Sunday’s ‘Ready Roundup’ Was a Successful Event by East End Allegiance:Our Youth Volunteers
Bridgette Cooper, President of the non-profit East End Allegiance:Our Youth reported that over 100 children were served during the August 18, 2019 back to school readiness event held in Pacific Park. In fact, some families were waiting in a line prior to the 3pm start time. “I was pleased to see both white and black families who came to take advantage of the free services at Ready Roundup, and I am happy to see the growth and the unity which that demonstrates for Sulphur Springs”. During a phone report on Monday, Bridgette continued “The free haircuts were very popular. I brought five students and an instructor from my barber and styling school in the Metroplex, and a local barber was there too, and so free haircuts were given from 3pm til about 6:30 pm when we finally finished with everybody. Latita Conliffe, the director at Li’l 4’s Kids Club, handed out about 60 hygiene packs she had prepared, and along with the 50 I had prepared, everyone got a hygiene pack. A lot of clothing and shoes were given out. We did not have enough backpacks though. We had 50 backpacks donated, so the first 50 kids got one. Next year, we will have to find more donations and sponsors for the backpacks. And we will do this next year!”
Carriage House Manor gave wellness checks to the adults who came, and everybody enjoyed the hot dogs and chili dogs provided by East End Bowls. “There were free gift cards given by Freddy’s Fast Cash, and BT Graphics had prepared a number of backpacks with our East End Allegiance logo, and those went quick! Everybody who sponsored and volunteered did so with a joyful heart, making it a fun and memorable way to help the kids be prepared for school”, reported Bridgette.
She also stated that although this year the event was on a first-come, first serve basis with no registration required, that may need to change next year so that enough supplies can be gathered to fill the need. “There is a definite need in our Sulphur Springs community. Thanks to those who stepped up to help fill it during the 2019 Ready Roundup”. The next event planned by East End Allegiance:Our Youth is a Trunk or Treat event in late October. Bridgette Cooper is originally from Sulphur Springs and owns “Preparing People Barber and Styling School in Dallas”. If you would like to donate or sponsor events planned by the non-profit, phone 972-802-8705.
Sulphur Springs Woman Accused Of Tossing A Bag Of Marijuana Out Car Window
A 20-year-old Sulphur Springs woman ended up with not only a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge but also a felony tampering with evidence charge. She allegedly tossed a bag of marijuana out of a vehicle window during a traffic stop, according to arrest reports.
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Nick Floyd reported he first noticed the Dodge Challenger because it appeared to be speeding. Radar showed the car to be traveling at 37 miles per hour in the 30 mph speed in the 1600 block of Mockingbird Lane. Floyd turned on his patrol car lights to initiate a stop at 11:04 p.m. Aug. 17. During the stop, Officer Floyd alleges a bag was thrown out the passenger’s side window of the car.
As he contacted the occupants, Floyd reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the car. The Sulphur Springs woman and the passenger were ordered out of the car. Officer Floyd conducted a probable cause search. When asked what they threw out, both initially denied doing so, Floyd alleged in arrest reports.
A second deputy arrived to assist in the search. Floyd walked approximately 50 feet behind his car, where he retrieved the item thrown from the car. It was on the edge of the road. The bag contained a green, leaf-like substance believed to be marijuana.
Both people from the car were advised of their rights. At that time, Destinee Freneisha Weeks allegedly admitted she threw the bag out the passenger’s side window while driving. Both occupants gave the same account. Weeks was arrested for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and the car was impounded.
Weeks was released from the county jail Sunday on $10,000 bond on the tampering with evidence charge and $1,000 on the possession of marijuana charge.
Bright Star Writing Group’s August Workshop was Well-Attended
The Bright Star Writers group met on Monday August 12th at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center. If you like to write for pleasure or you want to get published you are welcome to join this group. The group meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 1:30 PM
Those in attendance at the August meeting were:
Marjean Allen, Bea Rasmussen, Don Lanier, Donald Brown, Tom and Gracie McLemore, Greg Holton, Mindi Horne, Dell D’Lizarraga, Gene Shelton and Majel Redick.
