NETLA, Farm Bureau Host Annual Buyers Luncheon
The annual Northeast Texas Livestock Association Buyers Luncheon, put on by NETLA and sponsored by Farm Bureau, was held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at First Baptist Church.
Individuals, civic leaders and business and industry professionals attended because they recognize the value that agriculture brings to the lives of youth in our county.
As FFA chapter members in uniform began to serve the delicious prime rib meal, NETLA President Kevin Gibson welcomed the crowd, then introduced SSHS FFA Chapter Advisor John Holland, who also serves as Hopkins County Farm Bureau President.
Holland recognized Farm Bureau board members Hunter Cooksey, Mike Meisse, Danny and Debra Evans, Don and Marilyn Smith, Andy and Mary Lou Wright and Farm Bureau agent George Tenneberg.
Then, Holland invited two senior FFA members to share some of their personal experiences in FFA and what NETLA has meant to them during their high school years.
Savannah Allen, who is 2020 President of the SSHS FFA Chapter, related that she has shown cattle since she was in the 8th grade, goats since 3rd grade, and has had exposure to sheep and pig projects as well. Those years of experience also led to her showing cattle up through the FFA State level.
“Along the way, I got to make a lot of friends, which is important to me. I have also learned many valuable life skills, but it is NETLA which pointed me on a path toward a college education. I have saved my earnings from the NETLA Sale of Champions and set it aside. So, when I go to college next year, I will be spending the money I have earned to pursue a college degree,” Allen said. “I appreciate that, and my opportunities to have made friends all across the country.”
NETLA President Kevin Gibson and Hopkins County Farm Bureau President John Holland 
Sulphur Springs FFA Chapter President Savannah Allen 
North Hopkins FFA Chapter President Madison Joslin
North Hopkins FFA President Madison Joslin, a senior who plans to attend college to pursue a career in social work, said she has been blessed to make the sale every year because of the her drive and hard work she puts in.
“NETLA has shown me the value of hard work and that it is good to set goals for yourself. It has given me the chance to work on being kinder, meeting new people, and given me a platform to spread my love of the FFA. The NETLA show is so much more than winning and getting money,” Joslin said.
“NETLA teaches kids how to work hard and have a drive to achieve a goal. Everyone wants to hear their name be called for grand champion. So, we all work as hard as we can to achieve our ultimate goal,” said Joslin, concluding by offering thanks to “each one of you for making these experiences possible for me. I truly would not be the person I am today without each one of you making the impact you do each day in our community and without the NETLA sale.”
“It’s all about what we are trying to put back into these kids. I always tell everybody, we are raising kids, we just have animals to do it,” Gibson said.
The event was dismissed with encouragement for everyone to attend the two days of livestock shows and the exciting Sale of Champions in the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center Arena February 27-29.
Diana Rosas and Eli Hamm, Sulphur Bluff FFA Chapter 
Carly Talley and Tatum White, Cumby FFA Chapter 
Jalyn Hrabal, Madison Joslin and Tate Myers, NHFFA Chapter
Wildcats Golf Team Finishes Seventh At Brookhaven Course Tournament On Monday
The Wildcats Golf Team played an unfamiliar course with a challenging layout in tough, windy conditions Monday, February 24, at a Dallas Jesuit sponsored tournament at Brookhaven Masters Country Club in Dallas.
The Wildcats finished in seventh place in a 21 team field.
Wildcats Golf Coach Jeremy DeLorge said the wind was howling and he added the course was a tight one filled with trees and nearby houses. He said the course had a lot of bunkers along with unforgiving greens. Coach DeLorge said the course was basically unknown to his players.
Wildcat Kip Childress shot a 9 over par 81 to finish in a 9th place tie. Grant Mohesky had an 88 to tie for 36th. Colton Bench shot 90 and tied for 47th. Caleb Kesting shot 93 to tie for 62nd. Rylan Brewer shot 96 and tied for 71st.
Coach DeLorge said the Wildcats had a lot of problems with their short game.
Next the Wildcats are scheduled to play in their fourth tournament of the fall Monday at a Dallas Lake Highlands sponsored tournament at Dallas Athletic Club.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Lady Cats Place Six on All-District Basketball Team
Six Lady Cats Basketball players made the District 15-5A All District Basketball Team recently selected by the district’s coaches.
Making 1st Team All District were freshman Kenzie Willis and sophomore Hannah Cordell.
Selected 2nd Team All District were junior Nylah Lindley and senior Kate Womack.
Lady Cats Honorable Mention All-District selections were freshman Addisyn Wall and junior Bre’Asia Ivery.
