Oncor Outage Map and Online Submission Form
Oncor Outage Map, and submission form. Crews are working to restore power to thousands of Texans.
Sulphur Springs County Club Golf Course And Swimming Pool Suffer Significant Damage
The storm that blew through Wednesday night casued a significant amount of damage to over 30 trees on the golf course at the Sulphur Springs Country Club. The high winds blew over huge historic oak trees and snapped many trees in half. Limbs, twigs and debris littered the course as crews were working diligently to clean up all of the damage. Work started early as some trees had to be cleared from the road to let residents out of the surrounding neighborhoods. The Country Club swimming pool was also rendered unuseable because of the heavy rainfall and flooding washed across the road and flooded the pool with debris and rainwater. The pool will have to be completely drained and re filled before use. The Country Club Clubhouse remained unscathed, but has lost power as have most residents in that area. The restaurants should reopen tomorrow (Thursday) once power has been restored.
Power Outages, Downed Trees, Street Flooding Caused By Storms
Tree Damage at the Hospital 
Hangers damaged at Sulphur Springs Airport. 
Damage to business on Celebration Plaza. 
Tree damage on Davis St near Downtown Sulphur Springs Tree Damage at the Sulphur Springs Country Club 
House damage near Sulphur Springs Airport. 
Hangers damaged at Sulphur Springs Airport. 
Near Sulphur Springs Airport. 
Tree down near Sulphur Springs Airport. 
Tree damage near CHRISTUS Hospital in Sulphur Springs, TX. 
Hangers damaged at Sulphur Springs Airport.
City Opens Clean Up Site To Help Sulphur Springs Residents Get Rid Of Debris
Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County weathered the storm with no known reports of anyone being injured. However, trees and power lines were knocked down throughout the city and county Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Some hail damages were also reported.
Many residents were still without power Thursday morning, with predictions from electric service providers that power would not be restored until the afternoon or early evening for most.
Many city streets filled with water during the worst of the storm, stranding some motorists. Water had receded on city streets by 8 a.m. Some county roads and rural roads were still under water late Thursday morning, however.
Precinct crews began working last night cutting trees off roads. Some homes were reported to have sustained damages, some from trees falling on them. City street crews went to work in the wee hours Thursday morning and were still working to clear trees and debris from city streets. Crews will only cut trees to the curb. Residents will be responsible for any trees or debris on their property starting at the curb, Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell reported just before 8 a.m. June 20.
To help city residents with debris, the city’s spring clean up site was opened Thursday morning for Sulphur Springs residents to haul off debris from their yards. The site will remain open until 7 p.m. Saturday for Sulphur Springs residents, Maxwell said.
Sulphur Springs emergency officials monitoring the storms Wednesday sounded the tornado sirens about 6:20 p.m. when a cell with possible rotation was reported to be heading into southern Hopkins County, set to cross the south part of Sulphur Springs.
Possible rotation was spotted in a cell moving over Sulphur Springs around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, and winds accompanied that cell, although not nearly as high as those in the wave of storms which hit Sulphur Springs about 10:20 p.m., according to emergency officials. Those were reported to gust at 40 mile per hour, accompanied by torrential rain and hail. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down as a result, blocking streets which were flooding. Some roofs were blown off or damages and a few outbuildings damaged as well. The panels marking off the construction area on Main Street across from the courthouse were blown off. Roofs in the area sustained damages as well.
Some reports of phone and Internet outages were also reported Thursday morning.
Local Storm Report from Wednesday June 19
Widespread damage is reported county-wide as of 8am Thursday morning. Damage is reported to homes, buildings, vehicles and other property.
This activity followed a tornado in Greenville, Texas which produced significant damage in parts of Hunt County. However, Sulphur Springs City officials received no reports of injuries in Hopkins County.
If you have reports,call KSST at 903-885-6060 or email details and photos to [email protected].
Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials,during the first storm cell, activated the storm sirens as what appeared to be a possible tornado
spotted moving into Hopkins County, with the south part of town on the storm track. At one point,the storm,which blew through SS at about 10:15 pm included torrential rain, 40 mph winds and some hail, and reduced visibility to a few feet. Hail was also reported in the Brinker and Saltillo areas in the eastern side of Hopkins County. Golfball-size hail was also reported at Campbell prior to the storm’s entry into the east side of Hopkins County. A Cumby area listener reported 4 inches of rainfall from the storm, and a listener at Brinker reported 3 inches of rainfall with some hail.
