2020 Hopkins County Back to School Fair
With everything going on this year, CANHelp is switching to a scaled down, drive thru version of the fair. While we are going to miss the celebration aspect of the previous fairs, our goal is to still make sure the students have what they need for the start of school, whether at home or online. This year we are also including Yantis ISD students along with Hopkins County students.
On an average year, we serve just a little over 500 students and as of now we currently have over 500 students registered and still have two weeks of sign-ups to go. There is great need out there for Hopkins County families and we still need our communities help! $25 will provide a backpack and supplies for one student. We are working with The Supply Kit again this year and they will be supplying all of the school supplies and backpacks, so monetary donations are what we are in most need of. If any organizations or businesses would like to sponsor or donate, we offer multiple sponsorship levels. All of the proceeds will go towards the purchasing of backpacks and school supplies. Any business or organization that would like to provide trinkets or information to the families, they can donate that as well. CANHelp is working to provide good bags for the families just like items they would normally collect at the back to school fair.
All donations and student registrations can be done on our website this year at www.canhelponline.org. Our offices are also open from 8am-4:30pm, Mon-Fri with available computers if families do not have computer access.
Also, if anyone needs to reach out to CANHelp for more information, they can email [email protected] and we will get back with them as soon as possible.
Shanna Martin, M.A.
Executive Director
CANHelp & 2-1-1 Texas North East Region
Phone: (903) 885-9797 ext. 1
Fax: (903) 439-2270
Independence Symphony Concert Cancelled for 2020
A press release sent to KSST by Linda Galligher, President of the Northeast Texas Symphony League, explains the cancellation of the annual Independence Concert, which due to COVID-19 limitations was re-set for September 5, 2020 from it’s original date of June 27, 2020.
The Sulphur Springs Symphony League’s Board is sad to announce that the Independence Day Concert that had been postponed to Labor Day weekend, September 5th has been cancelled. Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of waiting until closer to concert date to make a decision like this. Work starts early, hiring musicians, buying music, getting everything lined out for this event has to be done well in advance of the actual event. The board felt that we could not continue to spend money preparing for the concert and a decision had to be made. After talking with City and County officials we made the decision to cancel the concert. The musicians had safety concerns as well that we were having a hard time addressing, so for all these reasons, we decided to cancel the event for 2020. We’ve loved having the concert for the past 28 years and look forward to having the concert June 26, 2021.
Linda Galligher, Sulphur Springs Symphony Board President
Administrator Reports Additional Health, Safety Measures Continue At Hopkins County Jail
Hopkins County Jail Administrator Kenneth Dean Monday reported health and safety measures continue to be employed at the Hopkins County jail due to COVID-19.
According to Dean, upon staff and inmates’ arrival at the county jail, steps are taken to guard against potential infection. Employees, he reported, have their temperatures taken upon arrival on duty. Jail staff are also required to wear masks and keep masks on anytime they have interaction with inmates.
When people arrive at the county jail for booking, their temperature is taken prior to entering the book-in area, according to the jail administrator.
“Through the book-in process we get information from them and send people in custody straight to restrooms with showers – we have 2 — and provide antibacterial soap. They shower before ever being placed in a holding cell,” Dean said.
Jail staff are to continue checking the inmate’s temperature twice a day and monitoring to make sure none develop a temperature or fever, according to the jail official.
“We try to spread them out across there, where we can put as few in as possible,” Dean said. “Staff’s real diligent in getting in and seeing if there is any change. They are isolated if they see anything going on. We have no COVID here in the jail and have had no COVID.”
Dean said jail staff try to address the matter if anyone presents symptoms of COVID-19 or illness immediately. Since the start of the pandemic, Dean said, one wanted individual out of Dallas County was booked into the county jail. The individual had medical issues and potential symptoms of illness, and was transported to the hospital. The individual was tested for COVID-19 while at the hospital; he had a negative test result, according to the jail administrator.
