PJC Sulphur Springs News
La Shey Almager of Sulphur Springs brought her son Logan and his cars along to register for classes at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center. Campus Secretary Jocelyn Sanchez Ambriz and Assistant Director Iris Gutierrez, right, and Secretary Jocelyn Sanchez Ambriz help with the paperwork. The fall semester begins Monday (August 26).
Wildcats Football Team Scrimmages At Liberty-Eylau Thursday Evening In Texarkana
The Wildcats Football Team has their only scrimmage of the preseason Thursday night, Aug. 22, at Liberty-Eylau in Texarkana. The varsity Wildcats will get underway at around 7 p.m. The JV and freshmen teams will alternate beginning at 5 p.m.
The Liberty-Eylau Leopards are coached by former Wildcat, Klint King, son of former Wildcats Head Football Coach Chuck King.
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens says the Wildcats are ready to hit someone else. He says he wants to see how his team reacts against another team.
Coach Owens says the Wildcats are at a disadvantage since L-E already has one scrimmage under their belt. He counters that the Wildcats did have spring football workouts.
Coach Owens says the scrimmage will be a lot like a regular game. However both teams will be fair catching balls on kicks and teams will whistle their quarterbacks down to avoid big hits on the signal callers.
The Wildcats have scrimmaged Liberty-Eylau for several years now. Coach Owens says he likes to go up against them because they have a lot of speed. He adds they have an athletic quarterback, fast running backs and big, tall receivers. Wildcats offensive linemen will be going up against an even 4-2-5 defense most of the time but will be called upon to block both odd and even fronts.
At L-E Thursday night, fans will be asked to make a voluntary donation to support the Texas High School Coaches Association benevolence fund. They call it Our Day to Shine. The fund is for players and coaches who are experiencing hardships, such as players who have suffered serious injuries.
A big asset of any scrimmage is the videotape that is recorded. Friday at meetings, Wildcats coaches will break down the tape and will discuss it with the players.
The Wildcats will take Friday and Saturday off and then will return next Monday to begin work in earnest to open the season Friday week at The Prim against Frisco Wakeland.
This is the fourth year for the Wildcats to lose a week of August practice and one of their scrimmages due to having spring football. The Wildcats coaches are getting used to it and they continue to have spring football because they think it is beneficial for them to do so. Of course, the main goal of any scrimmage is to come out of it without any serious injuries.
Lady Cats Volleyball Team Had Pool Play Thursday In An Edgewood Tournament
The Lady Cats Volleyball Team is playing in the 5th annual Edgewood Back-to-School Dig-Fest Volleyball Tournament on this Thursday game day, August 22.
The Lady Cats play three pool games in the afternoon at the Edgewood Middle School Gym. The Lady Cats began play with Lone Oak at 2 p.m., then will take on Scurry-Rosser at 5 p.m. and Caddo Mills at 6 p.m.
The top two teams after pool play in the four pools will go into a Championship Bracket. The bottom two pool teams will play in a Consolation Bracket. After pool play Thursday, bracket play will resume on Saturday.
The Lady Cats enter the tournament with a 10-6 record.
Chamber “In a Stir” Over Major Food Event’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary
Plans have long been in the making by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce for the 50th Anniversary Stew Contest. This is to be the ‘granddaddy of them all’ as far as attendance goes, even by stupendous standards of past stew contests. Now that the time is almost here, the Chamber staff is preparing in high gear. But let’s get a little background on it by asking, what actually is the Hopkins County Stew Contest?
During a KSST Good Morning Show interview on August 21, 2019, Chamber President and CEO Lezley Brown and Chamber VP Logan Vaughan discussed ‘stew’ with host Enola Gay. The tradition of stew-making and it’s invention by early settlers to this area holds importance. At one time, gatherings called “end of school stew” was popular with as many as 100 different small schools scattered throughout the county. And the preparation of huge quantities of the authentic chicken-based stew was necessary during the 1954 Hopkins County Centennial when hundreds of people “came home’ for the celebration held in Buford Park. However, the idea of a “stew-cooking competition” began about 50 years ago, launched by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce. Somewhere along the way, the event took on the designation of World Champion Hopkins County Stew Cook-Off. Then, steadily increasing in popularity, 2018 brought a whopping 174 pots of stew prepared by cooking teams scattered throughout the park. And knowing that the 50th anniversary would be bigger than that, the Chamber is preparing spaces for more than 200 pots of stew at the October 2016 annual Cook-off.
