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May 3, 2022 - The month of April 2022 had 16 days of 80 degrees and above temperatures and only 1 day with the low being in the 30s.
The weather data for Center, Texas during the month of April 2022 is as follows:
Hottest temperature day - 87.4 on April 16
Lowest temperature day - 37.2 on April 9
Total rain fall for the month - 7.70 inches
Number of days with rain - 7 days
04/01/2022 - Low of 40.8, High of 71.6
04/02/2022 - Low of 48.0, High of 80.4, Rain 0.01
04/03/2022 - Low of 49.1, High of 73.1
04/04/2022 - Low of 53.8, High of 81.5, Rain 0.08
04/05/2022 - Low of 60.6, High of 86.5, Rain 1.03
04/06/2022 - Low of 55.0, High of 78.8
04/07/2022 - Low of 46.2, High of 72.3
04/08/2022 - Low of 44.1, High of 69.3
04/09/2022 - Low of 37.2, High of 81.3
04/10/2022 - Low of 59.7, High of 83.1
04/11/2022 - Low of 64.4, High of 87.3, Rain 0.23
04/12/2022 - Low of 60.1, High of 79.2, Rain 2.91
04/13/2022 - Low of 54.7, High of 77.7, Rain 2.24
04/14/2022 - Low of 50.9, High of 76.6
04/15/2022 - Low of 53.4, High of 77.9
04/16/2022 - Low of 71.8, High of 87.4
04/17/2022 - Low of 62.8, High of 86.4
04/18/2022 - Low of 55.8, High of 72.5
04/19/2022 - Low of 48.7, High of 72.3
04/20/2022 - Low of 57.7, High of 81.0
04/21/2022 - Low of 66.9, High of 82.8
04/22/2022 - Low of 63.0, High of 83.7
04/23/2022 - Low of 66.2, High of 84.0
04/24/2022 - Low of 68.9, High of 87.3
04/25/2022 - Low of 61.3, High of 72.9, Rain 1.20
04/26/2022 - Low of 54.0, High of 74.3
04/27/2022 - Low of 48.4, High of 77.7
04/28/2022 - Low of 52.3, High of 82.9
04/29/2022 - Low of 59.0, High of 85.5
04/30/2022 - Low of 68.0, High of 86.5
May 3, 2022 - The water on San Augustine Rural WSC no longer requires boiling.
On April 29, 2022, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the San Augustine Rural Public Water System, #2030007, to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
San Augustine Rural Water has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of May 3, 2022.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact the office: 220 West Columbia Street, San Augustine, Texas. 936-288-0489 or Charles Sharp 936-201-5001.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
If a customer, individual or employee wishes to contact the executive director, please call (512)239-4691.
Effective April 29, 2022 Until further notice
April 30, 2022 - Due to a break in the line, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required San Augustine Rural Public Water System PWS #2030007 to notify Customers on FM 353, Hwy 21 E and Sunrise Community to boil their water prior to consumption (eg., washing hands / face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, Seniors and Persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received the notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact San Augustine Rural Water System at 220 W. Columbia Street, San Augustine, Texas, 75972, or call 936-288-0489
or Charles Sharp at 936-201-5001.
(Photos from April 15 crash on April 15.)
May 3, 2022 - The Timpson Volunteer Fire Department has reported its list of calls for the month of April 2022.
This list includes:
- 4 down power line calls
- 1 woods fire call
- 7 trees down calls
- 1 brush/grass fire call
- 1 smoke scare call
- 2 crashes without injury
Timpson Volunteer Fire Department would also like to extend a "thank you" to the Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department and Center Fire Department for their assistance on a wild land fire.
Also Timpson Volunteer Fire Department will be having their regular business meeting tomorrow night Tuesday, April 3, at 6pm if anyone would like to get an application to join the department and visit with them.
May 2, 2022 - During week of April 25th to May 1st the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department responded to one call. Despite being the sole call for the week it had all the excitement necessary to make up for it.
On Monday, April 25th, the JVFD was dispatched to a disposal well on fire on FM 139. One of the tanks on the site had been struck by lightning and sparked what seemed to be a minor fire. The Joaquin VFD responded to the call with help from DeSoto Fire District 1, and attempted to put foam on the burning tanks.
A representative of the site warned everyone that one of the tanks was about to explode, and with little time to react everyone on the site moved back as far as possible. Moments later the tank exploded and flew several feet into the air and landed on power lines in the nearby pasture. At this point any chance of extinguishing the fire was gone and members of the JVFD and DFD1 set up a perimeter outside the site. A second tank also exploded but it was not clear if it also went airborne or not.
From their safe distance the first responders utilized a drone provided by Precinct 3 Constable Roy Cheatwood to measure the temperature of the third and final burning tank. Once it was determined that the tank was under the minimum explosive temperature it was decided that the worst of the danger had passed. A few members of the JVFD stood by for a few more hours before clearing the scene to ensure the fire did not get out of control again.
This fire went from under control to out-of-hand very quickly and the JVFD is beyond thankful that no one was harmed in the process. With that, the Joaquin VFD hopes everyone has a safe and fire-free week going forward.
(Photo courtesy Joaquin VFD)
April 30, 2022 - Emergency personnel responded to a saltwater well disposal site off FM 139 Monday, April 25, 2022, where a fire had ignited during inclement weather conditions.
Officials with the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) as well as Constable Precinct 3, Texas Department of Public Safety, Shelby County Sheriff's Department and DeSoto Fire District 1 fire personnel all were at the location after the fire was reported.
