Hopkins County COVID-19 Update: 4 New Cases, 14 Recoveries On July 31
Four new positive COVID-19 cases and 14 additional patient recoveries were reported for Hopkins County at 5 p.m. Friday, July 31, marking the fourth consecutive day in which new cases have been reported and the third day this week that recoveries have been reported for Hopkins County.
Six patients were also reported to be in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on July 31. That’s one less patient in the unit on Friday than on Thursday. None of the patients in the CMFH-SS COVID-19 unit were reported to be on ventilators, according to Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom.
Overall, that’s 7 new COVID-19 cases and 26 recoveries this week (July 27-31), and 89 new cases and 48 recoveries in July for Hopkins County.
Of the 152 Hopkins County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March, 98 have recovered, leaving 54 active cases of COVID-19 in Hopkins County on July 31.
When Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Health and Human Services Commission updated their COVID-19 fatality data dashboard at 4:10 p.m. July 31, it still showed one COVID-19 fatality for Hopkins County. The DSHS “COVID-19 Total Fatalities by County” spreadsheet shows the fatality to have been assigned to Hopkins County on July 23.
Hopkins County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Endsley, on July 31, said local officials still don’t know where the state is getting the information reported on their dashboard. On July 30 he reported that neither local emergency management officials nor regional DSHS officials have received any information regarding any COVID-19 deaths of Hopkins County residents.
DSHS on July 30 reported a manual check revealed an “automation error” Wednesday, which cause 229 fatalities that did not list COVID-19 as the direct cause of death to be counted in the state data. This follows DSHS’ shift in the way COVID-19 deaths are determined; death certificate data is now used to count fatalities as of Monday.
The July 31 report stated that the cumulative fatality counts for July 27-29 were corrected, but DHSH reports numbers could rise as more death certificates are filed daily across the state.
HHS’ COVID-19 page also continues to show only one worker at one Sulphur Springs nursing home facility as having tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 17; that was an active case on July 13 and continued to be an active case on July 17, according to the HHS report. All data in this report is 2 weeks behind so that information self-reported by these facilities can be entered and error-checked.
No nursing home or assisted living facility in Hopkins County has reported having any residents test positive for COVID-19 either in the past or through July 17, according to the HHS reports.
Those who check the DSHS/HHS site regularly for case counts will want to note DSHS will not be posting any new data on the COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday, Aug. 2, “due to a scheduled upgrade to the system that processes electronic lab reports.” The upgrade should “enable incoming lab results to be processed faster and maintain compatibility with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Sunday’s data will be posted along with Monday’s data in the files on the “Additional Data tab” at the bottom of the COVID-19 dashboard.
The Mission of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas
The mission of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is to provide quality, relevant outreach and continuing educational programs and services to the people of Texas. Extension educates Texans in the areas of agriculture, environmental stewardship, youth and adult life skills, human capital and leadership, and community economic development. The agency improves the lives of Texans through an educational process that uses research-based knowledge focused on issues and needs. Because of the broad range of needs, priorities and learning styles, extension personnel use several educational tools to educate people. Using mass media (i.e. this publication) helps extension professional educate many people in a subject very quickly. As our communities get more involved in rural activities and where our food comes from, many get interested in Gardening. Gardening is, in the way I see it, the “primer” of agriculture. Because of its simple start up process, easy access to varieties and their seeds, gardening offers a wide variety of experiences shared with other sectors of agriculture. And, at the “core” of gardening rest the soil. The soil is a storehouse for all the elements plants need to grow: nutrients, organic matter, air, and water. Soil also provides support for plant roots. When properly prepared and cared for, soil can be improved each year and will continue to grow plants forever. Uncared for soil will soon become suited only for growing weeds. Texas gardeners must work with many different soils. Some are very sandy, some are sticky