Voter Requirements to Vote in Republican Runoff Election
As early voting in the Primary Runoff elections begins Monday, some question who may vote. The question is asked primarily due to two Hopkins County contests, County Treasurer and Commissioner Precinct 2, in the Republican primary that will determine the person who will be elected in November. There will be no challenger on the General Election ballot in November.
According to Donnie Wisenbaker, Chairman of the Hopkins County Republican Party, and the County Clerk’s Office , those eligible to vote in the Republican Primary include a registered voter who did not vote in the Democratic Primary and who did not sign a petition for a Democratic Candidate or any other non-Republican candidate running for office. The Voter will not need proof of voting in the March Republican Primary thanks to technology that tracks the primary in which the voter participated. The technology does not track for which candidate one votes.
Democrats will cast a run-off ballot for state nominees only.
Voting for the Primary Runoff elections in Hopkins County and the State of Texas is May 22. Early voting beings Monday, May 14th and continues through May 18th at the Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Courtroom, 128 Jefferson Street, 8-5 p.m. each day. May 11th is the last day to receive an application for a ballot to be voted by mail.
On Election Day, voting places have been consolidated. Voting on Election Day is Tuesday, May 22nd will be at the Precinct 1, Lutheran Church, 1000 Texas Street; Precinct 2A, Morning Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 2018 Fuller Street; Precinct 3, Courthouse, 118 Church Street; Precinct 4A, League Street Church of Christ, 1100 South League Street; and Precinct 13, Como-Pickton CISD, 13017 Texas Highway 11E, Como.
An election officer may give voting order priority to individuals with a mobility problem that substantially impairs the person’s ability to move around. A person assisting an individual with a mobility problem may also, at the individual’s request, be given voting order priority. Disabilities and conditions that may qualify the voter for voting order priority include paralysis, lung disease, the use of portable oxygen, cardiac deficiency, severe limitation in the ability to walk due to arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, wheelchair confinement, arthritis, foot disorder, the inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, or use of a brace, cane, crutch, or other assistive device. Voters, who wish to be given voting order priority, and be accepted for voting before others in line to vote at that polling place, may indicate this to any election officer serving at the polling place. The presiding election judge will determine whether the voter and the voter’s assistant, if applicable, will be brought forward to the front of the line.
Spring Football Creating Competition; Kickers Perfecting Their Game
After day after day of spring football featuring lots of emotion, Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens same things dragged a little bit Wednesday (May 9), the eighth day of spring workouts. Coach Owens speculated that higher temperature may have been a contributing factor. He said his coaching staff is doing a good job of creating competition this spring with situational stuff like blitzing or third and long setups. Coach Owens said they still got a lot of good stuff done Wednesday but without the emotion of prior practices. He said the Tuesday break for 7 on 7 games was good since it allowed the Wildcats to compete with someone else. He said Gilmer got after the Wildcats varsity in their first game Tuesday but he said he liked the way the Wildcats played better in a second game. Coach Owens said a real positive thing about spring football is extra time the coaching staff has to work with players on technique. With lots of reps for all players, Coach Owens said the Wildcats are able to get all on the players on video so they can be evaluated. He said coaches can tell a player exactly what he needs to work on. Spring football culminates with a spring game, right now tentatively set for Friday, May 18.
While most Wildcats’ football team members go about spring workouts, two Wildcats’ kickers continue to perfect their field goal and extra point kicks. Wildcats Head Soccer Coach and Head Freshman Football Coach Nicky Wiggins knows both kickers very well. They are members of his soccer team and each played one season kicking for the freshman team. Ozial Lopez is a right footed kicker who will be a junior this fall. Hector Hidalgo is left footed and he’ll be a sophomore when school begins in August. Coach Wiggins said both kickers are pretty consistent. He said they don’t have a strong leg like Wildcats kickers have had in the past but he said from around the 30-yard line both were like money in the bank. Coach Wiggins said Lopez was especially good at pooch kicking on kickoffs that Coach Owens loves so much. Coach Owens personally works with the kickoff teams. Coach Wiggins said both kickers caused turnovers with their kickoffs for the freshman team. Coach Wiggins said both players are friends and he added they encourage each other. He expects a good competition. Coach Wiggins said he has not talked with Coach Owens about it yet but he said Coach Owens may find a role on the team for both kickers. Coach Wiggins said Lovejoy utilized both a right footed kicker and left footed kicker on their team we saw in the bi-district playoff game last year.
