Monday January 22, Sulphur Springs Board Meeting Notes of Interest
January 23, 2024 – At the Regular Board Meeting of the Sulphur Springs Independent School District Monday, January 22, 2024, KSST Interns Halle Dunn and Nataleigh Sheffield noted the following points of interest.
Hannah Garrett presented the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) overview.
The Sulphur Springs ISD bond Planning committee, consisting of 47 individuals, does the following:
- Plan for the future.
- Honor SSISD history.
- Assess and prioritize the needs of students.
- Plan financial aspects.
- Assess educational needs, and then report to the school board.
Kati Adare, Wesley Cooper, Michael Williams, and Steve Lily presented potential projects:
- 1. address aging conditions at primary and elementary level
- 2. plan for growth
- 3. create safe, modern learning spaces for all elementary students
Focus: Two new K-5 facilities
Overall recommendation:
Hold bond election for 3 prospects for new elementary and primary learning spaces.
Justin Cowart presented TASB policy updates on the local and legal updates, including:
- voting on Chaplains in schools
- dyslexia screening for all students
- failure of STAAR education hours
- course retaking on parents wish
- career investigation
- health services
- crisis intervention
- and legal additions.
Pat Leber Sworn in as SSISD Police Chief
January 23, 2024 – KSST Interns Nataleigh Sheffield and Halle Dunn attended the Sulphur Springs ISD Regular Board Meeting Monday, January 22nd, 2024, and one of the multiple notes of interest they took away from it was the fact Pat Leber was sworn in as the Sulphur Springs ISD Police Chief. Chief Leber has 25 years of experience and is retired from the Sulphur Springs police department. Chief Pat Leber said, “I am enthusiastic about taking on the pivotal role of Chief of Police for the Sulphur Springs ISD Police Department. With a deep commitment to ensuring the safety of students and staff, it is my goal to provide and maintain a secure and conducive environment for learning.” in an earlier story on ksstradio.com, in regards to the new position. Pat Leber has been serving as the SSISD Interim Police Chief since September 12th of this school year.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report 1-15-2024 – 1-21-2024
Arrests:
Clark,Travis, 19 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 1-18-2024 for Assault FV impeded breath/circulation, Interference with emergence request for assistance.
Porter, Dillon, 17 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 1-16-2024 for Criminal Mischief, Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair, Possession of marijuana <2oz.
Larey, Melissa, 45 years of age, of Sulphur Springs, TX, was arrested on 1-18-2024 for Possession CS PG1>=1G<4G analogue.
Calls for Service:
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 106 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations:
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 26 citations and 25 warnings during this reporting period.
Du Chau Exhibition on View at A&M-Commerce
By Melynda Seaton, Department of Art
January 22, 2024 – COMMERCE, TX—The University Gallery at Texas A&M University-Commerce is pleased to announce Du Chau | The Silence that Speaks | 1998-2023.
The exhibition is on view from January 9 through February 22, 2024, at The University Gallery located at 2005 University Drive in Commerce, Texas. An artist lecture and reception will be held on Wednesday, January 31, as follows:
- Artist Lecture: 4 p.m., Art Building, Room 111
- Reception: 5 to 7 p.m., The University Gallery
The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
The Exhibition
The exhibition features artwork from the last 25 years of Du Chau’s career, including well-known porcelain and wire pieces, archival pigment prints, silkscreen prints, bronze, and other mixed media. Chau’s themes evoke gripping yet tender memories of childhood, family, and personal growth in the aftermath of war, presented as visually stunning experiences. Each piece invites the viewer to slow down, contemplate and reflect.
According to Amy Lewis Hofland, senior director at Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas:
Du Chau’s work invites us to be inside of the bountiful: a life that knows its own preciousness, its abundance, and the imminent practicality of death. Natural forms are the familiar nearby: that which is within us and around us invites our wonder and our awe at the indescribable mystery of it all. His work, to witness it, is the experience: he calls us into the field. His stories become our stories through intense color, delicate forms, and the tenacious practice of breathtaking multiplicity.
