Chamber Connection — May 21, 2020
Annual Golf Tournament Reschedule Date Announced
The Chamber is excited to announce that we are moving forward with our annual Golf Tournament! Our reschedule date is Friday, June 19, at Sulphur Springs Country Club. As usual, we will have morning and afternoon flights, and we have availability for teams right now.
This tournament will look different in a few ways … we will spend the day completely outside, we will wash our hands often and well, lunch will be picked up in a box instead of being on a buffet, and all team members and volunteers will “Spend the Day a Club’s Length Away!” That will be our social distancing motto to keep everyone safe and healthy!
We are looking forward to beautiful weather and a great time! Give us a call at (903) 885-6515 to register your team!
Business Highlight
During the year 2020, The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting a business each week.
Please join me in congratulating our Business of the Week for May 21, M&F Western Products.
Tira News — May 19, 2020
By Jan Vaughn
Yvonne Weir reports, “Destri visited Wednesday and delivered a headboard she had made for me. Also, she recovered the seats on my dining room chairs. I got to enjoy Nico, while she did that for my Mother’s Day.” She adds, “We are trying to be careful not to get out much.”
Janie Lewis said she’s just staying home, taking care of the yard, and “cooking way too much.”
Our daughter and granddaughter, Tiffany and Jaidyn, came in on Mother’s Day weekend. Our grandson, Kenden, and his girlfriend, Emma, joined us for lunch on Sunday. Laiken Joslin picked up Dixie on Mother’s Day and brought her back to spend some time with her family here in Tira. Tiffany and Jaidyn visited with Landon, Laiken, Dixie, Rylan, Brailon, and Slaiden
before heading back to Malvern, Arkansas. Tiffany had made beautiful hand painted gifts for Laiken, Grace, and myself.
Grace Vaughn, Chip’s mother, got cards, phone calls, gifts, and flowers for Mother’s Day and enjoyed visits from her son John Vaughn, granddaughters Crystal Miller, Lana Hall, and Tiffany Gilbert, and great-grandchildren Kenden and Jaidyn Joslin. John picked Grace up to have supper with his family on Sunday evening.
The Aiguier Cemetery Association will not have their annual meeting this year. It’s normally held on the first Sunday in June. Association President Charlie Vaughn said the officers will remain the same and “we will hope for a better year next year.” Contributions for the upkeep of the cemetery are always needed and appreciated. Donations may be sent to Peggy Beck,
Treasurer, at 332 CR 3620, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482.
I don’t have much news. I think most of us, like Yvonne and Janie, are being careful to stay home most of the time.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-438-6688 or janvaughn73@gmail.com.
Meal A Day Received A Generous Donation
Meal A Day received a generous donation of $ 2,500 from ONCOR Electric, according to Karon Weatherman, Senior Citizens Center program and marketing director.
3 New Positive COVID-19 Cases Reported May 19 In Hopkins County
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom at 8:45 p.m. May 19 reported two additional positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed for Hopkins County, for a total of three new positive COVID-19 cases reported today.
Newsom and Hopkins County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Endsley said officials have received no background information on the three cases yet. They do know that all three are being treated in isolation.
These three new cases were not from among the 107 screenings conducted during the mobile test collection event last Friday at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. Those test results are still pending, according to the emergency management officials.
The Local Health Authority has a nurse who will be working the cases, trying to obtain background information to “find out where this is coming from,” the judge reported.
“We’ll have answers, hopefully. We don’t get very much. We hope to have answers, to try to prevent any further cases than we have to have,” Newsom said.
The three cases today bring the total of COVID-19 cases for Hopkins County since the pandemic began to 11, with five individuals recovered and six cases currently active.
“The way that you figure it changed. We are below the limit still. I believe we are fine at 50 percent for restaurants and businesses,” Newsom said. “Nothing really changes as far at that.”
The Minimum Standard Health Protocols previously allowed Hopkins County to reopen at 50 percent capacity when many other counties were only allowed 25 percent capacity because it had five or fewer laboratory-confirmed cases on May 1. According to the protocol (listed on the Governor’s Open Texas Checklists page), counties that submit the required paperwork to Texas Department of State Health Services, will have to revert to 25 percent occupancy limits only if any of the following occurs:
- Five consecutive testing / tracking intervals with positivity rates greater than 12% in that interval.
- The county has more than 3 positive cases per 1,000 residents.
- Less than 15% of the surge capacity in hospitals for the catchment area is available.