(Photo courtesy Joaquin VFD)
While fire personnel sprayed water onto the tanks which were in flames when they arrived at the site, and the circumstances quickly became more dire as additional tanks caught on fire. One tank on the site erupted into the air and landed in a nearby field. Law enforcement shut down traffic on FM 139 to prevent any risk to travelers on the roadway.
Fire personnel gave greater clearance at that time to the tanks that were in flames and to the entire site.
Power utilities were disconnected by Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative personnel and the tanks eventually burned to a point where they cooled down. Joaquin VFD personnel utilized a drone supplied by Roy Cheatwood, Constable Precinct 3, to implement its infrared software and determine the hot spots on the location.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident and the Joaquin VFD confirmed the fire was believed to have started due to lightning strike. Additional details may be reported when they are made available.
April 29, 2022 – Three brothers and another man, all from Carthage, have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Lavara Geray Hinton, 39, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021; Perry Cornelius Hinton, 42, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2021; Alex Christopher Hinton, 41, pleaded guilty on May 19, 2021; and David Wayne Anderson, 41, pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021--all to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Lavara Hinton was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, Perry Hinton was sentenced to 64 months in federal prison, Alex Hinton was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, and David Anderson was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker.
According to information presented in court, the Hinton brothers, Anderson, and other co-conspirators purchased bulk methamphetamine from various suppliers and distributed it to mid-level dealers and retail customers in the Panola County area. Lavara Hinton would accept firearms in trade for methamphetamine and would later sell the firearms. Lavara Hinton sold more than 600 grams of pure methamphetamine and 33 firearms to confidential informants working with law enforcement. Perry and Alex Hinton assisted Lavara Hinton by coordinating bulk methamphetamine purchases from their suppliers and also sold methamphetamine to their own customer bases. Anderson purchased methamphetamine from Lavara Hinton for personal use and for further distribution to his own customers.
The Hinton brothers, Anderson, and two others whose cases remain pending were indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 17, 2020, and charged with federal drug trafficking and firearms violations.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Panola County Sheriff's Office, the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Ryan Locker.
April 29, 2022 - US 84 west in Shelby County, west of Timpson at the Attoyac River Bridge, is confined to one lane of stop and go traffic as crews make emergency bridge repairs. Traffic control is in place on each side of the bridge in Rusk and Shelby counties. Estimated time of clearance is 8 pm today. Motorists are urged to reduce speed, expect delays or take alternate routes.
April 28, 2022 - Officials with the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, Sabine National Forests, have advised a prescribed burn today location:
Sabine N.F. – Compartments 72/73/74 (Red Hills RX) Blocks F & G only Located in the Red Hills Recreation Area, 1,548 acres, East Side of Texas State Highway 87, and Digger Road/FS Road 110, with Helicopter Support and Winds are predicted from South/Southeast at 5–11 MPH.
Please drive with caution. Also, we advised and long range drift SMOKE may affect some of the areas.
April 27, 2022 - The Timpson ISD school board is adopted a new a new instructional schedule that other schools across the state have either adopted or are considering. The following is a statement issued by the school Superintendent, Mid Johnson:
Last night the TISD Board of Trustees met in a special session to discuss ways to retain and attract teachers to our district.
The board has decided to implement a 4-day instructional week. With this innovative change comes a lot of questions and challenges, but a lot of questioning, thought and planning has already gone into the discussion. We believe this will help with the retention/attraction of staff and help the attendance rate of staff and students. We know some parents may be concerned about childcare for their younger children on Fridays. We are discussing some creative ways to help families on Fridays if needed. We will put out a calendar as soon as possible with more information to come.
Please understand that all districts in Texas must comply with the minimum number of minutes per year. To make this adjustment, students and staff will be returning to school a couple of weeks earlier than normal and school will end a week or so later than normal. Additionally, the school day will be increased by about an hour in order to comply with the required minutes.
The board also discussed ways to increase pay for teachers and staff. We hope to get more information out soon. But, this too is an area we feel will help our district.
The last two years have not been easy, but you are valued at TISD. I don’t believe you will find another district that cares more about the students, teachers, and staff. Our board is open to new ideas and wants what’s best for all in the district. I hope you find these changes exciting. We just have a few more weeks of school. Thank you for all you do and let’s do our best to end this year better than ever.
Sincerely,
Mid Johnson
April 26, 2022 - The Shelby County Commissioners decided during their April 20, 2022, meeting to move forward with the disposing/recycling of county property, specifically electronics.
Judge Allison Harbison explained the items being discussed included old computer monitors, computers, hard drives which are taking up space in several buildings. She suggested the hard drives would need to be made inoperable before disposal.
A motion carried to approve the disposal/recycling of county property with the caveat hard drives would be destroyed.
Judge Harbison inquired with the commissioners if they have equipment which could be used to trim the tree near the flag pole in front of the active Shelby County courthouse, and they described the equipment they have would be more likely to tear tree branches than to cut them.
Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, asked about the need to trim all the trees around the courthouse, and he suggested. Commissioner Bellmyer inquired if the project would occur on a weekend, and Judge Harbison agreed wither that or after hours would be necessary.
A motion carried for Judge Harbison to get quotes from tree trimming companies.
The meeting adjourned at 9:41am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Disposing/ Recycling County property/Electronics. 3. Trimming the tree by the flag pole in front of the Courthouse. 4. Adjourn. Agenda items tabled during the meeting include: 1. Select engineering service provider(s) to complete project implementation for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP Act) funding administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, other Federal or State Agency.
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