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Members of Relay For Life were present at the recent Timpson City Council meeting to announce “Paint The Town Purple.” Mayor Debra Smith signed a proclamation for March to be “Paint the Town Purple” month in Timpson. There will be a kick-off event held on the square from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. on March 2. Pictured are Relay for Life Members (from left) Amber Coburn, Teresa Burns, and Kay Polk.

Earthquakes have wreaked havoc on the Timpson area over the past two years and now weather has contributed to further anguish for area residents as a tornado was reported to have been sited north of Timpson.
The City of Timpson issued a Code RED alert on Monday, Feb. 18 at approximately 6:40 p.m. when a tornado had reportedly been sited in the Caledonia area just north of the City of Timpson.

Representatives and employers from area businesses met for their quarterly breakfast at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 at the Windham Civic Center to hear Don Shirley, Executive Director of Connected Texas, give a presentation about broadband connection.
Connected Texas is an independent, public and private initiative working to ensure that all can experience the benefits of broadband. It is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a non-profit in the state of Texas.

Local long-time physician, Dr. Joe Hooker, passed away at 9:24 a.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 at home in Center.

Services are pending at Mangum Funeral Home.

Today’s tip provided by Timpson Police Chief Kent Graham
In recognition of Center Crime Stoppers Crime Prevention month, which is February, The Light and Champion is asking local law enforcement officials for crime prevention tips.
“If you’re going to be gone from the residence for the weekend or longer, let [law enforcement] know so they can have an extra patrol there. Leave some lights on and a vehicle in the driveway to make it appear that somebody is there.”

Mark your calendar for the 26th Annual Rotary Club ‘Fun for Funds’ auction to be held Tuesday, March 19. This year, the event will return to its original format with the event being broadcast via cable, radio or internet. Bids can be placed over the phone or by internet. Watch for an new twist to be announced soon for this year’s auction.
All proceeds will benefit the Roughrider Scholarship Foundation. Last year, the Fun for Funds project raised $41,000 for the scholarship fund.

The Healthcare committee of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce announces the 6th Annual Health and Fitness Fair will be held on Thursday, March 28 at the Windham Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration for vendors is open until Friday, March 1, 2013.
Any vendor in the health care field or involved in the fitness industry is invited to participate in the fair. Various sponsorship and vendor levels are available.
To register contact the Shelby County Chamber at 936-598-3682 or visit the website at www.shelbycountychamber.com.

The Old Spanish Trail Ride (OSTR) has once again made the trek through Shelby County as horseback riders make the 216 mile journey from Logansport to Houston visiting towns all along the trail.
The ride began on Saturday morning, Feb. 16 as the riders made their way across the Logansport Bridge. The OSTR has been a tradition since 1956 when the event was started by sixteen men and women.
Morris W. Brown, of Joaquin, is the Trail Boss and he has been riding with the OSTR for 40 years. His father Hugh Brown was one of the founders of the OSTR in 1956.

Why would thirty-three people, 18 of whom were women, spend Saturday, Feb. 16 (a beautiful day) voluntarily indoors for nine hours of classroom instruction? Very simple, really – they all wanted to be trained and certified for a Concealed Handgun License (CHL).

Although the weather was clear on Sunday vehicle accidents were seen in Shelby County with a power outage resulting from one wreck in Center.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Jordan Eastridge, a silver 2007 Pontiac G5 driven by Christine Doggett, 37, of Tenaha with passenger Destiny Doggett, 17, was traveling southbound on FM 2026 (Folsom Chapel Road) at 4:19 p.m. when Doggett says a deer entered the roadway from the left.

Futurist Dr. Peter C. Bishop, Associate Professor of Strategic Foresight and Coordinator of the graduate program in Futures Studies at the University of Houston, spoke to a gathering of civic leaders and Leadership Shelby County Alumni of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
A futurist is one who examines current events and trends and is trained to extrapolate the next steps based on what is going on right now. In other words, they “look around the corner” to see what will affect the future.