Social distancing, hand-washing and other recommended preventive health practices are especially important to help keep the number of cases in Hopkins County low by reducing potential spread of coronavirus, Endsley emphasized earlier today, when the ninth case was announced.
Deputies Stop To Offer Assistance To Motorists, Make 2 Arrests
May 19, 2020 – Sheriff’s deputies stopped to offer assistance to motorists in a maroon Ford stopped with flashers active on the side of State Highway 19 south at County Road 1182. They ended up taking both occupants to jail on a controlled substance charge, according to arrest reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff‘s Deputies Elijah Fite and Zack Horne, in arrest reports, alleged seeing several open containers of an alcoholic beverage throughout the four-door vehicle upon contact with the occupants.
Both occupants were asked to exit the vehicle while they conducted a probable cause search of its contents. Deputies alleged finding multiple glass pipes of the kind commonly used to smoke narcotics along with a baggy containing suspected cocaine.
Both 40-year-old Raul Guerrero of Corsicana and 39-year-old Elizabeth Tovar of Sulphur Springs denied ownership of the substance. Both were arrested at 7:35 p.m. and jailed on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance; the car was impounded.
Guerrero and Tovar were released from Hopkins County jail Tuesday, May 19; bond on the charge was set at $5,000 each on the felony charge, 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 Positive Case In Hopkins County, 1 Recovered From COVID-19
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom this afternoon reported one new positive case of COVID-19 in Hopkins County, for a total of nine positive cases since the Hopkins County Emergency Management Team began tracking coronavirus in Hopkins County in March.
The individual whose test result was reported to be positive May 19 is in isolation. No additional information about the case was released by officials.
The new positive test result was not from among the 107 individuals who were screened during the free mobile test collection last Friday at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. The results of the May 13 screenings are still pending. Results from the last April 30 mobile test collection at the Civic Center, on average, came back in 3-4 days, according to Hopkins County Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Endsley.
While the county did have one additional positive test, Newsom said there was some good news too. One of the two people reported May 1 to have COVID-19 has recovered. That means Hopkins County still has only four active COVID-19 cases.
Because the county’s active cases remains below the five, Hopkins County businesses and organizations authorized to open on or before May 18 may continue to operate at 50 percent capacity, according to the county judge.
“We are very blessed in Hopkins County that the numbers remain low,” Endsley said, but emphasized the importance for those in Hopkins County to continue following social distancing guidelines where possible.
As businesses and other offices and programs begin reopening, social distancing, hand-washing and other recommended health practices are especially important to help keep the number of cases in Hopkins County low by reducing potential spread of coronavirus, the emergency management coordinator said.
Sulphur Springs Fire Chief David James reported that infectious disease control inspections at all four nursing homes in Hopkins County began Saturday will be completed by the end of the day May 19.
SSFD’s two assistant fire marshals were designated as the only personnel to conduct the nursing home inspections, to meet state requirements. Limiting entry to only two personnel helps reduce potential for cross contamination and safety precaution for the nursing home residents as well as SSFD employees. The fire marshals also between inspections completed a decontamination process as an added safety measure, according to the SSFD chief.
As for the inspections, James said the nursing homes are “doing real good.” The assistant fire marshals will have some recommendations, but will be available to help the nursing home staff through the process. The fire officials too are making sure that the nursing homes have the personal protective equipment needed to properly ensure the safety of residents and staff.
James said while other agencies across the state are reporting shortages of PPE, the fire department “is sitting good” as far as supplies of PPE. When SSFD sends in a request, it has been filled quickly. While SSFD’s stock of PPE may not be as high as some would like, they have not fallen short.
He said the testing of nursing home residents, also required by the state, is being coordinated by Hopkins County EMS Director Brent Smith, in conjunction with the Emergency Medical Task Force and National Guard.
That process, James said, is starting to get under way. He said while the Governor Greg Abbott ordered all nursing home staff and residents in Texas to be tested, residents may refuse the testing. However, that individual will have to go into a 14-day isolation period.
Bright Star Theater Back Open For Business In Sulphur Springs
After being closed for two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bright Star theater is back open for business, although with limited capacity. KSST News talked with the owner who is thrilled that she is able to put her employees back to work at the theater. Show times will be on a limited basis as they get back open, and social distancing rules are in effect even as you select your seat online. Ticket pricing has been adjusted to $5.00 per seat. Click here for more information: Bright Star Cinemas
Food Give-Away Scheduled In Sulphur Springs
NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD AT THE HOPKINS COUNTY REGIONAL CIVIC CENTER TO HELP FEED HUNGRY NORTH TEXANS DURING COVID-19
Hopkins County Civic Center, in partnership with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), will be distributing kitted food boxes through a low-touch distribution model on May 29th, 2020. Distribution will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. To receive food, visitors must be in a vehicle. No proof of identification is necessary.