As of mid-morning Thursday, power remains off in parts of the City and in the county, due to power lines being blown down in Wednesday night’s weather. Phone service was out for some residents.
Paris Jr. College/Sulphur Springs campus on Loop 301/Jefferson Street was not able to hold classes Thursday morning due to power outage.
One report of damage on the Sulphur Springs downtown square was of a roof blown off of an office in the 200 block of Church Street.
Throughout the city, trees were uprooted and limbs broken off of trees,some landing on homes and outbuildings in various parts of town.
Some of the main areas of damage include: the Mulberry Street area near SS Public Library…from Sulphur Springs Airport on Loop 301 West to Airport Road and the hospital area….along Interstate 30 East and the Sulphur Springs Country Club area and areas further east…
City crews were dispatched in the early hours of Thursday to aid emergency workers in checking and clearing streets. Crews will continue working today (thurs) cutting and removing debris from city streets. Residents should be aware that crews will only be cutting to the curb.
To help the residents of SS, the City is opening the Spring Clean Up Site (near Flo-serve) today (thurs) through Saturday at 7pm so residents
can take debris and drop it off. The clean-up site will remain open until 7pm Saturday June 22.
Hopkins County Commissioners crews are in action cutting up and removing trees and limbs blocking county roads. Contact the Commissioner of your Precinct to report trees blocking roadways.
Chamber Connection- June 20, 2019
Chamber Connection- June 20th
Chaffer’s Place presents their monthly concert
Chaffer’s Place, located at 410 Main Street in Sulphur Springs, is hosting a live concert called Back Through the Decades, A Musical Tribute to Good Music. Concert will be held on June 20, and doors will open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 pre-sale and $15 at the door. This includes dinner and a show! For more information, call 470-848-2246 or visit www.ckproductions.info.
Hopkins County Emergency Management will participate in a Drill
Organizations from Hopkins County and surrounding areas will participate in a full-scale exercise on Friday, June 21, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Emergency teams will be participating in fictional activities and are expressing to our community that these incidents are not real. The areas being used will be clearly marked. These are simple steps being taken so that Hopkins County will be well prepared. If you have any questions about the exercise, contact Kristy Springfield at [email protected].
Gordmans to host a ribbon cutting
On June 27, Bealls will officially close and become Gordmans of Sulphur Springs. They will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration on the 27th at 9 a.m. Please make plans to attend and welcome Gordmans to Sulphur Springs.
28th Anniversary of the Independence Day Celebration on Celebration Plaza
Mark your calendars for a stunning and memorable night of a free concert and fireworks presented by the Sulphur Springs Symphony League on Saturday, June 29, on Celebration Plaza in Sulphur Springs. The concert begins at 8 p.m. with fireworks to immediately follow. It is an event that should not be missed. Bring your families, your lawn chairs, or your picnic blankets and enjoy the sights and sounds of Independence Day in Hopkins County.
Meraki hosts one-year anniversary celebration
Meraki, located at 217 Main Street in Sulphur Springs, will host their one-year anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting at noon Wednesday, July 10. Make plans to come by and congratulate Meraki on their first year of business in Hopkins County.
Ribbon Cuttings
The Sweet Grind held their ribbon cutting celebration
The Sweet Grind held their ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, June 18, at noon. The Sweet Grind is located at 213 Main Street in Sulphur Springs and offers coffees, candies, floats and pastries.
Tira News for June 20, 2019
By Jan Vaughn
We want to express our sympathy to the family of David Lee, who passed away a few weeks ago. Kelly Fletcher, David’s niece, shared about his life and the memorial, which was held on May 11, 2019. David was the son of the late (David) Boyd and Catherine (Patterson) Lee, of Tira. Kelly commented that David was a great singer and guitarist and “a very fine house painter.” Kelly shares his love for music and played a trumpet solo at his memorial. Several close friends and relatives gathered for the service, which was held inside the Tira Methodist Church, due to the “terrible weather.” Kelly reported noticing the “beautiful new pews” and said, “The entire church is so pretty.” David is survived by his sisters, Nell Crowson and Margaret Fletcher; brother, Don Lee and his wife, Vicki; and several nieces and nephews. Please remember the family in prayer.
Regina Payton spent a few days visiting her mother, Martha Payton, last week. They went to the Reilly Springs Jamboree at Heritage Park in Sulphur Springs on Saturday night, to mark the occasion of Martha’s birthday, which was coming up on Wednesday, June 19. Happy birthday, Martha!
