Three November Events at Seniors Center, RSVP Now!
Space fills up quickly during public events at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center, 150 MLK Drive. Here are three free November events planned for fun and for education, so RSVP to Karon Weatherman if you’d like to attend, as a head count for food, supplies is needed. Phone 903-885-1661. There are also dozens of other regular and special events held for the benefit of the local Senior Citizens community; a partial list is provided below.
Thursday, October 24th 1:00 PM.. Come play BUNCO with us. The more that plays, the more money you can win. It is always a Fun Time. It only takes a second to learn how to play.
Friday, October 25th 10:45 – Monthly Birthday Party Come have some Cake and Punch and help us Celebrate the October Birthdays
Saturday, October 26th 1:00 PM – Earl W. Martin 42 Tournament Cost is $10.00 a person. Cash prizes for 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th Places.
Monday, October 28th 10:30 AM – Shawls of Love… If you want to learn how to Knit or Crochet these ladies will teach you. They make lap blankets and Hats. They also make special things for Holidays.
Come help them bless others
Thursday, October 31st 12:00 Halloween Party. Wear your BEST Halloween Threads and you might win a prize. Lunch will be served and the event is sponsored by East Texas Physical Therapy.
BINGO is played on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30
Fit and Strong Exercise is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30
42 Is Played on Wednesday and Friday at 12:30 and on the first Saturday of the Month
Line Dancing is the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 1:00
Art Class is EVERY Tuesday at 10:00
BRIDGE is played on 2nd and 4th Tuesdays and 1st and 3rd Thursdays
There are lots of Clubs that meet at the Senior Citizens Center in the evenings
Chamber Connection for Oct. 24, 2019
By Lezley Brown, CEO/President, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
The big day is finally here! The 50th Annual Hopkins County Stew Contest will be held at Buford Park on Saturday, Oct. 26. Stew service will begin at 10:45 a.m., and quart sales begin at 11:30 a.m. Stew tickets are already on sale at all local banks and at the Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are All-You-Can-Eat Stew for $6 each. T-shirts will also be available for $15 each.
I have some more very exciting news! The Chamber of Commerce is currently selling our 2019 Hopkins County Christmas ornament. This ornament is the second of our series and features our beautiful Buford Park, the 50th Anniversary Stew Contest, and beautiful oak trees under a starry sky. It is dated with the year, made with 24 karat gold, shatterproof, and VERY limited in number. They are quite beautiful and the perfect addition to a rare collection. They are $40 each and literally flying out the door. If you would like to purchase one, please call the Chamber at (903) 885-6515, or come by soon.
Main Street Theater Presents The NeverEnding Story
The Main Street Theater Community Players Presents The NeverEnding Story. This weekend’s performances will be Oct. 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. with a matinee performance on the 27th at 2 p.m. Online reservations can be made at www.communityplayersinc.com or by calling (903) 885-0107. Main Street Theater is located at 225 Main St. in Sulphur Springs.
Miss Behavin to host downtown ribbon cutting
Miss Behavin has officially opened their second location and will host a ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at noon. They are located at 118 Main St. in Sulphur Springs. Stop by to shop and wish them congratulations on this second location.
The Barn of Emory
The Barn of Emory, located at 550 County Road 3325 in Emory, will host their ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. In addition to the ribbon cutting, the Don Woods Jr. Band will host a free concert at the venue at 7 p.m. Please make plans to attend this fun event and explore this new venue.
EDC and ATCOG announce the 4th Annual Northeast Texas Rural Transportation Summit
The Sulphur Springs Hopkins County EDC and the Ark-Tex Council of Governments announce the 4th Annual Northeast Texas Rural Transportation Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Sulphur Springs.
For additional information call Roger Feagley at the EDC, (903) 439-0101.
Ribbon Cuttings
Good Treasures, located at 101 Bill Bradford Road, Suite 4, in Sulphur Springs, hosted their ribbon cutting celebration on Thursday, Oct. 17, at noon. Good Treasures is an eclectic craft mall with 38 vendors. Make sure to stop by for shopping and great company.
