Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Releases Photo of Suspected Truck Believed to be Used in Crimes
October 30, 2024 – Gangs burglarizing cars in Hopkins County seem to be well organized and using stolen vehicles to committ these crimes. One suspected vehicle being used has been identified as a stolen 2015 Chevrolet pickup. This vehicle may have scratches as it was driven through a barbed wire fence as it was stolen several months ago. Law enforcement believes the license plates will have been changed on the vehicle with stolen plates from another vehicle to avoid detection. If you see this or any other suspicious vehicle, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office urges residents to call 9-1-1 or (903)438-4040. The suspects in these crimes are considered to be armed and dangerous as they target vehicles to steal cash, weapons, and other valuables.
The 2024 Hopkins County United Way Continues to Collect for a Great Cause in This Campaign Meeting
October 30, 2024 – The 2024-2025 Hopkins County United Way keeps working to collect for great causes. Check out KSST’s coverage of their latest meeting that was held Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Give it a viewing below.
Check out the Game Everyone is Talking About; Wildcats Versus Community on October 25th
October 29, 2024 – Be sure to check out the game everyone is talking about… Below is KSST’s coverage of the Sulphur Springs High School Wildcats versus the Community Braves. The game was played Friday, October 25, 2024, at Gerald Prim Stadium in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Play by Play is called by KSST’s Sports Director John Mark Dempsey, and color commentary was provided by Tony Flippin. The Wildcats games are brought to you by the official Wildcats station, KSST!
Sulphur Springs City Council Has Full Agenda for November Meeting
October 29, 2024 – The regular meeting of the Sulphur Springs City Council will take place at City Hall Tuesday, November 5th with the public portion of the meeting starting at 7:00 pm. Council members and city staff will begin an executive session at 6:30 pm to consult with an attorney, to hold Negotiations about Real Property; and to hold Deliberations Regarding Economic Development: Thermo 2 known as Thermo 2. Executive session meetings are closed to the public.
The regular meeting agenda contains several ordinances for the council to consider including items for Discussion on authorizing submission of a Texas Community Development Block Grant program application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Community Development Fund, discussion and action on requesting a Speed Study and Traffic Signal Improvements along Highway 19 and Highway 154, discussion and action to approve expenditure for upgrade and conversion of election equipment and purchasing a ballot scanner for paper ballots, discussion and action on a motion to approve an amendment to the 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Plan to provide for the replacement of the water and sewer lines on Como Street, between Alabama Street and College Street, as part of the Alabama
Street Project, and more. The full agenda can be seen below.
Mariachi Ensemble Brings New Sounds to A&M-Commerce
The newly established student organization will perform for the first time later this week.
COMMERCE, TX, October 29, 2024—A new cultural experience has emerged at Texas A&M University-Commerce as the Mariachi Ensemble looks to wow audiences with performances of traditional Mexican music.
Officially organized in May 2024, the ensemble is different from other musical groups at the university, as they officially function as a student organization rather than a part of the A&M-Commerce School of Music. Even still, most of the students participating are also majoring in music.
Starting Out
The group’s faculty advisor, Dr. Tomas Espinosa, assistant professor of bilingual and ESL education, is well suited for the role. He participated in mariachi ensembles for eight years during his studies at the University of Texas at El Paso and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Espinosa said that upon arriving at A&M-Commerce in 2023, he was surprised to see that the university did not already feature a mariachi ensemble for students.
“I started having conversations with university administration and the School of Music about forming this group, and they have been very supportive the entire time,” Espinosa said. “The response from students was great as well; It was obvious that plenty of students had a desire to participate.”
Making Music
The group consists of more than a dozen members, all split between parts that make up a traditional mariachi ensemble: trumpets, violins, armonia (which includes the guitar, the vihuela—a smaller, higher-pitched guitar—and the guitarrón, a larger, lower-pitched guitar) and vocalists.
Since mariachi ensembles typically do not feature conductors, Espinosa said they can be a great way for the students to build valuable skills.
