Chamber Connection November 8, 2018
I’m excited to let you know that we have begun work on the 2019 Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Directory. We distribute over 7,000 of these directories to visitors, relocation hopefuls, and even home town heroes who are interested in learning more about our local businesses. They include historical information as well all things to the see and do in Hopkins County. The best part is, they include an alphabetical and categorical listing of your business. LeeAnn Peugh, with Echo Publishing, will be contacting you in the next few weeks to see if you are interested in placing an ad in the directory. The rates are affordable, and one of the best ways to represent your business. I hope you will consider this a wise investment with over 7,000 opportunities for business exposure. You may also contact the Chamber, and I will pass your information along to her. I’m proud to produce this book telling all about the place we love. I hope you will join me in the journey!
Here’s another HUGE announcement from the Chamber! Our Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce has joined in with the Longview Chamber to offer small businesses health insurance through United Healthcare. It is called HealthyVIEW and is only offered to small businesses, 2-50 employees, who are members of our Chamber. This is a huge milestone for our Chamber to offer, and an extremely needed benefit for many. For additional information, contact Lezley Brown at the Chamber, (903) 885-6515. We are thrilled to be able to offer this invaluable asset to our Chamber members!
Danna’s Buffalo Girls’ Flea Market & Swap on November 8-10
Danna’s Buffalo Girls’ will be having a Flea Market & Swap event November 8, 9, and 10 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. Vendors are wanted as well as shoppers and “junque” lovers who are ready to shop, swap, and eat. Early shopping will be held on Thursday November 8th from 4:00 to 8:00. The entry fee on Friday and Saturday is $5. Visit www.dannasfleamarketstyle.com or call 903-439-7091 for more information.
Veterans Day Parade scheduled for November 10th
A Veterans Day Parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 10th in Sulphur Springs to honor those who have served us. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., the parade will begin at Buford Park and go through the downtown square and back to the park. Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits will be for sale for $3 as well! All of those proceeds will benefit Community Seeds. Please call Jason at either (903) 634-5673 or (972) 750-1966.
Third annual Salute the Veterans Cook-off
The third annual Salute the Veterans Cook-off on will be held on Saturday, November 10th starting at 8 a.m. at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center located at 1200 Houston Street in Sulphur Springs. All-you-can-eat BBQ begins at 1:00 p.m.Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids under 12, and free for veterans and children under 6. Proceeds will benefit Operation Victor Echo Tango.
Wesley Methodist Church Fall Round-up
Wesley United Methodist Church is hosting their 40thAnnual Fall Round Up on Saturday, November 17th from 4:30 p.m. to 8p.m. There will be Hopkins County Stew,a silent auction, country store, and a live auction. Tickets are $6 for adults, and $3 for children. Visit www.wesleysst.org/fallroundup for more information.
Hunt Regional is offering Mobile Mammography Coach in Sulphur Springs
Hunt Regional Hospital is offering the Tubby Adkisson Memorial Mobile Mammography Coach on November 15th in the Spring Village Shopping Center in Sulphur Springs. All insurances accepted at Hunt Regional are also accepted for the Mobile Mammography Coach, including Medicare and Medicaid. To schedule individual screening mammograms,please call (903) 408-5010. Appointments and pre-registration are requested.
Sulphur Springs Youth Orchestra hosts winter concert
The Sulphur Springs Youth Orchestra is hosting a free concert called A Winter Classical on Thursday, December 6th, at Shannon Oaks Church in Sulphur Springs. For additional information, call (903)261-7907 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SSY017/.
Heritage Park will host Christmas in the Park on Saturday, November 24th
The Hopkins County Historical Society presents Christmas in the Park on Saturday, November 24, and Saturday, December 1, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $3.00, and children under seven are free. Visit with Santa, see the light displays, listen to live music, enjoy hot cocoa, old-fashioned cider, coffee and cookies, and begin your Christmas shopping in the Country Store.
