Pecan Fundraiser Adds to Senior Citizen Center Building Fund
Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center Pecan Fundraiser garnered $1,600 for the New Senior Citizens Center building fund.. Susan Vaughn led the fundraiser. The result of the Pecan Fundraiser brings the total raised for the building fund thus far to $70,621.71.
Karon Weatherman, Senior Citizens Center Director says, “W e still have a long way to go to get the 1.2-million that we need for a new building. We will just keep plugging along until we get there. ANY and ALL donations are appreciated.”
Vaughn drove to Corsicana, Texas three times to pick up pecan orders.
The center hopes to conduct the fundraiser every Year as a Fund Raiser for the Senior Citizens Center.
SSHS Academic UIL Places First at MPHS Winter Tournament
District UIL CX Debate – SSHS Wildcat Cross-Examination Debate Teams competed at the District CX Debate meet this week at First Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant, TX. While no teams advanced to the state meet, we are extremely proud of their efforts this year. The 2019 SSHS CX Debate Teams include seniors Felipe Alba and Dakota Soles, juniors James Draper and Matthew Robinson, and sophomores Mariam Tran and Kimberly Wheatcraft. CX Debate is coached by Josh Williams.
Mt. Pleasant High School Winter UIL Invitational Meet
Congratulations to the SSHS Wildcat UIL Academic Team who travelled to Mt. Pleasant this past weekend, January 25 – 26. As a team, our Wildcat UILers earned 472 points and won first place overall at the MPHS Winter Invitational. Congratulations to the following students and teams who brought home awards in their events.
| Ready Writing | Annmarie Gunn | 1st Place |
| Gail Herman Coach | Bracken Sant | 2nd Place |
| Breana Wooten | 3rd Place | |
| Computer Science | Dakota Soles | 1st Place |
| Matt Wilder, Coach | Kevin Orozco | 2nd Place |
| Blake Talmage | 3rd Place | |
| Andrew Westlund | 4th Place | |
| Alex Post | 5th Place | |
| Team (Soles, Orozco, Talmage) | 1st Place Team | |
| CX Debate | Felipe Alba | 5th Place |
| Josh Williams, Coach | ||
| LD Debate | Rhett Reid | 3rd Place |
| Josh Williams, Coach | ||
| Current Events | Brandon Hodges | 1st Place |
| Madison Millsap, Coach | Dakota Soles | 4th Place |
| James Draper | 6th Place | |
| Team (Hodges, Soles, Draper) | 2nd Place Team | |
| Prose Interpretation | Rachel Bramlett | 1st Place |
| Lesha Woodard, Coach | Hannah Shultz | 5th Place |
| Accounting | Caleb Yanez | 2nd Place |
| Paula Hass, Coach | Daniel Soto | 3rd Place |
| Number Sense | Andrew Westlund | 1st Place Overall |
| Gerald Grafton, Coach | 1st Place 11th Grade | |
| Bracken Sant | 4th Place Overall | |
| 3rd Place 11th Grade | ||
| Crystal Flores | 3rd Place 10th Grade | |
| Team (Westlund, Sant, Flores) | 2nd Place Team | |
| Calculator Applications | Carissa Carter | 6th Place Overall |
| Gerald Grafton, Coach | 4th Place (12th Grade) | |
| Kennedy Lee | 3rd Place (11th Grade) | |
| Isaac Gutierrez | 4th Place (11th Grade) | |
| Team (Carter, Lee, Gutierrez) | 3rd Place Team | |
| Mathematics | Andrew Westlund | 5th Place (11th Grade) |
| Gerald Grafton, Coach | Bracken Sant | 6th Place (11th Grade) |
| Crystal Flores | 3rd Place (10th Grade) | |
| Team (Westlund, Sant, Ivory Liu) | 3rd Place Team | |
| Science | Andrew Westlund | 3rd Place (11th Grade) |
| Steven Allemang,Coach | Jasmin Vargas | 6th Place (10th Grade) |
| Dylane Flies | 6th Place (9th Grade) | |
| Team (Westlund, Nick Porter, Kelley Bates) | 3rd Place Team | |