The John and Deborah Gillis Foundation hosted their ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce, 110 Main St. in Sulphur Springs. Attendees learned about all this foundation offers for the students and schools of Hopkins County.
Proposed Pine Forest Solar Farm Project Discussed At Community Meeting
Como-Pickton CISD Board of Trustees, Hopkins County Commissioners Court and Hopkins County Hospital District Board will be asked in the near future to consider approving a request from Telios for tax incentives to locate a solar farm in Pine Forest.
Telios, a business with offices in Dallas, is focused in engineering, construction, technology and energy develop. Pine Forest is Telios’ first proposed solar distribution facility.
However, Pine Forest is not the only site in the U.S. being considered by Telios for a solar farm. Other locations being evaluated for the establishment of the site include Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico, according to the Chapter 313 application submitted for review by the Comptroller’s office. Any other locations are still in very early development stages, according to Telios President Shannon McCall and information.
To give community residents a chance to talk with Telios and KE Andrews personnel regarding the project, an informal meeting was held Tuesday evening at Como-Pickton school. Several Pine Forest residents Tuesday evening expressed their concerns and opinions regarding Telios’s proposed 299.25 MW solar electric generating facility. School and county officials to attended the meeting for additional feedback and information as well.
Community Input, Concerns
Pine Forest resident Bobby Bain said the project needs to be discussed more thoroughly.
Bobby and Blake Bain expressed concerns that the solar farm, which would be located on three sides of their properties, would cause their home value and that of the approximately 15 families with homes along the proposed project to drop. They said the Bain family has lived in Pine Forest since 1911. They said while they understand everyone has the right to do what they choose on their own property, those actions should be considered if the gain for a few comes at the detriment to other people.
“I signed up for it, want it to go on. They are leasing our land,” said Ann Bain Rose.
Loren Vander Broek, Rebecca Hurst and James Patricia Fox said they’ve seen the impact of solar facilities in California. They said they moved to Pine Forest for the good farm land and nice country view. They too expressed concerns for what having a solar farm in their neighborhood might do to property values. They also asked what will happen if for some reason the company doesn’t remain with the project the entire length of the project and leases. If the panels reach the end of their lifespan, they are concerned the panels will be left behind for the property owners to deal with.
Vander Broek expressed concern having the solar panels would increase humidity; the sun typically is absorbed by the grass. They are concerned the solar panels will increase temperatures around it.
Hurst and Patricia Fox said they do not want solar panels so close to their homes. Concern was also expressed for wildlife in the area that might be displaced from the agriculture land they call home so the solar panels can be installed. James said he’d like to see the plant relocated somewhere else.
The farm should have no or relatively no affect on property values; installing hedges along the line should help conceal the solar panels, according to KE Andrews Property Tax Incentive Coordinator Jordan Christman.
The Project
Telios has attained tentative lease agreements with landowners to lease land in Pine Forest, on which 995,148 photovoltaic panels and 95 central inverters would be installed. The project will require approval of a 2,265 acre reinvestment zone, which would have to be established by Como-Pickton CISD, and would have a 299.25 MW capacity.
The panels are made to withstand certain levels of wind and weather; they would be placed about 4 feet off the ground. A hedgerow is expected to be constructed to block the panels from view of neighboring residences.
According to Mike Fry, director of energy services for KE Andrews, contrary to what some think, there is no glare from the solar panel.
“It’s quiet. It’s a four feet tall, no noise, no emissions renewable energy option that will generate tax revenue for the county,” said Telios president Shannon McCall.
The availability of transmission lines make Pine Forest a desirable location for a solar plant, Telios and KE Andrews officials said during an informal community meeting at Como-Pickton school.
Project officials have been in negotiations with the electric service provider for a short while and hope to have a resolution to the permit process by the end of the year for the solar energy generated to go directly back into the power grid by connecting to their existing lines.
Approximately 300 jobs are expected to be generated during construction of the plant, which would begin in April 2020. The project is expected to be complete by May of 2021 and operational in June 2021. The project is expected to employ two full-time employees at a rate of $42,858.20 annually starting in 2022, according to Christman.
