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.
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.
