Como Community Easter Bash Now Set for April 20!
According to Mayor Darla Henry, the City of Como’s Community Easter Bash set for Saturday April 13 is now re-scheduled for Saturday April 20. It will be held in and around the Como City Hall and Ballfields area. Food, entertainment, games and vendors are planned, and the Easter Egg hunts will also be held, with a start time of 10am. The Bash is also an opportunity to get your Como, Texas t-shirts which sport a logo of “My City, My Home, Como, Texas” on the front.
New US Marshals Service Director Donald Washington, Part 1: Hometown
Donald Washington is scheduled to be recognized April 11 in a special ceremonial installation service in Washington as the new director of the US Marshals Service.
The Sulphur Springs native was nominated by President Donald Trump on Oct. 2, 2018, to lead the U.S. Marshals, a nomination that was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 14, with family and friends from Texas in attendance. Washington was sworn in March 29 as the director of the U.S. Marshals Service in a ceremony at the Tom Stagg U.S. District Court in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The new director of the U.S. Marshals Service, during a recent visit with family in Sulphur Springs, stopped by KSST radio on his way back to Lafayette to pack for the move to Washington. He toured the station where he once interned in high school, talked about the career, the Marshals Service and his family and Sulphur Springs, which he still thinks of as “home.”
Hometown
US Marshals Service Director Donald Washington
Raised along with two brothers and a sister by parents Troas and Virginia Dunlap Washington, Donald Washington credits his grandfather George Carter Washington, an educator, for pressing upon him the “need to keep my face in the books rather than looking at the girls too early.” He said he also had some great teachers in school at Sulphur Springs too.
While he talked some about his accomplishments, he was quick to show his pride in his family as well.
He describes his sister as a “captain of industry,” for at least 30 years in the insurance industry before her retirement. His twin brothers both went into law enforcement, one retiring from Texas Department of Public Safety within the last 8-9 years, the other from Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office; both “have made significant marks on the law enforcement profession, both of them primarily in the drug interdiction world, in different ways though,” he said.
“Sulphur Springs has, I think, always been a very unique place, but over the last decade in my mind, it’s become even more unique. The kind of people that are moving here, that come through here are extraordinary. This little town, what has happened to the square, is just magnificent. I can’t pass by the square without taking a photograph,” Washington said.
Donald Washington enjoys stopping by the square during his return visits to see family and friends in Sulphur Springs.
He grew up in Sulphur Springs, and still thinks of it when he hears a song or talks about “home” and hometowns.
“Sulphur Springs has, I think, always been a very unique place, but over the last decade in my mind, it’s become even more unique. The kind of people that are moving here, that come through here are extraordinary. This little town, what has happened to the square, is just magnificent. I can’t pass by the square without taking a photograph,” Washington said.
He said he often describes Sulphur Springs to his friends as a “Norman Rockwell town.” He’s especially complimentary of the downtown square, which he says “was created by some folks with vision.”
“It is just a unique place to walk around and see what has been created down there,” Washington said.
He was complimentary of the different types of cuisine offered at restaurants just off the square, and noted the Tesla stations a block away that serve vehicles that come from quite a distance away. He described the coffee shop off as “one of the fascinating coffee shops in the country.” The glass restrooms off the square are an interesting conversation piece; he said he shows his friends pictures of the glass restrooms and asks them to guess what they are.
Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport is another area Washington had praise for, noting the runway is equipped to handle the air traffic if he were to decide to hold a regional meeting for the Marshals in Sulphur Springs.
“It’s a nice runway, nice airport, and the aviation community is pretty nice as well. Mr. Baker out there has been very kind to me. Whenever I need some accommodations, they’ve just been really, really nice,” Washington said.
CANHelp “Play it Forward” Tennis Tourney Rescheduled to May 4 at SSHS Complex
According to Shanna Martin, Director of CANHelp, due to a rain forecast, the Tennis Tournament fundraiser will not be held on Saturday April 13, but will be played on Saturday May 4, 2019 at SSHS Tennis Complex. All teams currently registered will be included on the roster for the make-up date. Also, registration has re-opened for additional teams that may want to play on the new date, with check-in at 8:30am on Saturday May 4.