“Performing in this type of group allows students to build trust, communication and cohesion with one another,” Espinosa said. “They need to work to act as one unit without the aid of a conductor, which can be a challenge.”
Student Perspective
Veronica Flores serves as president of the mariachi student organization. A junior music education major from Palmer, Texas, Flores normally plays the clarinet. However, she took on the violin when joining the mariachi ensemble. She says that mariachi is very important to many of the students in the organization. Even if this is their first time in a mariachi ensemble, this form of music has been a constant presence in their lives.
“I feel like for many of us, mariachi has always been a part of our lives in some way,” Flores said. “It’s a part of our culture that we’re excited to be a part of.”
She hopes that this first cohort of performers can leave behind a strong foundation for future ensemble members to build on and grow the organization.
Debut Performance
The A&M-Commerce Mariachi Ensemble was formally introduced to the university community at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in September 2024. The ensemble is gearing up for its first solo performance in celebration of Dia de los Muertos on November 1, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. in the Finney Concert Hall.
The setlist for their debut concert will include classic staples and admission is free and open to the public.
For more information on the Mariachi Ensemble Student Organization at A&M-Commerce, contact Dr. Tomas Espinosa.
The Hopkins County Genealogical Society Reminds you to Turn Your Clock Back, and to Attend the Cemetery Walk on November 3rd
October 29, 2024 – The Hopkins County Genealogical Society would like to take this opportunity to remind the community that Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed Saturday night, November 2nd, 2024.
The Genealogical Society would also like to take this time to remind everyone to attend their annual Cemetery Walk on Sunday, November 3, 2024. The event will be held from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. The walk is being held at City Cemetery, and this year concentrates on the stories of brave Veterans. Prior to the tour Taps will be played by Marine Corp. Veterans Garry Hall. Admission is a $10 donation. For more details, please call 903-885-8523.
“Right to Repair” Isn’t Just For Farmers, It’s For McFlurry Makers As Well
October 29, 2024 – Right to repair is a legal right for owners of devices and equipment to freely modify and repair products such as automobiles, electronics, and farm equipment. Right to repair may also refer to the social movement of citizens putting pressure on their governments to enact laws protecting a right to repair.
US Farmers gained some ground on this issue when they confronted John Deere in 2023. The issue with the popular green farm equipment makers was that even thought farmers owned thier tractors and combines, Deere actively prevent them from repairing the equipment themselves. This forced farmers to full rely on expensive dealership repairs.
And then there’s the phenomenon of broken soft serve machines at McDonalds. Taylor, the company who make and services these machines placed ‘digital locks’ to prevent repairs by anyone other than Taylor certified technicians. Owners claim this practice is behind the estimated 1 in 5 ‘broken’ machines in the US.
A plague of broken machine spawned many internet memes, and even an app, aka McBroken, to track working and non working machines.
But now, a legal loophole has been found and it’s currently legal to repair those machines starting October 28, 2024. Franchise owners will be able to break through the digital locks that have blocked them from repairing McDonald’s ice cream machines for years. According to the Copyright Office, the exemption will allow people to diagnose, perform maintenance, and repair “retail-level commercial food preparation equipment.”
Time will tell if this translates into more frosty treats available.
Federal Prosecutors Stand Ready to Address Voting Rights Concerns or Election Fraud
October 29, 2024 – U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
HOUSTON – Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) in connection with early voting in Texas, which runs through Nov. 1, and the upcoming Nov. 5 general election, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Civil Chief Daniel Hu has been appointed to serve as the election officer for civil matters, while Deputy Criminal Chief Sharad Khandelwal is the criminal election officer. In their capacities, both are responsible for overseeing the SDTX’s handling of election related complaints related to voting rights, such as limiting access to the polls, threats of violence to election officials or staff and election fraud.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said Hamdani. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. My office will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said Hamdani. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Khandelwal and Hu will be on duty in this district while the polls are open and can be reached at 713-567-9345 and 713-567-9518, respectively.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The main number in Houston is 713-693-5000, while South Texas residents can contact the San Antonio office at 210-225-6741.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said Hamdani. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to DOJ.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Office of the Attorney General Report State Rep Leach; Improper Influence in Robertson Capital Punishment Case
October 29, 2024 – The Office of the Attorney General notified the Texas Supreme Court of unethical “ex parte” communications sent by Representative Jeff Leach to a sitting Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. In those text messages, Leach sought to exert improper influence on the Robert Roberson capital punishment proceedings by explicitly imploring that Judge to change his or her vote in Roberson’s latest round of postconviction proceedings and thereby engineer an alternative outcome for Roberson. Roberson was sentenced to the death penalty in the 2002 murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki.
