Cub Scout Fun Day This Saturday
The Tonkawa District of Circle Ten Council, BSA, will host a Cub Scout Fun Day from 2:00-4:00 pm on Saturday October, 14th, at Heritage Park in Sulphur Springs. There is no admission fee, and all Cub Scouts and their families are invited to attend the Cub Fun Day. This is the first Cub Scout activity for those boys who have just joined the Scouting program, but all Cub Scouts are encouraged to participate in the Cub Fun Day. Activities scheduled include BB range, Nerf target range, turtle racing, washer pitching, baseball toss, and more. Cubs and their families may come and go as their schedule allows; they do not have to be there the entire two hours.
Donation of Love to Rock Creek Residents
Janice Irwin knows how important it is to know that you are loved, and she made gift bags for the residents of Rock Creek Health and Rehabilitation to let them know just that. She filled the bags with goodies and things that they use every day and tied a note to each bag reading, “You are loved”.
Shown in the photo accepting the gifts are (left to right): Janice Irwin, Tina Cox, Jennifer Scroggins and Lisa Barclay.
LEAP Youth Expo Hosted by Workforce Solutions
Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas is hosting this year’s Learning Endorsements and Professions (LEAP) Youth Career Expo, which will take place on Friday, October 20th from 9:00 – 12:00 at the Hopkins County Civic Center. The event aims to help our local 8th grade students understand the types of career pathways available in the community as they begin to make career related coursework decisions for high school.
The LEAP Expo features local employers from a wide variety of industries and non-profits, as well as Career/Technical Education programs from local high schools. If you would like to participate as an exhibitor, please follow the links below to information and registration pages.
Employer Registration: http://netxworkforce.org/FormCenter/LEAP-Youth-Career-Expo-11/LEAP-Youth-Career-Expo-Hopkins-County-Ci-65
Event Information: http://netxworkforce.org/369/Exhibitor-Information
Good Deeds happening at Rock Creek
Shown in photo excepting the gifts are Left to Right:. Janice Irwin, Tina Cox, Jennifer Scroggins and Lisa Barclay
City Council Approves First Reading of Ordinance Regulating Pay Day Lenders, Concrete for Crosstown Trail, Plat for Love’s Travel Center
During the Sulphur Springs City Council Meeting the council approved all items on the agenda.
Love’s Travel Center, to be located across Highway 19 from Pilot Truck Stop, will be required to install a 12-inch water main as a part of the plat approval. City Manager Maxwell noted to KSST News that the two agencies in the world that provide mapping information to all the other GPS groups have been updated with the new configuration at Highway 19/I-30/Hillcrest Dr. Additional trucks are expected with the building of the Loves Travel Center. The Loves facility is planned to be larger than the Pilot location.
Crosstown Trail construction will begin this week with approximately $200,000 in concrete being poured to connect Buford Park to Coleman Park. The walking trail was approved two years ago and at least one of the two grants approved to fund the trail is now available. Work will begin at Buford Park and it is hoped to be completed in that area before the annual Hopkins County Stew Contest.
Pay Day Lenders will be regulated by an ordinance that passed on first reading. A second reading is required before the ordinance can be enforced. Banks, lending institutions, and pawn shops are not affected by the ordinance due to federal and state controls. Pay Day Lenders provide a predatory lending mechanism that often prevents the borrower to repay the original principle. The borrower is then stuck in a cycle of interest and loan costs. In the ordinance, pay day lenders will be required to register with the city and keep books on loans. They will also be required, if providing installment loans, to credit 25% of each of payments to the loan principle. The contract between the pay day lender and the borrower must be written in the language of the person receiving the loan. The state legislature has failed on several occasions to regulate pay day lending. According to the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, pay day lobbyists can be credited for the failure to regulate. The TBCLC has lobbied for state regulations. Locally, steps will be taken by a group of churches to partner with an agency that provide small loans to individuals with smaller interest rates and an easier method of payback.
Local Man Arrested Again
This time his bond is $750,000. Jimmy De O’Dell, 59, is back in Hopkins County jail for stalking. He was arrested on a warrant by a Hopkins County Deputy at a location on CR 2389 around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
This was his fourth arrest for stalking since August 2, of this year. Other incidents have also placed O’Dell in Hopkins County Jail dating back to April of this year.
Atmos Energy Plans Controlled Release of Natural Gas
Atmos Energy crews and contractors will oversee a controlled release of natural gas on Thursday, Oct. 12 between 7 a.m. and noon. Work will occur on FM 1537 approximately 1½ miles east of State Hwy 19. Crews will be working on a section of natural gas pipeline in the area as part of normal, routine maintenance operations.
The controlled release of natural gas allows employees to work safely on the pipeline. People in the area may smell the natural gas odor and hear moderate noise during this process. Atmos Energy will be on-site to monitor the work as natural gas is vented into the atmosphere.
There will be no Atmos Energy customers affected while the maintenance work is being performed. Residents in the area, along with Hopkins County officials, Sheriff’s office, 911 operators, fire department and the media are being advised of the controlled release prior to work beginning Oct. 12.