Contact CANHelp for full details at canhelponline.org or 903-885-9797 ext. 3.
1 Culinary Arts Team, 2 Robotics Teams From SSHS Place At SkillsUSA Texas Championships
Sulphur Springs High School had three teams that earned honors in robotics and culinary arts competitions at the SkillsUSA Texas Championships.
Of the SSHS Culinary Arts students who advanced and competed at the state level in SkillsUSA in Corpus Christi this past weekend, the team of Melina Rivera and Valerie Lindsey competed in the Commercial Baking 3-5 Tier Job Demonstration event.
Melina Rivera and Valerie Lindsey earned a perfect score and first place in the SkillsUSA Texas Culinary Arts
Commercial Baking 3-5 Tier Job Demonstration event.
“They had a perfect 100 score and placed first with superior rating,” said Jenny Arledge, director of college and career readiness, and CTE director.
Two robotics teams from SSHS also advanced to state first by winning first place in their events at the district contest in Waco.
“This was their first year to compete in these or any other events. Each team won third place in their event! I couldn’t be more proud of them. Each student received a $1,500 scholarship to TSTC as their prize as well as medals and each team received a plaque. If you see them congratulate them for their hard work. All that they did was optional and above and beyond the classroom expectations. They spent hours in and out of class preparing for their events,” said SSHS robotics teacher Ruston Pennington.
SSHS teams of Austin McCain and Luis Ruiz and Alex Rodriguez and Madison Freeman won third place in their categories at the SkillsUSA Texas Championships.
Austin McCain and Luis Ruiz won third at state in the robotics and automation contest.
“They had to program and simulate a belt driven 5-axis arm then execute the program successfully with the robot to complete an automated task with a piece of millable acrylic. They went to the competition with no experience with the actual robotic arm, only simulation, yet they successfully executed the hardest task and won third place. They also had to present and explain their process to two different judges in a professional interview setting,” said Pennington.
Alex Rodriguez and Madison Freeman won third at state in the Robotics – Urban Search and Rescue competition.
“They built a robot to remotely find and remove (fake) explosive ordinances from a simulated residential environment. The location of the ordinance was randomly chosen. They received the hardest locations and were the only ones to successfully remove the explosive from inside the miniature house and did so in half the time allotted. Many teams did not finish removing one or both of the ordinances. They also had to make an engineering notebook with blueprints and descriptions of the engineering process they used to design their robot and present this formally to two different judges in a professional interview setting,” Pennington said.
Crawfish Boil on Celebration Plaza is Saturday April 27
Each year, Sulphur Springs Rotary Club members put on the “Claws for a Cause” Crawfish Festival to raise funds for community projects they support all year. Carrie Nuckolls, a fourteen-year member of Rotary, past President of the local club, and “imagineer” of this amazing fundraising bash spoke about the event during a KSST Good Morning Show interview.
Like others selected as President and President-elect of Rotary Clubs International in towns around the world, Carrie attended a Training Week back then which stressed the “Serving Above Self” motto. During that week, knowledge on effectively leading a club as well as good ideas about membership and fundraising were shared, and that’s where Carrie got the idea for a crawfish boil for Sulphur Springs. She returned home and quickly shared her vision, and the next spring, it became a reality. That was five years ago, and the Crawfish Boil/Street Festival has proven it’s worth to the community by growing into a mega-event. Carrie stated “last Spring, the club netted $31,500 from ticket sales and sponsorships, and shared it in the community to the tune of $13,000 to Hopkins County graduating Seniors, and $18,500 to Community Grant projects, which number about two dozen good causes. All….every bit…of the money raised is given back to the local community”. This year, several tons of crawfish will be prepared on Celebration Plaza downtown on Saturday April 27, with serving starting at 5pm. Tickets are $30 advance at banks or from members, or at the gate. There are also sponsorship opportunities and VIP tables for you and your friends.
