My Perfect Pet Expanding Business To Sulphur Springs
Groundbreaking For Gourmet Pet Food Business Scheduled July 31 at 9 a.m. at Pioneer Business Park
Sulphur Springs will soon be home to My Perfect Pet, a gourmet pet food company. After nearly 2 ½ years of work, terms have been reached for the Poway, California company to expand its operation to Texas, according to Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Roger Feagley.
The business will be located at 49 Pioneer Parkway, one of three remaining tracts in Pioneer Business Park. A ground breaking ceremony is planned at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, at the site, and community members are invited to attend.
“This is not your typical pet food. They start with USDA roast, chicken, lamb and turkey and bake it like you would Sunday dinner, in the oven. This is first grade stuff. It smells like grandma’s kitchen on Sunday afternoon,” Feagley said.
The product is shipped frozen, all across the country, so opening a factory in Sulphur Springs, Texas, will give My Perfect Pet a more central location from which to ship the specialty cat and dog food, according to Feagley.
The EDC will give the company the site and is building a nearly 20,000 square foot building, complete with insulated concrete that won’t crack in the cool temperatures needed for freezers, with all utilities in. Construction is expected to take 6-9 months, depending on the weather, with the start of production anticipated sometime in early 2020.
My Perfect Pet started in Karen Neola’s kitchen after her family lost their dog in 2006 to contaminated pet food, according to the company website.
That spurred Neola to begin researching and advocating for better nutrition and health for all pets, particularly in their food. Food was made in the Neola kitchen for family pets. Others began asking for it. After frequently spending full work weeks making pet foods, the decision was made to turn the pet food into a full-time business. The California operation was created.
Neola is now taking advantage of an opportunity to open a more central location to make and from which to ship the gourmet cat and dog food all over the country, according to Feagley.
A groundbreaking for My Perfect Pet will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, at 49 Pioneer Parkway, located between CMH Road and Main Street (US Business 67 in Pioneer Business Park.
Good Number of Campers Greets Lady Cats Volleyball Coach on First Day of Camp
Volleyball seems to be growing in popularity.
New Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Bailey Dorner feels that is the case. She says girls find it fun to play and she is excited it’s gaining in popularity.
Attendance on day one of Coach Dorner’s three day volleyball camp would seem to confirm that. Thirty-eight girls entering fourth through the seventh grade attended the early morning session Monday and another 25 girls showed up for camp for entering eighth and ninth graders.
Coach Dorner says day one was great and a lot of fun with campers showing up willing to learn and listening. She says it’s good to see the future. Coach Dorner says she expects to see some of these girls down the road. She says she and assistant coaches David Carrillo and Jared Hammack are teaching the basics to younger girls while providing instruction to more advanced girls designed to improve their skill set.Coach Dorner encourages girls who missed Monday’s session to show up for Tuesday and Wednesday camp.
She says her high school players are also in a three day camp this week. By UIL rule Coach Dorner can not conduct that camp. She says Texas A&M-Commerce coaches and players are running the camp for the Lady Cats.
SSISD Tennis Camp Opens Monday at Wildcat Tennis Center
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez still remembers the coach that introduced him to tennis. Coach Martinez says he was four years old and the coach was Coach Avra.
Coach Martinez says four is about the right age to begin to learn tennis. He adds Wimbeldon’s Roger Federer was about five when he began. Coach Martinez reflects on his tennis start after coaching kids four and six years old at his tennis camp Monday morning.
The camp, featuring three age groups, will run Monday through Thursday. The earliest camp is for boys and girls entering kindergarten through sixth grade. His second camp is for middle school age boys and girls. A high school camp takes place from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Coach Martinez is bringing some college players to help at the camp.
He says boys and girls that could not attend Monday are welcome to come during the next three days with the cost of camp prorated.
Access Physicals To Provide Telemedicine System, Services At County Jail
Hopkins County Commissioners Court approved three health-related items Monday: health insurance, an incentive program and telemedicine service for the county jail.
Employee insurance, incentive program
County employees who use the insurance made available through work shouldn’t expect any surprises this year in the rates offered. The plan is “the same thing that we already have right now, which is the same co-pay, same deductible. Nothing changes. The rate went up $5.42 per employee,” Hopkins County Auditor Shannah Walker told commissioners when the proposal was made to renew medical insurance.
“One of the things that we are considering possibly in the new budget is health of our employees. We’re working on that for next year also in addition to that. This $5 is every small in comparison to many people that are getting their rates right now and seeing them go up. Having healthy employees is super important, so we continue to work on that. We had a good year last year is what that means by it not going up very much. I am very proud of that,” said Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom.
