The Year in review: 2022

Jan. 3—1 — The top story of 2022

Police investigate body found on SHSU campus

No further information was released, Texas Rangers investigating

On July 28, reports started pouring into the news room of a body found on the campus of Sam Houston State University.

Authorities later confirmed that Sam Houston State University Police Department was investigating a report of a deceased male on the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Grounds.

According to a notification around 4 p.m. Thursday from KatSafe, the University's emergency alert system and preparedness program, there was no threat to the university at the time.

The deceased was taken to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner's Office to determine a cause of death.

President Alisa White also sent out a statement from her office, stating:

"Tonight, I'm writing to you to express my tremendous sadness regarding today's Timely Warning alerting our campus community that a deceased body was found on the grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

After an initial investigation, it has been determined the deceased individual was not affiliated with our university and there is no threat to Sam Houston State.

The Texas Rangers are currently assisting with this investigation.

Any loss of life is a terrible tragedy. Thank you to our campus community members who reported this situation."

There has been no further information released on this story.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the University Police Department at 936-294-1800.

2

Shooting at ER — Huntsville police are looking for a motive after they say a man walked into a local emergency room Monday night, fired a random shot and fled. Officers arrested a suspect, Nigele Grant, Sr., 46, and charged him with a felony three and two counts of deadly conduct for firing a weapon in a building and for firing towards individuals. Lt. Jim Barnes said the Huntsville Police Department responded to a report of shots fired around 9:49 p.m., Feb. 7, at the CHI St. Luke's Emergency Medical Center, located at 540 Interstate Highway 45 in Huntsville. Witnesses reported that an unknown Black man walked into the medical center, fired one shot down a hallway towards the emergency room and fled in a black Cadillac..

3

INMATE ESCAPES — Gonzalo Lopez, 46, fled a prison bus on May 12 during an escape in which he was able to break free from his restraints and cut through a caged area of the vehicle. He remained free for three weeks. Authorities fatally shot Lopez on June 2 but not before he had killed 66-year-old Mark Collins and his four grandsons — Waylon Collins, 18; Carson Collins, 16; Hudson Collins, 11; and Bryson Collins, 11 — on the family's ranch near Centerville, located between Dallas and Houston. He was serving a life sentence for murder and escaped from a transport bus after stabbing the driver while being transported to Huntsville for a medical appointment. According to a report released in December, there were a multitude of security lapses that led to the May escape.

4

SUSPICIOUS DEATH — Officials with the Huntsville Police Department say they are investigating what they are calling a "suspicious" death. Police responded shortly after noon Wednesday, Jan. 5, to a home in the 2700 block of Angier Road in reference to an unresponsive woman, who was found dead upon arrival. "There were some conflicting stories about how and where she may have passed, so we are interviewing a bunch of folks," said Lt. Jim Barnes, a spokesperson for the department. "It appears that she may have overdosed on some unknown substance at this time." Her body was taken to Fort Bend County for an autopsy and detectives are awaiting results. Interviews for those involved are ongoing, as the investigation continues..

5

FATAL HIT AND RUN — At the side of the road across from a little pond near a white wooden fence, a pinwheel marks the place where the body of 11-year-old A'zyrria Murphy-Jones was discovered on July 2. The Texas Department of Public Safety notified the public on July 7 that the young girl may have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident as she was walking along FM 1696 sometime between that Friday evening and the following Saturday morning. "Right now we are still in the ongoing investigation stage. We haven't had any leads. We are hoping that the public will reach out and help us with any information they may know," said Texas Highway Patrol Sergeant Erik Burse. Although he said witnesses had come forward who had seen her alive in the area before the incident, Burse explained that law enforcement was still working to narrow the timeline. At the time officers arrived on the scene for a requested welfare check, visual evidence indicated that the death had occurred within the previous 24 hours.