clay, and others are rocky and shallow. Sandy soils do not hold enough water; in windy areas, blowing sand can injure vegetables. Clay soils hold too much water and do not allow enough air to enter the soil. Vegetables need a deep and well-drained soil with adequate organic matter. Good garden soil with proper moisture will not form a hard ball when squeezed in the hand. It should crumble easily. The soil should be tilled as deeply as possible, at least 8 to 10 inches. Deep tilling loosens soil and lets vegetable roots go deeper. Turn each shovelful of soil completely over. Till soil when it is moist but not wet. Working soil when it is too wet can cause it to become rough. Spade the soil in the winter to prepare for spring planting. Winter temperatures and moisture help mellow soil. This is especially important if the soil is being worked for the first time. Add organic matter each year during soil preparation to build and maintain the soil. Be sure all plant material is turned under the soil. If organic material is added before planting a fall garden, it should be well-rotted, such as compost. Before planting, rake the soil clean and level it. Remove all sticks, rocks and other material. Allow water to drain away from plant roots the soil several months before planting to allow it time to decompose. Most gardeners do this during the winter. Manure: Use composted manure and incorporate it into the soil well ahead of planting. Do not use fresh manure, as it can damage plants and introduce diseases. Apply 30 to 40 pounds of composted manure for every 100 square feet. Compost consists of de-cayed plant materials. Work it into the soil before planting. Sawdust: Compost this before adding it to the garden. Do not use un-composted sawdust because it will rob the soil of nitrogen and, consequently, starve the plants of this essential nutrient .Green manure: Plant rye or oats in the fall and plow or spade it under in the spring. These cannot be used if a fall garden is planted. Do not add more than a 4-inch layer of organic material. Most heavy clay soils benefit from the addition of gypsum. It adds some nutrients but, more importantly, it loosens clay soils and makes it more workable. Spread about 3 to 4 pounds of gypsum per 100 square feet over garden soil after it has been dug in the winter. Work it into the soil or allow it to be washed in by rain. Add sand and organic matter to clay soil to make it more workable. Mix 2 inches of clean sand and 3 inches of organic matter, such as leaves, with the soil. Do this during the winter season. Use a shovel or rake to pull the soil up into beds 8 to 10 inches high. Pack beds or allow them to settle before planting. Also level the tops of the beds and widen them to about 6 to 8 inches before planting. Plant on top of the beds. After completing the steps required to properly prepare the soil for planting, gardening might seem anything but “easy.” But with proper soil preparation, gardening will get “easier” every year.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
Candidates Can File For A Place On Rural School Board Election Ballots
Candidates can now file for a place on 5 rural school board election ballots this fall. The filing period began July 18 and will continue through Aug. 17. Cumby, Miller Grove, North Hopkins, Saltillo, Sulphur Bluff and Yantis school districts are all scheduled to hold school board elections on Nov. 3.
Cumby ISD
At Cumby ISD, candidate applications are available for two seats on the school board in the Administration Offices from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 17. Currently, Marsha Krotky and Kenny Campbell are serving in those seats on the board. The trustees seats are at-large and for a full 3-year term.
Miller Grove ISD
Miller Grove ISD has four seats on the school board up for election this year. Those seats are currently held by Clark May, John Wilbur, Doug Hall, Eric Mabe. Applications are available from 8 to 4 p.m. weekdays in the High School office. Applications must be notarized and returned no later than the close of business on Aug. 17. All four seats are for a full 4-year term and members are elected at-large.
North Hopkins ISD
Candidate filing for two seats on North Hopkins ISD school board will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 17 in NHISD Administration Building. Currently, those seats are held by David James and Brian Lewis. The seats are at-large for a full term on the board.
Saltillo ISD
Candidate applications for Saltillo ISD Board of Trustees election are available during regular business hours through 5 p.m. Aug. 17 at the school office. Up for election are Place 1, Place 3 and Place 5 on the school board. The places are for 4-year terms. Currently serving in those seats are Marks Sustaire, Place 1; Chad Neal, Place 3; and Randy Johnson, Place 5. Declaration of write-in candidacy must be received by 5 p.m. Aug. 21, and should a candidate choose to withdraw from the election, a certificate of withdrawal must be submitted by 5 p.m. Aug. 24.
