By Reagan Frosini, Heath High School journalism student (from HawkEyeNewsOnline.com). A tornado touched down in the Heath neighborhood of Meadow Creek Farms, damaging the home of Rockwall-Heath High School sophomore, Russell Hughes, and other surrounding homes around 6:30 pm Wednesday evening.

Damage occurred when portions of the roof were ripped away. Surrounding houses had shingles ripped off, as well.

Swing sets and trampolines were blown over according to Tina Caldwell, resident of Meadow Creek Farms.

No injuries have been reported at press time.

By J.J. Smith. Tornado sirens were activated at 6 pm yesterday in Forney when a tornado was spotted approaching the city which is located just eight miles south of Heath.

Forney’s Police and Fire departments actually reported three separate “touch-downs” of tornado funnel clouds but no substantial damage or electrical outages were reported.

They were among numerous reports of tornadoes which touched down across the DFW area yesterday as a result of tropical storm Hermine moving across the Metroplex.

Rockwall County was also under a tornado alert but there were no reports of actual touch-downs.

By J.J. Smith. If you like to eat lots of delicious food (and who doesn’t?) then you’ll be thrilled to learn that nearly two dozen area restaurants have now agreed to participate in the first annual “Taste of Heath” coming Sept. 14 to the Rockwall-Heath High School cafeteria.

For just $10 per adult and $4 for kids (5-11), you’ll be able to sample dozens of tasty menu selections – including American, Barbecue, French, Home Cookin’, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and Southwestern dishes – plus ice cream, cake and iced tea, according to event organizer, J.J. Smith, president of the Rockwall-based Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation.

Scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 14, 5:30-8 pm, the following restaurants have already confirmed their attendance – with more expected:

• Black-Eyed Pea
• Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Burger House
• Chicken Express
• Culver’s
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
• Domino’s Pizza
• El Chico Mexican Food Restaurant
• Johnny Carino’s Italian
• Kyoto Japanese Steak House
• Milano’s
• Palio’s Pizza Cafe
• Pizza Getti
• Pizza Hut
• Rockwall Cakes
• Schlotzsky’s
• Taco Casa
• Quizno’s

The event will raise funds for the Foundation’s educational efforts in media, schools and communities to help stop domestic, dating, child and pet abuse across Rockwall County.

Board members include State Senator Bob Deuell, Rowlett Mayor John Harper and his wife, Debra Harper; Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper, Rockwall Bar Association President John Browning and Rockwall/Rowlett Neighbors Go Editor Dawn Redig.

“Family violence is a serious problem growing quickly as Rockwall County continues to grow,” said Smith, who is also the publisher of the new state-of-the-art news and information website, TheRockwallNews.com.

“Just a few months ago there were six family violence-related deaths in Rowlett and Rockwall, including the murder-suicide of the Rockwall Juvenile Judge by her husband. Research shows that half of 16-24-year-old Texans have been involved in dating violence. We must bring this abuse problem under control quickly,” he said.

“To save lives and reduce injuries, we want to help educate teens, adults and children how to better handle their emotions, and teach them that resorting to violence is never right.”

“We also want to teach victims and abusers how and where to get help. For those efforts we need money to pay for well-researched presentations, plus advertising on websites, newspapers, magazines, cable TV, movie theaters, billboards and more.”

He said the Taste of Heath will be similar to the highly-popular Taste of Rockwall, sponsored each April by the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce and Noon Rotary Club, except tickets will only be sold at the event and no business expo will be involved.

“We didn’t want to steal their idea,” said Smith. “But with so many other successful Taste events going on all across the Metroplex, we concluded we should be able to have this event in Heath without stepping on any other organization’s toes.”

“There seems to be plenty of food and people to go around,” he added.

For information, contact Smith at 214-317-1718 or see www.lilliansmith.org.

By J.J. Smith. Thunderstorms from tropical storm Hermine will continue to deluge the DFW area though Thursday afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall will continue all day and into the night today.

Temperatures will reach only into the mid 80s. Southeast winds will continue to blow at 15 to 20 mph.

Tonight it will become mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low temperatures will hit the mid 70s. Southeast winds will reduce to 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday, rain will diminish, and it will become partly sunny, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly in the morning. High temperatures will be in the lower 90s. South winds will continue to blow at 10-15 mph.

Friday should be partly sunny with little chance of rain. Temperatures will reach the low 90s again, with Southeast winds blowing at 10-15 mph.

