Complete Video Presentation: Chamber of Commerce City Council Candidate Forum
In one hour and 17 minutes, five candidates for three places on the Sulphur Springs City Council presented opening and closing statements and answered submitted questions regarding their individual view of the past, present, and future of the city during a Thursday night, April 19, 2018, candidates forum sponsored by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce at the Sulphur Springs Middle School.
Place 1 candidates, challenger Erica Armstrong and incumbent Craig Johnson, along with Candidates Place 2 Sara Gibson and Jimmy Lucas and Place 3 incumbent Oscar Aguilar answered questions regarding budget, police and fire, future development for the city, and other subjects of city interest.
Absent from the forum were Place 1 candidate Justin Davidson and Place 3 candidate Norman Sanders. A letter from Sanders was read by forum moderator Chris Brown, Executive Director of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments and husband of Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Director Lezley Brown. Sanders was not present but was with his wife, who had surgery Thursday. In the letter Sanders did not speak to any city issues but did state his reason for not attending. Davidson had withdrawn from the forum last week in a letter to KSST News stating that he had reservations regarding the process of approval for questions that would be asked during the forum. He said his campaign was not represented in the question choice.
Questions asked by Moderator Brown were drawn from a bowl. Brown then asked one question to the candidates in an individual race.
Below is the complete, unedited forum:
Wildcats, Lady Cats at Area Track Meet Thursday
Ten Wildcats and ten Lady Cats’ track athletes compete at the Area Track Meet Thursday (April 19) at Pine Tree. Field events began at 10 a.m. Thursday while running events start at 5 p.m.
Competing in the early field events for the Wildcats are Jermond Bryant-Amos and Ian Blanch in the shot put, Dedric Godbolt in the high jump and Landon Thornton in the 3200-meter run.
Competing in the running events Thursday evening are Eli Sellers in the 800-meter run, Kylan Wade in the 110-meter hurdles, Ricardo Torres in the 400-meter run, Landry Tyson and Ryan Humphries in the 300-meter hurdles and Simeon Taylor in the 200-meter race.
In early field events for the Lady Cats are Shelby McCormick and Jadyn Booth in the pole vault, Imani Taylor in the long jump, triple jump and high jump, Danielle Godbolt in the discus and Sydney Washburn in the 3200-meter run. Washburn will also compete in the 1600-meter run during the evening running events.
Other Lady Cats competing in the evening running events are N’sya Dugan in the 4 X 100-meter relay and the 4 X 200-meter relay, Sadavia Porter in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 4 X 100-meter relay, Abbi Baier in the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles and the 4 X 100-meter relay, Faith Hatley in the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles and the 4 X 200-meter relay and Bre’Asia Ivory in the 4 X 200-meter relay.
Saltillo Lions Qualify 7 for Regional Track Meet; Lady Lions Qualify 1
The Saltillo Lions qualified seven athletes and the Saltillo Lady Lions one athlete for the Regional Track Meet at the Area Track Meet Wednesday (April 18). The Lions finished second as a team at the Area Meet. For the Lions, Edi Olayo qualified with a fourth place finish at area in the 100-meter dash. Trevor Moore qualified with a fourth place finish in the 400-meter dash. Hendrick Rios placed sixth in the 400-meter dash. Moore also qualified with a second place finish in the 800-meter run. Rios qualified with a third place finish in the 1600-meter run. Jayden Halloway was fifth in the 1600-meter run and is a Regional alternate.) Halloway did qualify with a fourth place finish in the 3200-meter run. Ben Moore qualified by finishing first in the 110-meter hurdles and second in the 300-meter hurdles. Matt Gurley finished sixth in the 300-meter hurdles. The Lions’ 4 X 400-meter relay team qualified by finishing second. Team members are Rios, Trevor Moore, Walker McGill and Olayo. Gurley is an alternate for the relay team. In long jump, Gurley qualified with a third place finish and Ben Moore qualified by finishing fourth. Levi Hoover was sixth in shot put. In triple jump, Gurley qualified with a third place finish and Ben Moore is an alternate with a fifth place finish. In high jump, Trevor Moore qualified with a second place finish.
