The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 206, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 26, 2001 Page: 1 of 4
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VOL 206 — NO. 4
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS — FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2001
New rules
for activity
center use
draw fire
By BRUCE ALSOBROOK_
Only organized clubs catering to
senior citizens would be allowed Co
use the Senior Citizens Activity Cen-
ter under proposed guidelines being
developed by a city board.
A member of the Senior Citizens
Activity Board told about two dozen
people at an open meeting in Pacific
Park Thursday night that only clubs
and organizations would be allowed
to apply to use the building on Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive.
The final rules and policies for use
have not been written up and
approved, however, and no definition
of what constitutes an eligible club or
organization has been compiled,
added City Councilwoman Bernice
Fitzgerald, who is also a member of
the senior citizens board.
Those attending the meeting were
also told the Senior Citizens Activity
Board was an autonomous panel, and
its rules would not require approval
by the City Council.
At the heart of the matter is the dis-
continued use of the Senior Citizens
Activity Center by the general public.
The facility in past years has been
rented to churches, families and
groups for private functions, many
from the largely black population in
the area bounded by Oak Avenue,
College Street, Como Street and
Whitworth Street.
The decision has loft many of those
residents without a comfortable gath-
ering place, and the proposed rules
exclude use of the building by anyone
except for established, recognized
organizations .with heavy elderly
\ membership. \
\ “Basically, thAgc has been a ruling
that there will be no use of the buijjl^
ing except for se iior citizejvdctivi-
lies," said City C( uncilman/Valander-
ous Bell, Who as] ed for tne meeting
after receiving numerous complaints
about the decisioQz This means
churches as well."
City Attorney Jim McLeroy said
the issue was not one of separation of
church and state, but that the Senior
Citizens Activity Board and City
Council decreed use would be limited
tp the older population.
City Manager Marc Maxwell added
that guideqn^v for the grant from the
U S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, which helped
fund construction of the building
about 1983, require 50 percent of the
people who use the building must be
senior citizens.
“That's a 20-year requirement, so
this requirement will be lifted in
2003," Maxwell said.
The Senior Citizens Activity Board,
however, is proposing that events at
the building require 75 percent of use
by senior citizens.
\But Elwayne Johnson, minister of
's- ^JJnurch of Christ on Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive, said the proposed
guidelines would also prohibit pro-
grams targeted for senior citizens. He
said, for example, his church wanted
to use the building to holtfan infor-
mational session for elderly citizens.
“I'm under the impression that a
number of senior citizens are suffer-
ing because they are ignorant of the
benefits that are available from the
state,” he said, but pointed out that
since the church is not a senior citi-
zens organization, the use would be
prohibited.
House Fire Claims Life
Hopkins County, Arbala, Como and Brinker fire-
fighters work together to contain a blaze Tuesday
night that destroyed a residence on County Road
2302 south of Martin Springs and claimed the life
of the home’s occupant,"’61-year-old Rill Marshall.
Although the cause of the fire is still under investi-
gation, fire officials believe it was started by a
spark from the home’s wood-burning stove.
Stall Photo By Emily Patterson
House fire in Martin Springs area
takes life of 61 -year-old resident
From Staff Reports
A Martin Springs man apparent-
ly died Tuesday night in a blaze
that destroyed his two-story resi-
dence on County Road 2302.
The man. believed to be 61-year-
old Bill Marshall, a longtime Hop-
kins County resident, was pro-
nounced dead at the scene by
Precinct 1 /Justice of the Peace
Yvonne Kj/hg at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday.
“We don'jdlave a positive ID on
that, buk^ve do believeXhal is who
it waif" King said W&yjnesday
morning.
“WcMre.sending the body to the
state coroner's for autopsy to be
certain.”
Funeral arrangements are pend-
ing with Murray-Orwosky Funeral
Home.
Sheriffs dispatchers alerted
Brinker, Hopkins County. Arbala
and Como fire teams at 8:33 p.m.
of a structure fire on County Road
2302 just west of FM 2560. Upon
arrival, firefighters were told by
bystanders that Marshall was
thought to be still inside the struc-
ture. which was fully engulfed.