| Spelling and Vocabulary | Dawson Carpenter | 2nd Place |
| Gail Herman, Coach | Mariam Tran | 3rd Place |
| Gisselle Garcia | 4th Place | |
| Team – (Carpenter, Tran, Garcia) | 1st Place Team | |
| Literary Criticism | Carissa Carter | 1st Place |
| Gail Herman, Coach | Andrew Westlund | 2nd Place |
| Lainey Whittle | 3rd Place | |
| Mariana Botello | 5th Place | |
| Team – (Carter, Westlund, Whittle) | 1st Place Team | |
| Social Studies | Brandon Hodges | 2nd Place |
| Madison Millsap, Coach | ||
| Copy Editing | Angela Brown | 3rd Place |
| Brandon Nelson, Coach | Mariana Botello | 6th Place |
| News Writing | Mariana Botello | 1st Place |
| Brandon Nelson, Coach | Angela Brown | 3rd Place |
| Weston Vasquez | 5th Place | |
| Editorial Writing | Angela Brown | 1st Place |
| Brandon Nelson, Coach | Weston Vasquez | 2nd Place |
| Chris Yanez | 4th Place | |
| Feature Writing | Angela Brown | 1st Place |
| Brandon Nelson, Coach | Mariana Botello | 5th Place |
| Weston Vasquez | 6th Place | |
| Headline Writing | Angela Brown | 2nd Place |
| Brandon Nelson, Coach | Weston Vasquez | 5th Place |
| Journalism Team | Brown, Vasquez, Botello, Yanez | 1st Place Team |
Thornton Files to Seek Place 6 on Sulphur Springs City Council
Tuesday afternoon, January 29, 2019, Landon Thornton filed for Place 6 on the Sulphur Springs City Council. Thornton will face Doug Moore in the May 4th Municipal Election. Both men will seek a one year term to fill the unexpired term of Dan Froneberger, who resigned from the council in April last year. Moore was appointed in May to fill the place until the next election.
Thornton is a senior at Sulphur Springs High School and a member of the Cross Country Team. Thornton said, “As a young member of the community I see a growing need for my generation to start taking a vested interest in our flourishing community that the current and previous generations have provided us. It will soon be our job as young men and women to continue the growth and development that Sulphur Springs has enjoyed.”
Thornton says he is a proud brother, runner, and citizen born and raised in Sulphur Springs. In his first campaign statement, he said, “Today I seek to serve you on the City Council. I offer my strong values, creativity, and leadership which I believe will help further continued growth and development of our community. As a community with strong values comes the need for strong leadership! I pray that I may have your support and earn your vote.”
Opportunity to file for Places 4, 5, and 6 continue through February 15, 2019. Emily Glass, incumbent Place 5, filed for reelection on the morning of first day for filing. Currently Place 4 is held by Freddie Taylor. Taylor has said he will be filing for reelection.
Historical Photo Quiz #10 – Meet and Eat – Updated
In the early 1970s, Stuckey’s was a popular nationwide chain of restaurants. Famous for their pecan logs and interstate highway locations, Stuckey’s suffered a decline in numbers at the end of the 70’s.
The trademark ‘S’ confirms this is Stuckey’s. Note the bowl of Hawaiian Punch. People remember riding their bicycle to Stuckey’s for economical breakfast. One person recognized Donnis Rushing seated and wearing a tie. We still dont know about the person holding the large camera. After Stuckey’s closed, this location was occupied by Tommy Evans Firestone for many years.
Burden Sentenced to 40 Years in TDCJ by Delta County Jury
Editor’s Note: According to the District Attorney’s Office is is the first felony trial prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jodi Cox.