The Rotary “Claws for a Cause” event also raises awareness of the many services performed by the Rotary Club in the local area. Would you like to be a member of Rotary? The club holds a noon meeting weekly on Thursdays at First UMC Fellowship Hall, with a program and catered lunch. Attend a meeting and find out more! 2019 Rotary President is Craig Johnson and Crawfish Chairman is Logan Vaughn of Sulphur Springs Country Club. Get additional information on facebook at Claws for a Cause.
Tira News for April 10, 2019
BY JAN VAUGHN
We want to express our sympathy to Pat and Tommy Dickens and family. Pat’s mother, Wanda Elmore, passed away on April 4, 2019. Her service was under the direction of West Oaks Funeral Home on Saturday. Please be in prayer for the family.
Dustin and Natalie Weir spent Saturday night at Robert and Yvonne’s home. On Sunday Dacy, Destri, and Yvonne hosted a baby shower for Everly Rose Weir and her mom and dad, Natalie and Dustin. Everly will be arriving later this month. The shower was well attended and they received many lovely gifts.
Wesley Weir participated in the fashion show benefiting the future C.A.R.E. (Community, Ability, Recreation, Energy) Center on Saturday night.
Joyce Dodd shared that the “Food Angels” brought bags of groceries for the Tira Food Pantry. Also, a monetary contribution was given by another donor. We always appreciate the donations.
Clarissa Clayton brought a pecan cobbler to the community center on Saturday for the meal for the Dickens family. Several people asked for her recipe and it was suggested that she share it for the Tira News. I’ve included her recipe for your enjoyment:
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Easter Egg Hunt Moving to Saturday April 27 at 10:30am
According to Alvin Jordan, Deputy for the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department, the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Cookout has been rescheduled for Saturday April 27, 2019 from 10:30am til 1pm. Jordan stated “After much consideration about the thunderstorm forecast for April 13, and checking the availability of the Civic Center grounds for an alternate date, it was decided that we will hold the Easter Egg hunt on Saturday April 27, even though the date is after Easter. We want to host families as planned on the grounds of the Civic Center for the free hamburger/hot dog cookout, live entertainment and the featured activity, hunting eggs hidden on the “old stew grounds”!
Children who attend will be categorized in age groups for the hunts: ages 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10 years old. Each child will have a colored “ticket” identifying their age group. There is no charge for the tickets, or for any part of the event. Children are encouraged to bring their own baskets.
Adding fun to the day will be clowns, a barrel train for kids, a balloon artist and a number of bounce houses. The Sulphur Springs Police Department will have a “fingerprint file” booth to take children’s fingerprints to add to the Child Database used by law enforcement. EMS plans a “careflight” landing, and Fire Chief Andy Endsley will bring fire trucks for the children to see. So, mark your calendars for Saturday April 27 for a family fun event for all ages!
Safety Precautions Can Help Reduce Lawn Mower, Garden Tractor Accidents
By Dr. Mario Villarino
Texas AgriLife Extension Agent
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Warm weather is finally here, or at least for this week, but also several days of rain. Remember the say “April showers bring May flowers,” so rain should be welcome most of the time. The challenge is to keep up with lawn care in-between rainy days.
According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Safety program, most homeowners generally do not consider lawn maintenance a dangerous activity. However, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSM), more than 230,000 people per year are treated for injuries resulting from various lawn and garden tools and equipment. CPSM has reported 167 deaths per year associated with lawn and garden tools; more than half involving riding lawn mowers and garden tractors.
These accidents are avoidable, provided you make safety a regular part of lawn maintenance, particularly when operating lawn mowers and other power tools. Lawn mowers are available in two types: walk-behind mowers and riding mowers. Though the method of control is different, both types of mowers present similar hazards to operators, bystanders, and animals that may be in the immediate vicinity.
Rotary blades located underneath the mower rotate approximately 200 miles per hour or 300 feet per second. Though somewhat protected with guards, all mowers are potentially dangerous when the operator does not use good judgment or fails to follow safety procedures.
Riding mowers save homeowners valuable time and energy. These small tractors are much more powerful than walk-behind mowers and move two to three times as fast. Drivers should treat riding mowers as they would larger tractors, using safe driving techniques and safety devices to avoid accidents.