Tax Incentives
The Pine Forest Solar Project will require approval of tax incentives from all three taxing entities – Como-Pickton CISD, Hopkins County and the hospital district – to move forward, however.
An application for a Texas Property Tax Code Section 313 Value Limitation Agreement was submitted to the school district in September. As part of the process, the company is required to pay a fee, which covers the district’s legal costs to make sure the application and all requirements for it are completed. Youngblood Powell & Taylor LLP is representing the school district.
The application has been submitted to Texas Comptroller’s office for review to determine whether it meets requirements to qualify for a value limitation agreement. An approved application is expected to be presented to Como-Pickton CISD Board of Trustees for consideration for approval of a tax limitation agreement by Dec. 1.
If the project receives approval for tax incentives from the three taxing entities, the project would get under way in April 2020. New employees, commencement of commercial operations and start service is estimated to begin June 1, 2021.The qualifying time period would begin Jan. 1, 2021, with the first year of limitation beginning Jan. 1, 2022, according to the value limitation agreement application.
Telios plans to invest a total of $285 million in the project: $225 million in 2020 and $60 million in 2021. They are applying for a $20 million appraised value limitation to start in 2022, and last for 10 years. The value would floor at $50.3 million in 2030, according to information provided by Christman.
Telios is asking the county and hospital district to approve a straight 70 percent abatement, which means both would receive tax payments on 30 percent for 10 years, according to Christman and the local EDC director.
According to a chart provided by Telios, the estimated taxes to be paid over the next 30 years to CPCISD as agriculture land without the solar plant is $11,146; in land tax with the solar facility $1.4 million; and in solar facility tax is $16.8 million. The ag land, according to the Telios estimate, would net only $9,376 for the county and hospital district during that period; however, the solar land tax is estimated to bring in $1.182 million and solar facility tax another $14.3 million for the county and hospital district.
PJC Homecoming 2019 Plans Underway
The 95th Homecoming Celebration of Paris Junior College has been set for Thursday through Saturday, November 7-9. The Office of Student Life has chosen the theme of “Paris Junior College: The Most Magical Place on Earth.”
Daily spirit themes for students, faculty and staff have been set culminating on Thursday Nov. 7 with green and gold attire for the parade and pep rally.
The PJC Homecoming Parade will take place on Thursday, November 7, leaving the Hunt Center at 4 p.m., proceeding downtown, around the plaza, and then returning to campus. A pep rally will follow in the Hunt Center.
Friday, November 8, PJC President, Dr. Pam Anglin, will host alumni and friends during the President’s Reception in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. All alumni, supporters and retired faculty and staff of the college are invited to attend.
Saturday, the Distinguished Alumni Award Luncheon will be held at the Love Civic Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. to honor two special alumni posthumously, Barney Bray, III and Tommy Townsend. Tickets for the luncheon are $25.
That afternoon caps off the weekend with the Lady Dragons and Dragons basketball teams playing, respectively, Redlands Community College and Tribulation Prep at the Hunt Center at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at halftime of the men’s game.
Special hotel rates have been arranged at the Holiday Inn Express (903-785-0088) and Comfort Inn and Suites (903-785-0089). Both properties, located on N.E. Loop 286, are convenient to the PJC campus. Request the PJC preferred rate when calling.
For more details about homecoming festivities contact Derald Bulls, Director, Institutional Advancement/Alumni Affairs, (903) 782-0276 or by email, [email protected].
HOMECOMING
The PJC Admissions and Records Office has been busy working on their Disney princess float for the PJC Homecoming Parade. Giving a themed preview with their costumes for the homecoming event are (from left) Misty McMikel as Elsa, Wilma Wintz as Fiona, Norma Steed as Jasmine, Amie Cato as Cinderella, and Michelle Wilson as Snow White.