CASA hosts their annual Cookie Walk
CASA is hosting their annual Cookie Walk on Friday, December 7th, from 9 a.m. to noon at First United Methodist Church Family Life Center. Cookies are sold for $5.00 a pound. Go by there and load up on Christmas cookies while supporting our local CASA!
Lion’s Club will host the 11th Annual Christmas Parade on Friday, December 7th
The Lion’s Club is hosting the 11th Annual Christmas Parade Friday, December 7th at 7 p.m. The parade begins at Buford Park and goes East on Connally Street to the square, turns left onto Church Street, and left on Houston Street to end in the Gerald Prim Stadium parking lot. You may pick up registration forms and rules at the Chamber of Commerce. The entry fee is one toy, to be donated to the Blue Santa Program. Charitable cash donations also accepted, and checks should be made payable to the Sulphur Springs Lions Club. Registration forms must be received by noon on Tuesday, December 4.
Expert Witnesses Take Stand in Crum Murder Trial
by Kerry Craig
Testimony in the Aaron Crum murder trial in Hopkins County’s 8th District Court continued Wednesday with Jessica Horton the sister of murder victim Joshua Paul Cowling on the witness stand.
Horton was at the after hours party when her brother was killed and called 911 to report the shooting and told the court that Crum administered CPR to her brother. She said he also told her he was “in fear for my life.”
In cross examination by defense attorney Martin Braddy the woman answered a number of questions regarding the call for emergency help and agreed that Crum administered CPR for more than five minutes.
District Attorney Will Ramsay then called Texas Ranger John Vance to the stand as an expert in blood spatters. The state presented more than 100 crime scene photos taken by the Ranger and Vance explained spatter patterns and described the method used in making the pictures.
On cross examination Braddy grilled Vance about the blood spatters and what each pattern represented.
Several times during the cross examination District Judge Eddie Northcutt called the attorneys to the bench for a conference about the questioning and the jury was excused two times for testimony to be presented before the judge to determine if the jury could hear the testimony.
Stacey Phetteplace, a ballistics scientist from Texas Department of Public Safety, was then called to the stand to identify the weapon, a 9mm Glock pistol, as the one used in the death of Joshua Cowling. The scientist said she could not match the bullet that caused the death with the pistol because the bullet was too badly damaged. She did however match the spent shell casing with the weapon.
The next scheduled witness to be called by Ramsay was the medical examiner that performed the autopsy on Cowling.
Testimony is expected to continue through the remainder of the week.
Aaron Tyler Crum, if convicted of first-degree murder could face a sentence of between five years to 99 years or life in prison.
Wildcats Coach Owens Talks Falcons, Playoffs, and More
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens talked about the Wildcats, the North Forney Falcons, the playoff possibilities and more at his weekly media gathering Wednesday morning (November 7).
Coach Owens said he has changed the practice routine for the Wildcats. They are now working at The Prim on Mondays without pads on. He said they install the game plan, review things and do special teams work. On Tuesday he said the Wildcats have a regular workout in pads. Coach Owens said Wednesdays now feature reduced work in pads. He said coaches are working to fix issues that have cropped up during the season. Coach Owens said at this point of the season, he and his coaches are more concerned with the Wildcats than their opposition. He said they are working to figure out what the Wildcats can do and they are working to get players to do it better.
Coach Owens said some recent offensive struggles have been frustrating. He said despite frustration last Friday (November 2), he saw no one panic. Coach Owens said turnovers can kill you. He stressed that the Wildcats have continued to play with great effort. Looking at the big picture, Coach Owens said the Wildcats will be either a #2 or #3 seed in the playoffs. They are currently third. They are tied with Kaufman in second place but the Lions have the tiebreaker with their head to head win last week. A Wildcat win and a Kaufman loss at home to Forney on Friday (November 9) would move the Wildcats back into the second seed. Seeds #1 and #2 host bi-district games while seeds #3 and #4 travel. Likely bi-district foes for the Wildcats are Lovejoy or Frisco.
