Wildcats, 2-0 Host Paris Wildcats for Homecoming Friday Night
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens says the Wildcats 2-0 start has had an effect on Wildcats practices this week. He says players are gaining confidence. Coach Owens says cooler weather this week has also had a positive effect on the players. Coach Owens had his media gathering Wednesday morning with the Paris Homecoming Game coming up Friday at The Prim.
Sometimes friction can develop between the offense and defense on a team but Coach Owens says that is not a problem for the Wildcats. He says there are 27 Wildcats seniors and they all seem to like each other. It also helps that many of the Wildcats play on both sides of the ball. Many of this year’s seniors were on the varsity as sophomores.
Concerning Paris, Coach Owens says they will bring good athletes to town as usual. Last year the Wildcats were up by 14 points after three quarters but Paris rallied to win, 36-35. Coach Owens says Paris has offensive weapons that play behind a line featuring two huge 300 pound tackles. Actually one is listed at 350. Paris runs about 75% of the time on offense. Of concern for the Wildcats offense is a big nose tackle for Paris.
Coach Owens says the Wildcats are working to be more consistent. He also commented on the state of the Paris Sulphur Springs rivalry. He says it may not be as intense as it once was because the two teams have not been in the same district for ten years. The players do know about each other. Old timers in both towns still remember the old days when the rivalry was a hot one. Steven Hohenberger is the Paris head coach. He played with Wildcats Offensive Line Coach Jeremy Offutt at North Lamar. Coach Owens brother Chris coached with Coach Hohenberger at Irving Nimitz. Coach Owens says Coach Hohenberger is a good guy who has the Paris program moving in the right direction. Coach Hohenberger is in his fifth year as Paris head coach.
Check DriveTexas.org Before You Go
AUSTIN – With more than 500 state roadway closures during the height of Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Department of Transportation’s DriveTexas.
“We’ve always been proud of DriveTexas.org as a resource for guiding drivers across Texas, but we had never relied on it more than we did in the days following Hurricane Harvey,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “During the storm, DriveTexas.org was visited by a record number of people trying to safely navigate to their destinations. The real-time updates, which are made by TxDOT team members in the field, kept pace with fast-moving conditions and were invaluable to thousands of travelers and emergency responders who otherwise may not have known where to turn for accurate information.”
DriveTexas.org is an industry leader in providing some of the most accurate and up-to-date travel-related information available to drivers in Texas. The site, always available to people seeking information, also offers a toll-free phone number (800-452-9292) that provides the same information 24/7. Along with 5 million website visits since Harvey made landfall on August 24, the toll-free TxDOT Travel Information Line received more than 163,000 calls.
Information presented on DriveTexas.org is as close to real time as possible and is a vital tool for the public during emergency situations when information about road closures is being shared. Along with finding road closures, the site offers information about construction zones, flooding, damage and accidents.
DriveTexas.org Features
DriveTexas.org allows drivers to personalize their travels in and around the state. The following services can be found on this site:
- Map legend allowing travelers to look up what type of travel conditions are along a specific route (i.e., construction, road closures, ice/snow, etc.)
- Traffic camera icons linking to local sites with traffic cameras, congestion data, incident reports and more detailed information in select locations
- Travel Information Center and Safety Rest Area icons including the location of facility, details on amenities, phone number and hours of operation
- Link to allow users to provide feedback
TxDot logo
Bone Marrow Transplant Subject of Recent PJC-Sulphur Springs Blend Club Meeting
Members of the Blend Club, a student organization on the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus, learned about bone marrow transplant at a recent meeting. Kelly Martinez, right, representative for Be The Match, an advocate group that seeks volunteer donors, explains the process to (from left front) Damon Donald and Agustin Cuevas. In back are Airy Osorio and Blend Club advisor Mayra Cummings.
A Walk To Remember: UPDATE
Each of the Nursing Homes, Assisted Livings and the Senior Center are in a contest to see who can raise the most money for the walk. Funds are raised by Selling T-Shirts, Raffle Tickets and different Fund Raisers that they hold on their own to raise funds that are all tallied together for a Grand Total and the night of the Walk. The winner gets the “Spirit Award” which is a Perpetual Plaque with their name engraved on it and it will be passed on to the next winner each year. They will get to hang it up in their Facility until the next campaign.
