Local Pastor and Wife Honored with Drive Up Celebration
Reverend D.K. Young and his wife Joyce Young will be honored with a Drive Up Celebration in the parking lot of the Cypress Baptist Center located at 911 S. Como Street in Sulphur Springs. The event will be held on Sunday, December 6th, 2020 at 3:30 p.m.
Pastor Young and his wife are the founders of the local Greater Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs. The Youngs are celebrating their 18th anniversary at the church and their 41st year of marriage. They have three children: Demetra Robinson, Keshia Young and Darial Clewis.
2020 Holiday Events in Hopkins County
There will be a drive-thru Lions Club Lighted Christmas Parade on Friday December 4, 2020 in Buford Park. The public can drive through the park between 6:30 and 8pm to view the lighted Christmas floats, which will be stationary. The modified holiday event is sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Lions Club.
The Christmas Market on Main Street is set for Saturday December 5, 2020 from 9am til 4pm. More than 30 vendors of holiday crafts, gifts and food will be set up along Main Street near Celebration Plaza, and there is no admission to enter the Market. The annual shopping event is sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance.
The North Pole of Texas train ride will be open for Christmas 2020 on every Friday and Saturday through December 19, with one final date on Sunday December 20. Train rides and a visit to Kim’s Cocoa Factory are free for all ages. The North Pole of Texas is located at Pickton, Texas at 227 CR 3378. Find out more at northpoleoftexas.com or on Facebook.
Wreaths Across America is an Christmas-season observance across the United States to pay tribute to the lives our nation’s deceased soldiers. It will be held on Saturday December 19, 2020 at 10am in four local cemeteries: Sulphur Springs City Cemetery, Black Oak Cemetery, Gafford’s Chapel Cemetery and with an observance also at Greenview Cemetery. The graves of veterans will be marked in these cemeteries and the wreaths are provided. Families are welcome to “Remember, Honor and Teach” by bringing their children to take part, free of charge.
If your church or non-profit organization has a Christmas-themed event that you’d like us to publicize, send it to us at [email protected].
Teen Jailed On Sexual Assault, Theft Warrants
December 4, 2020 – A Sulphur Springs teen was jailed on sexual assault and theft charges, according to arrest reports.
Sulphur Springs Police Police Sgt. Brandon Mayes was made aware Jordan Tramaine Whitmore had four outstanding warrant. Mayes contacted the 18-year-old at his residence and took him into custody at 12:35 p.m. Dec. 2 on one aggravated sexual assault of a child warrant, two warrants for theft of property valued at $750 or more but less than $2,500 worth of property warrants, and one theft of property valued at $100 or more but less than $750 warrant.
Whitmore remained in Hopkins County jail Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, on all four charges. Bond was set at $100,000 on the sexual assault charge, $1,000 the Class B misdemeanor theft charge and $2,000 each on both Class A misdemeanor theft charges, according to jail reports.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
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.
Wanted Woman Found Hiding Under A Bed
A wanted woman found hiding under a bed at a rural Sulphur Springs residence Wednesday afternoon allegedly claimed to be someone else when deputies attempted to arrest her.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Todd Evans and Deputy Richard Brantley were made aware a 27-year-old woman with an outstanding felony warrant could likely be located a rural FM 2297 residence. Upon arrival Thursday afternoon, the homeowner allegedly allowed deputies entry to the home.
A search revealed a woman hiding under a bed inside the home. She allegedly claimed to be a woman 4 years older than the Destiny Renee Scott they were looking for. Deputies took the woman into custody at 4:40 p.m. Dec. 3, 2020. The woman was transported to the county jail, where her fingerprints told a different story. They matched those of Scott, who was wanted for violation of probation, which she was on for a Dec. 10, 2019 possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charge, according to arrest reports.
The arrest marks the third time Scott has been in custody in Hopkins County.
Scott and a 64-year-old identified as her boyfriend were first arrested Dec. 10, 2019 on the controlled substance charge by Sulphur Springs Police Department Special Crimes Unit officers, who responded to a disturbance report at a Locust Street residence. The SCU investigators, upon arrival at the call, alleged seeing the man passing a container with 3.6 grams of suspected methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia to Scott. She allegedly tried to hid the container, then admitted it contained an illegal substance. She remained in custody at Hopkins County jail from Dec. 10, 2019 to March 17, 2020, in lieu of a $30,000 bond on the controlled substance charge.