The commissioners court unanimously approved renewing the current medical insurance plan.
To encourage county employees to adopt healthy habits, the commissioners court approved a County Specific Incentive Program, which Walker said encourages “smoking cessation, annual physicals and healthy incentives.”
Telemedicine
The court also approved a contract with Access physicians Management Services Organization, LLC, for a telemedicine system and services, which should better maximize resources, save money and reduce security risks.
“This is really an extraordinary step for Hopkins County,” Newsom said.
“With Telemedicine, you take the offender into an area and set up a screen that has has video communication between medical staff and that offender. You hook up the blood pressure and they can read the vitals over the machine. It keeps us from having to transport offenders, which creates a security risk, to keep it right there in the jail,” said Kenneth Dean, Hopkins County jail administrator.
“We are in agreement with our hospital, because we are a tax supported hospital, even though we have a different name to it these days, so this will not cost the tax payers. It will actually save money over the long haul,” Newsom said.
Currently, Dr. I.L. Balkcom visits the jail on Friday to see inmates. Telemedicine will make medical services and staff available to inmates when Balkcom is unable to visit and during days and hours he is not scheduled at the facility, Dean explained.
The hospital will continue to pay for the care of inmates while minimizing the use of the emergency room and having to send a doctor to the jail weekly, according to the county judge.
“The telemedicine program should help, but not completely eliminate taking inmates to the hospital for treatment. Hopefully, the hospital is less burdened caring for inmates, the deputies and jailers are able to remain at their jobs rather than transporting inmates, and the public is safer,” Newsom said.
This also will help the county jail meet requirements of the Sandra Bland Act, which include making mental health services available to inmates 24-hours a day. Mental health services can be integrated into the system as well, Dean added.
2 Texarkana Teens Arrested After Marijuana, THC Oil Found During Traffic Stop
Two Texarkana teens were arrested Sunday after a trooper found marijuana, paraphernalia and THC oil in their vehicle.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Warren Williamson stopped a white Ford Mustang Sunday afternoon on Interstate 30 east at mile marker 136 for not having a front license plate.
The driver was identified as 19-year-old Daniel Monroe Nichols of Texarkana, Texas. While talking with Nichols and his passenger, an 18-year-old from Texarkana, Arkansas, Williamson reported smelling a burnt marijuana odor emitting from the car. Nichols reportedly admitted there was marijuana paraphernalia and THC oil in car.
A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a metal grinder, usable amount weed, an electric cigarette with brown liquid the trooper believed to be THC oil and a small multicolored rubber container with brown wax believed THC wax.
Nichols claimed the THC oil and said both men had used marijuana, while the Arkansas man admitted he was aware it was in the vehicle and that he’d “used earlier” in the trip, Williamson alleged in arrest reports. The trooper was told the green, leafy substance gave the vehicle occupants a high, indicating a THC content high enough to cause impairment, Williamson alleged in arrest reports.
Consequently, Nichols was arrested at 1:49 p.m. July 28 for possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance and possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana, while the passenger was charged only with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Both remained in the county jail Monday morning, July 29. Bond was set at $1,000 each on the marijuana charge; Nichols bond on the controlled substance charge was set at $10,000, according to jail reports.
Shadow RenFest Increases Popularity, Attendance of Local Renaissance Event to Benefit Shadow Ranch TRC
In 2018, the Shadow Renaissance Festival, or Shadow RenFest was inaugurated as a local fundraising event for Shadow Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center, a Hopkins County therapeutic horseback riding facility which had been in existence for almost a decade. With over 3,500 persons attending that first year, the concept of a local Renaissance Festival was definitely a hit. So in July 2019, the second annual Shadow RenFest provided an enhanced event, both as a fundraiser and a”fun-raiser” for the entire community! The success was brought about by a small band of people with loyal friends and some Texas-size ideas! And the ultimate goal was to raise funds to provide Shaw Ranch a full year of operating funds as well as to create a nest egg toward plans for the 2020 Festival.
To provide a little history, founders of the Shadow Ranch center struggled during the first few years, but never doubted that their cause was inspired. Sure enough, through a change in location and finally ownership of the new ranch property, arms began to open wide as well as doors. In time, patron, sponsor, volunteer and donor lists began to expand, ensuring that the non-profit could continue in it’s efforts to lend capable assistance and even increase it’s services to handicapped and disadvantaged children, adults and military veterans through the unique horseback therapy.