Some people may give flowers on Valentines Day, but for others the gifts may be more on the exotic side. Two Center residents were arrested on Thursday afternoon after a stop for a traffic violation, which resulted in a Valentines Day narcotics arrest.
According to Center Police Detective Nicole Faulkner, a traffic stop was initiated on U.S. Highway 96 North approximately 1/4 mile from the city limit by Center Police Officer Jeremy Konderla at 3:24 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14 as the result of a traffic violation.

Plans for the 2013 Annual Shelby County Livestock Show are set. The show will be held on Saturday, March 2nd at the Shelby County Expo Center.

The third suspect in a theft ring investigation in the Timpson area led by Sheriff’s Deputy Investigator John Pope, was arrested on Wednesday night on a warrant from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department.
Timpson Police Officer Adam Renfro initiated a traffic stop of a pickup truck in Timpson, and it was discovered that the driver of the vehicle was Donald Yarbrough of Timpson. After running Yarbrough’s information through the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department dispatch, it was learned that Yarbough had two warrants out for his arrest.

The initial meeting of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Regional Leadership Council on Children and Families will be held Thursday, Feb. 21. The group will be gathering from 1 to 4 p.m. at DETCOG’s Jasper Office, located at 210 Premier Drive. Guest speakers at the meeting will be Deputy Commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Luanne Southern and Sherri Adair Hammack from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Members of the Center Garden Club met Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Windham Civic Center for their monthly meeting. The meeting room was beautifully decorated in a Mardi Gras theme by hostesses, Shirley Owens, Lisa Booker and Judy Matthews. National Garden Club judges Nell Anderson and Iris Mitchell were guest speakers, demonstrating principles of design in preparation of the Center Garden Club’s flower show in April.

Bishop L.J. Guillory of the Ombudsman International Inc., which has purchased the C.H. Daniels School property for a future educational institution, addressed the Center City Council at their meeting on Monday, Feb. 11 about the group’s plans for the property. Bishop Guillory also introduced Mrs. Carmelita Pope Freeman, who has signed on with Ombudsman to help bring the plans to fruition.
Action agenda items discussed and approved by the Council were:

The results of the second autopsy of a Center man have been returned and Shelby County District Attorney Ken Florence was available to share information from the report.
The body of Danny Akridge was discovered at his residence on Sept. 9, 2012 and at that time he had been already deceased for several days. The investigation into Akridge’s death was begun by Zach Warr, Shelby County Precinct 1 Constable, and Rudy Trahan, Shelby County Sheriff’s Department Investigator.

DeSoto Parish Crime Stoppers Felon of the Week Program is asking for the public’s help in locating/identifying suspect(s) wanted from the DeSoto Parish Area.
Derrell J. Williams 4044 Highway 171 Gloster, La. 71030. Williams is wanted for felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Williams is described as a black male, 5’07” tall and weighing 150 lbs. Williams is 24 years of age.

Ashton Lucas of Center High School FFA, watches as Shelby County Judge Rick Campbell signs a proclamation declaring the week of Feb. 16–23 as FFA Week.

Former Timpson City Marshal Chief Jeff Clopp was recently arrested for assaulting his wife in Angelina County.
According to Captain Alton Linderman of the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department, Clopp was arrested on Feb. 1 at around 4:30 p.m. at his home on Old Wells Highway.
The assault allegedly evolved from a domestic disturbance between he and his wife who are separated at this time. Clopp’s wife indicated to deputies that he had grabbed her by the neck, and through investigation it was revealed that she had some marks on her.

Emergency personnel from the Timpson Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, and the Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to a two-vehicle wreck which blocked a single lane of traffic early in the morning on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Trooper Jimmy Faulkner, a 2007 Toyota Camry driven by Ajayi Kolawole, 35, of Houston was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 59 North through the Bobo Community during rainy conditions when the vehicle began to hydroplane.