Normally, Dean said, inmates would be moved general population housing at the jail within 24 hours of entry. However, because of COVID-19, inmates are monitored and more isolated, to reduce risk of potentially exposing 8-12 offenders at once to any illness. The jail has four holding cell and two cells typically dedicated to detoxing in which incoming inmates are being housed initially.
Inmates are kept for 4-5 days in the holding cell to monitor for any signs of illness, then are moved in with the rest of the jail population, Dean reported.
“We are doing everything we can to keep sanitized,” Dean said. “We’ve got male inmates in the jail doing all the sanitizing. Inmates are sanitizing all day long with bleach water, scrubbing walls and wiping walls. Females are sanitizing administrative offices, courtrooms and other areas. They are required to wear masks if out working. We have a decon machine also to sanitize in the cells.”
Hopkins County jail also continues to be closed to all in-person visitors except inmates’ attorney, per Texas Commission on Jail Standards from the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which also limits inmates to potential exposure to viruses or other contagious illnesses.
Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center can house up to 196 inmates. Currently, the county jail houses nearly 3 dozen inmates who are waiting to be transferred to a prison or state jail. However, due to COVID-19, Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities aren’t accepting new inmates.
“TDC is backing up. We are getting 35 state-ready to go to TDC. That has our numbers up. TDC is still not accepting, except on a limited intake. Our capacity is 196; we’re at 188 this morning. There are still 8 beds for housing,” Dean reported last Monday morning.
The justices of the peace also work with the jail staff to help prevent overcrowding. For instance, when the overall jail population reached 191 over the weekend, one of the judges checked for eligible individuals who could potentially be released. Five were released from custody over the weekend, according to Dean.
Eighth Judicial District Judge Eddie Northcutt on March 13 in a notice to court personnel and others also reported that measures were implemented in courts, at the recommendation of the Office of Court Administration, as precautions due to the spread of coronavirus. This could include accommodations regarding bond for those in custody and new arrests as deemed appropriate by district and county criminal judges to prevent overcrowding at the jail.
COVID-19 Update: 6 New Cases, 6 Recoveries For Hopkins County July 20
At 5 p.m. Monday, July 20, Hopkins County Emergency Management officials reported 6 new positive COVID-19 cases and 6 recoveries for Hopkins County.
That brings the overall total to 124 positive COVID-19 cases since March for Hopkins County. Of those, 72 Hopkins County residents have recovered. That leaves 52 active cases, including 2 patients who were reported to be in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital- Sulphur Springs on Monday, July 20.
Local officials continue to encourage residents to follow the governor’s orders to wear masks or face coverings, and to continue practicing social distancing, good hand-washing and maintain good personal hygiene.
54-year-old Woman Accused Of Felony DWI
Police arrested a 54-year-old woman accused of felony DWI early Monday morning and two 22-year-old Tennessee women for marijuana possession, according to arrest reports.
Sulphur Springs Police at 1:21 a.m. July 20, 2020 responded to a complaint of a suspected intoxicated driver. Officers conducted a traffic stop on a Honda Accord on College Street at Oak Avenue. The driver was identified in arrest reports as Melissa Jeannette Stephens. An officer conducted standard field sobriety tests and made the probable cause determination that Stephens was operating a car while intoxicated in a public place, Sulphur Springs Police Officer Silas Whaley alleged in arrest reports.
Stephens was taken into custody at 1:47 a.m. Monday and the car was impounded. The Sulphur Springs woman was booked into Hopkins County jail for third or more driving while intoxicated offense. She had been released from Hopkins County jail by noon Monday on $10,000 bond on the third-degree felony charge, according to jail reports.
Officer Whaley and Cpl. Chris Rosamond also arrested two Memphis women July 18 for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana. The officers stopped a Chevrolet Equinox at 10:47 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 30 east at mile marker 124 for speeding.
Upon contact with the occupants, the officers alleged smelling a marijuana odor emitting from the SUV. On secondary contact, police reported seeing a green, leafy substance they believed to be marijuana in the floorboard below the 22-year-old passenger’s feet. A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed additional contraband in the different locations throughout the vehicle, including in a bag claimed by the 22-year-old driver.
