Dinner Bell Menu For October 11, 2023
Christus Mother Frances is making its fifth appearance as a Community Partner this week. It is a response to a goal set to alleviate food insufficiency in Hopkins County in 2023. The Dinner Bell Feeding Ministry appreciates being a partner with Christus Mother Frances in putting a dent in the local food desert.
GRAB and GO with a meal from the distribution area under the covered driveway (porte cochere) on the Northeast corner of the First United Methodist Church campus around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
MENU
Meat Loaf
Rice and Gravy
Bacon Infused Green Beans
Garden Salad
Banana Pudding
BE CAREFUL AS THE PANDEMIC AND FLU ARE STILL IN OUR MIDST! WEAR MASKS WHERE REQUIRED! WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN! GET INOCULATED AND BOOSTED!
DINNER BELL CARES ABOUT YOUR HEALTH!!!
SSISD Wildcats Face Community Braves Tonight
October 6, 2023 – The Sulphur Springs Wildcats travel to Nevada, TX tonight to face the Braves at Community High School. The Braves are 2-3 and the Wildcats are 4-1. This is the first District Game of the 2023 Football Season.
Click here for a map to Community High in Nevada.
Game Starts at 7:30PM. You can listen live on KSST AM 1230. We will stream the game via YouTube.
Mother & Son Hauled In For Hauling Off Four Wheeler
October 6, 2023 – Hopkins County Sheriff deputies were notified in the wee hours of the morning of Friday October 6th of the location of a trailer and four-wheeler reported to be stolen.
Deputies from the local agency arrived at the address reported as the location of the stolen items and spotted those items behind the residence. As the items had been removed from their previous location “without consent from the owner” deputies made contact with 21 year-old Curtis William Jones who exited the residence and admitted to authorities he had taken the trailer and four-wheeler. Jones also stated that he did not want to go to jail. Unfortunately that request was not granted. Jones was placed under arrest and mirandized for the offense, and then further stated that he had taken the items with the help of his mother, 39 year-old Amanda Rachelle Jones. Amanda Jones exited the residence and was also placed under arrest.
Both mother and son were charged with felony theft over $2,500 but less than $30,000 based on the value of the four-wheeler and trailer. Both suspects were transported to the Hopkins County Jail without incident and await their bond to be set in the theft case.
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.
Few Spaces Left for Free Mammography Clinic
Few Spaces Left for Free Mammography Clinic
October 6, 2023 – Sulphur Springs, TX – The available appointments for the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation’s Free Mammography Clinic are filling up. Only a few openings are still available. If you are an uninsured woman over 40 years of age that lives in Hopkins County you are eligible for a free mammogram through this program.
The staff of the Ruth & Jack Gillis Women’s Center, a part of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs, will be welcoming women to the clinic on three Saturdays in October: 14, 21, and 28.
If you miss out on the free clinic this year, it should be back again next year in October. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is a good time to schedule an annual mammogram. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, so mammograms continue to be important, as is early detection.
If you are eligible for a free mammogram, call 903-438-4325 to schedule an appointment. Don’t delay.
Sulphur Springs is eager to assist women through the Free Mammography Clinic sponsored by the
Hopkins County Health Care Foundation. The friendly folks waiting for you to make an appointment are
Carol Stillwagoner (seated), Stefany Walton, and Melissa Hastings.
Abbott Announces Agenda For Special Session
October 6, 2023 – Governor Greg Abbott announced on Thursday Special Session #3 and issued a proclamation identifying agenda items for the session that begins at 1:00 PM on Monday, October 9.
