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.
Attend ‘Hopkins County Reads’ True Grit Library Program on November 13
‘Hopkins County Reads’ is a year-long community-wide reading experience. It began this month at the Sulphur Springs Public Library. Librarian Hope Cain says “a community-wide read is most successful if there is lots of participation. It’s as easy as talking to your friends, family and neighbors about the book True Grit and about the local public library. Our library staff loves to hear about your community experiences, so be sure to share your experiences with ‘Hopkins County Reads’ next time you’re in the library”.
To publicize the community read, speaker Ken Hanushek will present an interesting program on Tuesday November 12, 2018 at the library at 10:30 am. He will cover the setting of the story, 1875-1890 near Fort Smith, Arkansas and Oklahoma’s Indian Territory. The program is free and will feature a ‘Hopkins County Reads’ table with giveaway books that you can share with family and friends..
A major part of the year-long program is reading the 1968 novel “True Grit” by Charles Portis, viewing the 1968 movie starring John Wayne and Glen Campbell as well as the 2010 motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. In fact, the library staged a public showing of the 2010 movie downtown on November 3, 2018. A repeat performance may take place in 2019. Additionally, the library is circulating copies of True Grit to businesses and offices for people to pick up and read. Or you can get a copy at the public library, 611 North Davis Street.
City Council Approves First Reading of Street Maintenance Fees, Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Expansion
In a unanimous vote the Sulphur Springs City Council passed on first reading an ordinance regarding street maintenance fees. A monthly fee of $5 will be added to the single family residential water bill and $3.75 for multifamily, which will generate $467,000 for street improvements during the first year. The council also approved the first reading of an ordinance that will expand the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction to include all of the Luminant mine property only.
The street maintenance fee, if approved on second reading, will double the number of streets in street improvement program (old summer paving program) for this next year. Nine additional streets added to the 7 already approved. Streets that are being added to the list for improvements include: Peach, Putman, Ashcroft, Brewer, Carter, Cedar Springs, CMH Road, Graham, and Hodge.
The first reading of the ordinance expanding the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction will incorporate the remainder of the mine property that is being given to the City of Sulphur Springs. According to City Manager Marc Maxwell, most of the mine is already included in the EJ. No other property is included in the ordinance.
A minimum bid 150,000 had been set for the sealed bid sale of city owned property located at County Road 4738 in Hopkins County. The proceeds from the sale will be used in improvements at Pacific Park. Only one bid, for $170,777, was received. The property sale was approved. The purchaser is the next door neighbor to the property.
A Tax Abatement/Rebate Policy was table as the council seeks more information. The new policy proposed by the Economic Development Corporation calls for a new type of abatement that will require all paperwork and employment numbers submitted on an annual basis before any tax rebate is made to an industry. The rebates would be less generous than the current abatement process. The items will be on the December agenda.
Local Man Arrested on Delta County Warrant Has Meth in His Possession
When Mario Tremaine Small, 32, of Sulphur Springs, was stopped for failure to signal a turn in the proper distance, he advised the Sulphur Springs Police Officer that he had a glass methamphetamine pipe inside the vehicle. It was found that he also had a warrant for his arrest out of Delta County. During a search of it was found Small also had a baggy containing crystal like substance thought to be meth.
Small is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, less than 1-gram. He is also held on the Delta County warrant for Possession of Dangerous Drug.
City Manager’s Report to Council November 6, 2018
CROSSTOWN TRAIL – The flashing lights for the Main Street crossing have been installed and are now operational. The capital construction division installed 596 linear feet of sidewalk divided among Coleman Dam, Peavine Pinion Pond and the high school. SUNSET STREET – We opened bids for materials for this project on October 24th. Of the 5 bid packets, we only had successful bids on 2 of them. We will have to rebid the remaining 3.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT Phase 2 is well under way. Construction of the first aeration basin continues to progress on schedule. The second aeration basin will be constructed next. Once these basins are operational, the existing basins will be taken offline and they will be refitted with diffused aerationjust like basins 1 & 2. Once all of this is completed our aeration capacity will be greatly enhanced. This is the heart of our wastewater treatment process. CONNALLY STREET – Work on Connally Street will begin soon. The first phase will be new sewer mains. CLAIMS – We had two minor workers compensation claims in November. We did not receive any liability claims.
