The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 1980 Page: 1 of 6
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Hopkins County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hopkins County Genealogical Society.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
$fm4
SapSSgpf
MICROFILM CENTER INC
PO BOX 45435
DALLAS
’ i'--: > •,
'X 75235
*. -WStS^
v • » •. «•> s
ft ' • • / - * ■ A’
I
- Nt;
©je Hopkins (fottnfa frljo
(ABSORBED THE GAZETTE CIRCULATION BY PURCHASE MAY 12. 1928)
m
VOL. 105—NO. It.
SULPHUR SPRINGS. TEXAS. FRIDAY, APRIL 18.1980.
S PAGES -10 CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Fire hits tax office
“We hope to be back in operation by
Friday," said County Tax Assessor-
Collector Jeff Taylor Wednesday morning
as his employees worked to turn the empty
Stirling Building into a new office in the
wake of a Tuesday afternoon fire which
left extensive damage to the Hopkins
County tax office on Jefferson Street
The Fire Department received a call of a
fire at the Jefferson Street office at 5:06
p.m. Tuesday and found heavy smoke
pouring out of the building on their arrival.
"The building has limited access with
only two doors and we couldn’t get very
many people in there at one time,” said
Fire Marshal Jerry Bolding Wednesday.
“The fire was knocked down real early and
was controlled with less than 500 gallons of
water from a ltt-inch hose. I don’t know
who those first two firemen were just yet,
but they saved the building."
Hopkins County Sheriff J.E. Tittle and
his deputies stood on alert, prepared to
evacuate the 12 prisoners in the jail if
necessary as firefighters battled the bhe
in the nearby tax office. Tittle said his
office has several alternate plans for
evacuation of the jail if emergencies
dictate the action.
Bolding was back in the damaged office
Wednesday as workers removed the tax
records. He said the fire was “definitely
not from the heating unit or electrical in
origin.
“This heating unit didn’t have anything
to do with it,” he said as he inspected the
area that had burned, “the wiring was
enclosed in conduit and that wasn’t it
either.”
County Judge Joe R. Pogue said Wed-
nesday that the tax office would be tem-
porarily housed in the Stirling Building
“long enough to make other
arrangements.”
He said there were not enough electrical
outlets in the temporary location and that
other problems would be faced but that it
would serve as an interim office.
“Right now, we’ve got to find office
space for the Veteran’s Service Officer,”
Pogue said.
Taylor reported that no tax records had
been burned in the blaze. “There’s some
smoke and water damage, but they’re still
usable,” he said.
“We’ve already ordered new forms from
Longview so we’re in good shape there and
the state was here yesterday so all of our
accountable forms are inventoried,” he
said.
Taylor said that office equipment was
being checked out and that some might
have to be sent out to be cleaned and
checked but that everything seemed to be
in good shape.
Bolding estimated the damage to the
building at somewhere between $50,000
and $70,000.
“It’s going to need a new roof and an
entire remodeling inside,” he said. “Of
course, that figure is without knowing
what the damage is to the records and
contents.”
Bolding said that the fire “obviously
started near the floor” in the closet where
the heating-cooling unit was contained. He
said there were office supplies stored in
the closet as well as a vacuum cleaner.
“If the fire was accidental in origin, the
fire was burning when they (county em-
ployees) left the building,” Bolding said.
“The pattern is there for an accidental
fire, but I don’t know just yet what started
it.”
Taylor said that his employees left the
office “right at 5 p.m. because I got a call
at two minutes until 5.”
Bolding said the clocks were stopped at
5:07p.m.
Judge Pogue said he had checked on the
building’s insurance and that the building
was insured for $40,000.
“We were going to have a work session
Monday, but now it looks like we’ll need to
have a special session of the com-
missioners court.”
A courthouse wag reported that the fire
was probably arson, based on April 15
being the last day to turn in federal income
tax forms. “Somebody just wanted to take
out their vengence against the federal
government by burning a tax office,” he
said with a laugh.
Milk price base plan
headed for oblivion?
By F.W. FRAILEY
News-Telegram Staff
The controversial base plan for deter-
mining the producer price of milk ap-
parently was headed for abandonment
today following a sweeping federal court
decision upholding its legality.
The Southern Region Board of Directors
of Associated Milk Producers Inc.,
adopted a motion instructing Region
Manager E.L. Wise to petition the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to terminate
the plan due to changes in marketing
conditions.
