The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 201, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, April 5, 1996 Page: 1 of 4
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VOL 201— NO. 14
Absorbed The Gazette Circulation BjJ Purchase On May 12,1928
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS — FRIDAY, APRIL 5,1996
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4 PAGES — 25 CENTS — PUBLISHED EVERY FWOAV
A hero’s
reward
Sulphur
Springs Police
officer Juan
Smith, left, is all
smiles after
receiving a life-
saving pin from
Police Chief
Donnie Lewis at
the Sulphur
Springs City
Council meeting
Tuesday night
Staff Photo
By Amy Logan
Officer honored for saving pilot
Smith will be nominated for national honor by FAA
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
When Juan Smith jumped into the cold,
thrashing water of Lake Sulphur Springs
on March 4, no one was around to thank
him for risking his own neck to save the
life of a stranger.
But there were plenty of people around
Tuesday night.
Smith, the Sulphur Springs patrolman
who rescued Weldon Craig Pool after
Pool’s plane crashed, got a standing ova-
tion and some well deserved recognition at
the Sulphur Springs City Council meeting
Tuesday.
“On March 4 when a twin-engine plane
experienced difficulty near Sulphur
Springs Airport and ultimately crashed
into Lake Sulphur Springs, the response
was excellent from everyone involved,”
said Sulphur Springs Police Chief Donnie
Lewis. “During this particular rescue, a
number of people played vital roles, but
one individual is being recognized for his
part in the life-saving effort of this pilot.”
Pool was flying home to Tyler in his
twin-engine Piper Aztec March 4 when the
plane developed engine trouble and
slammed nose-first into the lake. Smith
arrived mere minutes after the plane hit
the water.
“Officer Smith quickly removed bulky
uniform and equipment and entered the
water,” Lewis recounted. “The weather
conditions were such that day that the high
wind had made the water very choppy
with extreme wave conditions, and it was
very cold. * ; j;
“Although the pilot was larger in stature
than Officer Smith, he managed to pull the
pilot from the water before he sustained
life-threatening injuries.”
“The Federal Aviation Administration
contacted me, and they have spoken to the
pilot for several hours and have ques-
tioned him, and they are putting officer
Juan Smith in for a national award by their
choice,” said Lewis.
City OKs
new EDC
member
regulations
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
A Risky Stretch Of The Wings
Young owl
falls into
good hands
From Staff Reports
T7 lying lessons for a young great
J" homed owl almost ended in
tragedy early Tuesday morning
when the endangered bird collided
with a delivery truck outside of
town.
“This was probably his first
flight, and [the truck] ran into him,
and luckily [the driver] stopped
and picked the bird up and
brought him to the police station,”
said Suiphur Springs Police
Department animal controlofficer E
Ronnie Sharp Wednesday morn-
ing.
The owl, estimated to be about a
month old, did not appear to be
seriously hurt, Sharp said.
“He had a little head injury ...
nothing major. He probablv had a
concussion,” he said. “Hejiad a
little bit of blood right underneath
his wing.but I couldn't tell where
it came from.”
Sharp notified local Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department game
warden Chris Green, who contact-
ed a wild bird rehabilitation center
in Dallas. A representative from
the center arrived at about 4:30
p.m. Tuesday to pick up the owl.
“They'll do everything they can
to bring him back to health"
Both the Sulphur Springs City
Council and Hopkins County Indus-
trial Fund will be guaranteed repre-
sentation on the board of the local
economic development authority
under new rales approved Tuesday.
City Council members approved
changes in the bylaws of the Sulphur
Springs-Hopkins County Economic
Development Corp. during a regular
meeting Tuesday that will also extend
thfr-time directors can serve on the
board and allow board members to
vote by telephone.
City Manager Marc Maxwell pre-
sented the amendment to the EDC’s
bylaws, explaining the changes would
guarantee one seat on the EDC board
for the Industrial Fund and ensure
City Council representation on the
board.
