What's Happening in Henderson County

It's once again time for Cardinal football! After going 6-2 in the spring, Trinity Valley Community College is set to kick off the 2021 fall season at home against ASA- Miami. In a season preview posted to the TVCC Sports website, Coach Sherard Poteete said, "Listen, 6-2 is not our standard around here, but we saw enough (in the spring season) and have enough players returning in key positions we...

This interview was recorded at the Athens ISD Hornets Fieldhouse Tuesday, July 27. == Athens Hornets Head Football Coach Zac Harrell is excited about the upcoming season. "This is the most excited I've been about a season in a long time," he said. With practice officially set to start on Monday, I sat down with the coach to discuss the summer program, changes to the staff, and players he's excited...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, April 28, at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex. == Legacy Shores (:32) Henderson County Commissioners this week approved the final plat for a housing development called Legacy Shores planned for the Lake Palestine area. The development encompasses 274 acres and about 100 homes. "It is really amazing," said Judge Wade McKinney, "what the demand for propert...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, April 28, at the Henderson County Judicial Complex. == PRCA Rodeo (1:23) Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse was still excited about the turnout for last weekend's Henderson County First Responders PRCA Rodeo. Big crowds were on hand both Monday and Tuesday for the event. "It turned out amazingly good," he said. "We're very, very blessed. Everybody is ex...

The following interview was recorded at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Thursday, April 22. == Henderson County's birthday is next week! Tuesday, April 27, will be Henderson County 175th Anniversary. Judge McKinney and I spoke about the county's history and the courthouse during this week's podcast. (:45) Commissioners will hear a resolution during Commissioners Court next week and the Ju...

This interview was recorded at the Henderson County Justice Center on Wednesday, April 21.==Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse discussed a high-speed pursuit which occurred Monday in this week's podcast. (1:53)The pursuit started in Eustace, went through Athens, and ended in the Frankston area. Before it was over, Hillhouse called in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice search team to he...

(Photo by Richard Hawkins) This interview was recorded at the TVCC Fitness Center on Tuesday, April 20. == TVCC Softball Coach Kathleen Rodriguez notched her 500th career win as a head coach Monday when the Cardinals knocked off Tyler, 5-0, at Drumgoole Field at Cain Park. "I can't say anything other than I am surrounded by incredible women," Rodriguez said. "They work hard, they do everything the...

This interview was conducted at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Wednesday, April 14. == We discuss dispatcher's week and the county 911 District, and recent COVID-19 developments in this week's podcast with Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney. 911 District (:42) April 11-17 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week . With that in mind, McKinney and I discussed the Henderson County...

This interview was conducted at the Henderson County Justice Center on Wednesday, April 14. == Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse started this week's podcast by announcing that the Sheriff's Office Facebook Page is currently locked out. This can occasionally happen on Facebook. Hillhouse has reached out to Facebook, but until the page is unlocked the Sheriff will be posting on the Henderson...

This interview was recorded at the Malakoff ISD Administration Building on Monday, April 12. === Malakoff ISD voters will decide on a $72 million bond in the May 1 election. The project would include building a new high school and making renovations at all five of the district's current campuses. The construction would allow the district to shift the student population to reduce overcrowding, acco...

Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney started tracking the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region on June 28, 2020. On that day, there were 58 hospitalized COVID patients in the Trauma Service Area (TSA) that includes Henderson County. (*These numbers are for the region, not just Henderson County. See explanation below.) That was the lowest level of hospitalizations for the past nine-plu...

This interview was conducted at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex Wednesday, April 7. == Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney spoke about the current COVID numbers during this week's podcast (17:24), but most of the discussion centered around April being Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. Tuesday, Commissioners Court approved both proc...

Tuesday, Henderson County Commissioners Court approved a $1.84 million adjustment to its contract with L3Harris for the new digital communications system. You can listen to Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney and I discuss the move above. The adjustment breaks down into two areas. The system was originally designed to use four towers. "Two of those towers were owned by entities that the county wo...

The following podcast was recorded at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex Wednesday, March 31.==In this week's interview with Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney, we talk about:-- FEMA volunteers being in the county because of the February snow storm. They are here to help uninsured and under-insured individuals apply for help with damages. (1:30) Here is the link to the Individual State of Tex...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, March 31, at the Henderson County Justice Center === During this week's podcast, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse discussed the arrest of a Las Vegas, Nevada murder suspect in the county. Danny Lopez, 42, was caught in the Silver Mine Game Room on HWY 198 outside of Mabank around 9:30 p.m. He was wanted by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department for mur...

This interview was recorded Thursday, March 18, in the Trinity Valley Community College football field house. == Because of COVID-related changes, it's March 2021 and the TVCC Cardinals are getting ready to kick off what is essentially their 2020 season. "It's the spring and we're fixing to play football," said Coach Sherard Poteete. The eight-game season begins Saturday, March 27, on the road aga...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, March 17, at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex.==After spending a couple of minutes talking about St. Patrick's Day, County Judge Wade McKinney and I discussed four main issues. I. The County Budget (3:17): The County budget process for 2022 should kickoff next month with departments discussing their needs. Judge McKinney walks us through the process and...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, March 17, at the Henderson County Justice Center. == COVID hospitalizations have fallen to their lowest levels since last July, but that doesn't mean the Sheriff's Office doesn't have COVID-19 related work still on the schedule. The Sheriff's Office is currently writing a new visitation plan for the jail to allow that facility to reopen for the first time in...

This podcast was recorded at the Henderson County Justice Center on Wednesday, March 10.==It was a somber interview with Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse this week as we talked about a deputy getting shot last week, the passing of K-9 Max, and an unsolved murder. We started off with the sheriff adding some more details to last week's case in which Jack Cody Raburn, 40, was arrested for sho...

(County officials work the phones Wednesday, contacting individuals for the Save our Seniors COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled for this Friday at the Henderson County Senior Citizens Building.) This podcast was recorded in the Henderson County Courthouse Annex Wednesday, March 10. == County Judge Wade McKinney and I discussed the current status of COVID-19 and vaccinations in Henderson County this...

This interview was recorded Wednesday, March 3, at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex. == Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate and increased the capacity of all businesses and facilities in the state to 100 percent. You can read more about that here. The move comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped across the state. In the region that includes Henderson County, hospitalizat...

The medical community of Athens has been selected as the 2020 Citizens of the Year for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Athens Citizen of the Year is selected by a committee composed of those who won the award the previous five years. For 2020, that was Drew Douglas, Willie Robson, Milburn Chaney, Freddie Paul, and Steve Barksdale. "We're excited about recognizing these citizens tha...

The 2020 Athens Citizens of the Year are the members of the medical community. They have been chosen for their work during the pandemic. To highlight these heroes, we will be posting an interview with someone representing various sectors of the medical community: Doctors, nurses, administrators, clinical, non-clinical, and EMS. Today, we interview UT Health East Texas Athens CEO Scott Campbell. Pr...

The 2020 Athens Citizens of the Year are the members of the medical community. They have been chosen for their work during the pandemic. To highlight these heroes, we will be posting an interview with someone representing various sectors of the medical community: Doctors, nurses, administrators, clinical, non-clinical, and EMS. Today, we interview Lakeland Medical nursing manager Alexis Odom about...

The 2020 Athens Citizens of the Year are the members of the medical community. They have been chosen for their work during the pandemic. To highlight these heroes, we will be posting an interview with someone representing various sectors of the medical community: Doctors, nurses, administrators, clinical, non-clinical, and EMS. Today, we interview Park Highlands nursing manager Brook Murff. Previo...