Sulphur Springs City Manager’s Report October 10, 2017
In his report to city council Tuesday night, October 10th, City Manager Marc Maxwell noted:
MOORE STREET – The concrete work is completed. All that remains is a little backfilling behind the curbs and some cleanup.
PAMPA STREET – The reconstruction of Pampa Street has begun. The Capital Construction Division has finished replacing the sewer line. Construction on the water line is about to begin. After that the street will be stabilized with Portland cement and will be overlaid with asphalt.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT – The work at the wastewater treatment plant is on schedule despite all the spring/summer rains. The three primary clarifier basins have been constructed, and backfilling continues. Other concrete structures adjacent to the clarifiers are under construction.
CLAIMS – Workers’ Compensation – A team of four firefighters were exposed to flood waters that possibly contained E coli while assisting in Hurricane Harvey evacuation. Employees were evaluated / tested and are receiving recommended precautionary medical treatment. Claims have been submitted to TML.
Also, we received 4 minor liability claims in September. The TML risk pool denied 3 of them.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES – Finance Director, Peter Karstens will present a year-to-date summary of revenues and expenditures.
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Repaired the Highway 11 lift station.
- Installed a new camera on the courthouse.
- Began installing Christmas lights.
- Installed an intercom at the Police Department.
- Performed preventative maintenance on wastewater aerators.
- Rebuilt pumps at the Oakridge lift station.
- Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids (TSS) reading of .96 mg/L.
- Repaired 12 water main ruptures.
- Replaced 17 water meters.
- Unstopped 13 sewer mains.
- Repaired 13 sewer mains.
- Washed 75,000 feet of sewer mains.
- Flushed 35 dead end water mains.
- Repaired flood gates at Lake Sulphur Springs.
- Rebuilt fluoride pump and repaired water treatment flocculators.
- Treated 130 million gallons of potable water.
- Performed 70 fire inspections.
- Performed preventative maintenance on 75 fire hydrants.
- Responded to 139 fire rescue calls including 4 structure fires.
- Made 5 felony arrests in the special crimes unit.
- Seized 15 grams of methamphetamine.
- Seized $99,680 on two traffic stops on the interstate, and another $13,471 while working a crash.
- Closed 55 code enforcement cases and opened 51 more.
- Recorded 46 offences, wrote 495 traffic citations, made 71 arrests and responded to 37 accidents.
- Sold 2,450 gallons of AvGas and 7,815 gallons of JetA fuel.
- Made 19 extensive street repairs following utility repairs.
- Patched 601 potholes.
- Checked out 2,827 items from the library and another 492 e-books.
- Conducted 34 building inspections, 27 electrical inspections, 27 plumbing inspections, 10 mechanical inspections and issued 22 building permits.
Wildcat, Lady Cat Cross Country Teams Qualify for Regional
Both the Wildcats and Lady Cats’ cross country teams qualified for the regional meet at the district meet Tuesday in Mt. Pleasant. The Wildcats finished second, just 4 points Hallsville. The Lady Cats were third behind Mt. Pleasant and Hallsville.
The Wildcats were led by Landon Thornton who was second in the race. Peyton Vickery was fifth, Christian Palomino was tenth, Andrew Escobar was twelfth, Eli Sellers was fourteenth, Nabian Ramirez was sixteenth and Ed Ramirez was nineteenth.
For the Lady Cats, their top finisher was Sydney Washburn in sixth place. Bailey Arrington was twelfth, Kaitlyn Ferrill was seventeenth, Hannah Dixon was twenty-first, Landrie McKinney was twenty-eighth, Ashley Noe was thirtieth, and Samantha Vargas was thirty-second.
The regional cross country meet will take place Monday, October 23 at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie.
Lady Cat Volleyball Sweeps Greenville 3-0 Tuesday Night; Host Texas High Friday
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team swept the Greenville Lady Lions, 3-0 Tuesday evening in Wildcats Gym to give themselves a chance to play Friday for a part of the district lead. The Lady Cats defeated Greenville, 25-10, 25-14 and 25-15. Meanwhile Hallsville knocked off district leader Texas High 3-1 in Hallsville, 25-13, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-19. Texas High now has one loss and the Lady Cats are 7-2. The Lady Cats season record improves to 24-12.
The Lady Cats host Texas High Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Wildcats Gym. Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Justin Maness said he was impressed with the way the Lady Cats played against Greenville. He said the Lady Cats served very well with ten service aces and he added Kaylee Jefferson was knocking the ball through the floor as she had a team high ten kills. Autumn Tanton had seven kills and Mieke VanBenthem six kills. Abbi Baier, Erika VanBenthem and Lexie Wisenhunt had two kills apiece. Madi Vickery had one kill. Setter Anden Hammack had a team high 23 assists. Libero Maggie McGlamery had a team high 12 digs. Jefferson had nine digs. Imani Taylor had five digs. Jefferson had a block solo and Tanton and Vickery both had a block assist.
