employees who met 1B criteria, but it was not offered to other school employees, Harvey noted. Both Brookshire’s and the clinic were allocated additional vaccine to distribute.
Harvey said there are still some 1A employees from the other counties that CMFH-SS serves who have yet to receive the vaccine that are anticipated to be among those receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from the 700 allocated to the clinic this week.
One hundred additional doses of the vaccine are due next week at CHRISTUS’ Sulphur Springs facilities to provide the second dose to 100 more individuals vaccinated there.
Newsom, during a Zoom press conference with local emergency management and hospital officials Tuesday afternoon, said while Hopkins County Emergency Management has no say in the vaccination allocations, distributions and providers (that’s handle strictly by the state), he was able to speak with a state contact. Newsom was told vaccination is allocated “per capita.” Hopkins County, he said is within 1 percent or less of all other counties in the state in vaccine allocations. He praised the local vaccine providers for getting all of the vaccines out as quickly as possible, and noted that Hopkins County is fortunate in receiving vaccines. There are some smaller counties that have not received any vaccines, he noted.
Officials said they have been told a third vaccine is expected to be approved no later than March, and it will only require one shot if it receive approval and is distributed as predicted.
Test Data
A total of 8,261 COVID-19 tests have been conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street since the site opened, including 206 free tests performed from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18, according to the HC/SSEM Jan. 19 COVID-19 update.
Cumulatively since March, 13,153 viral or molecular COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. Since the state began tracking the data, 1,482 antigen tests and 1,751 antibody tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. That makes 16,386 total COVID-19 tests performed in Hopkins County and reported to DSHS.
What Do You Think Of Solar Farms In Hopkins County?
There has been much discussion of the four potential solar farms planned for Hopkins County, but mostly during School Board meetings and at the County level. KSST News would like to know what you think of these projects, by having you vote in our poll below.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Although land owners leasing their land to these huge projects are certainly in favor of the projects, their neighbors are concerned about the projects taking a toll on wildlife, the environment, and our county roads.
Tax implications are not yet known, as each company proposing a project has asked for huge tax breaks on their projects. All of the requests have been granted, but it is still unclear how much additional taxes could be realized if and when any of these projects are built.
Update: Michigan Man Reportedly Struck, Killed By Cumby Police Vehicle On I-30 Service Road
Jan 20, 2021 – A 45 year old Michigan man was struck and killed by a Cumby Police vehicle early this morning near the 114 mile marker on the south Interstate 30 service road.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were notified of the vehicle-pedestrian crash on the south I-30 service road, about 5 miles east of Cumby, at approximately 12:32 a.m. Jan. 20, 2021, according to DPS Sgt. Gregg Williams, Texas Highway Patrol Media Communications.
The tractor trailer the man was driving had broken down on Interstate 30 while it was being worked on. The man, who said to have been dressed in all black clothing, reportedly entered the south service road, walking, He was reported to have stepped out right in front of a Cumby Police vehicle. The officer was reported to be unable to avoid striking the man with his vehicle.
“Preliminary investigation indicates a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was westbound on the service road and struck a pedestrian. The driver of the Chevrolet did not see the pedestrian who was standing in the roadway,” Williams stated in a release about the crash.
The man, identified as 45-year-old Donald Hollan of Westland, Michigan, died at the scene, Williams reported. Local authorities pronounced the man dead at 12:45 a.m. Jan. 20, 2021. The body was sent to the Dallas medical examiner’s office for autopsy, as is standard procedure in fatal crashes.
The driver of the Chevrolet was identified by Williams as 34-year-old Jonathan Painter of Commerce. The Cumby Police officer was reportedly shaken, local authorities reported. The officer was not injured, according to DPS and local officials.
“This crash remains under investigation and no additional information is currently available,” Sgt. Williams reported around 10:15 a.m. Jan. 20.
Annual Chamber Golf Tournament Planned For April 9
By Lezley Brown, President/CEO, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
We’ve been busy here at the Chamber to start the 2021 year! I have a Save the Date for you! Please save the date for our annual Chamber Golf Tournament on Friday, April 9.
Let’s hope for beautiful weather and so much fun!
Ribbon Cuttings
Rythmic Productions Music Studio hosted a ribbon cutting
Rythmic Productions Music Studio hosted a ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, January 12, at noon. The
studio is located at 817 Fisher Street here in Sulphur Springs. Calvin welcomed Chamber guests with a drum
performance and started the 2021 year off right!
Business Highlight
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting a member of the Chamber each week.
Please join me in congratulating our Business of the Week for January 21, iTech Restoration. You can read biographical stories at the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and Instagram page
Wildcats Basketball Team Gets Solid Home District Win Against Marshall, 56-40 Tuesday
The Wildcats Basketball Team outscored the game Marshall Mavericks in every quarter to continue to build a lead in a 56-40 home district win Tuesday night, January 19, in the Main Gym at Sulphur Springs High School.
The Wildcats only led 13-12 after one quarter but were up at the half 26-18 and 38-27 after three quarters. The Wildcats outscored Marshall 18-13 in a fourth quarter that saw Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta empty his bench. The Wildcats held Marshall below ten points in both the second and third quarter. Wildcats senior point guard Lamodrick Johnson had a big night scoring 22 points. Senior guard Boo Wilkerson scored 10 points. Sophomore post Kordrick Turner scored 9 points. Junior post Justin Haire had 6 points along with several blocks. Parker Whisenhunt added 5 points and Justin Darrow scored 4 points. Maverick senior point guard Jayson Tuck II led Marshall with 17 points.
The Wildcats are now 5-2 in district play and 12-8 for the season. The Wildcats travel to Pine Tree Friday night for a district game.
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.
