6 New Hopkins County COVID-19 Cases Reported July 21
Six new positive COVID-19 cases were reported for Hopkins County Tuesday afternoon, July 21, according to Hopkins County Emergency Management officials.
That brings the overall cumulative total from March-July 21 for Hopkins County to 130 cases. Of those, 72 Hopkins County residents have recovered from COVID-19, leaving 58 active cases overall.
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom also reported that there were 3 patients in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital –Sulphur Springs. However, only one of the patients is a Hopkins County resident.
Wildcats Football, Lady Cats Volleyball Starts Delayed Until Sept. 7
By Don Julian
Things were buzzing at the SSHS Multipurpose Building Tuesday morning as word filtered in that the UIL had made a decision concerning the beginning of football in the fall. Wildcats Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Greg Owens announced that the UIL was delaying the start of football and volleyball practice until Labor Day, Sept. 7. The Wildcats Marching Band can also get started on Sept. 7.
The delay just affects schools in Class 5A and 6A. Schools in lower classifications will still be able to get under way on August 3.
The first Lady Cats’ volleyball game can be played on Sept. 14 and the first Wildcats football game on Sept. 24. Coach Owens said Wildcats Team Tennis and Wildcats and Lady Cats Cross Country could begin practice on Aug. 3.
He said he believed the Wildcats would be able to continue some conditioning and skill work in August. If school begins on time on Aug. 18 in SSISD, athletes are expected to be available during daily athletic periods.
The UIL announcement caused Coach Owens to make lots of calls to football coaches to reschedule games.
Because of the UIL decision, the Wildcats lose two football scrimmages, to Class 4A Liberty-Eylau and Pleasant Grove, and a scheduled regular season game to Class 4A Kaufman. The decision also means possible Wildcats scrimmages go from two to just one. It remains to be seen if Coach Owens will find a partner for a possible scrimmage around Sept. 17 or 18.
The Wildcats first regular season game is now expected to be on Sept. 24 or 25 against Frisco Wakeland in Frisco. Coach Owens said he has scheduled Hallsville to replace Kaufman in the schedule. Barring other circumstances during a pandemic, the Wildcats will be able to get all 10 of their scheduled games in.
The State Volleyball champs will be determined around Dec. 11-12. Football state champs will be crowned sometime in January.
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.
UIL Delays Football and Volleyball for 5A & 6A Teams
The UIL has postponed the start of the high school fall sports season for Class 6A and 5A football and volleyball teams, an unprecedented decision as Texas remains a hotspot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although numbers remain low in Hopkins County compared to other counties, all of our district opponents seem to have higher numbers in their corresponding counties. Sulphur Springs ISD will be able to start football and volleyball practices on September 7th, and games should resume for volleyball on September 14th, and football on September 24th.
This will delay the ends of the season as well, with football playoffs being pushed into January of 2021, and the volleyball state tournament being held December 11 & 12, instead of normally before Thanksgiving. These decisions are subject to change yet again, pending daily review by state and UIL officials.
At this time, it appears that districts sized 4A and under have no delays in their fall sports.
Brashear Man Jailed For Second Time In 3 Months
A 42-year-old Brashear, TX man was jailed July 21, 2020. This was the second time in 3 months he has been booked into Hopkins County jail.
Hopkins County Sheriff‘s Sgt. Shea Shaw took Todd Phillip Jefferson into custody at 10 a.m. July 20, 2020 at the adult probation office on a warrant for violation of probation. The alleged violation occurred on July 16. Jefferson was on probation for a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charge.
He had previously spent April 14-May 19 in the county jail for violation of probation. He was taken into custody in Hunt County and was transferred April 14 to Hopkins County jail, 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.
Teens Shot On Fuller Street June 14 Expected To Make Full Recovery
Suspect In Custody On Aggravated Assault Warrants
The two teens shot on Fuller Street June 14, 2020 are expected to make a full recovery. A 25-year-old Pittsburg man is in custody on charges stemming from the shootings, according to Sulphur Springs Police Detective Sgt. Jason Reneau.
About 1 hour after the end of the Dairy Festival Carnival, a 15-year-old male and an 18-year-old female were reportedly walking among a group of at least 7 individuals. As the group turned onto Fuller Street around 1 a.m. June 14, a man allegedly jumped out of the bushes and “opened fire on the group.” Two teens reportedly sustained gunshot wounds. They were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries which police said the day after the incident appear non life-threatening.