For the Lady Lions, Sienna Collins qualified with a second place finish in the 3200-meter run, with a second place in the 1600-meter run and with a first in the 800-meter run. Danielle Ross is a regional alternate with a fifth in the 3200-meter run while Ofelia Cabrera was sixth. Kristina Wade is an alternate finishing fifth in the 1600-meter run and Ross placed sixth.
Major Fundraiser for Rotary Club…’Claws for a Cause’ April 28, Downtown!
Whether you call them mudbugs or crawdads, if you love a crawfish boil, you shouldn’t miss our very own annual food-and-fun event, the “Claws for a Cause” Rotary Crawfish Boil”! It’s Saturday April 28, 2018 starting at 5 pm on Celebration Plaza in attractive downtown Sulphur Springs. Advance tickets are on sale now at $25 each at local banks or through Facebook clawsforacause/ssrotarycrawfishboil. Tickets on the day of the event will be $30 at the gate, located at corner of Main and Gilmer Streets. If you’re not a crawfish lover but want to be “at the party”, you can pay for a $10 armband, hang out with your friends, enjoy the dessert and beverage vendors on site, and the music by Vince Vance and the Valiants.
A crawfish lover herself, the idea for a crawfish boil came to Cari Nuckolls over five years ago when the Sulphur Springs Rotary Club was looking for a fresh fundraising idea. With the help of her husband Steve and other Rotarians, her idea began to develop into a major food-and-entertainment event that would draw people to Celebration Plaza as as well as provide ample funds for Rotary projects. This year, fellow Rotarian Logan Vaughn, local chef and “foodie”, is acting as Crawfish Chairman. Vaughn is excited about helping secure the best quality vendors which will supply the “tons” of the crawfish and fixings required by hundreds of diners.
Four successful years has allowed the club to expand scholarship awards to graduating seniors and to assist more local non-profits in their community efforts, in addition to their traditional community services. The fifth Claws for a Cause is expected to be even more successful. If you would like to become a member of Rotary, or have your non-profit organization considered for assistance in a future year, contact any Sulphur Springs Rotary Club member or club present Brandon Williams at Guaranty Bank and Trust.
Crawfish Committee members Logan Vaughn and Cari Nuckolls
Winners from the CANHelp Play it Forward Tennis Tournament
Winners from the CANHelp Play it Forward Tennis Tournament:
- Dakota Elswich / Jennifer Figueroa 3rd place Advanced
Robert Stevens/ Mollie Millsap 1st place Advance consolation
- Amanda Foster / Tyler Dennis 3rd place round robin
- Alex Botello / Alex Romero 2nd place round robin
- Jonah Kirkpatrick/ Alex Benitez 1st Place Advance
- Mark Temporal / Chase Crouch 2nd place Advance
- Adela Martinez CanHelp Logan Vaughan / Craig Johnson 1st place Intermediate
- Jeauxleigh Cantu / Carlos Lopez and Adela Martinez CanHelp 2nd place Intermediate
- Harleigh Stegient / Daron Bilyeu 1st place round robin
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold winds during CANHelp’s 4th Annual Play It Forward Tennis Tournament and Fundraiser. Twenty two teams competed in what has become a much anticipated Sulphur Springs traditional spring tennis tournament. Local Sulphur Springs participants were joined by players from Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Vernon, Winnsboro, Richardson and Whitehouse,TX.
KSST is Giving Away Texas Rangers Suite Tickets!
KSST is giving away 4 suite tickets and a parking pass for the April 23rd, 2018 Texas Rangers Game. The Winner will be contacted via facebook on Friday April 20th, 2018.
The Tickets:
- 1 set of 4 admission tickets to the Connie Mack Suite, and 1 parking pass for the Monday April 23rd game, 7:05 first pitch.
Rules:
- The tickets must be picked up from the KSST Studios before 5pm Monday April 23th, 2018. If can’t pick them up before Monday, a Saturday morning pickup can be arranged. 903 885 3111
- The tickets must NOT be resold!
- Unclaimed tickets will be dispersed by KSST.