This month they chose their Officers:
President – Marjean Allen
Parliamentarian – Bea Rassmussen
If you would like more information about the Group please call Bea Rassmussen at (903) 945-2692
or Marjean Allen at (903) 243-5329
Wildcat Football First Week
I
Wildcats Football Team Completes First Week of Practice Saturday With Intrasquad Scrimmage and Picture Day
Saturday (August 17) the Wildcats Football Team wrapped up their first week of practice with an intrasquad scrimmage on their practice field and then Picture Day at Prim Stadium. Despite the fact that the Wildcats have had on shoulder pads for four days, Saturday was the first day that coaches allowed contact and tackling. Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens said the scrimmage was sloppy. Still it featured some good moments for both offensive and defensive players. Many of the players are participating on both sides of the ball. Offensive and defensive varsity players went against each other as did JV players. A select few JV players also got some reps with the varsity players. For the varsity, the Wildcats defense forced quite a few punts and linebacker Kylan Wade picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Wildcats varsity offense also had some good moments. Quarterback Kaden Wallace threw a pair of touchdown passes, one to receiver Landry Meskimen and a second one to JV receiver J.J. Hall. There did not appear to be any injuries during the scrimmage. Next week, the Wildcats practice time will move up to 4 p.m. and school starts Tuesday. The Wildcats will be pointing toward their only formal scrimmage coming up Thursday evening at Liberty-Eylau. The Wildcats open the regular season on August 30 against Frisco Wakeland at 7:30 p.m. at Gerald Prim Stadium.
Wildcats Team Tennis Falls To Longview
Wildcats Team Tennis Loses to Longview JV at Whitehouse Tournament Friday
Wildcats Team Tennis wrapped up their play in a Whitehouse tournament Friday (August 16) with a 12-7 loss to the Longview JV. After a hard day of tennis in the tournament Thursday, the Wildcats were back on the Whitehouse courts by 7 a.m. Friday. The team was tired Friday according to Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez. Again this year, Coach Martinez has had his team playing a lot of matches before the start of school. On several occasions, the Wildcats played two teams on one day. The Wildcats are 1-9 after all the matches, many against tough competition. Twice the Wildcats dropped a match by a single point. With school starting Tuesday, the Wildcats play only a single match this week. On Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., the Wildcats play Pleasant Grove at the Wildcat Tennis Center. The Wildcats are gearing up for the start of district play against Lindale on September 3 in Sulphur Springs.
Lady Cats Volleyball Takes Second
Lady Cats Volleyball Takes Second Place at Wills Point Tourney
The Lady Cats Volleyball Team finished second in the 2019 Hardman/Watson Varsity Volleyball Tournament Saturday (August 17) in Wills Point winning four out of their five games. The Lady Cats lost to Commerce, 2-0 in the final game Saturday in the top Championship Bracket. The score was 17-25 and 15-25. The Lady Cats won two matches Saturday to advance to the final game. They topped district rival Texas High, 2-0 by the score of 25-14 and 25-13 and the Lady Cats defeated host Wills Point, 2-0 by the score of 25-14 and 25-21. To get into the Championship Bracket the Lady Cats won their pool with wins over Emory Rains and Tatum on Thursday. The Lady Cats season record is now 10-5. This week the Lady Cats play at Forney Tuesday at 6 p.m. and then will play in an Edgewood tournament Thursday and Saturday. Initially the Lady Cats were to play in a Tyler tournament but plans were changed after a scheduling issue.
While All SSISD Elementary Students To Receive Free Meals, Adult Lunch Going Up
All Sulphur Springs Independent School District students from pre-kindergarten and Head Start through fifth graders will receive free school meals this year. However, faculty and visitors will pay more during the 2019-2020 school year when purchasing meals at SSISD campuses.
SSISD Child Nutrition Department earlier this month announced additional campuses qualify for the Community Eligibility Provisions program. Douglass Early Childhood Learning Center, Barbara Bush Elementary, Bowie Primary, Lamar Primary, Travis Primary and Sulphur Springs Learning Center will provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students attending these campuses during the 2019-2020 school year. Participating in the CEP program also means parents won’t have to fill out and return meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals.
“This new approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals,” notes SSISD Child Nutrition Program Director Veronica Arnold.
