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CR 4323 Reopened to Cautious General Traffic

May 12, 2023 - Commissioner Bellmyer reports water has now receded on CR 4323, with the exception of one section of the roadway that has some water at a depth of 5-6 inches at the deepest point.

The roadway is reopened to general traffic with caution there is still water across it, and drivers should use caution and slow speed through the submerged section.

The water is expected to be gone tomorrow.

May 11, 2023 - Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, indicates today, May 11, 2023, that CR 4323 has water over the top of it.
This article is copied from Shelby County Today without permission.
Due to the unsafe nature of these circumstances, the roadway is closed to traffic.

Commissioner Bellmyer will continue to monitor the status of the road and once conditions allow he will announce the re-opening.

Large Tree Blocks SH7 West

May 12, 2023 - (Photos Courtesy WSCVFD) - West Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department (WSCVFD) personnel responded to a tree that had fallen across State Highway 7 West early May 5, 2023.

When the firemen arrived, sometime after 2:15am, they found the tree blocking all four lanes of traffic, which was a potential hazard for anyone traveling the highway.

Once the tree was cut and cleared from the roadway, the firefighters returned to the station at 4:30am.

Much of Shelby County Remains Under Flood Warning (Update: 2pm)

May 11, 2023 (2pm) - Flood warning now in effect until 5:15pm CDT this afternoon.

What: Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues.

Where: A portion of northeast Texas, including the following counties, Nacogdoches, Rusk and Shelby.

When: Until 5:15pm CDT.

Impacts: Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is ongoing. Numerous roads remain closed due to flooding. Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable. It will take several hours for all the water from these storms to work through local drainage systems in urban areas.

Additional Details: At 1:42pm CDT, emergency management reported ongoing flooding in the warned area due to thunderstorms. Between 4 and 8 inches of rain have fallen.

Bayou Lanana (Lanana Creek) at Nacogdoches was at 18.36 feet at 12:45pm CDT after cresting at 19.65 feet at 10am CDT this morning. The creek is currently running 14 feet above normal. It is expected to continue to recede over the next several hours.

Some locations that will experience flooding include Nacogdoches, Tenaha, Timpson, Garrison, Trawick, Appleby, Mount Enterprise, Lawsonville, Stockman and Arcadia.

Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

May 11, 2023 - Including the cities of Jena, Bradley, Midway, Farmerville, Longview, Winnfield, Grayson, Atlanta, Hughes Springs, Prescott, Bossier City, Minden, Gibsland, El Dorado, Pleasant Hill, Many, Natchitoches, Dry Prong, Henderson, Pineland, Clarks, Mansfield, Ruston, Coushatta, Stonewall, Logansport, Nacogdoches, Lewisville, Stamps, Hope, Arcadia, San Augustine, Martin, Colfax, Hemphill, Columbia, Haynesville, Shreveport, Jefferson, Bernice, Ringgold, Carthage, Jonesboro, Queen City, Magnolia, Texarkana, Monroe, Montgomery, Zwolle, Homer, Lufkin, Springhill, Marshall, Olla, Center, and Linden 6:49 AM CDT Thu May 11 2023.

Flood Watch remains in effect until 1pm CDT this afternoon.

What: Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible.

Where: Portions of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, including the following counties and parishes, in Arkansas, Columbia, Hempstead, Lafayette, Miller, Nevada and Union. In Louisiana, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto, Grant, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Red River, Sabine, Union, Webster and Winn. In Texas, Angelina, Bowie, Cass, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine and Shelby.

When: Until 1pm CDT this afternoon.

Impacts: Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.

Additional Details: Showers and thunderstorms resulting in heavy rainfall can be expected through early Thursday afternoon with rain amounts averaging 2-3 inches and isolated higher totals in excess of 5 inches possible.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

U.S. 96 South Near FM 2140 Scene of Two-Vehicle Crash

May 8, 2023 - U.S. Highway 96 South was the scene of a two-vehicle non-injury collision involving a pickup truck and a truck tractor Monday, May 8, 2023, just south of FM 2140.

Fire personnel with the Center Fire Department and Shelbyville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene, in addition to Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

According to the information from DPS, the preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 5:15pm, a red 1995 Peterbilt truck tractor semi-trailer driven by John Chance, 51, of Lufkin was traveling south, followed by a white Ford F-450 driven by Derell Gardner, 38, of San Augustine. It is reported that the truck tractor slowed down and moved over due to an approaching wide load and the driver of the Ford failed to control his speed and struck the rear of the semi-trailer.