We have a Quilt that is being raffled off that was donated by Bill Ruff. We are also working on a couple of Gift Card Baskets to Raffle off that merchants from around town have donated. The Avon Ladies, Patsy Cowan and Margie Giger, are supposed to have another big Basket of Avon products to raffle off again this year.
Below is a list of T-Shirt and Booth Sponsors for the “A Walk To Remember” Campaign. T-shirts will be available Thursday Morning. The Walk Registration is $20.00 and includes a T-Shirt. Many T-Shirt Sponsors will have booths along the Walk Path with information and Goodies to pass out. Shirts will be worn at all of the Mini Walks that start on Tuesday, September 19th beginning with the Terrific Tuesdays Group.
The Goal every year is $ 10,000.00. It takes this much to keep Terrific Tuesdays going for another year. This is the ONLY fundraiser that we have all year for Terrific Tuesdays.
It is a wonderful and worthy cause.
I would like to say “THANK YOU” to all of our T-shirt and Booth Sponsors that make the walk Possible. I would like to say “Thank You” to everyone that I know that will donate and purchase raffle tickets so we can raise and surpass our goal of $ 10,000.00.
Karon Weatherman
Program and Marketing Director
Senior Citizen’s Center
150 Martin Luther King Blvd
Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482
(903) 885-1661
Sponsors for “A Walk to Remember”
Sulphur Springs Senior
J&M Signs and Screen Printing
Hopkins Place Assisted Living
Brian Toliver Ford
Alliance Bank – Sulphur Springs
Rock Creek Health and Rehab
In Honor of Aunt Bessie Husner by Pamela Johnson
Legacy Hospice
Wesley House Assisted Living
Wesley Oaks Memory Care
The Community Chronicle
Kindred Hospice
Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab
Jordan Health Services / CIMA Hospice
Snap Fitness of Sulphur Springs
Pilot Club of Sulphur Springs
Hopkins County Marketers Association
Outreach Home Care
Grocery Supply and Fidelity Express
Centric Home Health and Hospice
Sulphur Springs Imaging Center
City National Bank – Sulphur Springs
Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab
United Healthcare Community Plan
In Memory of our Mother Mildred Z.
Germania Insurance – Gloria Mitchell
Jay Hodge Motors
Car Mart – Sulphur Springs
Ross & Shoalmire – Elder Law
Cypress Basin Hospice
Saputo
1st Choice Home Health
Heart To Heart Hospice
Celebrate Living Realty
Dr. Balkcom Improving; Possible Surgery Next Week
Dr. I L Balkcom is improving and may be able to undergo surgery next week. Following a severe heart attack earlier this month, Dr. I L Balkcom remains in Baylor, Scott & White Medical Center, Plano, also known as The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, according to a member of the board of the Hopkins County Hospital District. Dr. Balkcom is a family practice physician at CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic in Sulphur Springs and is well known for his performances with the Northeast Texas Choral Society. Dr. Balkcom suffered his heart attack Tuesday afternoon at his office. Dr. Balkcom was treated locally and at Plano Heart Hospital by Advanced Heart Care’s Dr. Jai Varma.
SSISD Schools Accountability Ratings Reported to Board; Douglas Intermediate Has Outstanding Year
Superintendent of SSISD schools Michael Lamb said there are solid performance points and areas of work noted in the accountability rating received from the Texas Education Agency. Lamb told KSST News Wednesday morning that the 2017 Accountability Summary for reflected outstanding scores for Douglas Intermediate and Sulphur Springs High School. The Middle School and Elementary, grades 3-4, were lower but did meet standards.
Lamb said that the stronger scores in the upper grades are encouraging. He stated that the ultimate goal is for those in high school to perform at a high standard reflecting a strong educational system. He noted that the 60% of students falling into the low socioeconomic level and that has a greater effect on the lower grades. Reading levels fall in lower socioeconomic groups. However, the testing shows that the reading level raises as the students progress through the grade levels. Lamb says he likes the fact that improvements are made over time as students go into higher grades.