Kim Wayne Burden was convicted by a Delta County Eighth Judicial District jury of 3rd Degree felony Failure to appear and sentenced to 40 years in TDCJ on Tuesday, January 29th. The charge was filed when Burden failed to show up for was a Felony Unlawful Possession of a Fire Arm by a Felon. He had another pending charge of Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon that occurred in October of 2017 in Delta County while he had a warrant out for his arrest in the Failure to Appear.
He is currently serving seven (7) years in TDCJ for a felony charge of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon out of Upshur County. He had already been to prison twice on a Burglary of a Habitation conviction and a Robbery conviction.
The jury found him guilty and after a plea agreement regarding punishment, the judge sentenced him to 40 years in TDCJ.
Bright Star Baseball Announces Partnership with The Miracle League
Sulphur Springs, TX — (January 30, 2019)— Today, Bright Star Baseball announced a new partnership with The Miracle League, an organization that builds baseball and playground facilities for children with special needs. With this new partnership, Bright Star Baseball will continue its Celebration Field campaign to raise funds to provide transformative experiences for youth and adults of all abilities through the magic of inclusive baseball. With Miracle League’s help, Bright Star Baseball aims to create an accessible baseball field where individuals with disabilities live and play in an innovative, fully accessible sports space.
About Bright Star Baseball:
Bright Star Baseball, (BSB), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Sulphur Springs, TX has served children with special needs and their families in Hopkins and surrounding counties of East Texas, since 2014. Since its inception, Bright Star Baseball has provided a baseball experience for its players in both a Spring and Fall season. The program is assisted with youth volunteers from the local community.
About The Miracle League:
The vision of Miracle League is to remove the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and let them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assistive devices while helping to prevent injuries. The first Miracle League field opened in Conyers, Georgia in April 2000. Word spread and by 2002, fields opened in South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Illinois, and California. There are currently 305 Miracle League Organizations around the globe including Puerto Rico and Canada, serving 200,000 plus children and adults. Frisco and Longview have the only other Miracle League fields in North East Texas.
There are MANY benefits to our new partnership with The Miracle League. Bright Star Baseball sees the greatest benefit as the ability to expand the number of eligible players by increasing the age limit. Previously, Bright Star players had to be between the ages of five and 18. Under Miracle League, Bright Star will welcome players age 5 and UP! According to members of Bright Star Board “one of the hardest conversations we have to have is telling our players that at age 18, they are too old to play in our league.”
The second major benefit of partnering with The Miracle League is their vast experience in the design of the rubberized surface and its arrangements with experts in securing and installing the field. Bright Star’s goal has always been to build a specialized rubberized turf field for our players. With the support of City Manager Marc Maxwell, Bright Star has been raising funds toward that end for several years. Bright Star Baseball has already raised $120K of its $500K goal towards the construction of Celebration Field. Bright Star stressed that the new partnership with The Miracle League will not only bring the expertise to build the field but also will bring national name recognition that will help us achieve our dream of building, Celebration Field!
Miracle League Co-founder Diane Alford said, “A successful Miracle League is a community effort, and while BSB is leading the charge, we hope the community of Sulphur Springs will pitch in as donors, volunteers, coaches and supporters. We cannot change or cure the medical issues life has dealt children with disabilities. What we can do is provide them with an opportunity to experience the joy and benefits that come from playing our national pastime–baseball.”
Now that the partnership is in place, in order to raise sufficient funds to complete the project, Bright Star will kick off an expanded Fundraising Campaign in April 2019! Our hope is that you will join us in making this DREAM come true for The Miracle League of Sulphur Springs, Bright Star Baseball!
For additional information, contact a member of the Board of Directors, or to make a donation see www.brightstarbaseball.com or follow Bright Star on Facebook.
For additional information about The Miracle League, please visit their website: http://www.miracleleague.com/
Historical Photo Quiz #13 – Stew Champion
Unknown, Dr. Ben Woods, May Dell Peoples (Godbolt), Unknown,
Unknown, Unknown
Wildcats Win in Frenzied Final Seconds
Wildcats point guard Jeremiah Roland made a clutch three point basket against Greenville that turned a one point deficit into a two point lead and then deflected a Lions pass in the final seconds that kept Greenville from getting off a final shot as the Wildcats topped the Lions, 53-51 in Greenville Tuesday night. The frenzied final seconds completed a Wildcats comeback that took most of the game to achieve.