“Action has been taken requesting
termination of the Base Plan which means
the Base Plan will not go into effect and
AMPI members will continue to be paid a
blend price each month for their milk,”
Wise said.
Under the base plan each producer
would be assigned an annual sales base
New council chief
takes over gavel
By JIM MOORE
Naws-Talagram Staff
Sulphur Springs City Commission
Chairman Lewis Helm gaveled in his first
regular session as the newly elected ex-
officio mayor and Interim City Manager
Travis Owens had his first meeting as the
chief administrator of the city Tuesday
night at the Municipal Building.
After formally accepting the resignation
of former City Manager Wendell Sapaugh,
the commissioners unanimously approved
the formal hiring of Owens as the interim
city manager.
Helm said that Sapaugh had done a
“great job” for the city and “he’s an
outstanding citizen; I hate to see him go.”
A bid was initially accepted for the Front
Street project to be built as part of the
Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG), but the action later was
rescinded.
Helm said that he felt it was irregular
for only one bid to be received on such a
large project.
Glenn Wagner, coordinator for the
CDBG, announced that the bid was from
Ne-Tex Asphalt and Materials, Inc.
He said that the firm had bid $71,063.14
for improvements to the portion from Oak
to Ardis Street and $145,866.78 for the
Lamar to Ardis Street section.
Commissioner Millard Glover made a
motion which was passed to reject the bid
and readvertise.
Owens told the commissioners that
Trans Western Enterprises, Inc. had
decided not to lease the old Water
Treatment Plant on Main Street from the
city as some city-owned equipment had not
been moved.
He said the building would be used for
storage by the city and that it would be
“perfect” for that need.
On the agenda item to declare Houston
Street’s curb and guttering complete so
that property owners could be assessed the
costs, Commissioner Vaden Richey ob-
jected.
‘Td go along with it if we do not mail the
statements until the dirt work has been
completed,” he said.
Commiaaioner Dee Mabe said, “It’s
more or less standard procedure,” of the
plan to proceed with billing the property
owners as soon as the concrete work had
been completed.
A city official noted that the state had
completed most of the dirt work that it was
required to do in back-filling the land
behind the curb, and that the city would be
completing its work as soon as the ground
dried out He added that the project was a
break-even situation where the property
owners were being assessed exactly what
the city had already paid out.
Richey moved that the work be declared
complete but that the mailing of bills not
be accomplished until June 1, at which
time the city’s dirt work should be com-
pleted, and the council agreed.
A slight controversy developed over
plans to provide quit claim deeds to
easements on Cannon Craft Company
property.
Ed Rosamond told the commissioners
that the closing of Longino Street was
necessary to provide for the expansion
plans of the company.
Visitors at the meeting complained of
accumulations of sawdust in the area and
that the closure of the road would prevent
access to their property.
Rosamond said that Cannon Craft was
the only national company with home
offices in Sulphur Springs and that the
expansion program was part of a two-year
program.
After conversations with those com-
plaining of the plans, it was decided to
refer the matter to the Planning and
Zoning Commission for hearings.
“We need to be careful when closing
streets and eliminating access,” Helm
said.
Commissioners approved the formation
of a non-profit industrial development
corporation for the city and authorized the
advertising of bids for both the demolition
and rehabilitation of structures in the
target area of the CDBG and approved a
revision to of the CDBG budget that would
add funds to the street paving budget from
other areas where money had been saved.
The city fathers approved the city’s
share of the 1900 budget for the Hopkins
County Tax Appraisal District.
The group had pro-rated the city’s share
of the $30,000 budget at$4,812.
City pockets
$22,000 rebate
Sulphur Springs’ city sales tax
rebate for the period ending March 27
amounted to $22,101.26, sending the
total for the current calendar year to
$170,313.65. This represents a 14
percent increase for the first quarter
of the year as compared to 1979.
While the total for the quarter was
higher than the $148,358.10 for the
same period last year, the net
payment for the month was more than
$10,000 lower than the $33,704.08
received in April, 1979.
State Comptroller Bob Bullock said
Friday that city sales tax rebates for
April totaled $24.1 million, about $10
million less than Texas cities received
in April last year.
He said 1980 rebate payments of the
optional one-percent city sales tax
from the first of the year now total
$162.8 million, compared to rebates of
$135.2 million over the same period in
1979.