“This question before you is a pol-
icy decision in its purest sense,”
Maxwell said. “It will not have direct
impact on the finances of the EDC or
the city. It will, however, produce
long-term intangible benefits for both
the EDC and the city.”
Maxwell said by adopting the pro-
posed changes, the council would
ensure the two groups with the great-
est vested interest in economic devel-
opment will always have a voice in
economic development.
“The Hopkins County Industrial
Fund owns most of the industrial
land, and local residents and business
owners represented by this council
seek economic growth in the form of
economic benefits." Maxwell said. "It
is perfectly logical and legitimate to
designate certain seats on any board
or any committee to certain sectors ol
the community." Maxwell said.
For example, he said, the city s -- -j
electrical review board designates one*-”*316
seat be devoted to the local electric Christopher Dewayne Hodge, 22,
utility and one seat to someone with of Howarth, Okla.. was arrested on a
no electrical background. state jail felony charge of possession
Other sections of the amendment of more than four ounces but less
have already been employed by the than five pounds of marijuana He
remained in the city jail Wednesday
Rain finally arrives,
but it’s less than inch
“This is the first time we've had a
good, soaking rain. I don't know how
much we've gotten, but it's well over
two inches total for the entire county,
and this is sufficient to get our grass
growing," Barker said.
And it got here just in time. Barker
said.
"Beef prices are the lowest they
have been in many years. The milk
price is not that bad. but the feed
price is so high it's impossible to
make a profit out on the dairies,"
Barker said. "On top of that, we re
just virtually out of hay. not only
throughout the county but the entire
area, so we couldn't ship any in.
“In a matter of just a few short
weeks, our beef cattle prod ?rs are
not going to have to feed more
hay or supplemental range cubes,
which means they're going to have an
opportunity to quit pulling cash dol-
lars out of their pockets to keep their
herds going." he explained
Eye-to-eye with nature
Sulphur Springs Police Department animal control
officer Ronnie Sharp checks on a young great
horned owl at his office in the police station Tuesday
afternoon. The owl, an endangered species, was
Stiff Photo By Amy Login
struck by a delivery truck early Tiiesday morning.
It was later taken to a wild bird rehabilitation cen-
ter in Dallas.
Farmers
race to
seek fed
drought
relief
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
Oklahoma couple jailed on marijuana charges
- ——■- nk... U.,.1.1., ,,/oc nor.rmic Hiirino ini. hie Wlfp\ ntlffiP Smith WHS lU
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
An Oklahoma man and his 16-year-
old bride were jailed Tuesday alter
police found more than four ounces
of marijuana in their vehicle on Inter-
mom ing.
His wife. 16. also listing a Howarth
address, was also charged with the
state jail felony possession charge and
taken to the city jail. She was later
released to a relative.
Officer Juan Smith and reserve
patrolman Johnny Paul Moseley
stopped the 1986 Jeep Comanche the
pair were in on Interstate 30 near the
South Broadway Street overpass
about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Smith reported the driver. Christo-
pher Hodge, was nervous during ini-
tial contact. After a computer check
of Hodge. Smith asked if Hodge had
any weapons or drugs in the vehicle.
After Hodge said no. Smith asked to
search him for weapons and found a
package of drug paraphernalia in the
man’s pocket.
Smith began to search the Jeep
while Moseley asked the man again if
he was in possession of any contra-
band. The man then told Moseley
there w ere a “couple of roaches" in
his wife’s purse. Smith was informed
pf the information and asked to
search the purse, where a plastic bag
containing a green leafy substance
thought to be marijuana was discov-
ered.
Smith then resumed the search of
the vehicle and found a brown paper
bag containing a clear plastic bag
with more than four ounces of sus-
pected marijuana The two were tak-
en into custody and transported to the
city jail.
Hopkins County Farm Service
agents will have their hands full of
drought relief paperwork after more
than 600 people signed up for the fed-
eral aid Monday.