“Brinker and Hopkins County
fire crews made entry into the
building and discovered the body."
said Hopkins County Emergency
Management Coordinator J.D.
Craze. “They then continued in.
pushing the fire back and continu-
ing to fight the blaze.”
The body was located in the
bathroom on the lower floor, offi-
Neighbors and other bystanders watch as firefighters, assisted by Hop-
kins County Sheriff’s deputies and local emergency medical personnel,
douse the dying embers of a fatal house fire Tuesday night on County
Road 2302 south of Martin Springs.
Stall Photo By Emily Pattern or
Bystanders remembered seeing the
stove in use earlier in the day
It s hard to legulate the heal in
those.” Hurley said. “Friends and
family at the scene said it wa^flol
unusual for hint to have a box fan
blowing out a window or have the
door open. It's easy to see how that
could become a problem.”
The structure “was built like a
pole barn with living quarters built
on." and there w as no way shut off a
section or room of the structure,
which caused it to bum faster,
according to Craze.
cials said.
Marshall recently had knee-
surgery and other health problems.
“A fire marshal is coming up lrom
Jasper today to investigate." Hop-
kins County Chief Investigator Tony
Hurley said Wednesday morning.
“We have no reason to suspect foul
play at this time, but it's best to cov-
er all bases ..."
Although Hopkins County inves-
tigators were unable to determine the
cause of the fire, preliminary reports
indicate the fire may had originated
from a wood-burning stove.
Absences force closure at C-P
By FAITH HUFFMAN
Como-Pickton students have been
given an unexpected two-day vaca-
tion from school, but for many it is is
by no means a holiday. They're home
with the flu or other illnesses that
have plagued tl»e area this winter.
Como-Pickton officials felt it was
in the students’ interest to close
school Thursday and Friday after an
excessive number of student absences
due to illness during the first part of
tltc week.
“1 can’t say that all of the absences
are a result of flu, but there have been
a lot of absences due to illness," said
C-P Principal Safidra Billodeau Fri-
day morning.
“We had over 80 students out due
to illnesses, so we were closed yes-
terday. and students won't be here
today.
‘Today is a teacher in-service day."
she said. “We had a waiver for a half-
day technology training and work
day. We're going to use it and do that
today."
Classes at Como-Pickton will
resume Monday.
While other schools in the area
have experienced increased absences
lately, mosts remain relatively unaf-
fected. Cumby schools also have not
experienced a substantial increases in
absences due to illness, bui have had
a few students who have missed due
to the flu.
North Hopkins has had some stu
dents who were forced to miss due
mainly to flu. but haven't seen any
large increases, according to school
officials. n
“We’ve haven't had a big outbreak
yet," one official at North Hopkins
said. “We have had some out sick
withflu, but not a lot."
Miller Grove Superintendent Tom-
my Turner said his school has not had
an unusually higher number of
absences than usual for this time of
4 PAGES — 25 CENTS — PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
2000 a good
year for local
jobless rate
By BRUCF ALSOBROOK
Hopkins County reached record
unemployment rates in the year 2(XX).
tallying the lowest jobless rale in
more than 20 years.
The latest estimates by the Texas
Workforce Commission also indicate
hiring for the holiday season jumped
considerably in December.
Last year’s average unemployment
in the county clocked in at 3.68 per-
cent, down from 4.3 percent in 1999.
According to Texas Workforce Com
mission estimates for the local laboi
market dating back to 1980. only live
times in the past 20 years has the job
less rale been below 5 percent tor the
year — and 2000 marked the fourth
straight year.
The local jobless rate has been
steadily declining since reaching a
high of 8.2 percent unemployment in
1992. Unemployment has declined or
remained the same each year since.
The final month of the year helped
push down the average for 2000.
Unemployment fell almost a full per-
centage point, from 3.9 percent in
November to 3 percent in December,
according to the latest estimates by
TWC. December also posted the low
est jobless rate of the year for the
county. The closes! month was April,
when unemployment was at 3.3 per-
cent.
The December figures show 15,305
people working in the county, up
from 15,122 in November. Most of
those added jobs were pulled from the
existing pool of people without jobs
— the number of unemployed
dropped from 610 in November lo
477 in December.