Because year-to-date payments are
up over last year, it’s too early to say
whether the decreased monthly
payments reflect a downward trend.
jHflp- . '
Ip r.%M:' '
n
A
■
y
J6m
m
»LtWWl
mfflWW- , -v •
I -
r’ ' V V ' - r*
-J
*
keyed to his production during the fall
months. Milk delivered in excess of this
base during the flush spring season would
bring a lower price.
The AMPI regional board acted after
Federal Judge Robert M. Hill of Dallas
had issued a final ruling rejecting a
challenge brought by a group of dairymen
and others in the industry.
The case was styled George A. Law, et
al, plaintiffs, vs. Bob Bergland, secretary
of agriculture of the United States,
defendant, and AMPI, defendant-
in tervenor.
Numerous other Hopkins County
dairymen joined Law as plaintiffs.
In addition to the dairymen, the
challenges included Marketing Assistance
Plan, Vanguard of Texas and Missouri,
Concerned Dairymen, Hygeia Dairy,
Knowlton’s and Schepps Daily, Inc.
The plaintiffs contended, (1) that
evidence in the record of the hearing
presented by AMPI was insufficient to
support the USDA decision; (2) that the
decision was in violation of the law and
Constitution; and (3) that AMPI should not
be permitted to “bloc-vote” in behalf of its
members and should be disqualified as a
cooperative.
Judge Hill overruled the plaintiffs’
motion on the first two points last August
and took similar action on the third point
on April 2.
In a formal order issued Friday, the
court also ruled that the plaintiffs in the
case must pay the court costs.
A modified form of the base plan was
used by AMPI during the 1960s.
■
-
►
» „ L 4
t.
s.
Tax office burns
Firemen responding to a call to the Hopkins County Tax Office
Tuesday afternoon found heavy smoke pouring out of the
building (top). After the fire was under control, firemen used
shovels to remove the still-smouldering papers (lower right),
while others used axes to open up the roof (lower left) in at-
tempts to ventilate the structure. Tax Assessor-Collector Jeff
Taylor reports that no tax records were destroyed; the office
has been moved to the Stirling Building on the downtown square
on a temporary basis. Taylor said that he hopes to have the
office open for business by Friday.
-StiH Photos by JIM MOORE
Rural-urban speaker raps feds
By JOE WOOSLEY
News-Telegram Staff
One of the Hopkins County Chamber of
Commerce’s most successful and long-
running promotions - the Rural-Urban
meeting — unfolded its 37th edition in
neighboring Wood County at Yantis
Thursday night.
Yantis Mayor Julius Mapes in his
welcoming remarks to the 225 registered
guests pointed out the close ties of Yantis
and Sulphur Springs and declared that his
town enjoyed the best of two counties by its
fortunate location.
The closeness of the two counties was
enhanced by the remarks of the featured
speaker, 31-year-old Marcus Hill, a native
of Yantis who gained his foothold in the
educational world as a student leader at
Sulphur Springs High School.
Hill, who entertained his audience with a
series of humorous remarks before tur-
ning to more serious thoughts, called for a
return to ideals that made this country
great after citing many of the nation’s
problems. He pointed to the high interest
rates and spiraling inflation as he blasted
the deficit spending of the federal
government.
He said the root of the problem in major
part can be attributed to the high drain of
taxes on productivity. He ticked off
examples of federal government Mp-offs
and urged his audience to exercise their
votes to elect conservativaeto handle their
affairs in the public offices.
Hill, one-time state president of the
Texas Association of Future Fanners of
America and now a successful insurance
official in Fort Worth, drew applause for
his serious remarks and warm laughter
for his lighter comments.
Superintendent P. J. Ponder served as
master of ceremonies at the event, staged
in the Yantis gymnasium. The Rev. Greg
Stanley gave the invocation, David Allen
led the pledge of allegiance, and Gary
Graham directed the singing of
“America.”
Ponder introduced visiting political
figures, candidates, and guests by school
districts and counties. There was one
visitor from Mexico City in the audience.
The Fiddlers, Clyde Floyd, Willard
Carlisle and Ed Ellison, presented musical
entertainment.
h -**•*%. V ** **.-+*-
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Keys, Clarke & Woosley, Joe. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 1980, newspaper, April 18, 1980; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth780388/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.