The 27-year-old Sulphur Springs woman was booked into Hopkins County jail again on June 10, 2020, after her bond was revoked on the controlled substance charge; he r new bond was set at $75,000, according to jail reports.
Scott remained in Hopkins County jail Friday morning, Dec. 4, on the violation of probation charge, according to jail reports.
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.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
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.
Female Allegedly Choked During CR 4772 Altercation
A female was allegedly choked to the point she couldn’t breath during a CR 4772 altercation Thursday afternoon. A 21-year-old Sulphur Springs man was arrested on a felony assault charge.
A Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office communications operator dispatched deputies at 1:34 p.m. to County Road 4772, where an active disturbance was reported. Dispatchers advised they’d received 911 text messages stating Dequarian Pitts had recently grabbed a female by the neck, choking her until she couldn’t breath during a CR 4772 altercation.
When HCSO Deputies Zack Horne and Richard Brantley and Cpl. Todd Evans arrived, they reported seeing two females exit the backdoor of the CF 4772 residence. Based on prior incidents at the residence deputies identified one of the pair as the alleged victim.
As they contacted the pair, they learned the other female was a guest who heard the altercation. They also noted the recognized female to be visibly upset and had “fresh red marks on her neck, indicating she had very recently been grabbed around the neck area,” Horne alleged in arrest reports.
A short time later, a 21-year-old male identified in arrest reports as Dequarian Terran Pitts exited the backdoor as well. He was detained in handcuffs while deputies following further investigation of the altercation.
The female with red marks on her neck claimed Pitts grabbed her by the neck following a verbal altercation. She allegedly began losing her breath while Pitts was choking her. She was able to get away from him and ran into the other room where the guest was at; the females remained in the room until deputies arrived, according to arrest reports.
The female’s injuries were photographed along with the area of the residence where the altercation was alleged to have occurred. When deputies attempted to photograph what appeared to be fingernail wounds on Pitts’ forearm, the 21-year-old man was alleged to be uncooperative.
Pitts was arrested at 2:26 p.m. Dec. 3, 2020, for assault of a date, family or household member that impeded breathing in connection with the CR 4772 altercation. Pitts remained in Hopkins County jail Friday morning, Dec. 4, on the third-degree felony charge. An emergency protective order was also requested, according to arrest reports.
Thursday was the second time Pitts has been booked into Hopkins County jail. He was arrested March 3 and released March 9 on a $1,000 bond on a possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana charge, according to jail reports.
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.
December 4 is Deadline ! How Families Can Sign Up For ‘Blue Santa 2020’
The Blue Santa Toy Drive is an annual partnership of Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs Law Enforcement and Empty Stocking. This year’s sign-up process to receive toys in the Blue Santa Toy Drive for children of families in need of assistance is being conducted on-line only. Qualifying families can get on the list to receive Christmas gifts for their children ages 0-16. Please go to www.canhelponline.org to see the sign-up qualifications. Parents or guardians will need to download certain documents to qualify, as there will be no in-person sign ups this year. Or you can get help with the process when you phone CANHelp at 903-885-9797 Ext. 3.
Also, if you are a family or individual who would like to donate toys for this year’s Blue Santa program, feel free to drop them off in any Blue Santa barrel around town, or contact the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department.
Shop Local at ‘Christmas Market on Main Street’ December 5 from 9am-4pm
Love shopping local at Christmastime? Here’s some great news! The Christmas Market on Main Street will be held downtown Sulphur Springs on Saturday December 5, 2020 between the hours of 9am and 4pm. More than two dozen vendors and merchants will be set up in an open-air market style and inside their stores, so plan to ‘shop til you drop’! Many will be offering door prizes and complimentary refreshments. You’ll find holiday wear, handcrafted clothing and crafts, home decor, delicious food, perfect gift items, as well as a jolly visit from Santa Claus!
Here are just a few of the vendor offerings: Christmas gnome wreaths and ornaments, Llama dolls, custom jewelry, fresh honey, homemade fragranced soaps, scrubs and lotions, Western bling jewelry and metal decor, homemade vanilla and sausage bread, furniture and antiques, floral decor, caramel apples and other treats, makeup and gift sets, handpainted signs and door hangers, handmade children clothing, hot cocoa, Cappuccino Bombs, cupcakes and cookies, vintage collectibles and decor, woodcrafts, crocheted items, Dream Catchers and Indian decor, T-shirts and way too much more to mention it all! Christmas Market is an annual project of the Downtown Business Alliance to benefit local retailers, eateries and our local economy.
