CHRISTUS Hospital-Sulphur Springs Waiting On Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
Paul Harvey, CEO of CHRISTUS Mother Frances – Sulphur Springs tells KSST News he and his staff are ready to receive the Moderna vaccine in the next day or so. As the largest employer of front-line healthcare workers in Hopkins County, the initial 400 doses (plus 200 doses headed to their clinic) will be offered to not only the front-line workers employed by CHRISTUS but also other clinics and medical offices in our area that are not owned by CHRISTUS. All first responders in our area will be included in this initial phase as well. The logistics of tracking and administering such a large number of doses to those healthcare workers that choose to take the vaccine is a daunting task, but the staff of CHRISTUS is up for the challenge as they have been preparing for this day for some time.
Lady Cats Soccer Goal Scorers In Tuesday Evening Scrimmage Win At Palestine
The Lady Cats Soccer Team won their scrimmage at Palestine, 4-1 Tuesday evening, December 22.
Lady Cats’ sophomore Rebekah Stanley had the game’s first goal on an assist from freshman Haylee Shultz. Senior Janine Yamaguchi scored the Lady Cats second goal with Shultz assisting. The Lady Cats led 2-1 at halftime. Stanley also scored in the second half assisted by Shultz. Shultz scored the Lady Cats’ fourth goal assisted by freshman Emma Romero.
The Lady Cats also won their scrimmage with Palestine, 1-0. The JV goal came from junior Harley Archer.
Lady Cats Coach Javier Aguayo said both JV and Varsity teams played well. He said the varsity gave up a goal in the last few minutes of the first half due to a defensive mistake. He said the Lady Cats out possessed their opponent and created more chances. Coach Aguayo said the Lady Cats are starting to look better each day. He said he is missing some key members of the team due to injury but he said some other girls are stepping up to the plate.
The Lady Cats resume scrimmage play at North Forney on Monday.
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.
Several Controlled Substance, Alcohol Arrests
Local authorities have reported several controlled substance and alcohol arrests over the last week, including a DWI crash, a man accused of possession of a controlled substance in a correctional facility and at least three others on controlled substance charges and four on DWI charges, according to sheriff’s reports.
DWI Crash On College Street
A 51-year-old Sulphur Springs woman was arrested on a second driving while intoxicated offense following a two-vehicle crash just before midnight Sunday.
The woman was reported to have been driving a red Ford Focus that collided with another vehicle at 11:25 p.m. Dec. 20, 2020, in the 1400 block of College Street. Upon contact, Sulphur Springs Police Department officers alleged the woman swayed back and forth and had slurred speech when talking with officers. An alcoholic beverage odor emitted from her as well. She refused to cooperate with police when they attempted to administer standard field sobriety testing.
She was taken to jail, where she further refused to submit to a blood test for analysis. A search warrant was obtained requiring the blood draw, which was taken at the hospital. She was then transported to jail and booked on the second offense DWI charge, according to arrest reports.
The 50-year-old Sulphur Springs woman was released from Hopkins County jail Dec. 21 on a $2,000 bond on the misdemeanor DWI charge. Hopkins County jail reports show she’s been booked into Hopkins County jail on two other occasions: on Sept. 13, 2019 for public intoxication and June 8, 2019 on a possession of less than 28 grams of a Penalty Group 3 controlled substance in a drug-free zone charge.
DWI Arrest At Delta County Line
A 27-year-old Cooper man reportedly caught deputies’ attention on State Highway 19 north at the Delta County line at 10:18 p.m. Dec. 21 by failing to maintain a single lane in the silver Nissan Sentra he was driving, crossing the fog line multiple times.
The Cooper resident allegedly admitted to consuming 4-5 beers approximately 30 minutes before the traffic stop. He displayed 6 out of 6 clues on horizontal gaze nystagmus tests and 7 of 8 clues of intoxication on standard field sobriety tests.
When he refused to submit to a breath test at the jail, deputies sought and obtained a search warrant signed by the county court-at-law judge requiring a blood draw for analysis. The sample was take from the 27-year-old Sulphur Springs man at the hospital, then he was booked into Hopkins County jail at 1:19 a.m. Dec. 22 on a DWI charge, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office deputies alleged in arrest reports.
The Cooper man was released from Hopkins County jail later Dec. 22 on a $1,000 bond on the misdemeanor DWI charge, according to jail reports.