Nikki was found to have “a bruise on the back of her shoulder, a scraped elbow, a bruise over her right eyebrow, bruises on her chin, a bruise on her left cheek, an abrasion next to her left eye, multiple bruises on the back of her head, a torn frenulum in her mouth, bruising on the inner surface of the lower lip, subscapular and subgaleal hemorrhaging between her skin and her skull, subarachnoid bleeding, subdural hematoma, both pre-retinal and retinal hemorrhages and brain edema.”[11] Additionally, four separate doctors testified Nikki had “multiple blows to different points on the head”, which could not have been caused by falling off a bed.
On October 25, the Court of Criminal Appeals alerted counsel that Leach sent the private messages to a Judge on the Court in an attempt to influence the proceedings. In the text messages, Leach wrote: “Judge – I’ve wracked my brain about whether I should send you this message… about where I even can send you this message legally and ethically. […] One Judge. That’s all that is needed to simply say… there are too many questions and too many holes and too much uncertainty… and Robert Roberson deserves a new trial. […]”
Leach continued, “Only sending this message to you. And you alone. As my friend and as a wonderful Judge who I have so much faith in, I hope you’ll consider doing so.”
The Judge immediately reported Leach’s conduct. In the notification to counsel, the Court of Criminal Appeals wrote, “This Court sees this communication as a clear violation of Texas Disciplinary Rule of Professional Conduct 3.05”.
To read the OAG letter to the Texas Supreme Court and the notification to counsel from the CCA, click here.
Texas A&M-Commerce News Release: University Gallery to Host Traveling Exhibition of Photos from Civil Rights Movement
“I AM A MAN” displays a wide range of photographs that provide a vivid visual story of the evolution of the civil rights movement.
COMMERCE, TX, October 28, 2024—Texas A&M University-Commerce is pleased to announce I AM A MAN: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1960–1970. The exhibition will be on display from November 11 through December 20, 2024, in the University Gallery located in the Art Building at 2005 University Dr. in Commerce, TX. A reception will be held Tuesday, November 12 from 5–7 p.m. The gallery is open weekly Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (except for university holidays) and by appointment.
I AM A MAN: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1960–1970 displays a wide range of photographs taken by amateurs, local photojournalists, and internationally known photographers. Together, they provide a vivid visual story of the evolution of the civil rights movement and shed light on the movement’s integration in daily living in the American South.
When developing this exhibition, Southern folklorist, author and curator William Ferris and his research team sought out photos taken in the heat of the civil rights movement, by activists or local news photographers, who documented history taking place before their eyes. Viewers of the exhibition will recognize the photographs of protestors who carried signs with messages like “I Am A Man” or sat at segregated lunch counters as iconic images associated with the movement, while numerous other photographs presented in the exhibition have rarely been seen until now.
Key events include James Meredith’s admission to the University of Mississippi, Ku Klux Klan gatherings, the Selma Montgomery March in Alabama, the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Martin Luther King’s funeral, the Poor People’s Campaign and the Mule Train.
This traveling exhibition has been adapted from an exhibition originally produced for the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, France, by the Center for Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The French exhibition was funded by the City of Montpellier and administered by Gilles Mora, director of the Pavillion Populaire.
For more information, please contact Melynda Seaton, Art Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art History. Learn more about Art at A&M-Commerce.