Coach Owens Says Wildcats Must Win Out to Secure Playoff Spot
At his weekly media gathering Wednesday (October 23), Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens said the Wildcats must win the last three district games to have a shot at the playoffs. He said the Wildcats control their destiny as long as there are no upsets. Coach Owens said in his opinion the Wildcats are competing with Greenville and North Forney for the last playoff spot. The Wildcats will play those two over the next three weeks along with Kaufman. He said the Wildcats have to keep from shooting themselves in the foot. Coach Owens said the Wildcats have a chance and have been competing in every game. He expects a spirited game against Greenville Friday at Gerald Prim Stadium. Like in past years, a playoff spot is on the line and in past years it’s usually been the Wildcats winning and knocking the Lions out of the playoffs. Coach Owens said this year’s Greenville team is the best Coach Darren Duke has had in the past 4 or5 years. Coach Owens said the Lions have an electric quarterback and are confident and winning. He said they have more speed, more skill and are healthier. Coach Owens said Greenville has a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster and have not had to bring up lots of younger players like the Wildcats and other district teams. Coach Owens said the Wildcats need to win the turnover battle. He expects both teams to be fired up Friday night. Coach Owens gave players a new mantra this week: one more mile, just run the next mile. He said they have had good practices this week and he said they appear to be loose. He hopes that’s a good thing.
Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Disappointed With Loss But Said Team Played Well Tuesday Night
Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Bailey Dorner said she saw some good things in the Lady Cats 3-2 home loss to Greenville Tuesday night (October 22). She said the Lady Cats fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set. Coach Dorner said the Lady Cats just made too many mistakes at the end including some costly missed serves. She said she was proud the team played well noting that they did not play well the first time the two teams met in Greenville. She said her team fought to the end. Concerning what appeared to be a bad official’s call late in set five, Coach Dorner said she does not think that libero Paris Pickett touched a ball that Greenville hit long. A flag official ruled a deflection. Coach Dorner said you have to let kids decide the game adding that was taken away from her team Tuesday night. Team video was said to show no deflection. Coach Dorner said no one saw the deflection except for the flag official. The Lady Cats are in fourth place with a 3-4 district record. Coach Dorner said they have two district games left and they need to win them both to ensure a playoff spot. The Lady Cats play at Mount Pleasant on Friday.
Sports Notes Have Band Performance Time Saturday and Wildcats Basketball Team Ranked #5
The Wildcat Band travels to Mesquite Memorial Stadium Saturday (October 26) for big UIL Area Competition. When KSST talked with Band Director Spencer Emmert Monday he was not sure when his band would be performing. He supplied the answer Tuesday. The Wildcat Band will play at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Mesquite Memorial Stadium. Emmert said his band students have had a great contest season so far and are continuing to work hard for Saturday. Several bands will be qualifying for state competition at Area. Emmert said any and all support from fans of the band is greatly appreciated.
One of Sulphur Springs’ super fans told KSST something we did not know at Tuesday night’s (October 22) Lady Cats Volleyball match. Coach Clark Cipoletta’s Wildcats Basketball Team is preseason ranked #5 in the state according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. Lancaster, a team the Wildcats missed out playing in last year’s Regional Tournament is ranked #1. San Antonio Wagner, who knocked the Wildcats out of the state tournament in San Antonio last March, is ranked #2. Last Year’s state champ Mansfield Timberview is ranked #3. Manor is ranked #4. Three more ranked teams are ones the Wildcats beat last year: #10 Highland Park, #11 Frisco Lone Star and #14 Midlothian. Also on this year’s Wildcats schedule are Class 6A ranked teams, #6 Denton Guyer and #20 Dallas Jesuit. Both will be coming to Sulphur Springs this season. The Wildcats will also face two Class 4A ranked teams this season: #7 Decatur and #17 Paris. The Wildcats begin practice on October 30.
Texas A&M-Commerce Grad Named Top Urban Teacher In The Nation
“If you are coming from a traumatic, impoverished situation, you are my family.”
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Just three years ago, Dallas first-grade teacher Eric Hale earned his master’s degree in education from Texas A&M University-Commerce to advance his career.
Friday, Hale will be honored as the nation’s top educator working in an urban district.
Hale, who teaches at David Burnet Elementary School, has been selected by The Council of The Great City Schools and McGraw-Hill Education to receive the 2019 Annual Queen Smith Award on Oct. 25.