Hopkins County Deputies, SPCA Seize Approximately 50 Dogs, Find Approximately 50 Dead Dogs in Freezer at Northern Hopkins County Residence
Between 48 and 50 live dogs were found in a house and outbuildings and approximately 50 dead animals including litters, puppies, grown dogs and animal tissue stored in a freezer were found at a residence located just off FM 2285 north of Sulphur Springs in Hopkins County, according to Hopkins County Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford. Animal cruelty charges are being filed Thursday against the home and animal owners. The investigation is ongoing.
Weatherford said that a recent complaint was filed with Hopkins County Animal Control Deputy Kobe Hume and the SPCA of Texas. Thursday morning, Hume and representatives of the SPCA went to the location but were not well received and not given consent to search the property by the home and animal owners. Based on what had been reported and what was seen at the location, Hume and the SPCA sought a search warrant. They returned to the location around noon Thursday, May 10, 2018 and found animals in every room of the house housed in a cruel manner. The dogs had not been allowed to leave the rooms in which they were housed based on the feces and urine on the floor in each room and outbuilding. According to neighbors, few knew any animials were housed at the location.
Law enforcement and SPCA found the animals to be in poor health and having lost hair. Some animals were paralyzed and kept in an inhumane manner in inhumane conditions. The dead dogs in the freezers were stored for what is expected to be gross reasons.
At this time the charges are a misdemeanor but the investigation continues and testing of the dead animals for cause of death is expected to return more evidence that could increase the charges to a felony level, according to law enforcement. Names of the individuals involved have not been released by law enforcement since the charges are currently a misdemeanor. They have been booked into Hopkins County Jail Thursday afternoon.
The live animals were removed from the location and are being housed, fed, and given medical treatment by the SPCA.
Dairy Festival Adds New Event: Whipped Challenge
Hopkins County Dairy Festival has added a new event and welcomes participants to compete as teams. The event, Whipped Challenge, is patterned after Chopped, an American reality-based cooking game show. Four member teams may apply using the form below. Only eight teams will be accepted for the event.
Whipped Challenge: Rules of Play:
- Contest will take place on the front grounds of the Hopkins County Civic Center, 1200 W. Houston, Sulphur Springs, TX on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Check-in begins at the gazebo at 9:30 a.m. Orientation begins at 10:00 a.m., and the contest starts at 10:15 a.m.
- Participation will be limited to the first eight teams (4 members per team). Teams are requested to bring their own knives for chopping and slicing ingredients. After registering, teams will be directed to a food preparation station. There will be a set of ingredients at each station, but no recipe. The ingredients will represent a dish from one of the following: nutritious snack, main dish, dessert
- Preparation: each team will be provided with a set of ingredients reflective of the assigned category, and will create a single dish (not a full meal) using the ingredients.
- Teams are challenged to be creative by developing their own recipe with provided ingredients.
- Team must incorporate each ingredient into the dish. However, teams may determine the exact amount of each ingredient to use.
- Teams will have access to an equipment table and “pantry” of additional ingredients that may be used to compliment or garnish the dish.
- Each dish must contain at least 2 dairy products, provided in the pantry.
Round 1: eight teams will prepare a nutritious snack/appetizer (20 minutes).
Round 2: six teams will prepare a main dish (40 minutes).
Round 3: three remaining teams will prepare a dessert (20 minutes). One team will be named “Whipped” winner. Prizes will be awarded. Note: times include planning, preparation, and plating.
- Note cards may be used to write down the recipe that the team creates.
- Food safety: teams should follow food safety practices since judges will taste dishes.
- Presentation: When time is called, each team will step away from their preparation station and take the completed dish to the judges’ area. The following pertains to team presentations:
- All team members will participate in the presentation.
- A maximum of 3 minutes will be allowed for each team’s presentation.
- Clean-up: Teams will NOT wash pots, cuttings boards, utensils, etc. using the outdoor water faucets. Place dirty cooking equipment and utensils in the trash bags provided. Place hot skillets or pans on table to cool. Discard used paper towels, wrappings, etc. into the trash receptacles. Liquids will be poured into the buckets provided.
Video Update: Dietze, Harper Named Top Grads SSHS Class of 2018
Valedictorian Peyton Dietze (left), Principal Derek Driver (center), Salutatorian Sarah Harper (right)
Thursday morning, May 10, 2018, Sulphur Springs High School Principal Derek Driver introduced the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the Class of 2018. Peyton Dietze, with a 4.28 Grade Point Average (GPA), was named Valedictorian and Sarah Harper, with a 4.25 GPA, was named Salutatorian.