About the Artist
Du Chau was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1981. He pursued a medical career and is currently a pathology technical coordinator at Methodist Hospital of Dallas. After taking art classes at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, he took a sabbatical from his medical career to pursue BFA and MFA degrees at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. In addition to his medical practice, Du Chau is also an adjunct instructor of ceramics at Dallas College.
Chau has exhibited his work at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Amarillo Museum of Arts, and Wichita Falls Museum of Art. Chau’s artwork is included in collections at the University of Texas in Austin, Dallas College, the Curaumilla Art Center in Chile, CRETA Rome in Italy, Honos Contemporary Art Gallery in Italy, the Alfred Art Ceramic Museum in New York, and the Museum Complex at the University of Port Harcourt Nigeria.
Chau was a visiting scholar at the University of Port Harcourt and Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria in 2019. He is the recipient of the 2017 NCECA International Residency Award, which allowed him to work at the Curaumilla Arts Center in Chile. In 2016, he was awarded a residency from the CRETA Foundation in Rome, Italy.
Learn more about the artist at https://www.duchauwebsite.com/
Used by permission.
Used by permission.
Oscar Aguilar Signs Up In Effort to Retain Seat on Sulphur Springs City Council
January 22, 2024 – Oscar Aguilar, current Place 3 Councilman, on the Sulphur Springs City Council has filed his paperwork to hopefully retain his seat on the council in the upcoming May election. Oscar Aguilar has been on the Council since 2006. He ran for and drew no opponents in 2020 for Place 3 on the council.
Three seats on the Sulphur Springs City Council, Places 1, 2 and 3 will be on the ballot in the May 4, 2024 election. Jay Julian who currently occupies Place 1 on the council seeks re-election as his first term is set to expire. Harold Nash, Sr. looks to retain his seat of Place 2 on the council which he has held since December 2019.
Collyn Seth McDaniel has also signed up for the Place 3 Councilman spot. All places on the Sulphur Springs City Council are “at-large” meaning anyone residing inside the Sulphur Springs City Limits that also meet the other requirements, are allowed to run for any place on the council that will be on the upcoming ballot.
As stated on the City of Sulphur Springs website, any potential candidate should meet the following requirements:
A prospective candidate shall be a qualified voter of the State of Texas, resided continuously in the State of Texas and the City of Sulphur Springs for 12 months immediately preceding the deadline for filing an application for a place on the ballot. Other qualifications include 1) must be a citizen of the United States eligible to hold such office under the constitution and laws of this state; 2) must not be mentally incompetent as determined by a court; 3) Must not be convicted of a felony for which he/she has not been pardoned or had full rights of citizenship restored by other official action; 4) must be 18 years of age or older on the commencement of the term to be filled; 5) must not hold any other public office in which he/she was elected for and/or be a member of a board directly appointed by the City Council on the commencement of the term to be filled; 9) city taxes must be paid to current; 10) and have knowledge of the nepotism law summary.
2024 MLK Awards Rescheduled for Sunday, January 28, 2024
January 22, 2024 – The 2024 Martin Luther King Awards Ceremony in Sulphur Springs, Texas, has been rescheduled for Sunday, January 28, 2024, at Morning Chapel Baptist Church. The Church is located at 208 Fuller Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas. The program begins at 6:30pm. The public is invited to attend.
Former NHL Star Mike Ribeiro Trial Begins Jury Selection in Franklin County
January 22, 2024 – Approximately 300 potential jurors were called to the Franklin County Airport on this cold drizzly Monday morning to begin the jury selection process in a sexual assault case that has garnered national attention. The alternate location of the Franklin County Airport was chosen due to the large jury pool and parking concerns.
Mike Ribeiro, once the leading scorer for the Dallas Stars, played for 16 season in the National Hockey League, including six seasons with the Dallas Stars. Ribeiro retired from the NHL after the 2016-2017 season. Ribeiro was arrested in April of 2022 on two charges of sexual assault, then released after posting $200,000 bond. Ribeiro allegedly sexually assaulted two women on June 23rd, 2021.
