Miller Grove Cemetery Annual Memorial And Homecoming
May 4, 2023- Miller Grove will be holding their annual memorial service and homecoming this Saturday May 6th at the Miller Grove Methodist Church at 10:30 am.
Located at 7819 FM 275, Cumby, TX.
Dike Election Receives Interest at State Level
All eyes are on the rural area of Dike, Texas as an election to make Dike an incorporated municipality is set for Saturday, May 6th at the Dike Community Center.
A recent solar plant project has disrupted the quiet life in Dike. Some residents’ in Dike have banded together to have their Class C Incorporation request put on the ballot to add an extra layer of protection for landowners in that area. Tyler based KLTV recently interviewed Dike resident Kirk Reams who voiced his displeasure with county officials “not allowing Dike residents’ to voice their opinions or concerns.” Reams stated that by the time other residents found out about the project the solar deal was already done. Reams says that incorporation would help protect Dike residents from future projects. Donna Tubb, who is against incorporation, was quoted by KLTV as saying “that not all of her family were asked about incorporating.” See KLTV’s story here: Dike Community to Vote on Incorporation
Texas State Network News picked up the KLTV story Thursday morning distributing the plight of Dike residents to it’s 3 million weekly listeners statewide. The ongoing “David vs. Goliath” fight has pitted some residents against county officials who have aligned with foreign energy entities to bring the massive solar project to the once quiet rural community. Engie Solar, through their subsidiary Hopkins Solar, LLC, received approval from Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court as well as other taxing entities for taxable valuation reductions of over 90 percent.
Blattner Energy, LLC is in charge of contructing the project and has recently caught the eye of a state-level office as the TCEQ recently cited the construction company for multiple violations regarding water and sediment runoff. That story can be found here: Blattner Battles State of Texas.
Early voting for the incorporation has already concluded with 59 of the 218 eligible voters voting early. The remaining eligible voters will be able to cast their vote on election day Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 7 am until 7 pm at the Dike Community Center on Highway 69 in Dike.
Dallas Resident Attempts to Outrun Police
May 4, 2023 – BRANDON DONNELL JOHNSON was arrested this week after he attempted to flee law enforcement on Interstate 30.
At around 10PM Wednesday night, Greenville TX Police advised Hopkins County Dispatch that they were in pursuit of a black Chrysler 300c heading east on I-30. Greenville PD terminated their pursuit near the Hunt Hopkins County line. Cumby PD then started to pursue the Chrysler. The fleeing car was traveling at 100mph.
Working in concert with Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies, a stop strip device was deployed. During that deployment, a Deputy incurred a finger laceration. That laceration required medical attention at a local hospital.
After BRANDON DONNELL JOHNSON’s car hit the device, he pulled into a truck stop of the western edge of Sulphur Springs. Johnson, age 20, was taken into custody by Cumby PD. The 300c was impounded.
Because a member of law enforcement was injured during the incident, Johnson’s charge was elevated to a felony.
He is charged with:
38.04(B)(2)(B) EVADING ARREST DET CAUSE SBI (Serious Bodily Injury)
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.
Banuelos-Rios Arrested on Theft Related Warrants
May 4, 2023 – JUAN ANTONIO BANUELOS-RIOS was arrested this week on theft related warrants. His current bond totals $60,000.
JUAN ANTONIO BANUELOS-RIOS was arrested in February of this year after deputies found close to $300,000 worth of stolen equipment in his possession. See that story here.
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.
City of Dallas Confirmed Struck By Ransomware, Shutting Down Several IT Services
May 4, 2023- Dallas Texas has confirmed Wednesday to have been struck by a ransomware attack which caused several IT based services to shut down.
The Dallas Police Department was also affected by this attack which led to 911 dispatchers having to write down received reports for officers rather than submit them via the computer-assisted dispatch system. The Dallas County Police Department’s website was also offline for part of the day due to the incident but has since been restored.\
During the attack several network printers on the City of Dallas’ network began printing out ransom notes this morning, with the IT department warning employees to retain any printed notes.
The perpetrator of the attack is believed to be a cybercrime syndicate by the name of Royal Ransomware. The Royal Ransomware is believed to have risen to power after the Conti cybercrime syndicate shut down its operation.
When launched in January 2022, Royal utilized other ransomware operations’ encryptors, such as ALPHV/BlackCat, to avoid standing out. However, they later started using their own encryptor, Zeon, in attacks for the rest of the year.
Towards the end of 2022, the operation rebranded into Royal and quickly became one of the most active enterprise-targeting ransomware gangs.
Like other ransomware gangs, Royal is known to steal data from networks before encrypting devices. This stolen data is then used as further leverage in extortion demands, with the threat actors warning that they will publicly leak data if a ransom is not paid.
At this time, it is unknown if any data was stolen from the City of Dallas during the attack.
