Meet the Summer Workshop Kids of “The Lion King Jr”
The Lion King Jr. will stampede the stage of the SSHS Auditorium at the Civic Center three times, July 21, 22 and 23! These are the exclusive performance dates for the Disney musical, which is a production of the Children’s Summer Workshop, a theater-instruction camp offered for an entire summer by Sulphur Springs Community Players. The 2017 play is special in that it is a musical, and that it is a Disney production. David Woody is Director of the play as well as director of the workshop. For about three decades, David has been lending his knowledge of the art of community theater to youngsters, helping them learn the basics of stage performance. Skills like how to speak and project their voice, how to read and memorize lines, and how to take stage direction are their first lessons. Then, while continuing to apply the fundamentals, Woody moves the class into character development and stage movement. Roles are assigned and sets and costumes decided upon. Next, the youngsters get very hands-on by assisting with set building, lights and sound, music and costuming, with duties assigned according to age and ability. Students with previous workshop experience are often assigned “assistant director” duties to help Woody as the project begins to take shape. Of course, parents of workshoppers are often on hand to help keep the group focused. By the time the play is ready for an audience, the workshop group has assumed ownership of the project and has become a cast with a pride in the art they are creating. The last step is inviting people to come and see the play they will put on. In this case, the SSHS Auditorium stage is much larger than Main Street Theater, their home stage, so the class has been spending more time at the Civic Center as opening night gets closer. Performances are at 7 pm on Friday July 21 and Saturday July 22, with the Sunday July 23 performance at 2pm. Tickets are $15 person at the door or inline at mstsulphursprings.com. With questions about the Community Players, you can leave a message at 903-885-0107.
Cast members top to bottom: Kelsey Horton, Lindsey Plumley, Savannah Deterding, AJ Horton, Kyla Deterding, Cane Deterding, Zeke Deterding, Grace Mansfield, Kiara Stowater, Zachary Mansfield, Aurora West
Democrats Host Two Texas Young Democrat Chairs
At the regular meeting of the Hopkins County Democrats, visitors included the current National Committeewoman for Texas Young Democrats Jara Butler and Kendall Scudder, former National Committee Chair for Texas Young Democrats. Scudder has announced his candidacy for the local seat in the Texas State Senate currently held by Republican Bob Hall.
Jara Butler
Ms. Butler, a schoolteacher in Dallas, has been politically active since high school. As a junior when Governor George Bush visited her school, she participated in a silent protest of the state-mandated STARR Test which determined if graduating seniors could receive their diploma. In college in Georgia, she voted for the first time and marched at the state capitol for women’s reproductive rights. She encourages Democrats to speak up and speak out as individuals where you are, and stated that almost all political issues start out as local issues.
Kendall Scudder, a Democrat from Sulphur Springs who early this year announced his bid to represent Texas Senate District Two, feels that the public school education which our children receive influences our future workforce. He hopes to see lost funding for education restored in Texas. He invites all Democrats to follow as the Texas Legislature goes into session and to become more informed and involved. Scudder will oppose Senator Bob Hall in the midterm elections on November 6, 2018.
The two Democrats plan to begin a Northeast Texas Young Democrats Chapter with an organizational meeting on August 22 in downtown Sulphur Springs. Young Democrat membership is open to persons ages 14-40.
The Hopkins County Democrats meet on the third Tuesday at 6pm at Pizza Inn. For information, contact Robert Suson at 903-439-0342.
Kendall Scudder
SSISD Offers Online Student Registration Help July 25th
Sulphur Springs ISD will be offering another help session for online student registration through Skyward Family Access on Tuesday, July 25th at the Administration Building on Connally Street (Please use back doors after 4:30). Help will be available from 9:00AM until 7:00PM. SSISD will be providing help with all steps of the registration process including computers, logins, passwords, and assistance with forms. Please take advantage of this opportunity so that you can avoid the trouble of last minute registration. You do not need your login or password to attend the help session. We can obtain this information for you.
All students, who will be in KG through 12th grade, will need to have online paperwork completed. This process is for any student who needs to enroll in SSISD. This process does not include choosing classes or picking teachers. It is for paperwork only.
“Push-in” For New County Fire Truck Friday; Custom Built for Hopkins County
Hopkins County Fire Chief Andy Endsley invites the public as the department welcomes their first new custom fire engine with a “Push-In” ceremony. The event is Friday, July 21, 2017 at noon at Hopkins County Fire Station 20. The new fire truck is a 2017, Ferrara Built engine built specifically for Hopkins County Fire Department.