It’s an honor the 40-year-old first-grade teacher never imagined while attending school himself in a high crime, low-income neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I grew up in such a rough situation, I didn’t really have any expectations of going to college. I was just trying to not go to jail, or end up dead to be honest with you,” Hale said.
Hale credits his success to a teacher who helped him discover his self-esteem, the support of Dallas Independent School District and a graduate school program that helped him understand the important role of an educator, beyond the classroom.
“At Commerce, I got a much broader perspective, an understanding that education is basically like the lighthouse for the whole community,” Hale said. “I learned that I was more than just a teacher, working in this system.”
That perspective, and his passion for helping others living in poverty, set him and his students up for a lifetime of success.
But Hale didn’t always want to be a teacher. After working his way through school, he got a job in healthcare that paid well, but left him searching for more.
“I was successful, but I didn’t have any passion for it,” Hale said. “And I’ve always had a passion for my community and helping kids who grew up like me, in poverty. Black, white, brown, purple, it didn’t matter. If you are coming from a traumatic, impoverished situation, you are my family.”
The idea of becoming a teacher only came after some serious soul-searching.
“I asked, ‘What can I do that I would love to do, that I feel like wouldn’t just be a job?” Hale said. “The answer was clear: Teaching.”
Hale earned his alternative teaching certificate before entering the masters in educational administration program at Texas A&M-Commerce.
“How I teach is not traditional, but I get phenomenal results,” Hale said. “Everything I do is about building my kid’s emotional, social and then educational self-esteem,” Hale said. “I am fostering leaders. One of the sayings in my classroom is: ‘Speak what you seek until you see what you say.’”
John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, said growing educational and community leaders like Hale is the primary goal of the 11 education colleges in The Texas A&M University System.
“Eric’s story is inspiring, and we are proud to have been a part of it,” Sharp said. “We also hope it will inspire others.”
School districts across Texas are scrambling to hire qualified teachers.
“Every success story starts in the classroom,” Sharp said. “If you want to teach, The Texas A&M University System’s 11 colleges of education across the state can help you make that dream real. We are committed to your success.”
For more information about how to become a teacher in Texas, visit https://weteachtexas.org.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.7 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $996 million in FY 2017 and helped drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
[email protected]
Man Reported For Intoxication, Sleeping On Sidewalk Jailed For Resisting Arrest
A public intoxication complaint resulted in a 29-year-old Sulphur Springs man going to jail not only for being intoxicated but also on a resisting arrest or detention charge as well.
Sulphur Springs police officers were dispatched downtown to look for a person in blue jeans and a black jacket who was suspected to be intoxicated and reported to be asleep on the sidewalk.
They found the 29-year-old man at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, on Oak Avenue at Jefferson Street. When they contacted him, police alleged the man to have slurred speech and confusion about his location. When asked where he lived, the man reportedly gave two different addresses. When asked to stand up, officers reported he did not have the physical capacity to stand on his own, so they had him sit back down for his safety.
After determining the man to be intoxicated in a public place, police reportedly assisted him to his feet and advised him to place his hand behind his back. At that point, the man allegedly began resisting arrest by locking his arms in place and pulling away from officers.
Police alleged they used the minimal amount of force necessary to place the man back onto the ground to effectively secure him in handcuffs. However, when he was put on the ground, the man reportedly sustained a small laceration on the lip, which was bleeding, so they called for EMS, police alleged in arrest reports.
Medical personnel reportedly cleaned the man’s wound, said he needed no further medical attention and released him to police. The man was transported to jail, police noted in arrest reports.
However, upon arrival at the jail, the man reportedly was uncooperative with officials, resulting in him being placed into a “holding tank,” police alleged in arrest reports.
The 29-year-old man remained in the county jail Wednesday morning, Oct. 23, on public intoxication and resisting arrest, search or transport charges. Bond on the resisting arrest charge was set at $2,000, according to jail reports.
Tuesday marked the third time this year that the man has been arrested locally on an intoxication charge; he was also arrested Jan. 6 for PI, and Jan. 18 on a warrant for third or more driving while intoxicated offense, according to jail reports.