Because SSMS and SSHS do not qualify for the CEP program, students enrolled at these campuses will still need to complete and return to school the application for free and reduced meals to purchase and receive breakfast and lunch at their campus.
Arnold reported that adults, faculty or visitors, will pay a 25-cents more for a lunch purchases from SSISD cafeterias. The rate increase is based on USDA reimbursement rates, released Aug. 7 for the 2019-2020 school year. Based on that information, school Child Nutrition programs are required to recalculae adult and visitor prices using the USDA formula for minimum allowed pricing, according to Arnold.
The cost for faculty and visitor breakfast prices will remain $2.25. However, adult lunch prices will increase to $4 per meal, Arnold reports.
SSISD will once again participate in Region VII Education Service Center Inter-local Purchasing System to purchase food and supplies at the bid rates. SSISD will purchase certain foods and servicese through the food cooperative as follows:
- Fresh bread: Kurz and Company
- General grocery such as canned and dry goods, fresh and frozen meats: Sysco ETX
- Fluid milk, dairy products and juice: Hiland Dairy and Sysco East TX
- Snack foods and beverages: Sysco East Texas
- Catering and special event grocery: Sysco East TX
- Paper, plastic, chemicals and equipment such as dish machine chemicals and servicing: Systco East TX, Kirby Restaurant Supply and Abernathy
- Frozen Desserts: Sysco East Tx
- Beverages and dispensed drinks: Sysco ETX, Coca-Cola, Hiland Dairy and Trident
- Fresh produce: Sysco, Brother’s Produce and BTB Hot Sauce LLC
Cumby ISD Switching Up Food Service Program To Give More Meal Options
Not only will Cumby Independent School District students still be able to enjoy a free breakfast and pre-kindergarten students free lunches too this year, but all Cumby ISD students will have more choices when they go through the line for lunch.
Recognizing the importance of quality meals to students’ learning development, Cumby ISD administrators were given approval to enter into a partnership with FoodService Peeps to improve the school meal program, by offering more options to temp students’ appetites.
“FSP brings many years of experience and expertise in managing Child Nutrition programs. FSP will be working to identify opportunities to improve our Child Nutrition Program to better serve our students body, teacher, parents and administrators,” CISD Superintendent Shelly Slaughter stated in a letter to parents of CISD students.
All full elementary menus include one entree choice with meat and grain, one fruit choice, two vegetable choices, and a milk choice.
For instance, Monday, Aug. 19, the main lunch menu for elementary and junior high students includes a chicken burrito, seasoned carrots, seasoned black beans and chilled applesauce. The Peeps eats also offers an alternate menu of turkey and cheese on a bun, crunch coleslaw, lettuce and tomato cup, and chilled applesauce.
High school students on will have a choice of one entree with meat and grain offering, two fruit choices, two vegetable choices and milk. They will have chef’s choice, pies, grilled, fresh grabs and garden sides to choose from. For Monday, Aug. 19, their options will be chicken stir fry with Asian brown rice, an egg roll and green beans; cheese pie (pizza); a grilled chicken wrap with chips and salsa, and lettuce and tomato; a chef salad with croutons and crackers; and a salad with cucumber coins, carrot sticks, raisins and chilled peaches.
Lunch prices for 2019-2020 for junior high and high school students will be $2.40. Lunch for elementary students, with the exception of pre-k kids, will be $2.15 this year. However, some students may qualify for free or reduced lunch prices through the National School Lunch program. Those who qualify for reduce meals will pay on 40-cents for lunch, and free pay no fee.
Any parents who have yet to complete and return a National School Lunch Application for their students are urged to do so as soon as possible to “avoid any unnecessary hardship on your students.”
“It is critical that all parents complete the National School Lunch Application since it will provide additional streams of federal funding to Cumby ISD,” Slaughter noted.
Cumby ISD also implemented a “Charge Policy of up to $ $20.00,” effective as the Aug. 15 start of classes for all students.
Adult lunch prices this year will be $3.75 and breakfast $1.50.
The campus will, however, be closed to all outside food vendors and deliveries as part of new safety initiatives to strengthen overall campus security, according to Slaughter.