The Lady Cats finished in a fourth place tie in district and advanced to play a bi-district playoff game.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Lady Cats Golf Team Shows Improvement At Monday Tournament
Lady Cats Golf Coach Whitney Spigener said her Lady Cats made big strides of improvement at a Dallas Jesuit sponsored tournament at Brookhaven Masters Country Club in Dallas Monday, February 24.
She said there were a lot of schools from the Metroplex including private schools. There were 115 golfers. Coach Spigener said the Lady Cats finished 18th among 22 teams and she considered it not a bad finish for her Lady Cats.
Makayla Pullen shot 128 Monday, a big improvement since her last tournament score, 141. Mykylie Meador also improved shooting 120. Charli Potts shot 128. Addison White shot 108.
Mariam Tran shot a 78, which was good enough for 5th place. Coach Spigener said Tran could have carded a better score but, had some struggles with her short game. Coach Spigener said Tran struck the ball well otherwise.
She said the improvement her team is making correlates with more practice time.
Next for the Lady Cats will be a Hallsville sponsored tournament at the Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater on Tuesday. The tournament will feature the Lady Cats current district foes as well as teams that will be district foes next year. The course will be the site of district and regional competition next year.
Coach Spigener said a threatening weather forecast for Tuesday might cause the tournament to be pushed up to Monday.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
CTE: Human Services Endorsement Changing To Family, Community Services
Students Who Want To Help Others Benefit from Program, New Practicum
Sulphur Springs High School is restructuring one endorsement area to better meet current needs and provide more opportunities for students interested in careers in fields that help people, including counselors, marriage and family therapists and personal financial advisers.
The family and consumer services program will now replace the human services endorsement plan. Currently, 43 SSHS students are following this endorsement area, according to according to SSHS Director of College & Career Readiness Jenny Arledge.
Students interested in this becoming counselors or therapists now take principles of human services as freshmen and child development as sophomores. This endorsement track varies at the junior level now, with a counseling and mental health course offering. Seniors can then take the practicum in human services.
Freshman Kenzie Willis is enrolled in the endorsement path because she likes helping people and hopes to study psychology with a goal of one day becoming a counselor or work in a similar capacity.
“I kinda want to be an abuse or crisis counselor. Just from my own personal experience, I feel the need to help other people who have been through things,” Willis said.
Willis is already getting a lot of out the principles of human services class and is looking forward to participating in the practicum class in a few years.
She said, so far, her favorite part of the class has been learning about the different ways of helping people.
“This has been a good experience for me. It helps people learn how to help others,” Willis said.
She has also benefited from lessons about health, care and wellness for the body, and how social and intellectual matters can impact that. Wellness, she’s learned, has a big impact on life, including the importance of eating right.
Willis said the class is a good one, even for people who aren’t interested in the targeted career fields. After hearing more bout the practicum program, she’s looking forward to that experience as well.
Senior Kylie Spencer has the distinction of being one of the first two SSHS students afforded the opportunity to participate in the practicum. She said while it’s kind of scary to be one of the first in the program, it’s been a fun experience.
“We have built a partnership with MHMR to allow Practicum students to shadow during their senior year,” Arledge said of the endorsement program.
Spencer interns at a local health facility, shadowing case workers, counselors nurses and health care professionasl.
Spencer admitted she is fascinated with the brain, hence her interest in a career in psychology and mental health.
Being able to shadow the professionals, seeing up close what they do, the assessments they perform, has been “helpful and enlightening.” Her favorite thing so far has been sitting in on some counseling sessions.
The practicum has not only been interesting, Spencer said, but has “helped me decide on the things that I want to do.”
“I think its good experience, especially during the practicum program because it gives you incite on it if you want to do it or you don’t want to do it. It’s just been a good experience,” Spencer said.
She encourages other students to explore options and pursue the career they are interested in. Participating in the practicum, she said, can “help you decide what to do. I just think it’s good experience overall,” Spencer concluded.
First Presbyterian Church Sign Being Installed
First Presbyterian Church should soon be able to list service information on the new church sign, which a crew was installing earlier today.
The sign was donated to replace an old sign that was in such bad shape it had to be taken down. However, the church’s initial request to the city zoning board to put up the sign was denied.
The sign required approval of a variance. The church members were told following a Nov. 19 zoning meeting the request was denied due to the size of the sign and the fact that it would or could have animated images, which was not thought consistent with the historical appearance for the property. The sign is 6.27 feet; the rule is for 6 feet.
However, Tuesday, Jan. 21, after speaking with church members and further investigation into the matter, city staff recommended granting the request to allow the church to place the sign on their property.
Sulphur Springs Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski told the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals that letters had been sent to the 12 property owners around the church who would be most impacted by the sign. Only two returned letters regarding the request, and one was undecided.
Niewiadomski said church members were not represented at the November meeting, but were present Jan. 21 to discuss the matter.