Fox4-TV News. The search continued on Monday for more human remains in Lake Ray Hubbard, east of Dallas.

Dallas police divers were combing the water after an unknown number of body parts were recovered there since last week.

The investigation began on Thursday when someone found a piece of an arm , and possibly more parts, in dirt along the shoreline.

More

By J.J. Smith. (Greenville Herald Banner photo) A Royse City man was killed in a traffic accident Aug. 26 caused when a man suffering from mental problems threatened to commit suicide by jumping from an overpass over I-30 in Greenville, which tied up traffic for hours and resulted in a miles-long traffic jam.

Royse City resident Jerry P. Garner, 64, was on his way to work when he crashed into a slow-moving tractor-trailer in the traffic jam and died later at Parkland Memorial Hospital, officials said.

Jack Eugene Duval Jr, 36, had climbed that Tuesday morning onto the Wesley Street overpass on I- 30 in Greenville.

Police persuaded Duval to come down after four hours on the overpass. He could be charged with obstructing a highway passageway. The Department of Public Safety is investigating the crash.

According to Kevin Herbert, pastor at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Greenville, Garner’s family was struggling with their grief but held no ill will toward Duval.

“It’s real hard on her,” the pastor said. “She’s a daddy’s girl.”

Garner’s son said the I-30 drive was the one his dad took to work every day.

“My dad was not a bitter or mean man,” Stephen Garner said. “He would not have wanted that guy to jump. My mom and family feel the same.

“I’m not bitter, but I feel my dad would be here if it wasn’t for this. … I thought I’d sit and have coffee with my dad when we got older, but now I won’t have that.”

It wasn’t the first time Duval has threatened to jump from the bridge, according to Greenville police. There was a similar call in June, after which he received a mental health screening and was released.

His criminal history dates to 1992. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to a string of burglaries, paid a fine and received 10 years’ probation.

He faces up to a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail if convicted of the highway obstruction charge. He remains in the Hunt County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Garner’s funeral was last Saturday at 11 am at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Greenville. A former Air Force Sergeant in Vietnam, he was buried with full military honors.

Neighbors and the church family have also started a fund for the family at American National Bank in Royse City.

Rockwall Herald Banner. The City of Fate will hold public hearings Monday and Sept. 7 on a proposal to increase property tax revenue by 13.2 percent.

Both public hearings will be held at the Fate Community Center, beginning at 7 p.m.

The proposal calls for the city’s tax rate to increase from 21.44 cents per $100 of taxable value to 24.69 cents.

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By J.J. Smith. After their come from behind victory over previously sixth-ranked Frisco Wakeland Friday night, the Rockwall-Heath Hawks jumped up two spots from eighth to sixth in the Dallas Morning News Class-4A Area Rankings announced yesterday.

Frisco Wakeland (0-1) dropped to 11th.

The Hawks (2-0) were ranked eighth last week after beating Garland Naaman Forest in their home opener. They will face a tough Garland Lakeview (1-1) team Thursday night at Garland’s Homer B. Johnson Stadium. Lakeview shut out Sulphur Springs last week, 25-0 after losing to Class 5A Plano the week before, 35-18.

Rockwall (0-2) which had been ranked 14th last week, fell out of the top 20 rankings after losing to Rowlett Friday night. The Yellow Jackets are expected to get back to their winning ways this Friday when they host winless Royse City (0-2).

Highland Park (2-0) is currently ranked no. 1 in the poll of Dallas Morning News high school sportwriters with six first-place votes and 139 points. The Scots have thus far beaten previously top-ranked Everman, 27-21, and Monterrey Tech last week, 56-30.

Denton Ryan (2-0) jumped from fourth to second with one first-place vote and 130 points after crushing Carrollton Newman Smith last week, 42-17.

West Mesquite (2-0), which zoomed to second after beating Rockwall last week, dropped to fourth place.

District 10-4A rivals Richardson Pearce (1-1) is ranked 10th, Wylie (1-1) is 14th and Wylie East (2-0) is 20th.

Nearby Terrell is ranked 18th.

By Jeff Mateer. In its home opener Friday night, Rockwall’s Heritage Christian Academy Eagles defeated the Fannindel Falcons 60 to 13 with the game ending in the third quarter due to the six-man, 45-point mercy rule.