Both Tennessee women were arrested for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana. They were released from jail July 19 on $1,000 bond on the Class B misdemeanor charge, according to arrest 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.
Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center Update from Karon Weatherman
Dear Friends,
please see attached the latest Seniors events which have been cancelled. Sadly, we have had to cancel some that are popular annual events. I am still holding out hope for the Senior Prom, and have moved it to November 21, 2020. I have attached that Flyer for you to see. I will give out tickets when I know for sure that it will happen. Here’s some other news;
We are still cooking and delivering Meal A Day. We are serving about 160 everyday. Seniors can still come and take a meal home to eat if you just call and order one. You can’t come in the building and eat, but you can take it home with you. Hopefully somewhere in the near future life can get back to normal and you can have fun and visit your friends, but for now we all need to stay safe.
Plams for the new Seniors Building are coming along. We have our first meeting with the Architect on Thursday of next week, to discuss the plans for the New Senior Citizens Center on Oak Avenue property. The last time I was by there there was only a slab, and someone told me this week that they thought the slab was being broken up.
We were able to purchase the land right next door to where the new building will be so we plan to move it further left to where the ground is higher. This will also give us more parking spaces.
I will keep you up to date as it progresses!
Sulphur Springs Man Allegedly Assaulted Woman During Rolling Disturbance
A 29-year-old Sulphur Springs man allegedly assaulted a woman during a rolling disturbance that started at the Sonic in Winnsboro and continued into Hopkins County late Saturday night. Afterward, the woman reportedly sought medical attention at the emergency room in Winnsboro, while the man sought a mental health evaluation, according to arrest reports. The man allegedly admitted to striking the woman repeatedly with a fist, deputies alleged in arrest reports.
When the woman sought help at the Winnsboro ER, Winnsboro Police Department was contacted. WPD officials contacted the woman at the ER, then notified officials at Sulphur Springs Police Department, who in turn contacted Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office around midnight July 18, 2020.
HCSO Deputy Jason Lavender and Sgt. Richard Greer contacted the victim as she returned home from the Winnsboro ER. After obtaining the necessary information to file an assault report, Lavender and Greer then contacted CMFH ER, where 29-year-old Uber Garcia had sought a mental health evaluation, the deputies noted in arrest reports.
Greer allegedly advised Garcia he was not at that time under arrest nor any obligation to speak with the deputies, but they would like to hear from him what occurred. Garcia allegedly recounted that he and the victim had gone to a birthday party in Winnsboro. They began arguing upon leaving. Garcia allegedly admitted to becoming enraged and began striking the victim with his fist. Garcia also admitted to pulling out a pistol he keeps in the vehicle they were traveling in. The Sulphur Springs man told deputies he does not remember striking the victim in the head with the pistol, but has been told that he did, Greer and Lavender alleged in arrest reports. He did, however, admit he continued striking the victim with his fist, then drove to the Lee Street residence that they share in Sulphur Springs. Upon arrival home, Garcia claimed he assisted the victim in taking a shower to clean up the blood that was on her, caused by the assault.
Consequently, Greer and Lavender placed Uber Garcia into custody just before 8 a.m. Sunday, July 19, and transported him to jail, where he was booked for aggravated assault of a date, family or household member with a weapon, according to arrest reports.
Garcia remained in Hopkins County jail Monday morning, July 20. Bond on the first-degree felony charge was set at $50,000, 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.
FM 1567 Rollover Crash Results In One Death
A FM 1567 rollover crash resulted in one death Saturday evening, July 18, 2020 according to Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety reports.
Hopkins County Emergency dispatchers at 7:30 p.m. July 18 received a 911 call about a vehicle crash on FM 1567, east of County Road 1439, where a vehicle had reportedly crashed into a tree, trapping at least one person inside. Hopkins County, Arbala and Como firefighters, Hopkins County sheriff’s deputies and state troopers responded. Upon arrival, officers confirmed on person trapped in the vehicle.