When: May 29th, 2020 10AM – 12PM
NTFB staff will determine if the distribution needs to extend past end time.
Where: 1200 Houston St., Sulphur Springs, Texas
Sulphur Springs High School parking lot behind the Dairy Museum.
ABOUT NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked nonprofit hunger-relief organization operating a state-of-the-art volunteer and distribution center in Plano — the Perot Family Campus. Last year, the Food Bank worked hard in partnership with member agencies from our Feeding Network to provide access to almost 77 million nutritious meals across a diverse 13-county service area — this means more than 200,000 meals per day for hungry children, seniors and families. But the need for hunger relief in North Texas is complex and in order to meet the need the NTFB is working to increase our food distribution efforts. Our goal is to provide access to 92 million nutritious meals annually by 2025.
NTFB is a member of Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization.
Car Fire At Lowe’s
May 19, 2020 – An observant KSST listener snapped this picture of a car on fire at Lowe’s Home Improvement store. Sulphur Springs Fire Department is on the scene.
Special Use Permit Request For Cosmetic Tattoos Approved By P&Z, Headed To ZBA
A Davis Street business is one step closer to being able to perform cosmetic tattoos. Salon Laveau’s special use permit request received approval from the Sulphur Springs Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday evening, and is on this evening’s Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals’ agenda.
Special Use Permit Request
The business owners requested the special use permit to be allowed to expand services provided to include microblading and cosmetic tattoos.
Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski told the P&Z Commissioners that 10 letters had been sent to nearby property owners notifying them of the permit request, but as of Monday night, the city had not received any responses regarding the matter.
Niewiadomski said it was the recommendation of city staff to approve the request for the special use permit to allow Salon Laveau to provide microblading and permanent makeup services.
The commission approved the request, sending it to the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals for consideration at the 5:30 p.m. meeting, to be conducted May 19 via Zoom.
Cosmetic Tattoos Discussion
The request to allow salons and cosmetology businesses to provide cosmetic tattooing — permanent makeup — and micro-blading is the most common request for special use permits, according to Niewiadomski.
Thus, Niewiadomski asked the P&Z Commission for additional guidance regarding whether to consider drafting a proposal to amend the Zoning Ordinance to define cosmetic tattoos and permanent makeup and to provide locations for these activities to occur.
The Zoning Ordinance does not specifically identity these uses and which have been classified as a special use under Article 20 and treated as Tattoo and body piercing parlors. Typically, these requests have come
from persons working for salons to perform microblading or permanent makeup as an ancillary use to some other form of business.
City staff is proposing permanent makeup and cosmetic tattoos be defined, to allow them as a use by right in commercial zoning districts or in multi-family zoning if performed as an ancillary use within a beauty shop or salon, Niewiadomski noted.
He suggested permanent makeup be defined as “a cosmetic technique which employs tattoos (permanent pigmentation of the dermis) as a means of producing designs that resemble makeup, such as eyeliner and other permanent enhancing colors to the skin of the face, lips, and eyelids. It is also used to produce artificial eyebrows, and to disguise scars and blemishes to the skin to provide a more natural appearance.”
The community development director said if the P&Z Commission is comfortable with defining it to allow for an ordinance amendment, he can put it a formalized format and bring it back for more action at a future meeting.
Commission member Pat Chase said while he feels allowing those services for beauty shops is fine, he believes “a lot of citizens don’t want decorative tattoo parlors around town.”
The matter was submitted for discussion only.
ZBA Agenda
The ZBA in addition to considering the special use permit request for Salon Laveau, the ZBA will also be asked Tuesday evening to consider approving a variance request from the subdivision ordinance to subdivide land from one 19.009 acre lot to two lots, one being 17.78 acres with the remaining acreage being 1.229 staying with house on property at 5755 County Road 1100.
The ZBA also has the option to discuss any other business presented.
The ZBA meeting is scheduled to be conducted at 5:30 p.m. May 19 via Zoom. The link is https://zoom.us/j/93551162475?pwd=VUQ0eHNQOFN3Y0J2eEdNL0lvVnpiUT09.
The meeting ID is 93551162475, and the password is 291572.