The Lions led after the first quarter, 14-13 and expanded their lead to 29-21 at the half. The Wildcats were plagued with cold outside shooting during most of the first three quarters. The Wildcats cut into the lead in the third quarter but still trailed 38-33 after the period.
In the final period, the Wildcats got big three pointers from Roland and Grayson McClure and finally tied up the game at 44-44.
Down the stretch, Wildcats post Xavier Cork got a big basket and the Wildcats were up by 2. Greenville’s Cameron Smith hit an equalizing basket and was fouled. His free throw put the Lions up by 1, 49-48. The Wildcats Boo Wilkerson hit a layup in transition to give the Wildcats a 50-49 lead. After being fouled the Lions Quin Anderson hit two free throws to give Greenville a 51-50 lead. That set the stage for Roland’s big three with just 7.40 seconds left and his huge deflection. Roland led the Wildcats with 16 points.
Sadaidriene Day Day Hall returned to the court after missing 4 games with a concussion and scored 15 points. Cork scored 10 points.
Cameron Kahn had 4 points.
McClure and Duece Berry had 3 points each.
Wilkerson had 2 points. Smith led Greenville with 13 points and Anderson and Nick Mapps scored 11 points apiece. Greenville is now 1-5 in district play and 12-18 for the season.
The #4 ranked Wildcats go to 6-0 in district play and 20-8 for the season. Three of the Wildcats’ district wins, two by 2 points and one by 1 point, went right down to the last play. The Wildcats close out their home district schedule Friday night against Mount Pleasant.
Lady Cats Defeat Greenville; Final District Game Friday Against Mount Pleasant
The Lady Cats’ basketball team raced out to a big lead against Greenville and then turned the game over to their reserves mid way through the third quarter as the Lady Cats defeated the Lady Lions, 52-23. The Lady Cats led 18-9 after the first quarter, 31-13 at the half and 46-21 after three quarters. The Lady Cats gave up only 2 points to Greenville in the fourth quarter.
Sadavia Porter led the Lady Cats with 15 points,
Autumn Tanton scored 12 points.
Danielle Godbolt and
Aliyah Abron both had 6 points.
Kerie Wright had 4 points.
Te’Arria Rose had 3 points.
Nylah Lindley,
Tarayla Kelley and
Colbria Harrison all scored 2 points.
Azaria Mapps led the Lady Lions with 7 points. Greenville is 0-8 in district play and 0-28 for the season. The Lady Cats improved to 5-3 in district play and 23-6 for the season.
The Lady Cats have their final home district game of the season as they host Mount Pleasant Friday night.
Lady Lions, Lions Defeat Bloomburg; Face Sulphur Bluff Next Week
The Lady Lions bested Bloomburg, 66-15 to go 9-0 in district play. The Lady Lions steadily built a lead throughout the game. Anna Reeder led Saltillo with 20 points. Maddy Smith had 14 points. Jocelyn Ochoa scored 11 points. Brittney Peeples had 7 points. Chandler Bain and Lorena Castro scored 6 points each. Christy Marquez had 2 points. The Lady Lions are now 25-8 for the season.
The Saltillo Lions defeated Bloomburg, 66-44. The Lions outscored Bloomburg during each of the first three quarters and had a 60-29 lead. They were outscored 15-6 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t nearly enough for Bloomburg. Matthew Gurley and Chris Boekhorst scored 18 points each. Andrew Redburn and Ben Moore had 8 points apiece. Edi Olayo had 6 points. Dillon Beadle scored 4 points. Jesus Hernandez and Levi Hoover had 2 points apiece. The Lions are 6-1 in district play and 21-8 for the season.
The Lions and Lady Lions play Sulphur Bluff next Tuesday, February 5.
