Wildcats, Lady Cats at Paris Track Meet Today
The Wildcats and Lady Cats’ track teams will be competing in their third meet of the season in Paris on this Thursday game day (March 22). It is only the second meet of the year for field athletes. Because of wet weather, this year’s Sulphur Springs Meet featured running events only. The Paris meet is expected to get underway with field events beginning at 4 p.m.Thursday. All the athletes are working for improvement in events in time for the District Meet set for April 4-5 in Pine Tree.
SSHS UIL One Act Play Advances to Area
Sulphur Springs High School advanced to Area One-Act Play competition at the bi-district event Wednesday (March 21) at the SSHS Auditorium. The Wildcats are doing the play, Violet Sharp, which is about suspicion cast upon a woman in the aftermath of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in 1932.
Sulphur Springs advanced along with Wylie East and North Forney. Area competition will take place on Good Friday, March 30 at Flower Mound High School.
SSHS Director of Theatre Arts Lesha Woodard said the Wildcats’ performance was pretty good but not the best they have done. Since they still advanced Ms. Woodard said her performers can do even better at Area and she added she is excited about their chances going forward.
Three Wildcats got acting awards. Brianna Isham, who plays Violet Sharp, was named to the Bi-District All-Star Cast. Jaci Reed and Sarah Harper were chosen as Honorable Mention All-Star Cast Members. Stage Manager Lucia Yanez received a Technical Award. Ms. Woodard said Yanez shut down the show at the end so it did not exceed the time limit. Had it gone long, the Wildcats would have been eliminated.
In an unusual aspect of the bi-district competition, Lovejoy also chose to do Violet Sharp. They did not advance. Ms. Woodard said each of their interpretations of the play were quite different. Ms. Woodard said the Wildcats’ thespians have worked amazingly hard on the play and she said she was very proud of them.
Como-Pickton Lady Eagles’ Track Update
The Como-Pickton Lady Eagles’ track team is competing in a meet at Harmony Thursday (March 22). Recently the team was at a meet in Rivercrest before spring break (March 8).
At that meet, Lady Eagles Head High School Track Coach Dee Evans reports that Yasandra Preciado took home first place medals and scored team points in both the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run. Releigh Potts took second in the 100-meter dash. Fatima Alonso was third in the 400-meter run. Kayla Brown placed fourth in the shot put. Jena Satterfield placed fifth in the 3200-meter run. The Lady Eagles 4 X 100-meter relay team of Sydnee Neal, Alonso, Kylie Osborne and Potts finished fifth. The 4 X 200-meter relay team of Chanelle Mejia, Maliya Diaz, Mikayla Knight and Potts took sixth place. The 4 X 400-meter relay team of Neal, Diaz, Preciado and Mejia got fourth place.
March 26th 1 p.m. Jury Call for County Court at Law Cancelled
According to Hopkins County Clerk Debbie Shirley the 1 p.m. jury call for Monday, March 26, 2018, in Judge Amy Smith’s Hopkins County Court at Law is cancelled.
EDC Sets April Ground Breaking for Load Trail in Heritage Business Park
A ground breaking ceremony in Heritage Business Park for Load Trail has been announced by the Economic Development Corporation. The April 3, 2018 ground breaking will take place at 10:30 am. Heritage Business Park is located off Loop 301 near Raven Industries and Armorock Polymer Concrete.
Load Trail, a manufacturer of trailers and dump trailers, will be housed in a 150,000 square feet building at Heritage Business Park. New jobs at the facility will total 150.
During the February Sulphur Springs City Council meeting it was noted that three local banks, Alliance, City National, and Guaranty Bank and Trust will provide a loan for $7.8-million for the building. The city will not be responsible for the debt which will be paid from the lease of the facility to Load Trail.
Load Trail will be the second industry to locate in Heritage Business Park. Armorock Polymer Concrete chose Sulphur Springs for their first expansion of the Nevada based Company. Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation and Armorock Polymer Concrete conducted a ground breaking ceremony at the site in February 2017.
Reilly Springs Community Invites You For Easter Egg Hunt Saturday Mar. 24
Pastor Lester Harper is a member of the Board of Directors of the Reilly Springs Community Center where a community Easter Egg Hunt is planned on Saturday March 24 starting at 2pm. Children through age 10 are invited to hunt for eggs and take home nice prizes like bicycles, prize baskets, guitar lessons and more. The hunts will take place on the grounds of the one-time schoolhouse, the Reilly Springs Community Center building at 109 CR 1439. One hunt will be for small children up to age 5, plus another for the older set. The four boys and girls who gather the most eggs will be eligible to win bicycles. Inside the community center, the kitchen will offer hot dogs, cold drinks and other concessions.