EXPENDITURES – Finance Director Lesa Smith will give a year-to-date report of revenues and expenditures. Elsewhere around the city, employees: Patched 82 potholes. Made 19 street repairs following utility repairs. . Replaced various stop signs. . Installed school zone lights on Houston Street at the high school. . Changed out the flower beds downtown. . Finished cleaning up after the Cantex project. Hosted 45 softball teams for a Texas A&M Commerce showcase tournament. Prepared Buford Park for the Hopkins County Stew Cook-off. . Mowed acres and acres of parks, athletic fields, airports, dams, etc. Checked out 3,268 items from the library. Sold 1,710 gallons of AvGas and 8,438 gallons of JetA fuel. Installed video cameras at the airport. Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids count of 1. 32 mg/L. Repaired 18 water mains. Replaced 12 water meters. Unstopped 14 sewer mains. Repaired 8 sewer mains. Treated 141 million gallons of potable water. Responded to 169 fire/rescue calls including 2 structure fires and a vehicle fire. Performed preventative maintenance on 70 fire hydrants. Performed 52 fire inspections and reviewed 52 pre-fire plans. Responded to 222 animal control calls while achieving a 37% adoption rate. Made 4 felony arrests in the special crimes unit. Made 94 arrests on the Patrol Division, wrote 546 citations, recorded 71 offenses and responded to 41 accidents. Conducted 66 building inspections, 42 electrical inspections, 27 plumbing inspections, 13 mechanical inspections and issued 22 building permits.
North Hopkins ISD Now Former Employee Arrested for Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student
In a press release from the office of North Hopkins ISD Superintendent Darin Jolly the district announced that a now former employee has been arrested for “commuicating with a student through electronic media in violation of NHISD policies and regulations. The district instituted an investigation with both Child Protective Services and the Hopkins County Sheriff’s office into allegations regarding Ms. Janie Perez, 30. Perez was arrested for Improper Relationship between Educator and Student. She was booked into Hopkins County Jail and bond set at $20,000.
The press release states:
“Late in the afternoon of Friday, November 2, 2018, the District received a report that a North Hopkins ISD employee had been observed communicating with a student through electronic media in violation of NHISD policies and regulations. The North Hopkins ISD immediately instituted an investigation into the allegations that very evening. Due to the nature of some information that was brought to their attention, the NHISD administrators reported the alleged behavior to both Child Protective Services and the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. The NHISD administration then met with the accused employee on Sunday, November 4, 2018, notified her of the investigation and the allegations and concerns that had been brought forth, and also notified her that she was being placed on suspension without pay. The employee submitted her resignation, instead.
“The District has now been notified that the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation and, based on that investigation, has arrested the now-former employee, Ms. Janie Perez. It is NHISD’s understanding that Ms. Perez has been charged with Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student. NHISD is deeply troubled by this situation. The safety and well-being of NHISD students is, and always will be, our primary concern.
We commend the observant individual who made the initial report to NHISD administrators. We also commend the NHISD administrators for investigating the matter without delay and for notifying the appropriate authorities of the allegations that had been made. And, of course, we are grateful for the diligence and professionalism of the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and its commitment to the protection of NHISD students. Rest assured that NHISD will continue to work closely with the Sheriff’s Office and all other agencies involved in this investigation.”
Significant Weather Advisory Until 3 a.m. Wednesday
At 158 AM CST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7 miles northwest of Cooper, or 13 miles north of Commerce, moving east
at 30 mph. Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include… Cooper, Deport, Cooper Lake Park Doctors Creek,Cooper Lake Park South Sulphur, Tira and Pecan Gap.
