HCN Radio: Recent Episodes
Henderson County Now
Henderson County Now’s Michael V. Hannigan sat down with Sheriff Botie Hillhouse Wednesday, Jan. 23, to discuss what’s happened at the Sheriff’s Office in the past week.
Send your tips to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at 903-675-5128 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-545-TIPS.
Henderson County Now’s Michael V. Hannigan sat down with Sheriff Botie Hillhouse Wednesday, Jan. 16, to discuss what’s happened at the Sheriff’s Office in the past week, including:
Arrest stats - 1:00
Big Burglary Bust - 2:02
Where are most of the drugs - 6:01
Response to new fugitive's list - 7:50
About patrolling big events - 9:15
Highlighting standout officers - 12:35
Training to volunteer in the jail - 14:38
Send your tips to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at 903-675-5128 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-545-TIPS.
Henderson County Now’s Michael V. Hannigan and Sheriff Botie Hillhouse discuss what’s happened at the Sheriff’s Office in the past week, including:
- Arrest stats - 1:00
- Counterfeit arrest - 2:30
- Athens drug raid - 4:05
- Where meth comes from - 5:45
- Working with school districts - 8:25
- Highlighting county’s fugitives - 10:15
- K9 officers doing great work - 11:20
- Your tips matter - 13:20
Send your tips to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at 903-675-5128 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-545-TIPS.
Malakoff played Grandview tough throughout but came up short, 35-21, in the state championship game.
I got the chance to talk with Malakoff Tigers Coach Jamie Driskell before Thursday's Class 3A Division 1 State Championship Game against Grandview.
Malakoff Tigers Head Coach Jamie Driskell talks about this great playoff run and a tough matchup against Brock this Friday.
There will be a referendum on the May ballot for the Cain Center.
There are basically three important facets to the Cain Center project currently in play.
-- The City of Athens will keep for now the $5.33 million in Certificates of Obligation currently earmarked for the Cain Center. -- The Cain Center steering committee established last month will continue its work. -- Citizens will get a chance to vote on spending the money in the referendum.
We speak with Athens Mayor Monte Montgomery and City Councilman Ed McCain about where we are with this issue and how we got here.
Benny Rogers knows more about Malakoff football than anyone I know. I caught up with him before a home game early this season.
Malakoff beat Atlanta 37-22 to become Region Champions. Here is my interview on the field with Coach Jamie Driskell after the game.
I spoke with Malakoff ISD Superintendent Randy Perry in the press box before Malakoff's game against Atlanta.
A forecast that includes 4-6 inches of rain has prompted several schedule changes for area events. I update as of 11 am Thursday, Dec. 6.
Councilman Ed McCain has talked me into getting my hair done in a crazy Christmas style as a fundraiser for the charity of my choice. I picked The Help Center and here is an explanation by Leslie Saunders of what The Help Center provides.
Interview with Coach Driskell following Malakoff's 35-7 win over Gladewater on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Todd Weaver is one of those people who has his fingers in a lot of pies. Pecan pies, most likely.
Interview with Coach Jamie Driskell after Malakoff's 31-21 win over No. 7 Jefferson in area round action.
We have plenty to be thankful for here at the Weinstein Team. We are thankful that the things we do keep us so connected to our community. If you don’t know, the Weinstein Team includes Weinstein Law, Weinstein Real Estate, Henderson County Now, the Uncle Fletch Festival, and the Silver Screen Movie Club.
In today’s podcast, I ask Jeff Weinstein what he’s thankful for.
Dr. Francine McCain of Ask Dr. Fran fame presented checks to the East Texas Crisis Center, The Henderson County Help Center, and the Family Peace Project this week. The money came from a year-long fundraising effort in her office.
Because of the check presentation, I was lucky enough to get the leaders from three important organizations: Mary Farmer of the Family Peace Project, Della Cooper of the East Texas Crisis Center, and Leslie Saunders of the Help Center.
MESQUITE -- The Malakoff offense was red hot Friday night as the Tigers burned Pottsboro 63-35 Friday night at Mesquite E.H. Hanby Stadium in bi-district action.
Malakoff got going early, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and never trailed in the game. Pottsboro never got closer than 14.
The Tigers improved their record to 8-2 on the year and will face 11-0 Jefferson next week in the Area round.
Friday, Police Chief Buddy Hill told City Council members that the department currently has seven positions open and it could lose three more officers before the end of the year. If that happened, the department would be short nearly a third of its budgeted officers.
The council is expected to vote on a new pay scale for police that could change all that. I sat in on the meeting and spoke with Chief Hill about the problem, its causes and what it all means.
The long-running saga of the Cain Center rehabilitation project took another twist Tuesday night, but this time there’s a clock ticking.
During their regular meeting, council members decided to give a group of community members and activists until April 2 to come up with a viable plan for moving forward with the Cain Center. The committee is to be led by Steve Grant.
Read the story here.
It is time for the annual Kevin and Jeaneane Lilly’s McDonald’s Toy Drive and the Weinstein Team is on board again. We will be helping out with big events in Athens on Dec. 4 and Gun Barrel City on Dec. 5. In today’s podcast, I chat with Berta Winn and Cori Warren about what’s on the schedule.
Carolyn Tyler is one of our county’s AgriLife Extension Agents and she is in charge of Family and Community Health. We talked with her this week about what that means and what AgriLife FCH can do for you.