HCA’s defense dominated the game holding Fannidel to negative 6 yards rushing and creating 5 turnovers. Senior defensive end Austin Pettit led the way with ten tackles and two fumble recoveries. Senior middle linebacker Travis Arterburn contributed five tackles and returned an interception for a TD.

Offensively, HCA was led by junior running back Caleb Cathey, who rushed for 116 yards and 2 TDS.

HCA (2-0) will return home next week against Abilene Christian (1-1) at the Rockwall Heath High School Practice Field, Friday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m.

HCA                                       24           22           14            -              60

Fannindel                           6              7              0             -              13

SCORING SUMMARY

HCA       Krys Harbor 42 run (Aaron Mateer kick)

HCA       Travis Arberburn 1 run (Aaron Mateer kick)

HCA       Austin Pettit 4 pass from Nathan Mateer (Aaron Mateer kick)

HCA       Austin Pettit 15 run (Aaron Mateer kick)

HCA       Evan Pettit 37 run (Aaron Mateer kick)

HCA       Travis Arterburn safety

HCA       Krys Harbor 57 kick return

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing – HCA: Caleb Cathey 13-116, Austin Pettit 5-71, Krys Harbor 7-67, Travis Arterburn 2-25, Evan Pettit 1-4, Nathan Mateer 2- -6. FAN: Jacolby Judkins 11-8, Steven Locke 4-7, Xavier Brown 1-1, Zach Rose 2- -11, Steven Brown 1- -11.

Passing – HCA: Nathan Mateer 5-8-0-92.  FAN: Xavier Brown 3-4-0-57, Jacolby Judkins 1-2-0-29, Zach Rose 0-3-1-0.

Receiving – HCA: Austin Pettit 1-39, Aaron Mateer 2-35, Asa Burke 1-11, Caleb Cathey 1-7. FAN: Zach Rose 2-48, Steven Brown 1-32, William Kant 1-6.

By J.J. Smith. Anything can happen in a football game, as was proven again last night.

Coming from behind twice in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ross Hudson to junior wide receiver Amaris Fields with just seven seconds remaining, the young Rockwall-Heath Hawks found a way to beat powerful Frisco Wakeland, 40-36, in a highly-entertaining game last night at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium in Rockwall.

There were plenty of highlights in the game, which pitted the Dallas Morning News’ Class 4-A Area’s 8th-ranked Hawks against the 6th-ranked Wolverines .

With the Hawks down, 36-33, with just 30 seconds remaining, Fields set up his final TD catch by making a very clever lateral on the kickoff return – just as he was being tackled at the Hawks’ 33-yard line – to sophomore Parker Wood, who was then able to run the ball 48 yards into Wolverine territory.

After three straight Hudson pass completions, the Hawks scored their final TD for a wild and inspirational victory.

Wide receiver Fields had his best game ever as a Hawk, catching seven passes for 65 yards and two TDs, including a 31-yarder from Hudson at the end of the first half.

Quarterback Hudson scored the Hawks first TD on a sensational 69-yard run in the first quarter. For the night, he totaled 147 yards on eight carries and completed 13 of 19 passes for 126 yards to four receivers and two TDs.

Junior wide receiver Tyler McLoughlin, who caught two of those passes for 24 yards, also returned a Wakeland kickoff 85 yards to open the scoring for the Hawks in the second half.

Trevor Pinkston kicked the extra point, which he did four times.

Sophomore Jeffrey Irokwe, younger brother of former star Hawk running back Jesse Irokwe, scored twice on one and two-yard bursts and rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries.

He and junior Jovan Fernandez, who rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries, filled in admirably for starting running back Dorian Lawry, who did not suit up for reasons that Hawk coach Mickey Moss would not comment on after the game.

Wakeland’s Nick Buhler also had a 30-yard fumble return for a TD. The Hawks lost two of three fumbles while Frisco lost one of five fumbles.

Highly-regarded Frisco quarterback Tyler Kirkindoll completed 23 of 36 passes for 356 yards to six receivers and 3 TDS but he was intercepted twice as his efforts were unsuccessful.

Frisco receivers Brad Sciula and Rodriguez Hayes each caught seven passes for 116 and 104 yards, respectively.

The Hawks are now 2-0 on the season. Frisco Wakeland is 0-1, after generating more total yards than Heath, 442-408 and more first downs, 21-16.

This Thursday at 7 pm, the Hawks will play Garland Lakeview at Garland’s Homer B. Johnson Stadium in their third and last non-district game.