Both were reported to be doing fine July 21 in their recovery and are expected to make a full recovery, according to Reneau.
Late Sunday morning, June 14, police put out a request for the public’s help in identifying and locating the man alleged to have shot the teens.
Through investigation, Reneau reported, 25-year-old Lamont Lankeen Mitchell was identified as the suspect. Two warrants were issued for Mitchell’s arrest. Officers’ attempts to locate Mitchell were unsuccessful until last week.
Around 11:45 a.m. July 15, Sulphur Springs Police Lt. Pat Leber responded at Walmart in reference to an assault complaint. Upon arrival, Leber contacted the alleged suspect, identified in arrest reports as 25-year-old Lamont Lankeen Mitchell of Pittsburg, TX. A records check showed two aggravated assault warrants for Mitchell’s arrest. Police confirmed the warrants are for the June 14 shooting.
Mitchell was arrested July 15 on the felony warrants. Mitchell remained in Hopkins County jail Tuesday, July 21. Bond on each of the second-degree felony aggravated assault charges was set at $100,000.
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.
Quilts Are An Expression of Love for Former Teacher
Laura Teer grew up in the country and of course like most moms, her mother sewed. But it was once Laura got into Homemaking classes in school that she really learned to love the creative value of sewing. In fact, what she learned in Homemaking, or ‘Home Ec’ influenced her life permanently in more than one way. Today, this retired teacher knows that it’s the daily stitches of love we show that create a strong patchwork of family atmosphere where children and grandchildren can happily thrive.
I knew that Laura was a member of the Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild, which for more than 20 years has brought members together for fellowship and charitable works as well as an outlet for tourism for Sulphur Springs. But what I didn’t know was the depth of Laura’s talent as well as commitment to the art of quilting. The day we first chatted by phone this summer, she was keeping her young grandchildren, another of her major interests! But she took time to fill me in on her interests and background which led to her quilting hobby.
Laura reminisced, “my mother and grandmother sewed always. I remember my grandmother, Virgie Sartin sitting down with a newspaper and cutting out a doll dress pattern that she completely made up and then stitched it up for baby dolls and Barbies. I have a couple of the quilts that she and other family members passed down to me. My mother, Mary Attlesey tried to teach me to sew but I really got my sewing instruction in my high school homemaking classes. That led me to become a Home Economics teacher at SSHS for 33 years. Occasionally I would be allowed to quilt with the Reilly Springs quilters- a lovely group of ladies who hand quilted for people. I would always tease them that they would rip my stitches out after I left! The quilting was actually done at the home of Ann Minyard, in a small room where the quilting frames were suspended in the ceiling in the old-fashioned way. We’d put chairs around the edges of the room and when the frame was let down, whatever project that was currently in the frame would be at lap height. So we would sew and talk up a storm! My mother, aunt and cousin were a part of that group. Today, my favorite part is piecing quilt tops and making quilts for my grandchildren”.
Laura shared, ” I was very favorably influenced by my Home Ec teachers in SSISD because that’s what I decided to become. They were Elleray Black, Colleen Hines and Rachel Anderson. And I spent my entire teaching career at SSHS. I did not learn to quilt there, but loved sewing garments for my family and other useful items. I enjoy several other creative arts too, but never took quilting seriously as a hobby until about 3 years ago”.
“Since we’re currently unable to meet in in person due to COVID-19, members of the Guild stay connected by joining in on group projects, like the “President’s Challenge”. That’s where we are given a packet of pre-cut fabric and challenged to create whatever we want, and then show it off. And there’s an online quilting group that does a Mystery Quilt project. It is a progressive project; you get instructions in steps, so you don’t know exactly what the final result will be til you get close to finishing it. I’m always getting into something new, and I have a lot of fun quilting!
Laura attends up to four quilting retreats per year around Texas. Also, Denise Givney, President of the Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild, has opened a new quilting retreat at Lake Cypress Springs, which Laura is dying to go to! She concluded our visit by saying, “I joined Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild in 2017 and must say I am in awe and in the presence of greatness around those ladies and gentlemen. I learn something about quilting with every meeting, retreat and sew day. They are splendid artisans.This year I am VP in charge of the Quilt Show and I am sad to announce the cancellation of our 2020 Quilt Show due to Covid-19. We are still going to give away our Raffle Quilt on Sept 19 as planned. The money we raise from the Raffle Quilt we turn around and donate to entities in our community such as CASA, Backpack Buddies, Shadow Ranch, etc”.
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.