Joyce Dodd reports, “We got about 12 bags of groceries today from ‘our angels’ and from Martha Payton and her brother Von. It is all stocked in the shelves and the pantry is full.” We always appreciate those who contribute to the pantry and those who volunteer to keep it stocked.
Don’t forget about the upcoming Tira Homecoming. It will be held on Sunday, July 7, with the program beginning at 11 a.m. in the Tira Methodist Church, and then a covered-dish lunch at the picnic tables on the grounds.
Malcolm and Kenden Joslin joined us for Father’s Day lunch on Sunday. Grace and Linda Ellen Vaughn were here, too. Later that afternoon, our great-grandchildren, Dixie, Rylan, Brailon and Slaiden came for a visit. Dixie went home with Landon and Laiken for a special evening with them, before returning to her home in Sour Lake, near Beaumont, the next day. She was in Tira for 3 weeks and got to go with them all on their vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While there, they went on hikes and scenic drives and saw beautiful mountains and waterfalls, as well as some bears, deer, and other wildlife. They, also, enjoyed playing in the water park at the resort. The boys spent Sunday night with us and went to Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church with Chip on Monday.
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].
City Officials Propose Plan To Help Fund New Senior Citizens Center, Pacific Park Improvements
Sulphur Springs City Council is expected to be asked during their July meeting to call for an election which would help fund improvements at Pacific Park and construction of a new Senior Citizens Center.
City Manager Marc Maxwell during the June council meeting said the election would simply allow the city to utilize funds designated for business development to be spent for other purposes.
Maxwell said the city in 1999 took the same option to the voters, to provide $150,000 in 4A EDC funding coming to the city to be used for 4B purposes, specifically construction of Coleman Park. The city took out a bonds, paid using the annual EDC funding; this is the last year of payment on that note.
City officials are proposing taking the same motion to the taxpayers, asking to be able to utilize about $200,000 a year for 20 years to pay a new note, which would be used for Pacific Park improvements identified during a charrette and to build a new Senior Citizens Center, Maxwell said Wednesday morning.
The measure will be presented to the City Council at the next meeting, asking them to call a November election to allow voters to determine whether or not to continue using the EDC funding for parks and recreational purposes.
“Let’s do it again, only this time let’s ask voters if they want to approve $200,000 a year. It’s a greater amount, but it’s a lesser percentage of EDC revenues, because the EDC revenues have double in those 20 years. Let’s use that to sell $3 million worth of bonds,” Maxwell said.
The city manager proposed half go toward Pacific Park improvements and the other toward a new senior center. The city also plans to apply this fall for a $500,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant, which if granted would also help fund improvements at Pacific Park. While the two funding sources are not dependent on the other, both would go a long way toward funding the improvements the community asked for at the charrette.
Proposed by the city manager as a site for the new Senior Citizens Center is utilizing a piece of property on Oak Avenue that previously served as a nursing facility as well as the property to the south of it. The property is now owned by the taxing entities — the city, county, school and hospital districts. Maxwell said the other taxing entities would be asked to deed over their portion for the project. The property has been vacant for years, and the building in addition to requiring significant repairs before it is utilized also has an asbestos problem that must be abated.
Maxwell proposes razing the old rest home building on Oak Avenue. The property to the south of it could then be raised, and the new Senior Citizens Center placed on it. Where the old rest home building sat could then also be raised up a bit and used as the parking lot for the Senior Citizens Center to better accommodate the heavy use and activities for the facility.
If that does not occur, an alternate plan and location would have to be considered.
The tax funding and grant would allow a new Grays Building to be constructed in Pacific Park. One the other end of the park would be a sports pavilion that would include a basketball court and volleyball court, or provide space where chairs could be set up. There improvements, funding providing, would also mean a new playground, multipurpose area with backstop where baseball or other activities could be played and carried out.
Ranch for Profit Workshop Scheduled June 29
By Dr. Mario Villarino, Hopkins County AgriLife Extension Agent, agriculture, natural resources
According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, financial sustainability of a business is measured by the ability to maintain equity and to generate a net after tax positive income and cover withdrawals for owner operator labor and management.
The reason withdrawals and distributions are important in evaluation of business sustainability is because frequently the ranch business must provide income for living withdrawals. Measuring the financial sustainability of a business does not require any new methodology since the business accrual adjusted financial statements clearly show historical financial sustainability.