“I am bringing the Texas Legislature back for Special Session #3 to continue building on the achievements we accomplished during the 88th Regular Legislative Session and two special sessions this summer,” said Governor Abbott. “Together, we will chart a brighter future for all Texas children by empowering parents to choose the best education option for their child. Texas will also pass laws to mirror the federal immigration laws President Joe Biden refuses to enforce that will reduce illegal immigration and enhance the safety of Texans. For the first time ever, Texas will subject people to arrest for illegal entry into our state from a foreign nation. All licensed law enforcement officers in Texas will be authorized to arrest or remove any person who illegally enters the State, with penalties up to 20 years in prison for refusing to comply with removal. To crack down on repeated attempts to enter Texas illegally, re-entry will be penalized with up to 20 years in prison. Additionally, we must protect the freedom of Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations. I look forward to working with my partners in the Legislature to address these critical issues.”
Special Session #3 agenda items include:
- EDUCATION FREEDOM: Legislation providing education savings accounts for all Texas schoolchildren.
- BORDER SECURITY:
- Legislation to do more to reduce illegal immigration by creating a criminal offense for illegal entry into this state from a foreign nation and authorizing all licensed peace officers to remove illegal immigrants from Texas.
- Legislation to impede illegal entry into Texas by increasing the penalties for criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house.
- Legislation to impede illegal entry into Texas by providing more funding for the construction, operation, and maintenance of border barrier infrastructure.
- PUBLIC SAFETY: Legislation concerning public safety, security, environmental quality, and property ownership in areas like the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County, Texas.
- ENDING COVID RESTRICTIONS: Legislation prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers.
SSPD Reports Non-Emergency Phone Lines are Still Down on Friday October 6, 2023
Officials with the Sulphur Springs Police Department reported to KSST that some of their non-emergency phone lines and some mobile carriers are not functioning for 911 Services. If you can not reach the Sulphur Springs Police Department through 911, call them at 903-885-2768. The issue will be resolved as soon as possible.
SSPD Reports Non-Emergency Phone Lines are Down
Officials with the Sulphur Springs Police Department reported to KSST that some of their non-emergency phone lines and some mobile carriers are not functioning for 911 Services. If you can not reach the Sulphur Springs Police Department through 911, call them at 903-885-2768. The issue will be resolved as soon as possible.
Main Street Closed for 24 to 48 Hours
October 5, 2023 – A portion of Main Street in Downtown Sulphur Springs will be closed for at least 24 hours this week. The closure will be between Gilmer and Davis street.
The West Bound lane should be open during the day, but the East bound Lane will be closed.
To access businesses on this stretch of Main, use the Gilmer St end and travel in the Westbound lane.
Please avoid the area, and be patient as drivers find alternate routes around the center of town.
Hopkins County Unemployment Goes Up But Still Below Texas Average
October 5, 2023 – In the latest report from August 2023, Hopkins County posted an unemployment rate of 3.8%, compared to a rate of 3.7% in July 2023. The new August number is and increase as well over one year ago as the August 2022 rate came in at 3.3%.
Hopkins County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in our nine-county region which includes the counties of Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Lamar, Morris, Red River and Titus along with Hopkins County.
The overall average for our nine-county region stayed at 4.7% for August which was the same 4.7% rate for July 2023 and a slight increase from a year ago at 4.5% for August 2022. The Texas average unemployment rate is 4.5% and Hopkins County has the same rate this month as the National avereage of 3.8%.
September Unemployment numbers are due to be released October 20th.
Biden Administration Approves $9 Billion in Student Loan Forgiveness
October 5, 2023 – President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he approved $9 billion in student loan forgiveness that will affect 125,000 student loan borrowers. That amount equals approximately $72,000 per borrower and is a result of the administration’s changes to several programs including the income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
The breakdown of the total $9 billion dollars is comprised of $5 billion in aid that will go to 53,000 borrowers who have worked in public service for a decade or more, $2.8 billion dollars will go to 51,000 borrowers that have enrolled in the “income-driven repayment plans” and the final $1.2 billion dollars will be cancellation of debts of 22,000 borrowers with disabilites.
One expert noted that Biden has forgiven more student loan debt than any previous president and the timing of this latest round of loan forgiveness is likely in hopes of appealing to voters in the next election. The latest forgiveness comes months after the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for tens of millions of Americans. After that setback, Biden said he’d pursue other paths to deliver borrowers relief.