I-30 West DWI Arrest
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers stopped a Ford Fusion at mile marker 117 on Interstate 30 west at 10:25 p.m. Dec. 20 for following too closely to another vehicle and failure to drive in a single lone on I-30.
The 24-year-old Hugo, Oklahoma woman driving showed indicators of intoxication during a roadside interview and admitted to consuming Xanax and marijuana earlier in the day, the highway patrol alleged in arrest reports.
The trooper arrested the Oklahoma woman at for driving while intoxicated. She agreed to a blood draw, taken at the hospital, then was transported to jail and booked at 12:27 a.m. Dec. 21 on a misdemeanor DWI charge, according to arrest reports.
The 24-year-old was released from Hopkins County jail later Dec. 21 on a $1,000 bond, according to jail reports.
I-30 East Controlled Substance Arrest
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Elijah Fite stopped a 20-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas man at 1:54 a.m. Dec. 21, on Interstate 30 east at mile marker 130 for a traffic offense. Upon contact with the driver, Fite alleged smelling a strong marijuana odor emitting from the Honda Civic and observed a marijuana cigarette in the console.
for Roderick Bryan Shelby
During a pat down, Fite alleged a vape pen with a vial of suspected THC oil was found in Roderick Bryan Shelby’s pocket. Shelby also admitted there was more marijuana in the car and a handgun under his seat. Deputies discovered Shelby told the truth; marijuana was found in the console and a handgun under the driver’s seat.
The car was impounded and Shelby was transported to jail. The suspected THC oil tested positive for the substance using a field test kid and weighed 9.48 grams, resulting in Shelby being booked into Hopkins County jail at 4 a.m. Dec. 21, 2020, on possession of 4 grams or more but less than 400 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon charge, Fite and HCSO Sgt. Scott Davis alleged in arrest reports.
Shelby was released from Hopkins County jail later Monday, Dec. 21, on a $35,000 bond on the second-degree felony controlled substance charge and a $2,000 bond on the Class A misdemeanor weapon charge, according to jail reports.
State Highway 11 East DWI Arrest
A Pickton man, 25, was arrested at 7:32 p.m. Dec. 19 on State Highway 11 east at FM 69 for driving while intoxicated, possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana nd possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was stopped by a state trooper for a defective license plate and failing to drive a Nissan Frontier in a single lane on SH 11 east. Upon contact with the driver, the trooper reported smelling a fresh marijuana odor in the vehicle. The Pickton resident allegedly admitted to possessing marijuana and handed over an Altoids container with several rolled marijuana cigarettes. Additional drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle.
The 25-year-old allegedly also admitted to smoking marijuana a couple of hours before the stop, displayed indicators of intoxication during a roadside interview and showed clues of intoxication on standard field sobriety tests. He was arrested and his vehicle was released to his mother at his request. He was taken to the hospital for a blood draw, then transported to the county jail, according to arrest reports.
The Pickton man was released from Hopkins County jail Dec. 20 on $2,000 bond each on the marijuana and DWI charges, according to jail reports.
SH 19 North Road Side Park Controlled Substance Arrest
HCSO Deputy Jason Lavender responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and request for a welfare check on State Highway 19 north at the road side park. The deputy at 10:40 a.m. Dec. 19 contacted a woman in a silver Pontiac Grand Prix, which fit the description given in reports.
for Stacy Lyn Rash
After explaining the reason for contacting her and brief investigation, Lavender said he learned the woman had been dishonest with him about her criminal history. A marijuana odor emitted from the car. A probable cause search revealed contraband in the passenger’s area of the car. A presumptive test of one item of contraband had a positive result for methamphetamine.
Upon arrival at the jail, she allegedly admitted to having a bag with other “stuff” in it. A female jailer removed a bag with a crystal-like white substance also suspected to be methamphetamine that weighed 1.32 grams including packaging and also tested positive for meth, Lavender alleged in arrest reports.
Consequently, 47-year-old Stacy Lynn Rash of Canton was booked at 1:23 p.m. Dec. 19 into Hopkins County jail on a possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance. Rash was released from Hopkins County jail Dec. 20, 2020, on a $5,000 bond on the third-degree felony controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
Warrant Service At The County Jail
HCSO Deputy Dan Turrentine served 27-year-old Joshua Terry Ford of Cumby at 7 a.m. Dec. 19 with a warrant for prohibited substance in a correctional facility.
No additional information about the charge charge was available.