Dec. 3 COVID-19 Update: 44 New Cases, 63 Active Cases
Texas Department of State Health Services’ Dec. 3 COVID-19 update provided both good and bad news for Hopkins County.
While the number of new COVID-19 cases was four times higher on Thursday than on Wednesday, the patient count in the hospital COVID unit declined for the third consecutive day. No new COVID-19 deaths were reported for Hopkins County, but there also were no new recoveries on Thursday either. There were also fewer molecular tests conducted at the Jefferson Street site Wednesday, according to the Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management Dec. 3 COVID-19 update.
COVID-19 Case Counts
As was predicted for 1-2 weeks following Thanksgiving, the new case count spiked 7 days after the holiday. The 44 new lab-confirmed positive molecular COVID-19 cases reported Dec. 3 is the most new cases reported in a single day since October. HC/SSEM reported 77 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 19 and 42 on Oct. 21.
While new cases across the state have declined the last two days from what appears to have been a record high of 15,182 new cases on Dec. 1 to 14758 on Dec. 2 and 13,857 on Dec. 3, new cases have spiked in Hopkins County this week, going from 1 on Monday and Tuesday to 11 on Wednesday and 44 Thursday. That makes 888 Hopkins County residents who have received positive molecular COVID-19 tests since March, including 771 residents who have recovered from the virus and 54 who died from COVID-19.
The active case count in Hopkins County appeared to be headed in the right direction Wednesday, decreasing from 90 Tuesday to 19 Wednesday due to the 80 recoveries reported on Wednesday for Hopkins County, the 44 new cases reported Thursday increased the active case count to 63, the DSHS COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard showed on Dec. 3.
Hospital Reports
The patient count in the COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs has slowly declined this week, dropping from 25 patients Monday to 23 on Tuesday, 21 on Wednesday and 20 Thursday, according to HC/SSEM’s Dec. 3 COVID-19 update.
According to DSHS, the overall percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations out of the total hospital capacity in Trauma Service Area F declined below 15 percent for the first time in six days from 16.3 percent on Wednesday to 13.8 percent on Thursday. That resets the daily count from five consecutive days above the 15 percent mark, so no additional COVID-19 restrictions such as reduction of business occupancies from 75 to 50 percent or closings are needed for TSA F.
TSA E, which includes the Dallas/Fort Worth area, however, marked the seventh consecutive day in wich COVID-19 hospitalizations reached or exceeded 15 percent or more: 15 percent on Nov. 27, 15.6 percent on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29, 16.1 percent on Nov. 30, 16.4 percent on Dec.1, 15.8 percent on Dec. 2 and 15.6 percent on Dec. 3.
The total COVID-19 percentage of hospital capacity in TSA-I, which includes El Paso, hasn’t dropped below 30 percent since Oct. 23 and hasn’t been below 15 percent since Oct. 11.
The total COVID-19 percentage of hospital capacity hasn’t been below 15 percent in TSA J (Midland/Odessa) since Nov. 16 and for TSA M (Waco) since Nov. 23, TSA T (Laredo) since Nov. 13.
According to the DSHS Testing and Hospitals Dashboard, there were 363 available hospital beds, 6 available ICU Beds, 63 ventilators and 148 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals in TSA F on Dec. 3.
HC/SSEM Testing Report
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials in the Dec. 3 COVID-19 update reported there have been a total of 4,733 COVID-19 tests performed at the free testing site since it opened on Sept. 25. That means 84 additional tests were conducted on Dec. 2. That’s 505 molecular COVID-19 tests conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street in the last 7 days.
Free testing continues to be offered inside the Red Cross building (former Fidelity Express building) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in December. Testing is available for anyone, but registration must be completed by an adult age 18 or older in advance online at www.GoGetTested.com to schedule the oral COVID swab.
Those testing should bring the number with the QR code sent sent upon completion of registration along with a photo ID to 128-A Jefferson St. at the designated time. This is not a drive-through location. The COVID-19 test will be performed inside the building.
HHS Nursing Home Reports
Texas Health and Human Services in the Dec. 3 COVID-19 nursing facility report showed only one change from the previous day: one additional resident at Carriage House Manor had received positive COVID-19 results on Nov. 19, increasing the active resident case count at the facility to six.