If you want to enter the contest, here are a few things you should do. Go to hopkinschamber.org and clock on the Events tab. There you will find information, a list of categories and entry forms. Remember the deadline to enter the contest and keep your own stew site in Friday September 13 at 5pm. Starting Monday September 16, all remaining sites will be opened up for selection by new cooks. An opportunity for stew cooks to pick up their bags and get answers to questions is all day Tuesday October 15 from 9am til 6pm at the Chamber office. That same evening, an informational meeting for new stew cooks will be held at 6pm.
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Now at Home, Downtown
According to Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lezley Brown and Chamber Vice President Logan Vaughan, the new offices are ‘in a whirl’ of preparations for the annual World Champion Hopkins County Stew Cook-off’s special 50th Anniversary event! Their much anticipated move to new quarters at 110 Main Street has coincided with the final stages of the largest annual Chamber event of the year, and so it’s keeping their two-and-a-half paid employees very busy! Along with Lezley and Logan, long-time office manager Cathy Williams now puts in three days per week, Wednesday through Friday. Chamber board members and volunteer Ambassadors also fill in as needed to handle the rest of the duties. As Lezley put it, the phone is always ringing, and that’s good!
Logan Vaughn came on board this summer to assist Lezley in the mission of serving the business community; existing businesses and industries as well as the fledgling ‘baby businesses’ which can share the new building. Overall, about 2/3 of the 4,000 square feet of space inside 110 Main Street is devoted to the public offices of the Chamber of Commerce along with two conference rooms that can be reserved for use by Chamber members. The other 1/3 of the space houses four ‘incubator’ or start-up offices. As Lezley explained, “it’s long been our goal to assist existing business owners from small to large, but we felt we could do even more by assisting those newer ones which need professional office space but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and be completely stand-alone. This way, these business people can utilize a private office space with internet, copier and conference room privileges for awhile as they cultivate their enterprise within a vibrant business locale, our downtown”.
Although it took several months longer to get into the new Chamber offices due to so much rainy weather in 2019, the staff is thrilled to have finally moved out of temporary quarters and opened their doors to the public. Lezley stated “it is also a welcoming headquarters for visitors and new residents, with an exciting view of Celebration Plaza. It’s our mission to promote better business and a better quality of life in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. And we want to be a place you feel welcome in, and hopefully, want to move here!”
Local residents are reminded that the 2019 “Stew Contest” is not only an draw for visitors, this year’s event will be a major one for families. Already, there’s a half-dozen family and school reunions planned on the stew grounds, and there’s room for more. Be sure and get a “stew site” by Friday September 13 and plan to host your own get together during Friday night October 25 and Saturday October 26 activities during the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the World Champion Hopkins County Stew Cook-off! Find out more on Facebook or contact hopkinschamber.org, phone 903-885-6515 or stop in at 110 Main Street, downtown.
Sulphur Springs ISD Board of Trustees To Hold Special Meeting On Friday, Aug. 23
A special meeting of Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees has been called for noon Friday, Aug. 23, in the board room of SSISD Administration Building, 631 Connally St.
The agenda includes one report, one action item and an executive session.
District Business Manager Sherry McGraw is slated to talk about how an amendment to House Bill 3 of the 86th Legislature will impact school funding, particularly the Foundation School Program in the 2020 school year. It changes which taxable property values are to be used in calculating a district’s local share of of the FSP.
McGraw also will present for board consideration amendments to the budget for fiscal year 2018-19, which ends on Aug. 31. The board approved the 2019-2020 general fund, food and debt service budgets at their Aug. 12 meeting.
Trustees then are slated to enter into executive session to discuss any personnel or real property matters presented since the Aug. 12 meeting. The district has filled most openings in readiness for the 2019-2020 school year which began Tuesday for students.
The school district website shows an innovative learning design specialist is still needed for high school to replace Meredith Townsend, who resigned in July. Posted Aug. 8 was an opening for a Title 1 teacher’s aide at Travis Primary School, a position left open when Karina Perez switched from that job to academic specialist at Travis. The district website also shows an opening posted Aug. 12 for a special education teacher’s aide at Barbara Bush Primary School.
One real property matter still to be determined is the sale of the farm-style house built by high school students enrolled in construction career and technology courses the past two school years. The district held an open house to give anyone interested a chance to look at the house. The home is up for bid, per state school rules which required items over a certain dollar value be bid on instead of sold outright. Trustees were expected to select a winning bid at the Aug. 12 meeting. However, Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams reported the district received no acceptable bids for the house. Thus, the matter was tabled until a later time.