In an e-mail message from RenFest organizers, the Renaissance Festival was a success! “Just look on any social media platform and see the out pour of love and support from the people who came this weekend! 65 vendors, 35 cast members, entertainment and a Full Armor Combat! People raved about how they absolutely enjoyed the Full Armor Combat! It was a beautiful weekend! As for next year, yes! but we will need a couple of weeks to rest and recharge before we can even begin to think about planning for the 2020 Festival. All the board members were pleased with everything and the community seemed to take to our festival as if it had always been here! We are so thankful for the support of this community and we look forward to the years of memories our small Renaissance Festival created❤️
4 Arrested For Theft At Walmart Over Weekend
Two Hopkins County women were arrested Saturday evening at Walmart for theft, including one whose charge was enhanced to a felony offense due to prior convictions. A Cumby pair was also arrested at the store Sunday for theft, according to police reports.
Police were dispatched to the store to a report of people causing a disturbance. Upon arrival, asset protection staff alleged the pair selected items, concealed them and passed all points of sale without paying for them. Total value of the recovered items was less than $100, Sulphur Springs Police Lt. Eddie Moon and Sgt. Joshua Shufeldt alleged in arrest reports.
Alberta Lene Duffey, 60, of Sulphur Springs was arrested at 8:30 p.m. July 27 on a felony theft charge due to two previous convictions, making the charge a stated jail felony offense; she remained in the county jail Monday morning in lieu of $5,000 bond on the state jail felony charge, according to jail and arrest reports.
The 54-year-old Como woman with her was charged with misdemeanor theft; she remained in jail early Monday morning in lieu of $1,000 bond on the misdemeanor charge, according to arrest and jail reports.
At about 8:40 p.m. Sunday, police were again dispatched to Walmart, where a theft had been reported.
Upon arrival, asset protection staff at the store alleged two people walked to the self-checkout. They allegedly paid less than $2 for two of the nearly $500 worth of items they attempted to leave the store with, according to police reports.
Consequently, the 28-year-old Cumby man and 50-year-old Cumby woman were arrested on the Class B charge of theft of items valued at more than $100 but less than $750, according to arrest reports. Both Cumby residents remained in the county jail Monday morning in lieu of $1,000 bond on the charge, according to jail reports.
Woman Arrested After Crashing Car Through Yards, Into Tree
A 24-year-old Sulphur Springs woman was arrested Saturday night for drunk driving after allegedly driving through two yards before crashing the Chrysler 300 she was driving into a tree on College Street.
Sulphur Springs police were dispatched at 11:08 p.m. July 27 to what was reported as a vehicle crash in the 1200 block of College Street. Officers located the woman, who had reportedly been driving her car east on College Street, where it went through two yards then struck a tree.
Officers alleged alcohol could be smelled on her breath and she exhibited signs and indicators of intoxication, including having slurred speech, being very unsteady oh her feet, stumbling and having bloodshot eyes.
Police reported finding an open Gentleman Jack Whiskey bottle in the car, with about 3/4 of the liquid in the container missing. She allegedly admitted to consuming over half of its contents, then failed all field sobriety tests given. At the jail, she agreed to a blood draw for testing. She was alleged to be uncooperative upon arrival at the jail, resulting in her being placed into a V-cell.
She was released from jail Sunday on $1,000 bond on the Class B misdemeanor driving while intoxicated with open container charge, according to jail reports.
Medical Insurance, Jail Telemedicine Agreement, Bridge Replacement Program Top Commissioners’ Agenda
Hopkins County Commissioners Court will be asked to consider approving two items related to medical coverage and care as well as a bridge replacement program during a special court session Monday, July 29.
Proposed is renewal medical l insurance rates for county employees as well as a telemedicine system and services agreement for the county jail. The Commissioners Court and other county officials met in the spring with the Hopkins County Hospital District Board to discuss the telemedicine, as well as options for selecting an efficient service at an affordable rate and what would be needed for more telemedicine services at the county jail. A contract is expected to be proposed at the 9 a.m. meeting Monday for commissioners to consider.
Two items on the agenda deal with a bridge replacement program. The commissioners court will be asked to consider approving an advance funding agreement for off-state system federal aid highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program project as well as a resolution adopting a county bridge replacement program.
A County Specific Incentive Program is also listed on the agenda for the commissioners court to consider Monday.
Saltillo Volunteer Fire Department is slated to be recognized with a proclamation during Monday’s court session.
Following the special court session, the commissioner are slated move to the third floor of the courthouse for a work session.