The only other active COVID-19 cases reported for Sulphur Springs nursing facilities on Nov. 19, the most recent data available, were employee cases. There continued to be two active employee cases at Carriage House Manor, five at Rock Creek Health and Rehab, two at Sulphur Springs Health and Rehabilitation and one at Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab on Nov. 19, according to the HHS report.
2 Contracts Related To Pacific Park, Senior Center Projects Approved
Sulphur Sulphur Springs City Council this week during their regular December meeting approved two contracts related to the Pacific Park improvement and Senior Citizens Center construction projects.
Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski recommended the council approve of the contract as proposed with MHS Planning & Design, LLC, for professional services for design and engineering for a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant for Pacific Park.
Niewiadomski explained that MHS Planning assisted the city in 2019 with the parks and recreation master plan outlining future improvements at the city’s parks
In addition to the master plan, MHS also worked with city officials in December of 2019 on the 50/50 Local Parks Grant application submitted to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department seeking $1.5 million to apply toward identified improvements at Pacific Park, specifically the redesign and upgrade which is to include a new pavilion and playground equipment.
In August, TPWD awarded the city a$750,000 which the city will match. The parks grant includes a line item to fund design and engineering for the project, up to $125,000.
The fee submitted by MHS for professional services was $98,605. Niewiadomski said the bid falls within the thresholds for the grant, thus, city staff recommended awarding the contract to MHS for planning and design. Half of MHS’ fees will be paid for using grant funds and half from matching city funds. City Manager Marc Maxwell was authorized to execute the approved contract.
The parks grant does not include funding for the new Grays Community Building, already in progress thanks to funding approved by Sulphur Springs residents in November 2019 for both Pacific Park construction and improvements and a new senior citizens activity center. Earlier this week, the Grays building project began another phase with the steel frame work being installed.
The City Council also approved a contract with the Economic Development Corporation to share costs for the construction projects. Voters in November 2019 agreed for up to $200,000 per year for the next 20 years to be paid from EDC funding to go toward repayment of Series 2020 combination tax and revenue certificates of obligation for Pacific Park improvements and the new senior center building to be constructed on Oak Avenue.
Essentially, Sulphur Springs Finance Director Lesa Smith explained, the contract simply obligates the funding to be paid each year in August, dating back to this year, for the parks projects debt.
The contract legally outlining the obligation of the EDC to pay was recommended by the city’s auditors, Maxwell noted.
Smith said this is the same agreement the city had with the EDC for construction of Coleman Park two decades ago, just for more money each year. The EDC already made the first $200,000 payment in August.
The City Council also approved five lease agreements at the old Thermo Mine/Luminant property and authorized the city manager to execute the documents. The documents pretty much the same leases approved by the City Council last year: four agricultural lease and a lease to Hopkins County for use of sand from a pit at the southeast corner of the old mine property. The rates remained the same. Together, the leases generate $20,381.20 in revenue annually.
NET Continuing Education Conference Held In Sulphur Springs
The ROC in Sulphur Springs Thursday served as the location for the 11th Annual District 4 Northeast Texas Continuing Education Conference, hosted by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
“It’s great to be serving the community,” Hopkins County AgriLife Extension Agent Mario Villarino said Thursday morning.
“We are excited we were picked among other cities or counties that could have sponsored this today,” said Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom Thursday morning. “Usually, it’s at another location, but because of our facilities her in Hopkins County, they chose the ROC.”
Villarino said the sessions got off to a great start at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 2 at The ROC, which allows for recommended social distancing during the educational sessions for judges and county commissioners.
“We have a good opportunity to visit on different subjects that are beneficial for our commissioners and judges. Of course, we are following the CDC recommendations for maintaining everybody safe,” Dr, Villarino said.
“It’s a really down to earth conference. I’m just glad they came to Sulphur Springs,” Newsom said.
The full in-service training conference is planned annual by Texas AgriLife Extension especially for county judges, commissioners, auditors and human resource personnel, and includes lunch. The educational presentations provide “practical training on affairs of the county government,” and a general overview of what is going on across the state.
Some of the topics discussed on Thursday during the conference included mental health in jails, jail capacity, feral hogs and wild game, and COVID-19. Among the presenters were Texas Commission on Jail Standards Executive Director Brandon Wood, as well as agricultural representatives and state legislators. The conference was also slated to feature Jim Allison, General Counsel from the County Judges and Commissions Association of Texas and industry representatives. Each commissioner attending the 11th Annual District 4 NET conference will receive up to six continuing education (CEU) credits for the conference.
