Local Man Arrested on Warrants and Possession
When Sulphur Springs Police stopped Kerry Olin Kirkpatrick, 56, of Sulphur Springs, for failing to stop at a designated location, Kirkpatrick was identified and found wanted on Gregg and Kaufman County warrants. Also in his possession was contraband believed to be methamphetamine.
Kirkpatrick is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams, bond forfeiture Fraud Use/Possession Identifying Information, Accident Involving Damage (Gregg Co.) and Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram (Kaufman Co.).
Local Woman Arrested for Abandon/Endanger a Child Due to Methamphetamine Investigation
August 29, 2018 – Child Protective Services began an investigation after Jessica Elizabeth Bender, 27 of Sulphur Springs and her year old child tested positive for methamphetamine. Special Crimes Unit was contacted and began an investigation as well. SCU obtained an arrest warrant for Bender.
Bender is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Abandon/Endanger a Child, a state jail felony. She is being held on a $25,000 bond.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Lady Cats Lose to Paris
If Lady Cats’ volleyball against Paris Tuesday in Wildcat Gym were movies it would have been a triple feature horror film. Also all three films would have looked the same.
It started as the Lady Cats’ freshman team lost to Paris frosh, 2-1. The Lady Cats won the first set easily, 25-9 and then endured frustration as Paris won sets two and three, 25-22 and 25-22. The battle of freshmen teams matched two teams that had only lost one match all season.
The second feature was eerily similar as the Lady Cats’ JV won the first set, 25-19 but then dropped sets two and three, 25-21 and 25-20.
The third film featured more of the same. The Lady Cats’ varsity, 20-4 for the season and ranked #13 in the state, won their first set against Paris, 25-21 and then lost three straight sets, 25-21, 25-21 and 25-18. The Paris teams the Lady Cats lost to were quite good.
The Paris’ varsity is ranked #15 in the state in one poll according to Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Justin Maness. After the final match, Coach Maness had a hoarse voice because of his encouraging his team to play better. He said the Lady Cats varsity played flat while Paris played lights out. Coach Maness said a team is going to have nights like that when they can’t get into a rhythm.
In stats for the Lady Cats, Madi Vickery had a team high 14 kills, Autumn Tanton had 11, Abbi Baier had 7, Sadie Washburn 6, Sydney Washburn 5 and Lexi Whisenhunt 1. Whisenhunt had 39 assists. Tanton had 2 service aces and Sadie Washburn had 1. Sadie Stroud had 19 digs, Tanton had 14, Baier had 10, Whisenhunt had 6, Maddie Millsap, Sydney Washburn and Taylor McElfresh had 4 each, Sadie Washburn had 3 digs and Vickery had 1. Whisenhunt had a block solo and Sydney Washburn and Whisenhunt had 2 block assists. Tanton, Baier and Vickery had 1 block assist apiece.
The Lady Cats are now 20-5 for the season. They look to rebound against Liberty-Eylau on the road Friday at 4:30 p.m.
John and Deborah Gillis Foundation to Provide Scholarships for Students and Grants for Hopkins County School Districts
John and Deborah Gillis announced today the largest private educational initiative ever undertaken in Hopkins County with the formation of the John and Deborah Gillis Foundation which will provide scholarships for students and grants for school districts.
The John and Deborah Gillis Foundation will provide 10 annual Bright Stars Scholarships to seniors graduating from any of the seven high schools in Hopkins County, beginning in Spring 2019. The scholarships will be in the amount of $4,000 per semester, renewable for up to eight semesters — making it the largest single scholarship program in the county.
In addition, a total of $100,000 in grants over a three-year period will be awarded annually to qualifying schools to support instructional programs, staff development and other initiatives that align with the foundation’s mission.
The foundation, which was unveiled Tuesday at a luncheon at Sulphur Springs Country Club, was developed and supported by the Sulphur Springs couple and will be managed by former teacher and educational consultant Robin Shrode. All three are Sulphur Springs High School graduates.
Gillis, who is Chairman/CEO of Gillis Holdings, Inc., is a fifth-generation Hopkins County native. The couple, who married in 1985, have one son and one granddaughter. John and Debbie are both graduates of East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce).
“After almost 160 years of family farming and business interest in Hopkins County, I am compelled to give back to the community that has given us so much,” he said. “Education is the future of any society and we believe that is the best place to start.”
The 10 annual scholarships will be aimed at students who are economically disadvantaged and who may be first-generation college students.
Mrs. Gillis said the couple had been discussing the formation of a foundation for at least a decade.
“We felt like we needed to give back, and education would be a great place to give back to the community,” she explained. “Especially in the rural communities, the access to scholarships might not be as accessible as it is in larger cities.
“We’ve been blessed and we’d like to bless others in return.”
She said it all came together when they united with Shrode, who is the co-founder and former owner of The American Alliance for Innovative Systems, an educational consulting firm.
“It’s been a perfect blending of minds with Robin coming aboard and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” Mrs. Gillis said. “We had been talking about this for 10 years, but it wasn’t until Robin got involved that we knew what steps to take to get this off the ground.”
