PJC-Sulphur Springs Blend Club Blood Drive Draws New Donors
DONATION OF LIFE The Blend Club, a student service organization on the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus, sponsored a blood drive on campus this week. A total of 14 units of blood were collected for Carter Bloodcare, with five registrants being first-time donors. One of the donors was Damon Donald, who is pictured above being prepared for giving by Carter Bloodcare specialist Sean Dollins.
Highway 19 North: Lowering Speed Limit Could Happen in June; Safety Improvement Projects Set for Bidding in 2020
TXDOT recently concluded a detailed speed study on State Highway 19, from Loop 301 in Sulphur Springs to State Highway 24 in Delta County. After reviewing the results of the study, TXDOT has proposed a speed reduction pending approval from the Texas Transportation Commission. This proposal is on the agenda for the June commission meeting. Following TTC approval, TXDOT will install new regulatory speed limit signs. The proposed speed limit reduction will lower the existing speed limit from 70 mph to 65 mph from Loop 301 to the Delta County line, and reduce the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph through Birthright.
TXDOT also has two upcoming Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) projects on State Highway 19:
The first project is set to let for bidding in May 2020. The project limits are from the Delta County line to SH 154 and will consist of extending and installing safety end treatments for cross drainage structures, upgrading bridge rail, and upgrading metal beam guard fence.
The second project is set to let for bidding in August 2020. The project limits are from Loop 301 in Sulphur Springs to FM 1537 and will consist of extending drainage structures, upgrading bridge rail and metal beam guard fence, and installing a passing lane.
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Second Illegal Alien Sentenced Wednesday; Both Face Deportation
Rodolfo Isauro Cruz-Segura, 23, of Guanajuato, Mexico, pled guilty to Evading Law Enforcement with a Motor Vehicle (Attempted), a state jail felony. He was arrested after weaving in his lane led to a traffic stop for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated. After initially stopping, he later fled in his vehicle and then ran on foot before hiding in a pasture. He was located using a K9 unit and multiple officers and then arrested for the felony offense.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, the defendant was convicted of a felony and sentenced to 30 days in the county jail. A deportation officer with the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worked with the Hopkins County District Attorney’s office and was present in court. According to ICE, an immigration hold will be placed on the defendant and he will face deportation proceedings in Dallas. The defendant has no other criminal history.
Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison said, “Our office worked closely with federal ICE officers to secure justice in these two cases: State v. Juan Barbosa and State v. Rodolfo Cruz. Both defendants illegally entered the United States, a federal crime under 18 USC 1325. Both defendants then committed serious felonies, and now both defendants have been convicted and will face federal prosecution for illegal entry and then deportation proceedings. If either defendant re-enters the U.S. illegally, they face an enhanced punishment range under federal law for repeat offenders.”
Spring Football Provides Clear Picture for Wildcat Defense
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Triston Abron says he wants to get a clear picture of what he has on defense during spring football so that he can build off of that during the fall. Coach Abron says he has also moved some players into new positions and he is interested in how they do. He says he lost some good players who were senior last year but he says he is excited about some of the returners he has.
Coach Abron says his players have a good grasp of the defense so he expects them to improve this season. He says he knows what some of his players can do while others he is still evaluating. Coach Abron says he may give more reps this spring to players he is evaluating than to ones he already knows about. He says how his defenders fare against the Wildcats offense this spring will help him determine how they will do against opponents this fall.
7-on-7 Football Begins Tuesday At Home Against Gilmer
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young says the Wildcats’ 7 on 7 football team will begin play next Tuesday at home against Gilmer. He says close to 100 Wildcats in varsity, JV, eighth grade and seventh grade will participate. Next week Commerce and Emory Rains will come to play.
Coach Young says the Wildcats will go to their first tournament, at Gilmer on Saturday, May 26. He says the Wildcats will go to a couple to state tournament qualifiers during June. Coach Young says 7 on 7 is all about throwing and catching the football. He says he is always looking for a player who has put in the time and work to improve and who can make plays.
Game Day Wednesday: Wildcats Begin Bi-District at Wylie East
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack has a lot of respect for Wylie East, the Wildcats’ bi-district opponent. Game one in the series is at Wylie East Wednesday night (May 2) at 7:30 p.m. The Raiders are coached by Heath Andrews, who is the only baseball coach Wylie East has ever had and is in his tenth year there. The Game will be heard on KSST.
Coach Hammack, in his thirteenth year at Sulphur Springs, says this year’s Raiders team is just like others he has played against and scrimmaged in the past. He says they are a solid team, fundamentally sound and one that won’t beat themselves. Coach Hammack says they aren’t overpowering on the mound but he adds they do have quality pitchers. He says they have a lefty that throws about 80 miles an hour and mixes in a mid-60 mile per hour breaking ball. Coach Hammack says he is very effective and adds no one seems to score a lot of runs off him. The Wildcats expect to see the left hander Wednesday night. Coach Hammack says he expects the Raiders Friday night pitcher to be a taller right hander who throws in the mid-80’s and has a breaking ball. He expects the series to be a good matchup.
Coach Hammack says the Wildcats will have to play their best to win. He says Wylie East will make the Wildcats earn wins. Coach Hammack says the Raiders will bunt and do other things to get on base and move runners. He says they are not a great hitting team but he says they can get runners on, move them around and score runs. Normally Coach Hammack throws his ace to start a series. He plans to deviate from that this year. Wildcat ace Ryan Humphries is said to still be a little sore from throwing over 100 pitches last Friday night. Coach Hammack wants to give him a couple more days off and pitch him Friday at home. He says he will go with Jaxon Chaney Wednesday night with Pacen Edwards in reserve if needed. Chaney pitched well in a seeding game Saturday allowing only one run in five innings against red hot Texas High in a 5-0 loss. Coach Hammack says the Wildcats need to start swinging at good pitches and to figure out how to score some runs. Batters struggled in the second half of district play and a strong first half.
Man Who Robbed Alliance Bank Sentenced to Federal Prison
The man who robbed Alliance Bank Southtown Branch in November 2016, Anthony James Lane, 51, of Tuscon, Arizona, has been sentenced by a U.S. district judge to 120 months in in federal prison. The sentence was announced Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Lane previously pleaded guilty to 11 counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery.
Lane pleaded guilty to a series of robberies across the south, including robberies in Sulphur Springs; Tucson, Arizona; Longview, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico. The robberies occurred over a six month period.
The District of Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office says Lane used a simulated handgun in the robberies.
Conviction for DWI with Child Under 15 Leads to Deportation Proceedings Soon
According to Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison, Juan Carlos Barbosa Hernandez, age 25, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Under 15, a state jail felony. He was arrested due to speeding 105 mph on I-30 in Sulphur Springs. Pursuant to a DWI investigation, his blood alcohol content was at .15 and .16, approximately twice the legal limit. At the time of his arrest, he had his two children in the backseat, ages 5 and 7, and his wife in the front passenger seat.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, the defendant was convicted of a felony and sentenced to 30 days in the county jail. The District Attorney’s office coordinated with the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a deportation officer was present in court. According to ICE, an immigration hold will be placed on the defendant and he will face deportation proceedings in Dallas shortly. The defendant has no other criminal history.
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