Sulphur Springs ISD Agrees To ‘Strike Off’ Oak Avenue Property To City For New Senior Citizens Center
House Built By CTE Students Still Unsold
Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees were asked during their regular August meeting to consider taking action regarding two different properties owned by the school.
Oak Avenue Properties
Trustees agreed to “strike off” and give to the city tracts of property located on Oak Avenue, where a nursing home used to be located. The property has been abandoned and now jointly owned by the taxing entities.
The city manager asked that the local taxing entities, including the school district, to give the property to the city for construction of a new senior citizens activities building, a project that would be funded through taxes dedicated for economic development should the measure receive voter approval in the Nov. 5 election, according to school officials.
For anything to be done on the property will require abatement, which will be very costly. Currently, no tax funds are being received for the property. Giving it to the city would benefit the community, at no monetary cost to the school. The district’s attorneys were consulted and strongly recommend “striking off” the properties, school officials told the school board.
The county earlier this summer also agreed to give their part in the land to the city for that purpose. Hopkins County Hospital District has yet to vote on the matter.
SSISD trustees gave unanimous approval for the city to have the land to construct a Senior Citizens Center on.
Fore Street Property
Trustees were also slated to vote on bids for the farm-style home constructed on Fore Street over the last two years by Sulphur Springs High School students in construction classes.
Because of the value of the property which was offered for purchase by the school district, law required bids be sought for it. Unfortunately, Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams reported, the district did not receive any bids for the property. Thus, no action could be taken on the measure.
Trustees and school officials are to discuss at a later school board meeting what to do about the Fore Street property.
CTE
This year and moving forward, SSHS students in career and technology education construction classes are slated to construct a “tiny” house, according to Jenny Arledge, SSHS Director of College and Career Readiness and Career & Technical Education.
Arledge at the Aug. 12 board meeting also presented the annual CTE program evaluation to the school board. She said the state accountability focus is moving more toward helping students attain as many certifications as possible. SSHS is working to meet that focus, by offering even more potential certifications students can attain in future years, which will mean some change in the way the program is reported and structured.
The school is working with Fire in Texas academy to try to be able to offer in the 2020-21 school year two additional program: EMT certification and basic firefighter certification for students who complete all course requirements and pass state and/or national testing requirements for certification, according to Arledge.
The complete CTE annual evaluation report can be views on the SSISD website.
2 Sulphur Springs Residents, Oklahoma Woman Jailed On Unrelated Felony Warrants
Two women and one man were taken into custody by sheriff’s officers. All three were booked into the county jail Friday on felony warrants, according to arrest reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Transport Deputy Jason Poteet traveled Friday to San Saba unit of Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where Madison Marie Olivia Darst was being held. Poteet took the 20-year-old Enid, Oklahoma woman into custody at 11:15 a.m. Aug. 16 and transported her to Hopkins County jail, where she was booked at 4:18 p.m. Aug. 16 on a bench warrant for violation of probation, which she was on for having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility, according to arrest reports.
Darst was originally arrested on at least two other charges on Sept. 26, 2017, and released from jail Dec. 21, 2017. She had been placed on probation. A warrant was issued Oct. 22, 2018, for her arrest, for violating the terms of her probation, according to arrest, jail and court reports.
A Crime Stoppers tip lead to the arrest of Lauren Leighann Duckworth. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office arrested the wanted 29-year-old Sulphur Springs woman. She was found at an East Industrial Drive residence.
HCSO Sgt. Michael Russell and Deputy D. Fisher confirmed the warrant to be active and served it at the location, where Duckworth had been living. She was arrested at 3:10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16 for violation of probation. Her probation was for a 2014 burglary of a building charge, according to arrest and jail reports.
Sgt. Russell and Deputy Fisher also took Ricky Lee Wyly II into custody at 10:32 a.m. Friday, Aug. 16. The sheriff’s officers were reportedly alerted to Wyly was wanted for an assault of a family or household member that impeded breathing indictment. They located the 41-year-old Sulphur Springs man on FM 71 west and took him into custody.
Wyly is accused in an indictment of impeding the breathing or circulation of a female household member by applying pressure to her neck or throat during the assault on July 5. The indictment was signed during the Aug. 1 Grand Jury session, and the warrant for his arrest was issued on Aug. 15, according to jail and arrest 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.