- Employees of KSST can not win.
- Winner’s names will be posted on Facebook.
- Winners will be notified via Facebook.
How to enter: Like KSST on Facebook, AND like this Post on Facebook.
Freedom Ball Garners $82,600 for Veteran’s Memorial
As a result of the Hopkins County Freedom Ball 2018, $82,600 will be available to fund the engraving of names, maintenance, and the kiosk at the Hopkins County Veteran’s Memorial located in downtown Sulphur Springs. Organizers announced the results of the fund raiser conducted recently at the Canyon Creek Event Center. Additional funds will also be made available thanks to the commitment to monthly contributions made during the event.
Organizers were pleased with the event and have already reserved the Hopkins County Civic Center for the 2019 Freedom Ball set for March 30, 2019.
The first-ever Hopkins County Freedom Ball, held Saturday April 7, 2018, honored current and retired military men and women as well as sought to fund future needs of the Veterans Memorial. Attendees of this year’s Ball were treated to a catered dinner and dancing with music by the Kelley Fletcher Band and by Monty Tipps and Main Street. Many of the veterans were dressed in military uniform and stood as branches of service were recognized. Other program highlights included a spoken rendition of “Ragged Old Flag” by committee member Clayton McGraw and guest speaker Chris Jackson, Lt. Col, Retired, USMC who attended with his wife, a 26-year veteran of the USMC, Retired. Jackson addressed the crowd on the value of veterans within communities, the challenges facing the military today, and the importance of supporting military personnel for the sacrifices they and their families make. Attendees were encouraged to make donations toward engraving the yet unfunded names of veterans, estimated at some 2,000 names of Hopkins County soldiers from all wars, on the memorial.
Anyone wanting to help in this cause may donate at hcfreedomball.com or see Pam Elliott at Rooster Roast Coffee Bar, 220 Connally Street in Sulphur Springs, Texas for details on how to sponsor a Veteran.
At Regional Tournament,Benitez loses to Top Ranked Zobel
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez said Wednesday his #1 boys singles player Alex Benitez had a great season. It ended in the second round of the Regional Tennis Tournament in Allen Wednesday as Benitez was matched up against the #1 seed in the tournament, Michel Zobel of Midlothian.
Benitez began the tournament early Wednesday morning with a straight sets win over Julio Vizcarra of Dallas Thomas Jefferson, 6-2, 6-1. A couple of hours later Benitez faced Zobel, ranked #10 in the United States by the U.S. Tennis Association. Zobel won, 6-0, 6-0.
Still Benitez made history in 2018. He is the first Wildcats’ tennis player to participate in the Regional Tennis Tournament since 2006 when Susan Reynolds was head tennis coach. It is believed Benitez may be the first male from Sulphur Springs to go to the regional tennis tournament since the late `90’s.
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Wildcats’ Iwuakor Weights Options for Future College Play
In the Tuesday (April 17) edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle, staff sports writer Brett Vito reports on the North Texas Mean Green making an in home visit in Sulphur Springs Monday (April 16) as they recruit 6-foot-7-inch Wildcats basketball player Victor Iwuakor.
North Texas has a full head of steam coming off of a College Basketball Invitational tournament championship and their first winning season in six years. The North Texas Head Basketball Coach is Grant McCasland. He attended a Wildcats game last season and met with Iwuakor and several other Wildcats after the game. UNT Assistant Coach James Miller is heading up the effort to recruit Iwuakor for the Mean Green. Iwuakor is quoted as saying the home visit went well. He added he has known Coach Miller for a long time saying that Miller came to his AAU games last summer. Iwuakor said they have a good relationship.
Iwuakor said besides North Texas, he is also drawn interest from Kansas State, Arkansas, Purdue and Texas Tech. UNT calls Iwuakor, the MVP in District 16-5A, a three-star prospect. Kansas State Head Coach Bruce Weber also watched the Wildcats play in the Curtis Culwell Invitational in Garland last season.
Iwuakor said he is in no hurry to make a decision on where he will play college basketball. He told Vito that he will make a decision after the summer AAU season.
