Chamber Connection for October 17
Chamber Connection – Oct. 17By Butch Burney It’s less than two weeks until the largest event in Hopkins County each year – the 54th Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival, and tickets are available. Tickets are $8 each for those 13 and over. Children 12 years and younger will eat free this year, thanks to Signature Solar’s sponsorship, but they still need a ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at HopkinsChamber.org or at the Chamber...
Rochelle Marie Mims’ Killer Convicted
September 19, 2023 – A jury convicted 59-year-old Lucious Newhouse III on Tuesday of the murder of Rochelle Marie Mims. She was murdered and dumped in Hopkins County. Mims had been shot in the head. See that story here. Lucious Newhouse III Records show Newhouse was previously convicted of assault in 2000 and sentenced to deferred-adjudication probation, which he completed successfully.
Former Sulphur Springs DPS Officer Named First Female Ranger Major in 200 Year History
September 12, 2023 – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announces the promotion of Texas Ranger Captain Wende O. Wakeman to the rank of major, making her the first female Ranger major in the organization’s storied two-hundred-year history. “Major Wende Wakeman’s years of hard work, her tremendous strength of character and her unwavering determination have all led her to this moment,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “I...
WADLEY-HODGES Arrested at Parole Office
July 21, 2023 – CHARLI CIERA WADLEY-HODGES was arrested this week at the Parole Office in Sulphur Springs. She is charged with possession of controlled substance. Twenty-eight year-old Wadley-Hodges, who lists herself as unemployed, was arrested in 2021 in connection to the murder of Luis Martin Medina. Medina was beaten, stabbed to death and his body burned inside a vehicle. The motive for his murder is believed to be related...
Governor Abbott Signs Into Law 4 New Fentanyl Related Bills
June 15, 2023- Governor Greg Abbott has recently signed into law four new Bills each relating directly to combating the national fentanyl crisis. The laws signed by the Governor today represent a significant step in the state’s fight against the deadly opioid that will prosecute fentanyl deaths as murder, ensure death certificates reflect when people are poisoned by fentanyl, provide more life-saving NARCAN to Texas colleges and...
Gov. Abbott Signs In New “Athena Alert” Bill
June 14, 2023- Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law the new Bill that will lower the threshold for local missing child alerts. House Bill 3556 allows law enforcement in Texas to send out localized alerts- known as “Athena Alert”- within a 100-mile radius of where a child has gone missing and in adjacent counties. The law was inspired after the tragic death of 7-year-old Athena Strand in November. Strand was found dead...
Governor Abbott Announces Immediate Special Session Agenda
May 31, 2023- Governor Greg Abbott has announced special session #1 and issued a proclamation identifying agenda items for the Special Session that began at 9:00 PM on Monday, May 29. Governor Abbott issued the following statement: “I will soon be signing laws that advance our state and the future of all Texans, including laws that: End COVID restrictions and mandates; Provide more than $5.1 billion to secure the border and fund the...
Texas Senate Passes Bill To Redefine Fentanyl Charges
April 13, 2023- Texas Senate has recently passed Senate Bill 645 that would redefine fentanyl poisoning as murder for purposes of prosecution and death certificates. Over the past two years, the Texas Department of Public Safety had seized over 353 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill almost every person in the United States. The author of the Bill Sen. Joan Huffman, attached a floor amendment to SB 645 defining the...
Man Killed in Hunt County Sunday
The following information was released by Hunt County Sheriff’s Office: HUNT COUNTY Terry Jones, SheriffSHERIFF 2801 Stuart StreetGreenville, TX 75401903.453.6800Press Release January 22, 2023 At approximately 6:15 AM on January 22, 2023, the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to suspicious activity in the area of Hunt County Road 4108 in Greenville. The information received from the caller was that her...
Mississippi Escaped Inmate Accused of Dumping Stolen Church Van in Lake Fork Arrested, 1 Still Missing
An escaped inmate from Mississippi who is accused of dumping a church van used in the escape in Wood County’s Lake Fork has been arrested and is being held in Dallas County. Tyler Payne, 31, was booked into Dallas County Jail early Tuesday morning and is being held on charges of aggravated robbery and failure to identify as a fugitive. Dallas County records show that Payne is also being held on five other charges from Hinds County in...
