Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel Meeting
Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel will meet Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 10:00 am.
Location: The Oaks B&B, 516 Oak Ave, Sulphur Springs
Program: Blake Cooper, Director of Friends of Texas Public Schools, will share information regarding this advocacy group that supports public schools and those who teach and work in them.
Friends of Texas Public Schools also supports the needs of retired school personnel. Mr. Cooper will provide details regarding the ongoing work of this valuable organization.
Newsom Speaks at PJC Class
Sulphur Springs Man Jailed For Allegedly Choking Woman During Assault
Sulphur Springs police arrested a 49-year-old man on Bowie Street for family violence assault that impeded breathing.
Police were dispatched at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 25 to the 1100 block of Bowie Street, where a physical disturbance was reported. Mark LaDane Swanson was accused of knocking a 48-year-old female to the ground, getting on top of her and grabbing her by the neck. The woman reportedly did not lose consciousness but was unable to speak or breath as a result, Sulphur Springs Police Sgt. Josh Shufeldt alleged in arrest reports.
Swanson remained in Hopkins County jail Oct. 1 in lieu of $15,000 bond on the charge, according to jail reports.
12 Personnel Changes Approved By SSISD Trustees
Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a dozen personnel changes during a special meeting Monday, Sept. 30.
Overall, seven resignations, two new hires and three position swaps were accepted as recommended by district administrators. Of the resignations, three were teachers, two were aides and two were maintenance department staff.
Leaving Barbara Bush Primary are special education teacher Valorie Frazier and kindergarten teacher Jennifer Price. Bowie Primary kindergarten teacher Aimee Blackburn also resigned.
Rayla Smith resigned as a special education aide at Sulphur Springs Elementary, and Sulphur Springs High School special education aide Glynnis Harrison turned in her resignation for retirement as well.
Kourtney Hines was approved to fill the special education aide opening at high school. Maria Garcia-Hildalgo will remain at High School, transitioning from special education aide to special education teacher.
Resigning from the maintenance department were Gregory “Chuck” Owens, a worker, and Sara Tanton, secretary. Rhonda Loggins is making the move from Lamar Primary, where she served as campus secretary, to the administrative campus, where she was serve as secretary for the maintenance department.
Haleigh Miller will be swapping jobs, from administrative assistant to visually impaired aide and clerk for the special services department. Robin Castro was approved to fill the administrative assistant opening in the special services department.
Wildcats Team Tennis Offers Practice Matches to Fledgling Royse City Tennis Team Monday
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez can be a real ambassador for tennis. He was in that role Monday (September 30) as he offered a fledgling Royse City program an opportunity to play practice matches with his team at the Wildcat Tennis Center. Coach Martinez said the Wildcats had fun Monday. He said Royse City needs help getting started and he added he’s been there too here in Sulphur Springs. Coach Martinez said his players were on best behavior refraining from overt cheering, laughing or making fun of their opponents. He said his players respected kids that also have a passion to play tennis. Coach Martinez said lots of his girls got to play matches but he said the Bulldogs were three boys short so several of his Wildcats boys were left out. Coach Martinez took the opportunity to match his #1 and #2 boys players so Jonah Kirkpatrick faced Aaron Lucas. Senior Jordan Gonzales ended up playing a mixed doubles match with freshman Mykylie Meador. They won that match and Meador also won her #3 girls singles match. Coach Martinez urged his players to try some new things during the matches such as attacking the net, using drop shots or trying different types of serve. He said Royse City brought a terrific bunch of kids and some dedicated coaches. Except for a playoff warm up match next Tuesday at Anna, the Wildcats will have a lot of practice time getting ready for an October 15 bi-district match. Coach Martinez said he would have no idea who the Wildcats will play until the end of play next Tuesday. He said the other district is a tight one with lots of possibilities for opponents including Jacksonville, Hallsville or Whitehouse. Lufkin and John Tyler are also fighting for playoff spots. The Wildcats are their district’s #3 seed behind Texas High and Lindale.
Wildcats DC Alex Guerra Shares His Thoughts on Bye Week and Forney Offense
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra said last week’s bye week was good, a good work week, in which the Wildcats defenders worked hard all week. He said he was able to put in some stuff while making some changes to some automatic calls the team had been working on. He said some players have been able to heal some. Coach Guerra also called the week positive and productive. He admits the Wildcats did not do much to stop the Forney Jackrabbits last year in the 56-47 win. Coach Guerra said that Forney is good this year again on offense. Last year’s Forney quarterback returns and Coach Guerra said he is good and has some decent receivers. He said the quarterback runs well and can throw well when he has to. A big time Forney rusher graduated but his little brother appears ready to pick up where his older brother left off. Coach Guerra said a big tight end the Wildcats had trouble with has also graduated but he said Forney still likes to use their tight ends. He said the Jackrabbits are big in the offensive line. Coach Guerra said everybody is ready for a win.
County Closes Out Fiscal Year 2018-2019 With Budget Amendments, Adjustments
Hopkins County Commissioners Court Monday morning approved a few budget amendments and transfers so that the books on fiscal year 2018-19 can be closed. The year ended on Sept. 30.
Auditor Shannah Aulsbrook asked the court to approve an amendment for an increase in the fire department budget of $54,284, obtained as a loan from City National Bank for personal protective gear for Hopkins County Fire Department.
Aulsbrook also reported the county received a $23,500 check for unclaimed property credits, which the court previously agreed to split between equally between CASA and the library, with each receiving $1,750.38. The change needed to be noted in the budget.
Among line item transfers presented by Aulsbrook and approved by the court were for transfers for road and bridge 2 and 3;the risk management budget; and from the contingency fund $22,474 for body cameras for the sheriff’s office and $30,256 for scanners for the jail.
Also approved at that 9 minute meeting were minutes for five past meetings and a request from Farmers Electric Cooperative, Inc., to construct electrical power distribution facilities, which will cross County Road 4120, approximately 645 feet west of County Road 1127 in Precinct 4.
Wildcats OC Matt Young Comments on Bye Week and Forney Defense
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young said the Wildcats bye week last week was very productive. He said the Wildcats had a great attitude. He said the offense was able to add a couple of wrinkles and to improve some of the things they were not doing a good job of. Coach Youing said some offensive players also got healthier. He said he hoped they created some steam to carry into this week. Next up for the Wildcats are the Forney Jackrabbits in Forney Friday night. Coach Young said the Forney defense gets better every week. He said he could see them going through their personnel every week looking for players they can count on. Coach Young said he has been impressed by a couple of the Jackrabbits’ outside linebackers. He said they have some players they can trust in the secondary and he added they are big and physical up front. Last year the Wildcats had to outscore the Jackrabbits, 56-47. Coach Young said the goal of the offense is to score a touchdown on every drive. He said he doesn’t want the team to bog down when they get near the goal line.
Lady Cats Volleyball Team Has Second District Match Tuesday Evening as Lindale Comes to Town
The Lady Cats Volleyball Team plays their second district match of the season on this Tuesday (October 1) game day. They play Lindale at home. There will be freshmen and JV matches at 5 p.m. with the varsity match at 6:30 p.m. Both teams are 1-0 in district play. The Lady Cats defeated Royse City at home Friday, 3-0 while Lindale won at home over Mount Pleasant, 3-0. The Lady Cats have a season record of 19-11 while Lindale is 19-12. KSST Radio will bring you the Lady Cats and Lindale match beginning at around 6:30 p.m. The game will also be videotaped for replay later on Ch. 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
