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
Lady Cats Soccer Coach Says The Edge Has Helped Players’ Agility, Fitness
The Edge, for Lady Cats’ high school and middle school soccer players, will end after Friday’s session, July 31. It got started back on June 24.
Lady Cats Soccer Coach Javier Aguayo says The Edge has been pretty good. He says he’s had 20 to 30 high school and middle school players at The Edge at each session. Coach Aguayo says that’s more than he expected to show up. He says he has enjoyed getting more acquainted with the future of his program, the middle school players. He notes that seven of them are already involved in club soccer.
Concerning The Edge, which involves strength, conditioning and sports-related skills work, Coach Aguayo says he can tell the difference in players who have gone through the program. He says they have shown improvement in their agility, adding that they are now also in much better shape.
Coach Aguayo says some of his players involved in club programs really never stopped work even with virus concerns. He says they utilized virtual training before The Edge got under way.
After The Edge, Coach Aguayo says he will begin to meet with his high school players during athletic period once school starts on Sept. 1. For soccer, the first day of practice for this season will be on Nov. 30. Scrimmages may begin December 10. The first date for real games will be on Jan. 2.
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.
Sulphur Springs Man Jailed For Third Time This Year
A 36-year-old Sulphur Springs man was jailed for the third time this year.
Jeremy Lindre Williams turned himself in at 4 a.m. July 30, 2020 at the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Kevin Lester escorted Williams into the jail, where he was booked for insufficient bond on a voyeurism charge.
Williams was arrested April 16 for voyeurism: victim under 14 years of age and assault causing bodily injury to a family member warrants. He spent the night in jail and was released April 17 on a $15,000 bond on the voyeurism charge and $5,000 bond on the assault charge, April 17, according to arrest and jail reports.
A protective order was reportedly issued prohibiting Williams from contacting the 29-year-old female he was accused of assaulting. However, he allegedly sent social media messages to the woman’s phone the day he was released from jail. A warrant was issued for Williams’ arrest for violation of bond/protective order. Police took him into custody for violating bond/protective order at 5:05 p.m. April 22. He was released from jail on a $5,000 bond on the charge on April 23.
Williams remained in jail later July 30 on insufficient bond on the voyeurism charge. His new bond was set at $500,000, according to arrest and 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.
Cumby ISD New School Year Begins Aug. 13 For Students
Cumby ISD is gearing up for the new school year, with teachers scheduled to report for duty on Aug. 5, and classes beginning for students on Aug. 13.
Families were asked to choose between two options when the kids go back to school. While administrators are still firming up numbers, currently, it looks like about 85 percent of students will be attending face-to-face classes at school and the remaining 15 percent will do their work online, according to Cumby ISD Superintendent Shelly Slaughter.
Face-to-Face Learning At School
Social distancing will be observed, and per the Governor’s Executive Order, anyone age 10 years and older will be required to wear face masks. Employees have the possible option to use face shields when in front of the class, but will be required to a mask when in the immediate space of students.
Before students enter the building, they will will have a brief health check and temperature screening. The touch-less device will scan students to check their temperatures. There will also be quick check for all employees. Officials are working on logistics to ensure as quick an entry process as possible.
Elementary, once arriving in the building, will go straight to class, with meals in the class. A few at a time will be able to go to the cafeteria to collect meals in some cases. Meals will be in small containers to better accommodate the district’s youngest students.
The district is adjusting the way meals are distributed and eaten. Elementary students will have breakfast in the classroom, not the cafeteria. Junior high and high school breakfast and lunch periods will be spaced out, with close attention to numbers of gatherings. To better ensure this, the cafeteria has been arranged so that there will be less seating capacity.
The district has ordered some foldable shields, which are not yet in, so that students who are not required to wear masks will have foldable desktop protectors that they can take to the cafeteria as well. Students who have health concerns documented with a doctor’s note that exempt them from wearing masks may use a foldable shield as added protection and teachers who have health issues may use shields as well.
Class sizes are smaller at Cumby than some larger schools, which helps in moving desks to better social distance them per state guidelines. Secondary student will still change classes.
Cumby ISD has adopted stricter cleaning protocols. In all buildings and classrooms, staff will use disinfect wipes before and at the end of classes. There will be frequent disinfecting. Hand sanitizer will be provided ouside of classrooms, for students to use before and after each class.
The first few days of school, students will learn what measures will be implemented, the health and safety protocols in place and what is expected here’s what we are doing, what they will be expected to do regarding health and safety protocols. This will include helping the youngest students to understand the measures are in place for their safety, including ways they can greet others without physical contact and to be as comfortable as possible around others who are wearing masks.
The first couple of weeks, students at school will use online platforms. This will prepare them, just in case something happens and school has to be closed for cleaning. This will allow students wherever they are outside of campus to immediately get back online so that learning can continue trying as seamlessly as possible and safe as possible.
The district will offer bus transportation for students who have no other means to arrive at or depart from school. Parents have been contacted and encouraged when possible to bring their students to and from school as an added safety measure. This will help lower the number of students on buses, another added close contact with others.
Students will be scanned for temperature prior to boarding a school bus. Parents are asked to be at bus stop each morning with their child in case the child has fever or symptoms of illness, which would require the child to return home.
Bus drivers and all bus students will be required to wear face masks that cover their mouth and nose. Hand sanitizer will be provided for student use as they load onto the bus.
District officials are also working on procedures modify student drop off and pickup, to stagger the times to reduce congestion and large gatherings of students.
Cumby ISD plans to continue updating parents and community members regularly by posting as much information as possible.
A parents may choose at any time for their child to transition to online learning if that is the option they prefer for their students, provided the campus principal is notified in writing of the desired change.
Online Learning
Family who learning outside of the regular classroom through Cumby ISD will be required to provide internet access for their students. For some who need it, that will mean use of a school district Chromebook so they can log into Google Classrooms each week day. Many students are already familiar with Goggle Classrooms due to its use this spring when schools were required to close for on-campus learning, according to Superintendent Shelly Slaughter.
The district is using an asynchronous learning approach, which will require students who are doing online learning to login at specified times for approximately 45 minutes daily to the live classroom.
While final plans for are still being finalized, there will be contingencies for the few who are not participating in in-person at school classes. In a very few very special situations where students have no access to the internet and hotspots, students would be allowed to have paper packets. Otherwise, all students need to have the technology and be able to login and work with teachers, according to the superintendent.
“We will work with students who have no access. Teachers will do daily checks with students. Even if its a phone call, teachers will be in contact daily,” Slaughter said.
Students who choose online learning will still be required to to do the same work and follow school grading and attendance policies as students on the Cumby ISD campus for in-person learning. Aside from the designated login times
“We have the same expectation of online home learning students. Grades will be the same. Testing will be the same. They will just be in 2 different locations, at school or off campus. Expectations are not different. They will still have the same number of assignments, tests and same grading,” Slaughter noted.
Parents may choose to transition their student from online to in-person learning by notifying each student’s campus principal. The change to in-person may only be made at the beginning of the next grading period, however.
Additional information will be posted on the district website, cumbyisd.net, Facebook and other social media accounts.