To be eligible to file candidacy in the Saltillo ISD school board election, the applicant must be 18 years old; have been a Texas resident since Aug. 20, 2019 and a Saltillo ISD resident since Feb. 21, 2020; and be a registered voter prior to the Nov. 3 election. The candidate receiving the most votes in the Nov. 3 election will win that place on the board.
Sulphur Bluff ISD
Candidates may file for a spot on the Nov. 3 Sulphur Bluff ISD Board of Trustees election ballot Monday-Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Aug. 17. Applications are available in the school office. There will be four at-large 4-year term seats on the ballot.
Yantis ISD
Yantis ISD was scheduled to hold an election on May 2, but that, like many things was affected by COVID-19. Yantis ISD Board of Trustees in a special meeting March 30 officially postponed the May 2 trustees election until Nov. 3. That was just ahead of the Secretary of State Elections Officer’s email notifying local election officials that the May 2 elections should be postponed due to the Governor’s Executive Order requiring people to remain at home unless at an essential job or essential tasks such as grocery shopping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
When filing closed in February, incumbents Jennifer McKeever and Melissa Stephens were challenged by Teresa Starrett and Jennifer Larkin for their seats on the school board.
Sulphur Springs ISD
SSISD Board of Trustees‘ May 2 election was cancelled at the March board meeting, ahead of the COVID-19 changes to planned elections. The incumbents were the only candidates to file for the May 2020 election. Because they were unopposed for the two seats, the election was not necessary.
Como-Pickton CISD
Como-Pickton CISD Board of Trustees will also not be conducting a school board election. CPCISD traditionally holds elections in May during odd numbered years only. Como-Pickton isn’t scheduled to have another board of trustees election until Saturday, May 1, 2021. The first day to file an application will be Jan. 13, 2021.
DCTF Magazine Names Two Former Wildcats Players As Part Of 40 Best Young Coaches In The State
The prestigious Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine has honored two former Wildcats’ football players, naming them to the list of the 40 best young coaches in the state. Triston Abron, the Head Football Coach at Mexia, and John McSheffery, the Head Football Coach at Commerce, made the list. The pair of former Wildcats were listed in a magazine section entitled Texas 40 Under 40: The Best Young Coaches in the Lone Star State.
Coach Abron was also named the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Coach of the Year in 2019, after leading Paul Pewitt to the Class 3A Division II state title game. The magazine noted that Coach Abron was one of the hottest young names on the coaching carousel this off season, before landing the head coaching job at Mexia.
Coach Abron played for the Wildcats, then, joined the Wildcats’ coaching staff after college. He was the Wildcats defensive coordinator for several seasons before being lured away to Paul Pewitt for his first head coaching job.
Coach McSheffery will be in his first year as a head coach at Commerce this season. He was promoted from Tigers’ defensive coordinator to head coach in March, after several years on the Commerce coaching staff.
McSheffery was a star player in the defensive secondary for the Wildcats’ 2008 Class 4A Division II State Champion Football Team. He also played college football at West Texas A&M in Canyon. Coach McSheffery was a Wildcats’ football assistant for several seasons before taking a job as an assistant in Commerce.
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.