Coach Owens said a win Friday is important for the Wildcats to build confidence. He said confidence is everything in sports adding it allows ability to take over. Concerning Friday opponent North Forney, Coach Owens said defensively they are good and physical up front. He said they would junk it up giving different looks. Coach Owens said he is very impressed with defensive end Galen Brown, a senior. He said Brown can also shift into a linebacker role. Coach Owens said the Wildcats would always need to know where Brown is on every play. He said the Falcons run around and make plays. Coach Owens said the Falcons have struggled on offense due to injuries. Their starting quarterback, Jaylin Smith, started six games before suffering a shoulder injury. He is still contributing as a wide receiver. Their current quarterback is sophomore Akanimo Asuquo. Coach Owens said the sophomore is not a DI athlete but is doing a great job of managing the game. He said Asuquo runs enough to keep the defense honest and he throws well. Coach Owens said the Falcons have a huge offensive line that likes to tie up defensive linemen. He said the Falcons like an up tempo approach to offense. The best Falcon running back is Jacob Soto, a junior. For Coach Owens keys to the game are for the offense to protect the football and get into a rhythm. He said the defensive line must not get tied up by the Falcons offensive line and he added the defense needs to tackle well.
The Falcons Head Coach is Randy Jackson, in his second year at North Forney.
Longview Scrimmage Prepares Wildcats for Season Opener Saturday in Cowtown Showdown
Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta said he saw a lot of good but also a lot of things that need working on at his team’s second and final scrimmage at Longview on Tuesday (November 6). He said the Wildcats were up and down during the scrimmage. Coach Cipoletta said the Wildcats came out flat without much energy. He said technically the Wildcats may have won the scrimmage by one point but he added the score was not kept.
Coach Cipoletta said the emphasis was more on situational stuff that allowed players to get some minutes on the floor. He said the Lobos run what he called a funky zone that the Wildcats might not see but a time or two this season. Coach Cipoletta said Longview did a good job making things difficult on the Wildcats’ offense and he added the Lobos also did a good job on offense.
He said he was impressed with the play of tall post Xavier Cork. Coach Cipoletta said Longview had a big kid who was athletic and who could jump and he said Cork held his own in the match up. He said guard Jeremiah Roland provided some huge minutes. He said Day Day Hall got some big rebounds and Keaston Willis hit some shots early. Coach Cipoletta also credited some players with providing some energy off the bench.
When asked if Coach Cipoletta and the Wildcats were ready to open the regular season Saturday, he said they were not but he said they would be ready by Saturday. The Wildcats open against Plano East at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Cowtown Showdown at Crowley High School (not at North Crowley). He said the Wildcats JV will play in the same gym at 2 p.m.
Lady Lions Open Season With Loss to Lone Oak
The Saltillo Lady Lions opened their basketball season with a road loss at Lone Oak, 50-45 Tuesday (November 6).
The Lady Lions were led by Brittney Peeples who scored 11 points. Anna Reeder score 9, Maddy Smith, Chandler Bain and Jocelyn Ochoa all had 7 points. Paisley Kastner scored 4. The Lady Lions, 0-1 for the season have their home opener against Como-Pickton Saturday (November 10) at 6:30 p.m.
Colton Smith is the Lady Lions Head Basketball Coach. The Lady Lions JV downed Lone Oak, 18-13 in their first game of the season Tuesday at Lone Oak.
NE Tx Choral Society Asks For Assistance in Purchasing New Risers for Concerts
Every first weekend in December and May, the North East Texas Choral Society, which consists of over 100 volunteer singers, presents a seasonal concert for Hopkins County and the surrounding communities. Each performance requires set up and break down of multiple heavy 8’x 10′ platform risers plus chairs for the singers. Members work diligently before and after each concert to complete this laborious task. You can see from the pictures provided the difference between our current heavy and bulky risers compared to new seated risers made for a choir our size.