For the high school, the students scored well in six out of seven scoring factors for distinction. The only area that missed distinction, by 3% points, was student progress.
The Middle School scored in the top middle of the 40 comparable schools. The students scored strong in math and reading. The school has concentrated in math rather than science in the past few years.
Douglas Intermediate School students performed at an outstanding level. The school scored five of six stars. The math star was missed only by less than 2%. In student achievement, Douglas scored first among the 40 schools with which the district is compare. They were second in student progress and post-secondary readiness and sixth in closing performance gaps. Lamb called it a phenomenal year for Douglas. He said what happened in Douglas did not happen in just one year. He credited the work performed in the elementary level that assisted in the success.
Lamb stated that for students in the lower socioeconomic level, change is often hard and that has an effect on the elementary level. SSISD is one of two schools in the 40 used for comparison where students moved from one campus to another at 3rd grade level. He also noted that for some of those students, parents’ work hours affect how much time is spent in assisting the student in reading and in other studies.
For Lamb, the most positive achievement for the local district is that the district is working hard and doing well. He pointed to the scores on college entrance tests and the involvement in career and technology education as an indicator of the district’s success. He stated that the high scores in Algebra, a gatekeeper course, and Biology point to the progress of the district.
Testing is sometimes deceiving, according to Lamb. He said high scores may disappoint when other schools score as high or higher and low scores deceive as is noted when other schools in the comparison group are scoring lower than your school.
Overall, Lamb is pleased with the success seen in the high school. He has noted the areas that need additional focus and work.
DBA Debuts Brick Street Vintage Market This Saturday September 16
All the details are in place, down to custom-printed shopping bags! for the Brick Street Vintage Market set to open Saturday September 16 at 8am through downtown Sulphur Springs. The Market will be set up until 6pm in a large horseshoe shape along Connally, Jefferson, Gilmer and Main Streets. About 50 vendors, most from out of town, will be displaying vintage antiques and art, quilts, handmade furniture, repurposed and handmade items, vintage-inspired home and garden decor and clothing items for sale. Over on Celebration Plaza, your purchase of a $10 raffle ticket allows you to the opportunity for three major prize packages. There will also be Vintage Market T-Shirts for Sale. The first 100 shoppers who come to the Information Center at 220 Connally Street will receive a free shopping bag filled with goodies. Organizers of the vintage market did not include food vendors because they want to point shoppers to the 17 different restaurants, cafe’s, wineries, bars and gourmet shops within walking distance of Celebration Plaza, as well as the retail businesses located there. There will be free transportation to and from the Quilt Show at The Roc via the Sulphur Springs Trolley.
Along with her committees, Judy Heilman, President of Downtown Business Alliance and owner of Gourmet Kitchen and Company at 213 Main Street has been working diligently on the debut event for months. Local artist Mike Elliot designed the Vintage Market logo, and many downtown merchants got on board by promoting the event through their own advertising mediums.
Business owner Judy Heilman, DBA President and Vintage Market organizer
Cumby Police Arrest One After Suspected Crack Cocaine Found in Vehicle
Cumby Police initiated a traffic stop around noon Tuesday when a 2004 GMC Yukon was speeding along I-30. Odor of a narcotic caused the officer to deploy his K-9 partner who alerted causing a probable cause search of the vehicle. In the vehicle was found approximately 3.5 oz of marijuana and what was believed to be more than 10-grams of crack cocaine. Also, $2,581 was found in the front pocket and wallet of Calvin Lynn Johnson, 57, of Dallas.
After being read his Miranda Warning, Johnson refused to answer questions and was transported to Hopkins County Jail. At book-in additional money and a money order were found in Johnson’s wallet.
SCU Arrests Man After Two Drug Buys
Following two separate purchases in which a quantity of methamphetamine was sold, the Special Crimes Unit arrested William Ray Cadle, 36, of Sulphur Springs. The arrest follows an investigation over a period of time in which purchases of more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams of meth were purchased. He was arrested in August of this year and arrests for other drug related charges date back to 2007.
Cadle is in Hopkins County Jail charged with two counts of Manufacture Delivery Controlled Substance more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams.