No injuries were reported resulting from the crash, and Gardner was cited for fail to control speed.

There is no further information available.

Fire personnel and Sheriff’s Department assisted DPS until the scene was clear.

Special Weather Statement Includes Shelby County

May 9, 2023 - A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southern De Soto, southeastern Red River, western Natchitoches and Sabine Parishes, Nacogdoches, Shelby, central Angelina, San Augustine and northern Sabine Counties through 4:30pm CDT.

At 3:33pm CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Zwolle, or 28 miles north of Toledo Bend Dam, moving north at 25 mph.

Hazard: Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.

Source: Radar indicated.

Impact: Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.

Locations impacted include Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Natchitoches, Center, Milam, Many, Huntington, San Augustine, Coushatta, Zwolle, Timpson, Campti, Garrison, Converse, Martinsville, Macune, Shelbyville, Melrose, Patroon and Bland Lake.

Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

FM 417 Outside Shelbyville Scene of Major Single-Vehicle Crash

May 9, 2023 - Emergency responders were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on FM 417 just east of Shelbyville on May 8, 2023, where a pickup truck had collided with a tree.

Shelbyville Volunteer Fire Department was on scene to assist as well as Shelbyville ISD Police Chief Jud Matthews.

Just after the crash occurred, two individuals pulled the driver from the vehicle which was beginning to catch on fire.

According to information from Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 4:30pm, a grey 2004 Ford F-150 truck pickup was traveling east. It is reported that the driver was traveling at a speed which was unsafe and lost control when it traveled off the road to the left and struck a tree, at which point it caught fire.

The driver, identified as a 16-year-old male, was transported to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital for treatment.

This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time.

DPS Trooper Chris Cain investigated the crash at the scene.

AS the scene was being investigated, a second crash was reported on U.S. Highway 96 South, and both DPS units and Shelbyville Fire Department units left the first scene to assist on U.S. 96.

Shelby County Appraisal District Sending Out Notices Soon

May 9, 2023 - Notices of Appraised Value are soon to be sent out. The Appraisal District would like to reach out and inform the public of our activities. In late January we learned that we had once again failed the State Property Value Study in four school districts. Due to this, we once again must raise property values to comply with state law. We conducted analysis of each school district and each type of property to determine where we did not meet the state requirements. For this reason, some types of homes will show a substantial increase in value. This does not mean that any single home has increased in value that much in one single year, simply put, it means that home has been undervalued in previous years. It also does not mean that you have made any “improvements,” just that your house could sell for more dollars. Improvements, as listed on your appraisal notice means, “a building, structure, fixture, or fence erected on or affixed to land.”

State law requires appraisal districts to value property at market value (Texas Property Tax Code Sec. 23.01(a)). “Market Value” according to Texas Property Tax Code Sec. 1.04(7) means “the price at which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions if:

A. exposed for sale in the open market with a reasonable time for the seller to find a purchaser;
B. both the seller and the purchaser know of all the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used and of the enforceable restrictions on its use; and
C. both the seller and purchaser seek to maximize their gains and neither is in a position to take advantage of the exigencies of the other.”

The State Legislature of Texas requires appraisal districts to value property at the price it would sell for, regardless of any intent to sell it. The housing market continues to increase in value, the Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index indicates a 4.5% average increase in home values from January 2022 to December 2022.

The Appraisal District uses mass appraisal to value the properties in our county. For this reason, some properties will be valued too high, and some properties will be valued too low. The Appraisal district uses all available sales and State PVS data in order to set values. If you have property specific data that you believe we don’t know about, we are more than happy to evaluate that data in our valuing of your specific property.

In conclusion, the Appraisal District is tasked with the appraisal of all properties in our county at 100% of market value. We do not set tax rates, nor do we collect taxes. The State Legislature created appraisal districts as a separate political entity, apart from the taxing authorities, to provide transparent appraisal of property. We do not increase property values on a whim, we use all available data and through statistical analysis arrive at a value. Please reach out to us at 936-598-6171 if you have any questions about your appraisal notice. Thank you.

May 2023 City, School Board Election Results (Updated 3:47pm)

May 6, 2023 - The May 6 unofficial election results for the cities and schools across the county are listed below.

City of Timpson and Timpson ISD General Election May 6, 2023 results.

The City of Timpson election results are in and three positions were up for election, plus a position to fill an unexpired term. The top three candidates receiving votes for the three positions were Charleston Johnson - incumbent; Ryan McDonald; and Judd “Tuffy” Green. The unexpired term position had only one candidate, and that was Penny Ramsey, who has now been elected to that position.