*UPDATE!* Travis Primary Closed For Gas Leak
January 22, 2024 2:25pm – *UPDATE!*
KSST was emailed the following information regarding the closed campus of Travis Primary this afternoon.
Update to Travis Primary Parents:
Weather permitting, the gas leak at Travis Primary will be repaired by Thursday. Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and staff, we will hold class in the main building of First Baptist Church, not The ROC, until the repair is complete. As of right now, Travis Primary will hold class at this location Tuesday, Jan 23rd through Thursday, Jan 25th. If your student is a car rider, please drop them here at 116 Oak Avenue. We will have staff at the Oak Avenue entrances, ready to greet students as they arrive on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. SSISD buses will also drop students off at this location.
Si el tiempo lo permite, la fuga de gas en la Primaria Travis será reparada el jueves. Como medida de precaución para la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal, daremos clases en el edificio principal de First Baptist Church, no el ROC, hasta que la reparación se ha completado. A partir de ahora, Travis Primaria llevará a cabo las clases en este lugar desde el dia martes, 23 de Enero hasta el jueves, 25 de Enero. Si su estudiante va en carro, por favor déjelos aquí en el 116 Oak Avenue. Tendremos personal en las entradas de Oak Avenue, listo para recibir a los estudiantes a medida que llegan el martes, miércoles y jueves. Los autobuses de SSISD también dejarán a los estudiantes en este lugar.
January 22, 2024 – Students of Travis Primary were rerouted Monday morning as their campus was closed due to a gas leak on the property. Classes for the young students are being held at the ROC located at 115 Putman St. in Sulphur Springs. Atmos Energy is working on the issue at Travis Primary as SSISD administration is unsure of when the issue will be resolved.
SSISD released the closure information via their Facebook page:
Attention Parents of Travis Primary Students:
There is a gas leak at Travis Primary. Atmos is on campus working right now, but students will need to be relocated to The ROC tomorrow at 115 Putman Street. If your student rides the bus, they will be dropped at this location. If your student is a car rider, please drop off at The ROC. Thank you for your understanding, and thank you to First Baptist Church for providing a space for our students and staff tomorrow.
Hay una fuga de gas en Travis Primary. La compañía Atmos está en la escuela trabajando, pero los estudiantes de Travis Primary serán reubicados al edificio The ROC mañana, 115 Putman Street. Si su estudiante viaja en autobús, el autobús lo dejará en este lugar. Si su estudiante viaja en automóvil, déjelo en The Roc. Gracias por su comprensión.
Sulphur Springs Misses the Wintry Mix
January 22, 2024 – Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County seem to have missed the chance for the dreaded wintery mix. No reports of icy road conditions could be found.
There were a few reports of minor ice and snow to our north in Paris, TX. Those isolated spots were expected to melt before the bulk of morning traffic begins.
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature hovered around the freezing mark most of the night, but by 5 AM the temperature was 33 degrees and slowly climbing.
Stay weather aware if your travels take you north and west. There is always a chance that bridges and overpasses could be icy.
Temperatures well above freezing and a virtually continuous chance for rain are forecast for the next five days.
At 5AM there were zero customers without power reported on the Farmers Electric Outage map.
SSISD Board of Trustees Meet Monday, Will Hear Bond Presentation
January 21, 2024 – The Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees will hold their regular monthly meeting at 6:00pm Monday January 22, 2024 in the board room of the Administration Building located at 631 Connally St. in Sulphur Springs.
The trustees will have a full agenda as they swear in a new police chief, hear a presentation on Academic Performance, as well as have a presentation from the Bond Planning Committee. The Bond Planning Committee has worked diligently over the past several months in investigating the district’s needs as well as devising a plan forward for the school district as it pertains to the age of it’s campuses. The committee has narrowed down the most urgent needs for the district which seems to be to add two new primary campuses as well as upgrade existing campuses to increase the number of students for those older campuses that will be refurbished. If the bond committee adheres to this plan, they could be asking the Board of Trustees to consider a bond package of approximately $150 million.
Ultimately, the final decision lies with the seven member board as to what bond amount should be placed on the upcoming May ballot for voters in the SSISD to consider.