Dietze (l) Harper (r)
Peyton, daughter of Jason and Jill Dietze, will attend Baylor University and major in Accounting. She has served as Class President her Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years. She is a two year member of National Honor Society and served as President this year. She is President of the SSHS Key Club and has been a member for four years. She is Secretary of the National Technical Honor Society and a two year member. She has cheered for four years as a member of the Freshman quad, Captain of the Junior Varsity, and Co-Captain of the Varsity squad. A FCCLA member for three years, she was a Rotary Youth Leadership Award s Camper her junior year. Peyton is a member of the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce High School Leadership Class, Heart’s Queen Nominee her junior and senior year, and a Senior nominee for Most Thoughtful, Most Friendly, Most Likely to Succeed, and Prom Queen.
Sarah, daughter of Nathan and Liz Crouch and Jaime and Amy Harper, will attend Austin College and continue her education pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Her University Interscholastic League honors include: One Act Play, All-Star Cast district, bi-district, and Honorable Mention Area; Prose, fourth place in district, sixth place in region; Spelling, individual second place in District and advancing to State as a spelling team member. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Chamber of Commerce High School Leadership Class, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Theatre Club, Key Club, and Officer of the International Thespian Society.
Meal a Day Gets Generous Donation From Burgers And Fries Customers
Burgers and Fries made another Wonderful $ 2,000.00 donation to the
Meal A Day Program. A HUGE Thank You to all of their thoughtful employees and generous customers who throw tips in the donation jar when they pick up their food.
Shown in Photo :
Christina Thomas, Tammy Lawson, Karon Weatherman and Crystal Sims
Summer Fan Drive for Sr. Citizens Gets Started Early…Needs Your Help!
Sulphur Springs Corvette Club members helped gather fans for the 2017 Summer Fan Drive. Members are already at work to meet the 2018 goal. Will you join them?
Karon Weatherman, Director of the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizen’s Center, e-mailed: “It is starting to really heat up outside and I have had a few calls from Seniors who need a fan to help keep them cool this Summer. I am starting the Summer Fan Drive on June 11th and will continue it until June 22nd. If you would like to Donate a NEW Box Fan or a NEW Oscillating Fan to the Seniors in Hopkins County just bring them in to the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center located at 150 Martin Luther King Blvd.
I would like to get at least 100 Fans to donate this year. If you don’t want to go shop for a Fan and would just like to donate some cash then we can go purchase the fans for you. Some of the retailers will give us a break in the cost of the fans if we buy a lot of them at one time. I will be Partnering Up with the Corvette Club for the 3rd time. They are a wonderful group of people who care about their Community and the People who live in it.”
Atmos Plans Routine Pipeline Maintenance
COMO, Texas (May 10, 2018) – Atmos Energy crews and contractors will oversee a controlled release of natural gas on May 14, 2018, between 7 a.m. and noon. Work will occur in the area of Crush Junction on Hopkins Co Road 2319 and in the area of CR 2329 southwest of the Town of Como. Contractors will be working on a section of natural gas pipeline in the area as part of normal, routine maintenance.
The controlled release of natural gas from the pipeline allows crews to work on the pipeline safely. People in the area may smell natural gas and hear moderate noise during the process. Atmos Energy employees will be on-site to monitor the process as natural gas is vented into the atmosphere.
Atmos Energy customers will not be affected while the maintenance work is being performed. Como city officials, police department, fire department and Hopkins County 911 operators were advised of the controlled release prior to work beginning on May 14, 2018.
Hearts of Life Animal Rescue Presents Heidi for Adoption
Heidi is still faithfully waiting for a family to call her own. Heidi is approximately 3 years old. She is great with children and other dogs. Her favorite thing is play time with her best friend Peggy Sue (who is also available for adoption). Heidi is very affectionate and is great on a leash! Her adoption fee is $100.00 which includes all previous vetting, shots, spay and rabies. Please contact Hearts of Life Animal Rescue to meet this sweet girl!
Call 903-439-5019, email [email protected], www.facebook.com/heartsoflife or find us on Petfinder.com!
TxDOT Urges Motorists To Be Alert Due to Ongoing Construction, Repair
With ongoing construction and repair work along I-30 between Sulphur Springs and Rockwall, the Texas Department of Transporttion urges safety and alert driving as motorists drive through work zones.
They urge caution in the continuing project at I-30 and FM 2642, near Royse City High School
Ongoing construction makes the intersection of I-30 and FM2642 in Hunt Co. a busy place. Drive safely and stay alert as you pass by or through on your way to your destination.