City Attorney Jim McLeroy told the board that he believed had there not been a breakdown at the meeting, which the church members did not attend, the request never would have been presented to the ZBA.
ZBA member James Litzler asked the church members if they were willing to make adjustments to meet the qualifications, including reducing the sign to six feet and asked if it would be a color to match the brick on the building.
Lee Teetes said the sign would be pretty close in color, although the exact color of the building would be hard to match. The brick on the building is more than 100 years old, the length of time the church has been on the property.
Teetes said unfortunately, the sign, which is 6.27 feet can’t be reduced in size because it has already been purchased and is stored inside the building. The $10,000 was donated and the sign was purchased and given to the church.
The city attorney said the boundary lines, which include overlays for the tax reinvestment zone, were established 10-15 years ago with the intent that additional funds would be raised from improved property values within the reinvestment zone to pay for bonds used to fund improvements on the square.
“We tried to identify properties that would have enhanced value. The whole city was affected, but some properties were more directly affected,” McLeroy said.
The church doesn’t fit into that category for increased tax value, even if significant changes were made to increase the property value because it is a church, McLeroy explained.
Litzler pointed out that any lighted sign would be out of character historically for the building due to the age of it.
After further discussion, the church was granted the variance permitting the sign to be installed at First Presbyterian Church. A crew was on site Thursday to install it.
2 Candidates Vying For Place 2 On Cumby City Council
Filing Deadline For A Place On May 2 Ballot Nearing
As of Friday, two candidates had filed for candidacy for Place 2 on Cumby City Council. Sheryl Lackey is the only candidate to file for the Place 1 on the city council.
Amber Hardy and Audri Mayo are the candidates for Place 2.
Candidate filing for Places 1 and 2 for the May 2 election will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through March 3 at the Cumby Municipal Building, at 100 East Main St. Candidate applications may also be downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website, completed, notarized and mailed to Cumby Municipal Building, arriving by the deadline, according to city staff.
The terms will be the remainder of the two-year term for Place 1 and Place 2, which end in November.
Alderman Place 1 became open when Doug Simmerman was elected mayor in November. The Place 2 seat opened with the resignation of Kristin Thompson last fall. The council on Sept. 21 appointed Audri Mayo to the Place 2 council vacancy. The council had planned to rescind that appointment at the October meeting, but Mayo resigned first. A special election was called for place 2 at the October council meeting.
Special Meeting
Cumby City Council conducted a special meeting Feb. 25 to discuss and consider possible action on pursuing a connection with Cash Special Utility District for emergency situations and providing possible water supply.
The Council did approve continuing to find out the costs for two different options: being able to get water from CSUD in emergency situations and potentially blending with the bigger system. This would start the process to consider possibilities involving Cash Special Utility District, but any decisions would have to be made after the additional information is gathered, city staff reported.
Cumby Building Collapses During High Winds
The side of a brick building on West Main Street in Cumby collapsed Wednesday and is being torn down Thursday. No one was injured.
The building at 124 West Main Street in Cumby, next to the city park, has continued to deteriorate over the years. During high winds Wednesday, one wall of the building collapsed, according to Hopkins County Fire Chief Andy Endsley.
Cumby and Hopkins County firefighters were dispatched at 10:07 a.m. to the location to ensure all utilities in the building were disconnected. Cumby police secured the area to ensure no one could enter the area, according to the county fire chief.
The building owner contracted with someone to have the building torn down Thursday, according to city and fire reports.
Dallas Man Arrested In Cumby For Suspected Cocaine Possession
February 27, 2020 – Cumby Police Sgt. Ray Embro arrested 20-year-old Tristan Lee Allman of Dallas at 11:50 a.m. Feb. 27, after finding a bag containing suspected cocaine, Xanax and a marijuana pipe in his vehicle during an Interstate 30 west traffic stop.
Embro said the beige Oldsmobile caught his attention as he was walking back to his patrol vehicle from another traffic stop at mile marker 110 on Interstate 30. The driver allegedly committed traffic violations when he illegally passed Embro.
Embro reportedly caught up to the Oldsmobile around mile marker 108 on I-30. While talking to Allman, Embro reported smelling what he believed to be a marijuana odor coming from the car. Suspecting Allman to be engaging in criminal activity, Embro detained Allman and conducted a probable cause search of the car, the CPD officer alleged in arrest reports.
Embro alleged finding a small bag containing a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine, two yellow pills suspected to Xanax and a multicolored marijuana pipe. Allman was placed under arrest. He allegedly had a plastic bag containing marijuana on him. The car was towed and Allman was taken to jail for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, according to arrest reports.
Allman remained in Hopkins County jail Thursday morning, Feb. 27. His bond on the felony controlled substance charge was set at $5,000, according to jail reports.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