Ford has been in custody since his arrest Oct. 6 on tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair and evading arrest or detention with a vehicle charges and a warrant for violation probation-abandoning or endangering a child/criminal negligence warrant, according to jail reports. He remained in the county jail Wednesday, Dec. 23.
FM 2297 Controlled Substance Arrest
Kelly Wayne Gathright, 49, of Mabank was arrested at 11:41 p.m. Dec. 19 for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, according to arrest reports.
for Kelly Wayne Gathright
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Aaron Chaney reported stopping a Dodge Ram 1500 for driving over the white lane marker into the grass on the side of the road. Upon contact, the deputy alleged the man’s hands were shaking and he displayed signs of nervous behavior.
A pat down yielded a bag containing a crystal-like substance the deputy believed to be methamphetamine in his sweatshirt pocket. Two digital scales with suspected meth residue and tow burned glass pipes of the type commonly used to smoke meth were found in the truck, Chaney alleged in arrest reports.
Deputy Nick Marney arrived to assist in inventorying the truck prior to impound while Chaney transported Gathright to jail. The suspected meth field tested positive for meth and weighted 2.2 grams. Consequently, Gathright was charged with possession of 1 gram or more but less than 2 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
Gathright remained in Hopkins County jail Wednesday, Dec. 23, in lieu of a $30,000 bond on the charge, 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.
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.
GPS Monitoring System To Be Installed on County Emergency Response Vehicles
Dispatchers will soon be able to track movements of county emergency response vehicles, thanks to GPS monitoring system to be installed on fire department and sheriff’s vehicles.
Hopkins County Commissioners Court approved at the recommendation of Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tanner Crump a 36-month agreement with GPS Insight to put monitoring systems on up to 49 vehicles.
The technology would essentially put a device on vehicles which will allow dispatchers to track them on a monitor at any given time. This will be helpful in letting dispatchers know which apparatus are available and closest to assist on calls.
“The county pays once a month for 49 units. Because we did a three-year agreement they waived the $99 installation fee per unit and a $9,999 fee on trip charge for the install. So they are doing all of the installation on units for free based on the 36-month agreement. If we had gone with a lesser agreement for lesser time we would have been responsible for the installation,” Crump said.
The trackers will be placed first on fire apparatus first, then sheriff’s patrol vehicles and police vehicles. The system will also allow the county dispatch to work with Sulphur Springs Police Department and Hopkins County EMS to view status on those vehicles as well. This, Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom said will allow officials to work even better together during an emergency.
“This is going to be really a step up for Hopkins County. To me, it’s a little more than we’ve ever done before. Dispatch over at the sheriff’s office will be able to stay up with every police car, every sheriff’s vehicle, every fire vehicle — including volunteer fire department vehicles at any time. So when someone’s called they will know whether that department has a particular unit out or a sheriff’s unit out or police unit out,” Newsom said.
“We’ll also be able to see EMS location also, one that information is built into our system, so originally, that was what the wish of the court was when we moved toward new technology a few years ago. So this is just another piece of that coming to fruition, so we can work better together and see what our resources are in a time of emergency,” Crump said.
The technology will also be useful to departments as it can provide some maintenance information on the vehicle as well, according to Crump.
In the event of an accident or other reason for a vehicle to be taken out of service, Crump said sheriff’s office personnel should be able to transfer that between units as well as maintain software.
GPS Insight was selected based on recommendations from Dallas County officials and those of other counties currently using the company’s systems.
The 36-month contract with GPS Insight for monitoring services received unanimous approval of the Commissioners Court on Dec. 21.
Wildcats Basketball Team Comes Out Smoking In 73-54 District Opening Win At Home Tuesday
The Wildcats Basketball Team was red hot at the start of their district opener Tuesday afternoon, December 22, in the Main Gym at Sulphur Springs High School. The Wildcats led 25-5 after the first quarter on their way to a 73-54 victory.
Six different Wildcats scored in the quarter led by Kordrick Turner’s 7 points, Justin Haire’s 6 points and Lamodrick Johnson’s 5 points. The two teams basically traded points the rest of the way but the first quarter margin proved to be the difference.
Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta utilized his entire bench as eleven Wildcats got some court time. Nine of them scored. The Wildcats ended up with four players scoring in double figures.
Boo Wilkerson led the Wildcats with 15 points including 3 three-pointers. Haire chipped in 14 points. Turner had 12 points with 2 three-point baskets. Parker Whisenhunt had an outstanding all around game with 10 points. Johnson had 8 points. Caleb Alexander scored 5 points including a trey. Cason Arrington had 4 points. Jatavian Hall hit a three-point shot for 3 points. Justin Darrow had 2 points.