New riding mowers come equipped with seat safety switches that stop the cutting blades from turning whenever the driver leaves the seat. Some riding mowers also have safety interlocks that will not allow the mower to be started unless all controls are in proper position and the driver is in the seat.
In addition to the safety tips listed for walk-behind mowers, riding mower operators should take additional precautions. Don’t allow extra riders. Test drive the mower, and become familiar with it before engaging the mower blade. Put the riding mower into neutral before starting it of shutting is off. Watch out for holes and hidden hazards. Don’t drive too close to a creek or ditch, and be mindful of any obstructions. Make sure the transmission is out of gear and the mower blade clutch is disengaged before starting the engine. Mow up and down sloping terrain. Do not mow across a slope. Keep the mower in gear when going down slopes. Slow down when turning and when working on slopes. Always look behind you before backing the mower. Disengage mower blade when on pavement, sidewalks or gravel lanes. Don’t operate a riding mower when under the influence of alcohol or other drugs that impair judgment. Don’t let children play in the lawn where you are mowing; they could be struck by flying objects. Don’t let children operate riding mowers until they can safely steer, brake, and adjust gears, and until they have had proper instruction.
Coming up
- Homeowners Maintenance of Aerobic Septic Systems: April 16.
- Grasslands Tour: April 26.
- Hopkins County Plant Sale (Native Plants): April 26.
- Private Pesticide Applicator Training for new applicants: May 15.
LADY CATS SOFTBALL USING WAKE UP CALL TO RACK UP DISTRICT WINS
Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo said his team’s 3-1 loss to Mount Pleasant served as a wake up call for his team. Since the March 29 loss, the Lady Cats have won three straight games with double digit hits in each game. The Lady Cats used 14 hits Tuesday night to defeat Greenville, 11-3 in Greenville. Coach Carrillo said his team hit the ball much better than they did in the Greenville game on March 22 at Lady Cat Park, a 4-0 win. Freshman pitcher Addison Caddell took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Tuesday night and ended up with a three hitter. She did this while not feeling well according to Coach Carrillo. Also Tuesday Mount Pleasant was upset by Texas High, 2-1. Third place Lindale surprisingly lost big to Royse City, 11-1. The Lady Cats are all alone in first place with their 6-1 record. Those odd results Tuesday have Coach Carrillo telling the Lady Cats that they can’t let upsets happen to them and they must play with a sense of urgency in their remaining district games. They have three games left in district. They host Lindale Friday and Mount Pleasant next Tuesday and then close at Texas High on April 18. Eight big days ahead for the Lady Cats.
WILDCATS BASEBALL COACH CALLS GREENVILLE LOSS MOST DISAPPOINTING OF THE YEAR
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said his Wildcats have had some disappointing losses this season but he said Tuesday (April 9) night’s 10-9 loss at Greenville was the most disappointing. He said the Wildcats finally got the bats going. The Wildcats had 12 hits and they scored nine runs. The Wildcats led Greenville, 9-5 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Lions scored four times to send the game into extra innings and then won it with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Coach Hammack said the Wildcats seemed to find a way to lose. He said the Wildcats committed three errors in the bottom of the seventh. They had six errors for the game. Coach Hammack said if the Wildcats had made the plays they should have, it would have led to a much needed victory. He said the Wildcats have always had a reputation for good pitching and good defense but he added it’s not there right now. Coach Hammack said he tinkered with the lineup and determined his batting order based on district on base percentage. That had usual lead off hitter Austin Dodd hitting fifth. Dodd thrived there going 5 for 5 and just missing the cycle. He had three singles, a double and a triple. Coach Hammack said Jaxon Chaney also swung a good bat Tuesday night. Chaney was 3 for 5 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. Coach Hammack said the Wildcats also got a couple of big two out hits. Going into Tuesday’s game, Coach Hammack said he hoped the Wildcats could win four of their final six games. With the loss, now they would have to won 4 of 5. He said the Wildcats keep getting help but he said they can’t seem to help themselves. Royse City lost Tuesday night to Texas High. Greenville and Royse City are now tied for fourth. The Wildcats are at the bottom of the district standings with their 2-8 record. Still they are just a game out of fourth place. The Wildcats play Greenville Friday night at Wildcat Park.