Custom Tote Bags for Researchers by Hopkins County Genealogical Library
If you have entered into the exciting world of tracing your family tree, or genealogy, you already know what an absorbing endeavor it is. Persons who use the Hopkins County Genealogical Society Library realize that it is not only operated by knowledgeable docents who are happy to share their expertise, the library is a compact treasury of facts, photos and documents for genealogists. Researchers also know that humor is a helpful tool used by friends and family for understanding the amount of time and effort that genealogists put into their craft! Thus, one library docent has put her crafting skills to use, creating ‘tote bags’ with whimsical sayings that genealogists can appreciate. The bags are only $15 each, and each one is different. All proceeds will be donated back to the genealogical library as a fundraising effort. During COVID-19, the research library experienced a drop in needed revenue due to weeks of closure during Spring and early Summer. So now that library hours have been relaxed once again, you can come into the research facility, look at the tote bags and select yours for purchase, or you can order online at [email protected]. Additionally, the new, locally authored volume called “The Progressive City; Sulphur Springs Downtown 1914” is for sale there as well as are many other works produced by members of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society.
Greenville Man Arrested In New York On Hopkins County Warrants
A 23-year-old Greenville man was arrested and jailed in New York on two Hopkins County warrants.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office personnel was alerted Dakota Paul Carroll had been picked up and was in custody in Onondaga County jail in Syracuse, New York on the Hopkins County charges.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Lt. Amanda Weatherford and Deputy Elijah Fite transported the Greenville man to Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center, where he was booked at 11:08 a.m. July 30 on the burglary of a habitation and theft of firearm charges. The offenses are alleged to have occurred on June 17, according to arrest reports.
Carroll remained in Hopkins County jail Friday morning, July 31. Bond was set at $20,000 on the burglary charge and $5,000 on the firearm charge, according to jail reports.
DPS Investigators Arrest Sulphur Springs Man On North Carolina Warrants
Texas Department of Public Safety investigators arrested a Sulphur Springs man on four North Carolina warrants Thursday afternoon.
Austin Brown and other DPS Criminal Investigations Division agents served Jose Cruz Mejia at 3:30 p.m. July 30, 2020 at a Fisher Street residence with four North Carolina warrants. The 49-year-old Sulphur Springs resident was taken into custody and booked into Hopkins County jail on the four outstanding Sampson County indecent liberties with a child charges.
According to the arrest report, the offenses were alleged to have occurred on or abut June 30, 2015 in Sampson County, North Carolina.
According to North Carolina law, a person is guilty of taking indecent liberties with children if, being 16 years of age or more and at least five years older than the child in question, the accused either willfully takes or attempts to take any immoral, improper, or indecent liberties with any child of either sex under the age of 16 years for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire; or willfully commits or attempts to commit any lewd or lascivious act upon or with the body or any part or member of the body of any child of either sex under the age of 16 years. Taking indecent liberties with children is punishable upon conviction as a Class F felony, under NC criminal law.
Mejia remained in Hopkins County jail Friday, July 31, 2020, according to jail reports.
Stolen Vehicle Located On Interstate 30 In Hopkins County
Authorities arrested a 51-year-old White Oak, TX man who was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle on Interstate 30 in Hopkins County Thursday evening.
Hunt County Sheriff’s Investigator Kenneth Peters notified Hopkins County officials at 6:25 p.m. July 30, 2020 that he had spotted a Hyundai Santa Fe with a license plate that showed it to be reported stolen. The vehicle was reported stolen in Longview, TX. The SUV was traveling east on I-30 near mile marker 117.
Cumby Police Officer Nicholas Geer caught up to the SUV near mile marker 114 on I-30 east and followed it until additional law enforcement units could arrive to assist him. Deputy Kevin Lester and Sgt. Tanner Steward with Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office responded. Geer stopped the black vehicle at the 117 mile marker on I-30.
The driver was identified in arrest reports as 51-year-old Johnnie Roper Sargent of White Oak. The SUV contained at least one female passenger, a 31-year-old woman. Officers alleged a strong marijuana odor emitted from the vehicle. The passenger allegedly possessed a marijuana pipe at the time of the stop.