“Even with the extra time we’ll be
putting in at night on the applications,
it’s going to take the whole month of
April and into May to get everybody
processed, because there’s so much
paperwork involved,” said Jerry Ept-
ing with the Farm Service Agency.
“But we’ll be working diligently to
get them all processed and get the
benefits out as soon as possible.”
Epting said about 750 people
attended a meeting at Hopkins Coun-
ty Regional Civic Center Monday
morning to apply for the Emergency
Livestock Feed Program. Epting set
up the meeting after receiving word
the county had been approved for the
aid, but was warned only those farm-
ers who filed applications before the
new farm bill was signed would be
eligible for assistance.
Epting said word came from Wash-
ington Monday afternoon that coun-
ties approved for the program prior to
the bill's signing could continue to
accept applications for 30 days.
“Of course, right now, we're open
for business because the president
hasn't signed the farm bill, but when
he does sign it, we should be able to
continue to accept applications,
because there are producers that have
not been notified that we have the
assistance available," Epting said.
Hopkins County is one of 199
Texas counties that have been
approved to participate in the Emer-
gency Livestock Feed Program as of
Tuesday morning
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
When Glen Miller gave the invoca-
tion at Tuesday’s Hopkins County
Farm and Ranch Banquet, he wasted
no time in giving thanks for the recent
rain in the area.
Amen, brother.
“If ever there was a multi-million
dollar rain in Hopkins County, we just
had it,” Hopkins County Extension
agent Tommy Barker said Thursday
morning. “We were about to reach the
point of no return, and it got here just
in time."
Wednesday's 0.86 inches of rain,
along with an additional 1.24 inches
in the previous 10 days, helped
quench drought-like conditions
endangering forage production in the
county.
The recent rains mean green grass
in the pastures of local dairymen and
beef producers, the backbone of the
county's agriculture industry.
Finishing
touches
City employee
John Harris
smooths out
some freshly
poured concrete
recently at City
Park. The dty is
constructing new
handicap ramps
and picnic slabs
in the park.
Stiff Photo
By »i*y Logir
DPS pulls in $350,000
in rock, powder cocaine
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK
A bag containing more than
$350,000 worth of rock and powder
cocaine was confiscated by state
troopers Wednesday on Interstate 30.
Authorities arrested a 29-year-old
Pontiac. Mich., man. Melvin Lee
Randolph Jr., and a Dallas woman,
Angela Denise Ballard. 33, on first-
degree felony possession of a con-
trolled substance charges in connec-
tion with the drag seizure by highway
patrolmen about 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Randolph was also charged with
falling to purchase a drug tax stamp,
a third-degree felony.
The arrests came after Texas
Department of Public Safety Trooper
Bruce Roberts of Sulphur Springs and
Texarkana Trooper Randy Nixon
stopped a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban
on Interstate 30 near the Jefferson
Street overpass.
“They were stopped for failing to
drive in a single lane, and also they
were impeding traffic, driving real
slow in the left hand lane of the inter-
state,” Roberts said.
“They were reluctant to pass us at
one point. I’d slow down, but they
wouldn't pass us.
“Finally, we had to pull to the
shoulder at about 30 miles ar hour,
and they eased on around, but she
[Ballard] still didn't drive any faster
than 50 on the inside lane, so that
made us a little suspicious to start
with."
Roberts said those suspicions were
further aroused by Ballard's nervous-
ness and Randolph giving the troop-
ers a fictitious name.
"Trooper Nixon asked for a consent
to search the vehicle, and at that time
they became very belligerent."
Roberts said.
DPS Sgt. James Spencer arrived
shortly after.
Rural News: 4
Club News: 2
Reunions: 3
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Keys, Scott & Lamb, Bill. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 201, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, April 5, 1996, newspaper, April 5, 1996; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth780156/m1/1/: accessed June 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.