Pine Tree’s Dealyn Evans led all scorers in the game with 17 points.
The Wildcats are 1-0 in district play and their season record is 8-5.
After Christmas break, the Wildcats resume play with a non-district game against Greenville next Tuesday at 4 p.m. at home.
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.
Lady Cats Basketball Team Proves To Be Stingy On Defense In 41-12 Win At Pine Tree Tuesday
Lady Cats Basketball Coach Brittney Tisdell has been stressing defense to her team this season. The Lady Cats proved that the message has been received in a 41-12 district win at Pine Tree Tuesday afternoon, December 22.
Coach Tisdell said the Lady Cats played great defense and she added they were awesome.
Coach Tisdell also asked her team to win for her father Tuesday. Her father, long time Paris Wildcats Head Basketball Coach Billy Mack Steed, is in a hospital ICU bed with COVID-19.
With the win, the Lady Cats evened their district record at 2-2 and their season record to 5-5.
After Christmas break, the Lady Cats will have four non-district games before returning to district play. Next Monday, the Lady Cats play at Nevada Community at 1:30 p.m.
Wildcats Soccer Team Has Goal Explosion In Scrimmage At The Prim Against Greenville
The Wildcats Soccer Team picked up a solid scrimmage win, 6-0 against Greenville Tuesday evening, December 22, at Gerald Prim Stadium.
Angel Andino got things started with a goal after an assist from Omar Hernandez. Hernandez scored the Wildcats second goal. Alex Yanez had the next goal on a successful penalty kick. Alejandro Diosdado had the next two goals for the Wildcats. Joel Pasion wrapped up the evening’s scoring with a goal on a penalty kick.
Wildcats Soccer Coach Alexa Upton said he was glad the Wildcats put the game away and took care of business.
In earlier games, the Wildcats JV 1 Team lost a close one to the Lions, 1-0. The Wildcats JV 2 team battled Greenville to a 1-1 tie.
After Christmas break, the Wildcats scrimmage at Pittsburg at 7:15 p.m. Monday. The Pirates are preseason ranked #6 in Class 4A.
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.
Lady Cats Soccer Team Wins Scrimmage At Palestine Tuesday, 4-1
The Lady Cats Soccer Team had another good day Tuesday, December 22, in scrimmage action at Palestine. The Lady Cats took a 4-1 win.
Earlier the Lady Cats JV edged past Palestine, 1-0. The JV and Varsity matches were moved up from 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
After Christmas break, the Lady Cats resume scrimmage play at North Forney on Monday with a JV match at 5:30p.m. and the varsity match at 7:15 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.
Dec. 22 COVID-19 Update: 47 Recoveries, 28 In COVID Unit, 3 New Probable Cases
While there were no new confirmed molecular cases reported for Hopkins County on Tuesday, there were 47 recoveries, three new probable cases and a new record patient count in the hospital COVID Unit, according to Texas Department of State Health Service’s Dec. 22 COVID-19 dashboards and Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management’s Dec. 22 COVID-19 update.
Case Counts
DSHS’s Dec. 22 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard again showed 1,043 Hopkins County residents have received positive COVID-19 molecular test results since March, the same as was reported on Monday for Hopkins County.
While there were no new molecular positive results reported on Dec. 22, that doesn’t mean there were no new cases. Three probable cases were reported Tuesday, increasing the total so far this week to 15 new probable cases. That makes 133 new probable cases reported since the state began reporting the data daily alongside confirmed molecular cases on Dec. 11. Overall, that’s 1,056 probable cases reported for Hopkins County since the county began tracking the information.
For the first time in three days new patient recoveries were reported. On the Dec. 22 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard, 47 Hopkins County residents had recovered from COVID-19. That makes 1,209 recoveries this month, including 810 probable case recoveries not previously reported in the daily counts until Dec. 11 when the total number of recoveries, both confirmed and probable, were totaled. That makes a total of 1,903 of the 2,099 confirmed and probable cases who have recovered, according to the DSHS data.
DSHS in the Weekly COVID-19 County Profile reported 260 new COVID-19 cases from Dec. 7-20, a 20 percent increase from the previous two-week report period. While DSHS did not provide a chart this week with all of the age breakdowns for new cases reported from Dec. 7-20, the state health agency reported that every age group had an increase except for ages 0-3 and 18-19-year-olds. Twenty-six of new cases were from school-aged cases, up from 19 school-aged cases the previous two weeks, DSHS reported.
