New Popeyes Under Construction
September 1, 2023 – Anyone who is an afficionado of fast food will find favor that construction crews are working feverishly to finalize the latest offerings of deep-fried fowl. Popeye’s was granted a building permit in the amount of $1,141,500 from the city of Sulphur Springs on August 2, 2023 with excavation and foundation work beginning soon after as lack of rain has allowed crews to make quick work of the project. The...
Social Security Recipients Can Expect Another Raise for 2024
September 1, 2023 – Anyone who gets a check from the Social Security Administration (SSA) each month got a hefty raise for 2023 with an average 8.7% increase due to recent inflation. The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is calculated each year and the next year’s adjustment is released by SSA sometime in October preceding the next calendar year. This year’s scheduled date for the announcement is October 12, 2023, but...
Cooper Lake State Park Activites for September 2023
Rediscover the Splendor of Nature this September at Cooper Lake State Park! Cooper, TX— While the Texas sun still produces many days in the 90’s during September, we can feel the promise of fall. Cooper Lake State Park beckons visitors with the fun of early autumn adventures and hands-on learning experiences. This September, immerse yourself in a curated collection of 15 educational and recreational programs, each designed to rekindle...
Big Tex Writes a Doctor’s Note
August 31, 2023 – To combat the problem of coming up with an excuse to take off of work to attend this year’s State Fair of Texas, “Dr.” Big Tex is offering some help by sending your boss a doctor’s note to combat State Fair Fever. His Prescription?: A health dose of fair food, thrilling rides, and general fair fun! The folks at the State Fair of Texas have taken this tongue-in-cheek campaign even...
Dove Hunters Warned About Wildfires
August 30, 2023 – During the upcoming dove hunting season, Texans are urged to help protect the lands and natural resources that we all love by being mindful of activities that may cause a wildfire. Persistent triple-digit temperatures and minimal rainfall over the past two months have resulted in extremely dry vegetation across the state, which increases the likelihood of dangerous wildfires. Any outdoor activities that create...
Temporary Fossil Park in Ladonia
August 30, 2023 – Along the banks of the North Sulphur River, construction is underway on Lake Ralph Hall which will evenutally cover 12 square miles. The Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) is in charge of the project. Construction of the new lake has displaced a fossil park along the shores under a the State Highway 34 bridge, but fossil hunters are still in luck as a temporary park has opened while construction of...
Burn Ban In Effect for Hopkins County
August 28, 2023 – The Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court voted to enact a burn ban for Hopkins County effective immediately. No outdoor burning of any kind will be allowed during the ban. The dry conditions and lack of rain have elevated drought conditions across the State of Texas and few counties are left without burn bans. Hopkins County recently entered the “Abnormally Dry” level on the Texas Drought...
Eggshells and Banana Peels for your Tomato Plants From Master Gardener David Wall
There’s a lot of confusion lately about what egg shells can do for your tomatoes. Literature, in the past, recommended putting egg shells in the planting hole before you transplant. It’s also recommended you crack an egg and drop the whole thing in the hole. This will help your tomato plant perhaps late in the season or, better yet, if you plant a tomato in the same spot next year! The calcium in egg shells is highly desired by tomato...
ERCOT Operating on Thin Margins
August 25, 2023 – As record heat continues all across Texas, cooler temperatures cannot come soon enough to give Texas’ Power Grid some needed relief. ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) has issued several Voluntary Conservation Requests across Texas during the heat wave as the difference between forecasted supply and demand on the grid has been very narrow. As the pastel lines on the graph below get closer...
Hopkins County Enters Drought, Burn Ban Coming?
August 25, 2023 – Although North East Texas has avoided severe drought so far this summer, the latest repot from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows Hopkins County has now entered the lowest level of drought at the D0 or “Abnormally Dry” stage. As other counties in Texas are rapidly moving up the scale, some in Central Texas have achieved the most severe level of D4 or “Exceptional Drought” and more counties...