You can find the Henderson County AgriLife FCH Facebook page here.
Learn more about the “Maintain, No Gain” program here.
The Rundown
2:00 -- About Carolyn Tyler
3:30 -- About AgriLife Extension and how it plugs into local government
5:20 -- About Family and Community Health
6:05 -- Child Passenger Safety
8:00 -- Certified Food Handlers course
9:40 -- Healthy food preparations, Cooking Well with Diabetes, Cooking Well with High Blood Pressure
11:00 -- Maintain, No Gain -- getting through the holidays without gaining
14:15 -- December 15 live cooking demonstration
15:45 -- Library Learning Series
17:20 -- Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes
19:15 -- Lunch and Learn Series
21:45 -- 4-H and 4-H food programs
25:20 -- 4-H is about more than just livestock projects
Two years into the process, the Athens City Council is still debating the proper direction for the Cain Center rehabilitation project. Tuesday, Oct. 30, the council met and revealed a wide difference of opinion among members about how much the project could cost taxpayers. There is also now a minimalist operations plan that may be the Cain Center’s last hope.
The East Texas Crisis Center is holding its annual Wine & Cheese Gala this Friday at the Stone Oak Ranch in Murchison. This is an organization vital for Henderson County. They help victims of domestic violence and friends, we have way too many of those. We spoke with the director of outreach Della Cooper about the event and the problem.
Trinity Valley Community College renamed its auditorium the Pauline Knight Perkins Performing Arts Center on Monday and established a $750,000 endowment for scholarships. The moves are part of a multi-million dollar gift left to the college by Athens attorney Nancy Perkins, the single biggest gift ever given to the college. Listen in as Vice President Kristen Bennett, President Dr. Jerry King, and Foundation Chairman Steve Grant talk about the gift and hits impact on the college.
After 24 years of being an important part of the Athens business community, Robert and Shiela Walker of Walker Plumbing Supply have decided to retire. We sat down with them and the guys from NWS who are taking over.
Benny Rogers has been the dean of Henderson County sports for as long as I can remember. For nearly as long, he has been the announcer of his beloved Malakoff Tigers. I talked with him and Malakoff Superintendent Randy Perry about Benny’s tenure behind the mic.
October is Elderly Financial Abuse Awareness month. That’s just one form of elderly abuse, but there are others and Adult Protective Services is the agency tasked with standing in the gap and that’s a big job in Henderson County. In this podcast, we’ll hear about one way the local APS board is trying to help and we’ll also hear from an APS specialist about what they do.
A line of storms hit the county hard last Saturday, prompting cities to activate emergency sirens and communications networks and the report of a tornado in the Cross Roads area. We spoke with the Athens Fire Chief and the County Judge about what’s going on behind the scenes during severe weather events.
Listen to this week's Road Buzz TxDOT update and some of the events scheduled for the week. #WeinsteinTeam
Have you heard that there are as many as EIGHT new restaurants coming to Athens?
We talked with Athens City Councilman Ed McCain and City Manager Elizabeth Borstadt to find out who is coming to town and where they are going to be.
TxDOT (Athens) Maintenance plans to conduct base repairs on SH 155 and edge repairs on FM 85. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control at both locations.
Henderson County construction projects updates:
SH 31 Overlay Project
- Limits: From FM 3204 east to 0.5 miles west of FM 315 in Chandler
- Contractor: Big Creek Construction of Hewitt
- Cost: $2.7 million
- Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2018
The contractor is backfilling pavement edges, working on guard fence, and preparing for surface hot mix. Expect daily lane closures. Watch for construction traffic exiting and merging throughout the project limits. The project consists of base repairs, mill and inlay, seal coating, surface hot mix, Metal Beam Guard Fence upgrades, and the installation of signs and pavement markings.
SH 19 Widening Project III
- Limits: FM 1615 south to 0.3 miles south of Coon Creek
- Contractor: A.L. Helmcamp
- Cost: $4.9 million
- Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2019
The contractor is cleaning base, preparing to prime the northbound shoulder, and applying seal coat to the roadway as weather permits. The speed limit has been reduced to 60 mph for the duration of the project which consists of adding 10-foot shoulders on both the northbound and southbound travel lanes.
US 175 Widening Project (Phase I)
- Limits: From 0.1 mile SE of FM 804 near Baxter SE to 1.1 miles E of Loop 60E at Larue
- Contractor: A.L. Helmcamp, Inc. and Big Creek Construction
- Cost: $39.2 million
- Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2018
The contractor is conducting miscellaneous work and final cleanup activities. Observe advance warning signs and expect lane closures. The speed limit is 55 mph on this project to expand US 175 from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway with a depressed median.
US 175 Widening Project (Phase III) in Anderson County
- Limits: From 0.85 mile E of FM 315 in Poynor SE to .5 mile NW of SH 155 at Frankston
- Contractor: A.L. Helmcamp, Inc.
- Cost: $27.6 million
- Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2019
Traffic is on the westbound lanes as an undivided highway running east/west as work is conducted in the eastbound lanes. The contractor is working in the two southern most lanes from Elm St. to Cemetery Rd. to install driveway pipe and box culverts. Installation necessitates the continuation of clear/grub, demolishing existing culverts, and excavation. SW3P items are continuously installed and repaired on this project that is expanding US 175 from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway with a depressed median.