Harper, who is pastor of the Reilly Springs Baptist Church, says that more people need to find out what a lovely and charming community Reilly Springs is. It’s a place of pride that past generations built and used. That pride is reflected in the graceful old tree-lined community center building as well as the large brick-fenced cemetery across the lane. The former Reilly Springs Methodist Church building is now privately owned; however the original sanctuary has been preserved for use by the community for funerals and memorial day services. And just across the way, the remodeled Reilly Springs Baptist Church is now experiencing a growth in families with children. Harper’s congregation numbers about 50 persons. Three services are held there weekly: on Sundays for 10am Sunday School and 11am worship services, and for the 6pm Sunday Night Bible Study. There is also a Wednesday evening service at 7pm. Frequently, Friday night studies are held in members’ homes which feature Harper’s guitar talents and singing of Christian music. All four buildings that make up the community are in sight of each other and in easy walking distance.
Besides the March 24 Easter Egg Hunts, other fundraisers are being planned to benefit the community center. The next one is a two-part fundraiser on Saturday April 21 with a hot dog sale at Atwoods during noon followed by a Fish Fry that evening during the Jack Phillips Western Swing Roundup at the Reilly Springs Jamboree. Also held in the community center since 1956, the Reilly Springs Jamboree is a country/gospel show staged on the third-Saturday night of each month. Future shows will be: Shanna Carter and Walk the Line on May 19, Scatterproof’s Hanah and Haillee on June 16, and Monty Tipps and Main Street on July 21. A special concert will be staged on Friday May 25 at 7pm, with the Blackwood Quartet:85th Anniversary Year Tour and special guests Josh Davis and Buddy and Ina Gore. For information on Jamboree shows, contact Enola Gay at 903-438-3568.
IRS Warns of Tax Scams During Filing Season
As taxpayers are working to file their taxes, criminals are also hard at work — attempting to steal their money. While there are several versions of tax scams, the classic telephone con continues to thrive, especially during filing season. As a reminder, here’s how the scam works:
- Scammers call taxpayers telling them they owe taxes and face arrest if they don’t pay. Sometimes, the first call is a recording, asking taxpayers to call back to clear up a tax matter or face arrest.
- When taxpayers call back, the scammers often use threatening and hostile language. The thief claims the taxpayers may pay their debts using a gift card, other pre-paid cards or wire transfers.
- Taxpayers who comply lose their money to the scammers.
Taxpayers should remember that the IRS does not:
- Call taxpayers demanding immediate payment using a specific payment method, but will first mail a bill.
- Threaten to have taxpayers arrested for not paying taxes.
- Demand payment without giving taxpayers an opportunity to question or appeal the amount the IRS believes they owe.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Taxpayers who receive these phone calls should:
- Hang up the phone immediately, without providing any information.
- Report these calls to the:
- Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, using the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form, or by calling 800-366-4484.
- Federal Trade Commission, using the FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov, being sure to include “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
More Information:
How to know it’s really the IRS calling or knocking on your door
March NETBIO Sale Featured 5,457 Head of Cattle, 39 Buyers
The March NETBIO Pre-Conditioned Calf and Yearling Sale held at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission Wednesday attracted sellers and buyers from throughout Texas and adjoining states and featured the sale of 5,457 head of cattle.
The sale enjoyed an active market despite the recent pressure on cattle prices as auctioneer and co-owner Joe Don Pogue sold the cattle to a total of 39 buyers for an average of $832.87 per head.
“It was a good early spring sale with replacement heifers selling well,” said co-owner David Fowler. “We had a lot of Internet bidding activity with 1,828 head of cattle being purchased by Internet buyers.
Fowler said that one Internet buyer, who was on vacation in the Bahamas, took time out from his vacationing to purchase a total of 191 head of cattle. “That’s dedication to the cattle business,” Fowler said.
Buyers were also looking for lightweight calves to go to grass, so demand was good on most weights across the board. Fowler said all the cattle looked good and shipped well to their new destinations.
The Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization (NETBIO) Pre-Conditioned Stocker and Feeder Calf Sale gives producers a market to offer their pre-conditioned calves and yearlings in load-lot quantities. With the addition of a February sale, NETBIO now holds eight pre-conditioned calf sales per year.
The next sale will be held at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction on Wednesday, May 16. The weaning deadline for calves consigned to that sale is April 1, and the last date for booster shots is April 16.
That sale will be followed by sales on July 18 and September 19.