While speaking to one woman in the vehicle, officers noted her to appear to be physically ill. She told officers she’d recently been tested for COVID-19. Two occupants of the vehicle claimed it belonged to the 31-year-old’s mother. Lester attempted to contact the woman’s mother, but the call went to a voicemail box that was full. A scale which appeared to have methamphetamine residue was found in the vehicle. The 31-year-old allegedly admitted to Steward that she had a pipe on her. She removed it from her bra and handed to the officer. The glass pipe, atype commonly used to smoke methamphetamine, contained a residue that also looked like methamphetamine.
The 31-year-old woman was released; officers anticipate filing charges “at-large” against her for the items found in her possession. Sargent was taken into custody at 7:05 p.m. and jailed on an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charge, according to arrest reports. Sargent remained in Hopkins County jail Friday morning, July 31, 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.
1 New COVID-19 Case, 6 Additional Recoveries Reported July 30 In Hopkins County
Hopkins County Emergency Management officials at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 30, reported 1 new COVID-19 case and 6 recoveries for Hopkins County.
Seven patients were reported to also be in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs July 30, an increase of three patients in the last 24 hours. Four are Hopkins County residents and the other three patients are residents of other counties.
That brings the cumulative total of positive COVID-19 cases for Hopkins County since March to 148, with 85 of those cases reported this month.
During the first week of July, 10 new positive cases were announced. New cases were reported every day from July 9-18, for a total of 45 additional Hopkins County residents testing positive for COVID-19, with 16 total recoveries. For the week of July 20-26, Hopkins County Emergency Management team reported 27 new cases and 6 recoveries. So far this week (July 27-30), there have been 3 new cases and 12 recoveries. That’s 85 new positive COVID-19 cases reported in July in Hopkins County, and 34 recoveries this month.
Of the 148 Hopkins County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March, 84 have recovered, leaving 64 active cases of COVID-19 in Hopkins County on July 29, according to Hopkins County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Endsley.
When the Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Health and Human Services Commission at 4:55 p.m. July 30 finally updated its dashboard, data regarding fatality reports, it still showed showed one fatality for Hopkins County.
Endsley on July 29 and 30 reported neither the local emergency management officials nor regional DSHS officials have received any information regarding any COVID-19 deaths of Hopkins County residents.
The case report could be due to a glitch in the new reporting system, which pulls in data from death certificates, according to DSHS/HHS.
“As DSHS shifted to using death certificate data to count fatalities this week, an automation error caused approximately 225 fatalities to be included that did not have COVID-19 listed as a direct cause of death. A manual quality check revealed the issue late Wednesday,” according to the DSHS/HHS report.
The July 30 report stated that the cumulative fatalities for July 27, 28 and 29 have been corrected, but did not indicate of this applied only to the state totals each day or to county reports as well.
HHS’s COVID-19 page also continues to show only one worker at one Sulphur Springs nursing home facility as having tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 16; that was an active case on July 13 and continued to be an active case on July 16, according to the HHS report. All data in this report is 2 weeks behind so that information self-reported by these facilities can be entered and error-checked.
No nursing home or assisted living facility in Hopkins County has reported having any residents test positive for COVID-19 either in the past or through July 16, according to the HHS report.
Wood County Sheriff’s Office Report – July 22-28, 2020
Wood County Sheriff’s Office provided the following activity report for July 22-28, 2020:
- Suspicious Activity: 23
- Alarm: 11
- Burglary: 3
- Theft: 7
- Criminal Trespass: 5
- Assault: 3
- Disturbances/Disputes: 12
- Shots Fired: 2
- Criminal Mischief: 5
- Reckless Driver: 5
- Terroristic Threat: 4
- Welfare Check: 7
- Arrest/Warrant Services: 2
- Livestock at Large: 15
- Harassment: 1
- Damaged Property: 2
- Fraud: 6
- Motorist Assist: 2
- Animal Complaint: 11
- Inquest: 3
- Missing Person: 2
- Abandoned Vehicle: 1
- Noise Complaint: 6
- Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle: 1
- Structure Fire: 1