Texas Utility Commission Push For More Gas-Powered Electricity In Light Of Threats Of Summer Power Outages
May 4, 2023- Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake on Wednesday warned that Texas’ main power grid is at risk for outages this summer if wind turbines don’t produce enough electricity when it’s needed. He further explained that more on-demand power sources, such as natural-gas-fueled power plants or batteries need to be built to make the grid more reliable.
Lawmakers are evaluating a new economic tool that Lake’s agency approved, called performance credits. These credits would increase electric customers bills an estimated 2% and direct the funds to companies that operate on-demand power sources, with a goal of persuading them to build more power plants or keep existing plants in service longer.
Lake’s statements were based on the Grid Operator’s seasonal report that studies how much electricity the system is expected to be able to produce in various, low-probability scenarios, compared to demand.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) found that the grid may not be able to meet a very high demand for power at the end of a typical work day if it coincides with extremely low wind and an extreme number of unexpected outages at other plants. ERCOT also stated that low winds and a very high demand for power after sunset could lead to power outages.
Renewable energy supports have pushed back on the characterization that the grid’s reliability rests on the renewables alone.
After the near collapse of the grid during the February 2021 winter storm, having left millions without power, several Texas leaders blamed renewable energy to be the cause of the problem. Later analysis showed that all types of power generation faltered in the storm.
National Day Of Prayer May 4th 2023
May 3, 2023 – National Day of Prayer will be held on Celebration Plaza May 4th starting at 6pm and going through 7:30pm.
The First Thursday of May
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The National Day of Prayer Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
Significance of the National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. The unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning.
Meal A Day And Senior Citizen Center Calendar May 8-12th, 2023
Volunteers prepare meals at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center and deliver them five days a week to Meal A Day program recipients in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The Meal A Day Menu for the week of May 8-12, 2023 includes:
MONDAY, May 8 – Breaded Catfish Nuggets, Carrot Salad and Corn
TUESDAY, May 9 – Asian Drumsticks, Napa Cabbage and Rice
WEDNESDAY, May 10 – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
THURSDAY, May 11 – Biscuits & Gravy and Roasted Veggies
FRIDAY, May 12 – Smothered Patties, Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Veggies
City Managers Report May 2nd 2023
SPRING CLEANUP – The annual spring cleanup has come to a close and has been a smashing success. The City offloaded over 1,000 vehicles, and sent 52 roll-offs to the landfill.
SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER – The foundation is currently under construction and concrete should be poured soon.
PACIFIC PARK – The new Pacific Park Sports Pavilion foundation is under construction. Concrete will be poured Wednesday. When the pavilion is complete, the old basketball courts will be demolished and the interior of the park will then be graded. Irrigation and sod will then be installed.
COLLEGE STREET – College Street is open down to Patton Street. Water and sewer construction is now complete to Ramsey Street. Water and sewer from Ramsey to Como is currently being installed. Ramsey Street is expected to be completed by the next city council meeting.
STREET IMPROVEMENT PLAN – Following is a preliminary list of streets to be repaved in 2023. It is preliminary because there are no bids yet, hence no pricing. the list will be finalized once there are bids on May 18, 2023.
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Reset school zone timers.
- Repaired AC units at City Hall.
- Installed cameras at Pacific Park.
- Tested tornado sirens… one needs repair.
- Replaced filter media on wastewater treatment plant filters.
- Performed preventative maintenance on the sludge press at the wastewater
treatment plant. - Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids reading of 0.51 mg/L.
- Repaired 5 water main ruptures.
- Replaced 58 water meters.
- Hauled 735 tons of sludge to the landfill.
- Unstopped 20 sewer mains.
- Repaired 2 sewer mains.
- Flushed 40 dead end water mains.
- Treated 128 million gallons of potable water.
- Responded to 166 animal control calls while achieving a 74% adoption rate.
- Made 8 felony arrests in the Special Crimes Unit.
- Responded to 32 accidents, wrote 564 citations, made 54 arrests and recorded 47
offenses in the Patrol Division. - Checked out 2,689 items from the library plus 784 eBooks.
- Responded to 254 fire/rescue calls including 1 structure fire, 1 vehicle fire and 3
grass fires. - Cleaned and started the fountains at the Hopkins County Veterans’ Memorial.
- Ordered flowers for downtown.
- Assisted with 53 activities for seniors.
- Hosted 1 softball and 1 baseball tournament.
- Fertilized sports fields.
- Repaired 74 potholes.
- Conducted 12 building inspections, 6 electrical inspections, 7 plumbing
inspections, one mechanical inspection, issued 30 building permits and 26 trade
permits.
Evening Chapel Celebrates 150 Years with May 28, 2023 Homecoming
May 3, 2023 – Evening Chapel Church at 199 Putman St in Sulphur Springs will be celebrating 150 years of worship. Everyone is invited to attend the 2023 Homecoming on Sunday May 28, 2023 starting 3PM. Even if you have moved away, or joined another church, please join in on this Special Day. For more information please call, 903 513 9227.