6

Publice or Private Library — The Huntsville City Council will contract with Library Systems & Services LLC for management of the Huntsville Public Library for a period of 10 years, after a 6-3 vote Tuesday, Dec. 20. The decision came after a workshop with the company before the meeting. The motion to authorize Huntsville City Manager Aron Kulhavy to privatize the Huntsville Public Library comes after months of executive sessions regarding library polices and the the employee handbook. Councilwomen Daiquiri Beebe, Dolores Massey and Karen Denman voted against the measure, following an failed 5-4 motion by Councilwoman Vicki McKenzie to table the item until January. The issue began in August when librarians at the Huntsville Public Library were asked to remove displays which contained LBGTQ positive books that were prominently displayed.

7

GENERAL MANAGER — Traci Smith Gallin, a Huntsville native and longtime employee of the Huntsville Item, was named General Manager of the Item on Wednesday by Publisher Jake Mienk. "Over the last 23 years Traci has proven herself and has been successful in every department of the newspaper she's worked in. We are committed to the future of the newspaper and her knowledge of the business, our customers and the community is what sets her apart," said Mienk. Gallin started her career in 1999 in the Item's mail room and quickly worked her way up, with stops in the Composing, Classifieds and the Business Offices. In her most recent position of Office Manager, Gallin handled many aspects of the business, production, billing, and managing human resources. Gallin said her new focus will be on audience development..

8

Tip leads to arrest — A Huntsville resident's tip recently led to the arrest of five boys Saturday, Jan. 22, with charges ranging from burglary of a motor vehicle, evading arrest and fraud. The Walker County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call around 5:22 a.m. Jan. 22, reporting a series of vehicle burglaries in progress in the Sterling Ridge Subdivision off of State Highway 19 in Huntsville. The sheriff's department said the caller was able to give a description of the suspects' vehicle, which was later determined to be a stolen vehicle that had not yet been reported, allowing the deputies to spot it as it was leaving the subdivision. The deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, however, the suspects fled, turning onto State Highway 19 South. The suspects then led deputies on a pursuit across town, coming to a stop at the dead end of Louis Davis Drive in Huntsville. As the suspects came to a stop, three boys jumped from the vehicle and fled, while two others were taken into custody. The three suspects were later recovered and arrested by officers with the Huntsville Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, Highway Patrol Troopers. The five boys were apprehended and charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of motor vehicle, evading arrest detention with a vehicle, credit card abuse, evading arrest detention, engaging in organized criminal activity, possession of marijuana and fraud.

9

FIRE AT Huntsville HS — Huntsville High School building had to be evacuated due to smoke. The Huntsville Police Department and the local fire department arrived immediately on scene to inspect the entire building. It has been determined that the building is not safe to occupy at this time; therefore, the campus is going to be closed for the remainder of the day and students are being dismissed early. Authorities confirmed that several juveniles were detained and transported to Huntsville Police Department for further investigation. School officials reported that a fire was started in a bathroom and smoke filled several areas. .

10

NEW TEA ON THE BLOCK — The HIVE reporter Kaylin Covarrubias reported on Nov. 17 edition of the high school news page that The Whale Tea, a new Asian Tea Shop, had captured the attention of many residents already since their opening day on Wednesday, Nov. 9. With over 40 items to choose from, there's something for people of all ages to enjoy.. It has over 300 locations in countries from England to Singapore, to China and Canada. Eric Ye, businessman and owner of the shop, said that when he went to a boba store for the first time, he felt like it was the best taste ever. Since then, he fell in love and sought out to build a shop here. "I searched around this town and they had no boba, so I saw lots of potential for a store here," Ye said. He especially liked that it would be located in a college town so that students could come in and study if they wanted to.

This list of Top 10 news stories was compiled through analytics from The Item website, itemonline.com, and social media statistics.

While 2022 has been a whirlwind of changes, crime, and growth, 2023 for Huntsville and Walker County looks to bring more growth — both economically and community wise. Happy New Year!