In December, 2016, Hopkins County Commissioners commissioned the Louisiana based company to build the truck before new price hikes were implemented. The truck has a 1,000 gallon on board water capacity and a 20 gallon foam capacity with a 1250 pump. A truck of this size will allow normal firefighting operations for 7-10 minutes allowing time for tanker trucks and other fire departments as needed to arrive to assist in a continued fighting of the fire, according to Chief Endsley. He said this will allow for a more effective attack.
The new fire engine will also assist in lowering ISO ratings. The ISO rating for the county affects home insurance costs. Endsley said that no matter the company, they look to the ISO rating when setting prices for insurance. On August 8th the state board that establishes the ISO will do an inspection that expects to have an immediate effect on ratings. The inspection will also allow the county department and the 12 volunteer departments to work together in lowering the rating even further in the future.
Light refreshments will be served the public at the Friday event. 
Getting Ready At PJC
GETTING READY:
Pauline Rubarts of Miller Grove is getting ready for the fall semester at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus. Above she discusses her registration possibilities with Advisor Carey Gable. Early registration continues on campus through August 21. For more information call 903-885-1232 or visit the campus located at 1137 Loop 301 East.
Two Arrested for Possession of Meth
A traffic stop at the corner of Jefferson and Jackson Streets at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening led to the arrest of three occupants in a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. The driver of the vehicle showed signs of nervousness and the passengers in the vehicle were known narcotics users according to the arrest report by Hopkins County Sheriff’s Investigator Wade Sheets.
During a search of the auto, a small metal cylinder was observed between the driver’s seat and center console. Inside the cylinder was a small baggie containing a clear white substance believed to be methamphetamine. A further search of the vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia including a hypodermic syringe, a glass pipe commonly used for smoking meth.
Arrested at the scene were the driver of the auto, Dwade Newton Wilcox, 22, of Sulphur Springs, Maegan Deleyn Strawn, 23 of Sulphur Springs, and one other passenger, a 40 woman of Sulphur Springs.
Wilcox is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram in a Drug Free Zone and with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He is held on a $10,000 bond.
Strawn is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram in a Drug Free Zone and with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She is being held on a $50,000 bond due to prior charges.
The other passenger was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, which is a misdemeanor.
Olympic Style Lighting, Chair Back Seating, Other Changes See in Tour of Prim Stadium
(For a video tour of work underway at Gerald Prim Stadium, see Channel 18 News for Tuesday, July 18, 2017. It will be posted later this afternoon.)
Tuesday morning Sulphur Springs ISD Director of Maintenance Dan Froneberger gave media members a hardhat tour of renovation work going on at Gerald Prim Stadium. The new artificial turf field is finished. The home side bleachers have been built. Some 1500 chair back seats still need to be installed. The press box is being put together. There is work to be completed on new bathrooms.
Froneberger’s maintenance workers have landscape work to do but some of that is awaiting completion of some of the other construction. Froneberger praised the work of his maintenance crew as well as a crew of cafeteria workers who have been doing lots of painting. Eventually the dressing rooms and some visitor’s restrooms will be getting a new color scheme. Plans called for Musco Sports Lighting to show up Tuesday and put up The Prim’s four light poles. The lights are ones utilized in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Musco will also be removing light poles from old Eagle Stadium that will soon become a visitor’s parking lot.
Froneberger says after another couple of weeks of dirt work, the parking lot concrete will be poured and then striped. Plans call for a new entrance on the visitor’s side including a red brick ticket booth. Nearby will be plaques honoring the memory of the Old Eagle Stadium baseball field. The stadium’s home plate will be located in the new parking lot. There will also be a picnic area on the visitor’s side featuring tables made from old stands from Prim Stadium. The old baseball batting cages will be renovated with new skin into a storage area that can house soccer goals, a graduation stage and equipment for field maintenance.
Winnsboro Police Report July 10-16, 2017
Five arrests, one no injury accident, 152 calls for service, 57 citations, and 33 warnings were issued by the Winnsboro Police Department during the report period July 10-16, 2017.
Karla Weathers, 46, of Winnsboro was arrested on July 10th on a Hopkins County warrant.
Philip Green, 36, of Winnsboro was arrested July 12th for a DWI.
Lorena King, 40, of Winnsboro was arrested July 13th for Possession of Marijuana less than 2oz.
Joy Rose, 32, of Winnsboro was arrested on July 14th on a Winnsboro Police Department warrant.
Mitchell Holt, 19, of Winnsboro was arrested on July 16th for DUI by a minor.
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a one vehicle accident in the 700 block of East Broadway on July 14th. The vehicle was traveling west bound on E Broadway when the driver failed to control speed and left his lane of travel striking a mailbox, landscape timbers, and a utility pole. No injuries were reported.