The current heavy pine risers are over 20 years old and therefore, we need your monetary support to purchase new seated risers. The new risers will insure not only a more accommodating set up, but will provide a safe environment for singers. The $35,000 expense cannot be covered in our current annual budget due to rising production costs and maintenance of our charitable non-profit organization. Already, some donations have come in from the public, leaving a balance of about $10,000 still needed.
If you would like to help, you can donate in a few different ways. Choral Society members can accept checks from friends in the community. Please make your check payable to the NETCS marked “Risers” in the memo. The Choral Society can accept donations through PayPal at [email protected]. And you can mail a donation to NETCS, P.O. Box 66, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75483. We can be reached by email at netchoral.org. Click here to visit the fund raising site. There is an 8.1% fee associated with each donation, so we encourage straight donations with “Risers” noted on your check.
As of November 7, 2018, funds are still about $10,000 short. Please help by donating to this worth-while project and help us with a successful campaign which will allow purchase of new risers for NETCS!
PJC Homecoming Schedule, King and Queen Nominees Announced
HOMECOMING NOMINEES
The 2018 nominees for Paris Junior College Homecoming King and Queen are, from left, Cannon Davis, Julio Jimenez, John Altman, Jaida Muhammad, Kamryn Wimberly, and Katie Cullum. Crowning of the King and Queen will take place at halftime of the men’s basketball game Saturday evening.
“PJC through the Decades” is the theme for the 94th annual Homecoming festivities at Paris Junior College that will begin Thursday and continue through Saturday.
Homecoming is a special time for current students and alumni and friends to recognize the historical value the institution has contributed to their success. King and Queen nominees include John Altman of College Station, Katie Cullum of Lufkin, Cannon Davis of College Station, Julio Jimenez of Brownsville, Jaida Muhammad of Edinburg, and Kamryn Wimberly of Sulphur Springs.
Activities begin on Thursday with the Student Government Association sponsored parade at 4 p.m. Floats and decorated vehicles will line up along South Collegiate Drive and proceed up Clarksville Street to 12th Street S.E., over to Lamar Avenue, around the downtown plaza and back to the College. Immediately following the parade, a pep rally will be held in the Hunt Center.
Friday will be headlined with the President’s Reception hosted by Dr. Pamela Anglin from 5:30 until 7 p.m. in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom. Alumni, friends, retired and current faculty have the opportunity to enjoy time while reliving PJC memories.
The weekend celebration continues on Saturday with the Distinguished Alumni and Academic Hall of Honor Luncheon at Love Civic Center at 11:30 a.m. Honorees include Dr. W. Robert Houston, Distinguished Alumnus, and Academic Hall of Honor Class of 2018, James A. ‘Jim’ Wade, Sheila Coursey, James Rodgers and Judy Hodgkiss.
Tickets for the luncheon are $20 and may be purchased through the office of Institutional Advancement/Alumni Affairs, 903-782-0276.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Hosts Basic County Corrections Course
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is the site host for Basic County Corrections Course. The class, which is taught through the Kilgore College East Texas Police Academy, covers a wide range of topics that jailers encounter daily. Wednesday, November 7, 2018 was the final day of class room training. Students will be attempting the state test for their jailor license Friday.
Bright Star Christian School Band Earns Honors at All-Region Jr. High Region 4
According to Bright Star Band Department’s Richard Shanks and Jeff Smith, four members of the Bright Star Christian School Band earned positions in the Jr. High All-Region Honor Band by competing in try-outs at Pine Tree Junior High School on November 3, 2018.
Adam Arnecke was awarded 5th Chair trumpet in the All-Region Concert Band. Stanford Lewis was rated 34th among 55 trumpets in the tryouts. Mika Petty was awarded 4th Chair out of 40 alto saxaphones competing. And Riley Choate won 22nd Chair in the Concert Band on the Bb clarinet.
Mika, Adam and Riley will be presented in concert on December 8, 2018 in Paris, Texas.
All the students participating in the tryouts are to be congratulated.