Unemplovmcnt was well down loi
the year inside the city limits ol Sul
phur Springs lor the month ol
December and lor the year.
TWC estimates place the jobless
rate for 2(XX) m the city al 4 4 percent,
down from 8.1 percent in 1999.
The |ohless rate also declined lrom
November lo December, lulling lrom
4.7 percent to 1.6 percent. The mini
her of people w ithout |obx declined
from 152 to 275 in that same span ol
lime.
As in Hopkins County. I lecembei s
jobless rate in the city was the lowest
of the year, followed by April's 4 per
cent.
While Hopkins County's unem
ployment rate in December was the
lowest of the year, it wasn't the low
est m the area two of the sui
rounding counties posted jobless rales
below 3 percent
Rains County's unemployment rule
of 2.7 percent was the lowest in the
six-county region, down from 3.2 per
cent in November Franklin County's
jobless rate was 2.8 percent last
month, down from 3.1 percent in
November.
Following Hopkins County was
Delta County, with a 3.3 percent job
less rate in lieceniher. a decline ol 0.6
percentage points.
Hunt Countv's 3.8 percent unem
ployment was also an improvement
from November's estimate of 4.5 pci
cent.
Wood County unemployment,
meanwhile, dropped from 5 percent
in November to 4.4 percent Iasi
month, the highest jobless rate in the
region.
I
Storms spur county
to seek federal aid
By BRUCF ALSOBROOK
laical officials have declared a state
of disaster for Hopkins County and
will be seeking aid lrom the Federal
Emergency Management Agency lor
damage to proper!', Iijnn multiple
winter storms.
“We’re still assessing some ol the
damage, but it miglii be in the neigh
borhixid of $5(X).(XX i lo $ I million, oi
even higher." Hopkins County Judge
Millsap said. “I'm basing that on estr
mates by Wood County Electric
Cooperative and what ihe county
commissioners hare seen in their
precincts.
"That's one of the reasons we want
the public to know about this." he
added. “If they'll contact my office,
we'll assess all these damages and
submit them to FEMA "
Millsap said U S Kep Max San
dlin is waiting to see if Ihe stale ol
Texas will declare certain counties
disaster areas before submitting
requests for federal aid for Ihe storms,
which began in mid-December.
Red River. Bowie and Cass conn
ties have already been declared ledei
al disaster areas because ol extensive
damage from dual ice storms m
December thal caused widespread
damage to trees and power outages
across the region, leaving some
Northeast Texans w ithout electricity
lor weeks. The federal disaster dec la
ration covers damage to private prop
ertv liom the storms that began
Decembci 12
Lamar County, which estimated at
least SI8 million in losses, is wailing
for word on whether it will also
received a disaster designation.
According lo TI M \ guidelines,
programs available to eligible nidi
vidual applicants may include disas
ter housing assistance lor those whose
homes were made unlivablc by ihe
stoims The program provides fund
ing for temporary accommodations or
minimal home repairs
year. “We're doing fine out here right
now. so far as that goes."
Officials from Saltillo. Sulphur
Bluff and Yanlis could not be reached
for comment Friday morning.
In Sulphur Springs, however, most
schools reported only a few extra
absences this month, mostly due to
flu symptoms.
Austin Elementary has only experi-
enced one or two absences above the
norm this week, with the number of
absences lessening each day. accord-
ing to a school secretary
The absentee rate due to illness at
Sulphur Springs Middle School was
no more than normal
Cultural arts winners
Parent-Teacher
Association Cultural
Arts Competition
winners from Austin
Elementary School
include, clockwise
from the top left.
Opal Taskila for
intermediate visual
arts. Heath Robin-
son for intermediate
literature, Jeffrey
Belt for intermedi-
ate photography and
Rebecca Malcolm
for primary visual
arts. Robinson also
took top honors for
intermediate litera-
ture within all the
area sc hoofs and will
next compete at the
regional level.
SMB Photo By En«y Pxmon
ter*___
Rural News: 4
Club News: 2
Reunions: 3
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Keys, Scott & Lamb, Bill. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 206, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 26, 2001, newspaper, January 26, 2001; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth780947/m1/1/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.