For all three, it is the prospect of changing the lives of local students that makes it all worthwhile.
“I am so very excited to serve as the Executive Director of the John and Deborah Gillis Foundation and to be a part of something that will exponentionally change the lives generationally for Hopkins County families!” said Shrode. “As a former educator I am still in a position to support what I truly believe to be the backbone of any society and that is an education system that prepares ALL students for life as adults. The John and Deborah Gillis Foundation supports students who need financial support to go on to post-secondary learning institutions beyond high school while supporting schools in ensuring all their graduates are college and career ready! And that process begins in Pre-K and continues all the way through 12th grade.”
School campuses and students from the seven districts in Hopkins County which are eligible for the Bright Star Scholarships and Grants to Schools program include Cumby, Como-Pickton, Miller Grove, North Hopkins, Saltillo, Sulphur Bluff and Sulphur Springs.
The first Grants to Schools will be issued in February 2019, while the deadline for the Bright Star Scholarships is March 30, 2019.
Information regarding the process of applying for the Grants to Schools and Bright Star Scholarship programs are on the foundation’s website: www.jdgillisfoundation.org
The foundation will consistently work closely with Hopkins County school districts to ensure a strong alignment between their own educational goals and the foundation’s mission and goals of college and career readiness. The grant funding’s intentions are ultimately to increase Hopkins County graduates’ chances of competing in a global society for college entrances of their choice and competitive career opportunities.
Saltillo Cross Country Finished Sixth at Tiger Invitational
The Saltillo Lions’ cross country team finished in sixth place at the Commerce Tiger Invitational on Saturday (August 25) at Commerce High School.
The Lions were led by Garrett Tarver who finished in fifth place in the 5K run with a time of 18:11. Dillon Beadle was twelfth at 18:50. Matt Gurley was thiry-fifth with a time of 21 minutes. Andrew Welburn was fifty-third clocked at 22:31. Ben Moore finished sixty-second with a time of 23-minutes flat.
Lions Cross Country Coach Bill Giles said his team needed to improve a bunch by the time the regional race gets here. He added the Lions were missing their #3 runner for this meet. Coach Giles said the Lions only had two runners back from last year’s team. He said he believed the Lions would eventually get where they needed to be.
Game Day: Lady Cat Volleyball Hosts Paris
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team returns to the home court against Paris on this Tuesday (August 28) game day.
The Lady Cats have played a lot of volleyball since they hosted Forney at Wildcat Gym last Tuesday. Since then the Lady Cats won five of six games in the Tyler ISD Volleyball Tournament played Thursday and Saturday. The Lady Cats captured the championship of the Bronze Bracket defeating Tyler All Saints Episcopal School Saturday, 2-0. The Lady Cats also stayed busy last Friday night winning at Caddo Mills, 2-0.
The Lady Cats are 20-4 for the season and they are currently ranked #13 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association poll.
Tuesday, there will be a freshman contest at 4:30 p.m., a JV match at 5:30 p.m. and then the varsity game at 6:30 p.m. We will bring you the varsity Lady Cats match against Paris beginning at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. We will also videotape the match to replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
PJC-Sulphur Springs Hosts Blood Drive Tuesday
Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Memory of Senator John McCain
President Donald Trump has ordered all U S Flags to be flow at half-staff in memory of Senator John McCain. In his order, the President stated:
“As a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding service of Senator John Sidney McCain III, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half‑staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”
“Fruit of the Spirit” Awards Banquet Will Feature Cowboys Hall of Fame Everson Walls
Based on a sincere desire to honor God’s work in the community, the Fruit of the Spirit Awards was created in 2016 by C.J. Duffey, founder and pastor of Colorblind Ministries. This year’s third-annual event returns to the Sulphur Springs High School Cafeteria and will feature a banquet-style meal, awards ceremony and an address by special guest speaker Everson Walls, former Dallas Cowboys Superbowl Champion and Hall of Famer. Walls will also conduct an autograph session for his book “A Gift for Ron: Friendship and Sacrifice On and Off the Gridiron”. The event is Saturday September 15, 2018 at 3pm. Tickets are $25 each.
In addition to his church ministry, Pastor Duffey also serves as Chaplain for Legacy Hospice in Sulphur Springs. His deep involvement in the community makes him aware of the numerous ways that individuals are serving on the basis of love, and that inspired him to find a way to honor God by recognizing his servants. This year’s Fruit of the Spirit Award will go to nine local individuals. The selection of the guest speaker is also a story of service and sacrifice by an individual. Everson Walls donated a kidney to his friend and former teammate Ron Springs, and although Springs passed away from the ravages of diabetes, Walls continues to support the benefits of organ donation today through his book and public appearances.
Tickets to the banquet are $25 each, available at SSHS, Colorblind Mininstries at 210 Black Oak Road in Como, Good News Christian Bookstore inside the VF Outlet, and Legacy Hospice at 301 Gilmer Street in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Seating is limimted to 400.