The Farm Financial Standards methodology provides the guidelines for measuring equity change and return on investment (ROI) using the balance sheet and accrual adjusted income statement. At least 3 years of history and projected financial statements can provide information to evaluate future sustainability.
Projections are always limited by the ability to forecast future productivity and commodity prices. History is real but one can be misguided by past performance without realistic projections. Cash is king in the ranching business.
In the short run, cash income can be maintained by not replacing capital assets, called living on depreciation or not spending money on inputs like brush control and fertilizer. Remember, it is net after tax income that increases equity. For every equity dollar lost it will take $1.15 to $1.28 net income, depending on the tax rate, to earn equity back.
Ranch investment cash flow cannot service much debt or support large family withdrawals. This is why so few families make their living solely from ranching in the Southwest. There is no simple way to make this investment highly profitable when one looks at ROI.
Equity can be sustained by contributions from other business activities or salary earnings. However, to measure business financial sustainability, it is advisable to evaluate the ranch business then, consider the non-business earnings and oil and gas contribution.
The low rate of operating return on farm and ranch assets creates a major debt service challenge for borrowers. When producers make an investment, the returns generated should be greater than the cost (interest rate). In order to pay the cost of capital, the producer must use after tax return from equity or other sources of income to pay the difference between cost and earnings.
Ranches just have a very low repayment capacity and must avoid high leverage. The beef cattle industry is still often a predator or prey situation. It is wise to have the information to avoid being the prey. All this information improves the communication between decision makers.
“Let the numbers do the talking” is a challenge in the cattle industry as it is less common for cow-calf producers to manage by the numbers than any sector in agriculture. Any business decision that focuses on evaluations of alternatives needs to begin with a good set of “numbers” that clearly show the current situation and then present the numbers for alternatives. The users must understand the numbers so they really communicate.
In addition, as with any communication, the users must have confidence in the numbers. Communication has to take place in a timely manner before decisions are made. Closeouts from retained ownership are more important than projections. Actual cash flow means more than budgets. Accounting systems have to meet IRS reporting requirement, but can be organized in a way to provide the financial numbers that can used to develop accrual adjusted financial statements that communicate real financial performance. Calculation of return on investment (ROI) is critical in measuring the cow-calf sector – the investment phase in the beef cattle sector.
Opinions and talk without the numbers or mixing emotional reasons for doing things will not provide sound informed business management decisions. Talk is cheap when it is not backed by good accurate and timely numbers. Many ranchers and people around them are willing to express opinions with little information or understanding of the decision environment (historical or current situation).
Having good numbers is increasingly important for communication with family members, many with inadequate experience and information to judge performance. Likely the biggest treat ranchers have is often self-inflicted in that the ranch is not treated as a business.
Too much emphasis is placed on the lifestyle. If capital or off ranch, earnings are inadequate to support the family living and meet debt payments the business in not financially sustainable. Living within your means is a challenge in ranching. Too many ranchers wish to live the lifestyle of urban dwellers — an expensive goal in this world of high energy cost.
Inheritance tax places a major threat to ranch survival between generations. High rangeland values with assets that generate low earnings cannot pay high inheritance taxes. Transfers force breakup of properties that are inefficient and require outside earnings to be sustainable.
The ranching sector is increasingly challenged from a business perspective. To help understand private ranch economic scenario, Hopkins/Rains Farm Bureau has organized a “Ranch for Profit Workshop” seminar by Dave Pratt, one of the most sought-after and respected authorities on sustainable ranching in the U.S., on June 29, at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center.
The seminar is free thanks to the generous support of sponsors: NETBIO, Northeast Texas Farmers CO-OP, Legacy Ag Credit and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension- Hopkins County.
Local Businesses Be Aware of Who You Purchase Poster Ads From
Here’s a story that seems to come up every year at about this time. Wildcats Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Greg Owens is seeking the news media’s help.
He wants us to inform businesses that want to support school athletic programs to make sure that when they are contacted by someone putting together a poster to make sure they are school personnel and not some outsider. Someone is currently making the rounds of businesses trying to get them on a football poster and posing as school personnel.
School sponsored ads on posters support local student athletes. The Sulphur Springs High School Athletic Department is currently working on their own annual football poster. Ads for that poster are solicited by Wildcats Football Coaches and funds benefit student athletes.
Out of town people keep the money they get for ads for their poster. A man told one business woman that he was going through the local chamber of commerce directory and calling on all the names for ads for a football poster. A poster may be produced but funds don’t go for student athletes. Businesses beware.