The 2019 Wildcat Football Team Pictures Are Here
Your 2019 Wildcat Football Team pictures have arrived! Take a moment to find your favorite player or players. The first game of the season is August 30th, 2019.
All photos courtesy of Sulphur Springs Photography here in Sulphur Springs.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies Catch Burglar Inside Of SH 154 House
A suspicious person report resulted in deputies catching a burglary in progress at a residence south of Sulphur Springs Wednesday night.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies Lance Burdick, Aaron Chaney, Jason Lavender and Cpl. Todd Evans were dispatched at 9:36 p.m. to a State Highway 154 south residence, where a man was reportedly using a flashlight inside of a vacant house and had the hood of a vehicle up in front of the house, according to sheriff’s reports.
Upon arrival, Burdick reported seeing the hood of a Jeep Caravan to be up and oil cans on the vehicle. He reportedly began looking for signs of entry around the house as he approached it.
Finding an open door, the deputy reportedly announced his presence before entering the house. As he did, Burdick reported seeing a man, identified in arrest reports as 20-year-old Justin Tyler Strahan of Yantis, inside the house. Strahan was detained pending further investigation of burglary, according to Burdick’s report.
The deputy, in arrest reports, stated he then contacted the caretaker for the property, who claimed the owner had not given anyone permission to be in the residence.
After being read his rights, Strahan allegedly admitted he didn’t have permission to be in the house. He claimed to have entered the house in an attempt to retrieve property belonging to him and a friend, and that he knew the tenants no longer resided at the address, Burdick alleged in arrest reports.
Chaney transported Strahan to jail, while Burdick waited on scene until the man’s vehicle was impounded. Strahan allegedly was unable to prove any of the property belonged to him or his friend. The Yantis man claimed he’d had a falling out with the former tenant and wanted to obtain his property so he entered the house without permission from the owner or caretaker, deputies alleged in arrest reports.
Strahan was charged with burglary of a habitation and booked into the county jail on the charge at 12:33 a.m. Aug. 22, according to arrest reports. He remained in the county jail late Thursday morning. Bond was set at $25,000 on the charge, according to jail reports.
Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel 50th Anniversary
Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel are hosting a 50th anniversary celebration on September 10th at Venue219 on Main Street in Sulphur Springs beginning at 10am. The organization was originally named the Sulphur Springs Area Retired School Personnel. The public is invited to the reception. Past Presidents and long-time members will be recognized at 10:30am and the TRTA State President, Patricia Macias will also speak for a few minutes.
Long-time Hopkins County residents may remember the names of founding members Price Walker, E.C. Brice, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Banks, Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Gay, and Grace Minter. In 1969, thirty-eight retired teachers came together to form the unit with four primary purposes:
· To promote the welfare and social relationships of its members
· To advance the professional interests of public school teachers
· To safeguard the public school teachers’ retirement fund
· To aid civic and educational advancement in our community and our country
Past Presidents, among others include “Pinky” Griffin, Patsy Walters, Jerry and Elaine Haney, Jacqueline Brice, Mrs. Billie Phillips, Mrs Jo Ledbetter, and the parents of the current President, Tommy Long.
Hopkins County education retirees put $16.5 million directly into Hopkins County’s economy in 2018. Rains retirees contributed $5.7 million directly into Rains County’s economy in 2018 according to TRS. Together they had an indirect impact of $571.8 million in Upper East Texas according to research by The Perryman Group and funded by TRS.
You will see retirees volunteering at CanHelp, the Dinner Bell, Meal-a-Day and other causes throughout both counties. This unit volunteered 69,551 hours in 2018, adding an estimated value of $1,738,775 to Hopkins & Rains counties.
The unit donates books to elementary school students each year with the most recent benefactors being Rains County first graders. Books were delivered to first and second graders at Saltillo the previous year. To date, twenty-one graduating seniors from our area, who plan to pursue a degree in education have received a scholarship from Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel.
This unit’s parent organization, Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) was founded in 1953 after 65 retired Texas teachers attended a convention of the NATIONAL Retired Teachers Association in Miami, Florida. The mission of TRTA is to advocate for improved benefits for ALL education retirees and promote the well-being of its members. TRTA is composed of twenty districts and each district is made up of local units. Hopkins-Rains Retired School Personnel is one of seventeen local units in District 8. There are currently 94,000 TRTA members statewide.