Overall, the recoveries more than offset the new cases this week, decreasing the active case count from 172 cases on Dec. 21 to 128 cases Tuesday. That’s the least number of active cases in a week, as it’s one less than on Dec. 16, but still 29 more than on Dec. 15 and 109 more active cases than on Dec. 2.
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
The DSHS/Texas Heath and Human Services Vaccine Data dashboard showed 235,050 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been delivered to vaccine providers in 215 of Texas’ 254 counties. The first of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to a total of 60,631 people in Texas by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 21, including five people in Hopkins County, DSHS reported Tuesday.
Front-line healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities are the first Texans to receive the vaccine, in Phase 1A. Vaccines began being distributed across the state and country on Dec. 14. A few approved providers in Hopkins County received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine this week. DSHS encourages Phase 1A healthcare workers to contact their employers to find out more about available vaccinations. DSHS recommends residents of long-term care facilities contact their caretaker about the vaccine.
On Dec. 23, Texas will continue to receive and distribute doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines statewide to hospitals, pharmacies, local health departments, freestanding ERs and other clinics.
Phase 1B vaccine recipients are expected to be able to get the vaccine starting in January 2021. These include people 65 years of age and older, and people over age 16 with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at greater risk, DSHS reported on Dec. 22.
More information about the vaccine, including distribution phases and tiers, can be found at on the DSHS Vaccine Data dashboard.
COVID-19 Test Data
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials, in the Dec. 22 COVID-19 update, reported a total of 6,248 COVID-19 tests have been performed at the testing center at 128-A Jefferson Street from Sept. 25 to Dec. 21, including 183 tests conducted on Monday.
DSHS, in the Dec. 22 COVID-19 Test and Hospital Data dashboard, reported a total of 12,977 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in Hopkins County through Dec. 21: 10,826 viral or molecular (PCR) tests, 1,024 antigen tests and 1,127 antibody tests.
Hospital Reports
The patient count in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs reached a new high of 28 patients. Previously the most patients reported in the COVID unit was 26 on Dec. 14. The increase marked the third consecutive day in which the patients counts have increases in the COVID-19 Unit. The hospital made some adjustments last month so that, if necessary, as many as 35 COVID-19 patients can be treated at CMFH-SS at one time.
On Dec. 22, there were 10,299 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including the 28 CMFH-SS patients. Across Trauma Service Area F, which includes Hopkins County and nearly all of Northeast Texas, there were 159 COVID-19 hospitalizations, five more than on Dec. 21, 11 more than on Dec. 20, and 21 more than on Dec. 19. That’s the most COVID-19 patients reported in the last 10 days. Overall, COVID-19 patients accounted for 14.83 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA F.
TSA F had a total of 1,072 staffed hospital beds on Tuesday, four more than on Monday and 14 more tan on Sunday. Overall, there were 620 total hospitalizations in the TSA, six more than on Dec. 21 and 13 more than on Dec. 20. There also were 980 staffed inpatients beds in TSA F, four more than on Monday and 14 more than on Sunday, but still 10 less than Saturday and 31 less than on Dec. 18.
TSA F reported only eight ICU beds available in hospitals across the area, one more than Monday, two more than Sunday, three less than on Saturday. Also available in TSA F on Tuesday were 77 ventilators, the same as on Dec. 21, one less than Dec. 20, nine more than on Dec. 19 and 14 more than on Dec. 18. A total of 360 hospital beds were available in TSA F on Dec. 22, two less than on Monday but one less than on Sunday and 46 less than on Dec. 12.
Saltillo Lions Basketball Team Gets Lopsided Win at Home Against Savoy
The Saltillo Lions Basketball Team got a big home win over Savoy on Monday (December 21), 81-28. The Lions outscored Savoy in every quarter getting off to a 23-7 start after the first period. Post Chris Boekhorst led all scorers with 30 points. Andrew Redburn chipped in 16 points. Colton McGill added 8 points. Coy Collines had 5 points. Gunner Tarver, Caden McGill, Ridge Johnson, Colby McCoy and David Whitworth all scored 4 points. Cristian Trejo scored 2 points. The Lions improved their season record to 4-6. The Lions JV also won over the Savoy JV in a close one, 39-35 with Ethan White scoring 21 points. The Lions play at Dodd City Tuesday with a JV game at 5 p.m. with a varsity game to follow.