Based on a crash investigation Saturday, troopers determined a 2014 Dodge 1500 traveling east on FM 1567 southeast of Sulphur Springs left the roadway approximately 1.5 miles west of FM 2948 at 7:30 p.m. July 18, then traveled into the grassy barrow ditch. The pickup reportedly continued, until the passenger’s side striking a tree. The truck then rolled onto its side, crushing the entire cab as it rolled over, eventually resting upright, according to crash reports. The driver of the vehicle was pinned in the crushed cab and was extricated by emergency personnel, according to DPS crash reports. Trooper Britain Marlow lead the crash investigation, according to DPS reports.
Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Brad Cummings pronounced Paul Arthur Stieber Jr., 53, dead at the crash site. An autopsy has been ordered, as is standard procedure in fatal crashes, according to Cummings. The 53-year-old man’s driver’s license reportedly showed a Yantis address, however, he was listed in DPS crash reports as being from Winnsboro, authorities reported.
More Local Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Limits
More Summer and Fall events are being cancelled by local organizations, as COVID-19 restrictions increase, rather than decrease, for the Northeast Texas population. Below are the latest of the event cancellations we have received. If you are a representative of an organization and would like to report a change, cancellation or postponement of a local event, please send the information to us by email at [email protected].
The modified day-long Hopkins County Dairy Festival 2020 set for August 8, 2020 is cancelled for 2020.
The Ms. Hopkins County Senior Classic Pageant, set for August 15, 2020, is cancelled for 2020. Vender Wright, crowned in 2019, will represent Hopkins County for a second year as Ms. Hopkins County Senior.
The re-scheduled Independence Concert by the NE Texas Symphony Orchestran set for September 5 , 2020 has now been cancelled. The Symphony League Board of Directors sadly made the decision in mid-July based on current COVID-19 mandates. They are looking forward to the next Symphony event for the public in June 2021.
The Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild’s annual Quilt Show, set for September 19, is cancelled for 2020. However, the Quilt Raffle is ongoing; the winner will be announced on September 19, 2020. Tickets can be purchased through the website, sulphurspringstxquilts.com.
The Sulphur Springs Corvette Club’s ‘Corvette Show’ has been cancelled for 2020. It was previously scheduled for the fourth Saturday in October.
The Cattleman’s Classic and Ribeye Roundup fundraising event for NETBIO, usually held in October, has been cancelled for 2020.
Cooper Lake State Park Welcomes New Assistant Complex Superintendent
Sulphur Springs, TX— Cooper Lake State Park is comprised of two park units – Doctors Creek and South Sulphur. This natural playground in Northeast Texas covers more than 3,000 acres of post oak forests, access to a 20,000-acre lake, swimming beaches, fishing piers, miles of multi-use trails, and so much more. To manage this large Texas State Park requires professional and dedicated park rangers. Our newest ranger is Tony Smith. Tony will fill the position of Assistant Complex Superintendent with management duties across both park units.
Tony has over six years’ experience with Texas State Parks. He graduated from Tarleton State University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and returned later to earn a Master’s degree in History. While earning his degrees, he worked at the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas museum in Thurber, Texas. His focus in college was in Public History and in one of his classes he had a park ranger from Dinosaur Valley State Park as guest speaker from who got him interested in working for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. His interest in history and Texas State Parks led him to research the Civilian Conservation Corps and the creation of Cleburne State Park as a semester project. Tony worked as a Summer Intern at Dinosaur Valley State Park where some of his unique tasks were cleaning dinosaur tracks, educating guests about dinosaurs, and developing plans for a children’s interpretive trail. After graduating college, he returned to Dinosaur Valley State Park as a Summer Clerk. He was promoted to the Assistant Office Manager position at Bastrop State Park. For the last four and a half years, he has been the Office Manager & Volunteer Coordinator at Daingerfield State Park where he has been able to learn about the different facets of park operations. All of this has prepared Tony to be a tremendous asset for Cooper Lake State Park and our local communities. Tony will lead the park’s educational programming among other duties. Away from work, Tony enjoys hiking, exploring other State Parks, and playing games with his wife, Jennifer, and two sons, Viktor and Kaleb.
