Health Care Foundation’s Annual Snowflake Campaign is Underway
November 28, 2023 – Sulphur Springs, TX – The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation is ready to decorate the main CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs lobby with hundreds of snowflakes this holiday season. The community is invited to pay tribute to friends or family members with a gift in their honor or memory. The Foundation will then send a card to notify the honorees or designated contacts to make them aware of the gift.
A beautiful hand-cut snowflake bearing the name of the individual being recognized will be displayed in the main lobby of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs. By the end of the campaign, the lobby will be a flurry of snowflakes.
The Christmas campaign is an annual tradition that is warmly received by donors and honorees alike. Considered part of the Lights of Life campaign, the tradition originated many years ago with donors sponsoring lights on the tree to recognize friends and loved ones. After that, luminarias were added and often lit the pathway of the Gardens at Memorial during the holiday season.
Three years ago, the luminarias were changed to snowflakes which now are dotted along the windows and glass walls of the hospital lobby. The snowflakes add to the magical scene of the 12-foot-tall Christmas tree which is elaborately adorned in gold baubles.
The recommended donation for each person honored is $25 or more. Recognition of individuals makes a lovely seasonal gift. It is a great way to tell someone they are thought of during the holiday season and a wonderful way to pay tribute to a deceased friend or loved one.
Donations may be mailed to the Foundation or made online at the Snowflake campaign webpage Snowflake2023.givesmart.com. Please include contact information for the donor as well as the individuals to whom notification should be mailed. Additionally, the name(s) of the individual(s) to be added to the snowflakes as well as if the gift is in honor of or memory of the person.
For more information, visit Snowflake2023.givesmart.com or call the Foundation office at 903-438-4799.
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation is an IRS 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization.
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Photo 1: The Christmas tree is up, decorated, and lit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs. Soon a flurry of snowflakes will join in the fun! To learn more about the Snowflake campaign, visit Snowflake2023.givesmart.com. 
Photo 2: The first of the snowflakes have alighted on the windows of the CMF-SS lobby. To honor or memorialize a friend or loved one, go to Snowflake2023.givesmart.com.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report 11-20-2023 – 11-26-2023
Arrests:
Anderson, Paul, 42 years of age, of Winnsboro, TX, was arrested on 11-24-2023 for possession of a CS, PG1/1-B>=4G<200G and Tamper fabricate physical evidence w/intent to impair.
Shaw, Reginald, 32 years of age, of Quitman, TX,, was arrested on 11-26-2023 for DWI.
Calls for Service:
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 94 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations:
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 26 citations and 32 warnings during this reporting period.
After a Hot Summer the Entire Cow-calf Herd May be Stressed by Mario Villarino
November 27, 2023 – As a cow-calf herd goes into the fall season after a hot, dry summer, the entire herd may be stressed. Excessive heat, short grass and low water tanks stress cattle and make them more susceptible to diseases. Unsanitary conditions and abrupt diet changes also can lead to illness, as can other circumstances of stress. At the end of the summer, the cows are likely pulled down to a thin body condition from nursing the calves, the bulls worn out from breeding, and the calves shocked from weaning. A pulled-down cow is at risk of contracting many types of diseases.
When cattle are stressed, they become thin and their immune systems are suppressed. Germs that are dormant in the tissues and organs of the cattle can break out of dormancy, multiply and cause outbreaks of diseases and disorders, such as: a) Clostridiosis (clostridial blackleg group), which is a group of highly fatal muscle, liver and intestinal diseases b) Leptospirosis (lepto), a bacterial disease that can cause abortions, stillbirths and weak newborn calves as well as jaundice, high fever and usually death c) Anaplasmosis (anaplas), an infectious disease that causes anemia, weakness, fever, lack of appetite, constipation, abortion and sometimes death d) Viral and bacterial pneumonia, diseases of the lungs e) Viral and bacterial abortions, infectious diseases that cause death of the embryo or fetus f) Bacterial pyometra, a disease of the uterus G) Bacterial diarrhea, a gastroenteritis.
When any one of these health problems is recognized in a stressed cow-calf herd, it can be assumed the cattle were carriers that broke with the disease even without a recent exposure to the disease agent. The diseased cattle may have been exposed and become infected several months before the time of stress precipitating the disease in the cattle with clinical symptoms. Some cattle may become emaciated with “bottle-jaw” (a soft swelling under the jaw) and advance to a “downer” stage, becoming unable to rise. In many cases, the cattle may die. Producers can prevent or minimize health problems in the fall and winter by reducing the stresses caused by inadequate nutrition, sudden feeding changes and poor sanitation.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
SSISD Bond Committee Pushes Forward to Find Path for Next Bond Request
November 27, 2023 – SSISD Bond Committee will meet again on Monday, November 27th at Douglass Early Childhood School to push forward with information on another bond request for much needed improvements to SSISD campuses. The 50-member committee has met three times previously at different campuses to get a better feel of what is needed for the district as well as how much the next bond request will be after two failed attempts in 2022. Currently, SSISD administration is recommending up to $150 million bond package, made up of different parts and amounts for voters to choose from as early as May of 2024.
SSISD Board of Directors have been accelerating payments of past bonds over past years (2012-2017) and have refunded more than $12.5 million in bonds over those years resulting in a balance of just over $35 million as 2023 comes to a close. SSISD administration is hopeful that can achieve a “no-tax-increase” bond during the next election cycle by “leveraging” taxes on new industries in the school district to cover the increase of the bond payback over a 30 year period.
SSISD previously has had two bonds fail at the ballot box. The first in May 2022 being a $93 million bond which suffered low voter turnout and failed with a vote split of 1,191 voting against and 956 voting in favor of the measure. With a revamped bond package, and much higher voter participation, an $81.5 million bond, failed again in November 2022 by a razor thin margin of only 92 votes with a total of 7,710 votes cast in that election.
SSISD Administration, led by new superintedent, Dr. Deana Steeber, has so far recommended to the committee that the Sulphur Springs Independent School District is in need of the following:
- New K-5 Elementary School at SSES property (600-student capacity)
- New K-5 Elementary School at site TBD (600-student capacity)
- Renovations at Barbara Bush Elementary (Required library renovations for 600-student capacity and playground updates for ADA compliance)
- Renovations at Bowie Elementary School (for 400-student capacity in K-5 and playground updates for ADA compliance)
- Additional district-wide safety and security measures
- Land acquisition for new elementary school
- Renovations for special programs staff relocation to Johnson or Travis campus
The above list is broken out into different categories by administration with the two new K-5 Elementary schools and land acquisition for one of the schools being “Major Projects” and the renovations of Barbara Bush, Bowie, Johnson, and, Travis categorized as “Moderate Projects”. Safety and Security additions (district-wide) were placed in “Minor Projects”. All of these additions, improvements, and measures are likely to show up next May as different choices in the form of seperate bond proposals for voters to pick and choose what they believe may be most important to the future of SSISD.
The SSISD 50-member bond committee will meet for a final time on Monday, December 4, 2023 at Travis Primary School to further decide the final components of any upcoming bond election and how it will be constructed.
Eat At McAlister’s Deli on Tuesday and Support Meal-A-Day
November 27, 2023 – On Tuesday November 28, from 5 to 10 PM at the McAlister’s Deli in Sulphur Springs, TX, 20% of all sales will be donated to the Meal-A-Day program here in Sulphur Springs.
Be sure to use the promo code DONATEMCA if you order online. When you order in person, made sure to mention you want to support Meal-A-Day.
If you have question, call Amanda at 903 885 1661.
Irving Man Spends Night of Black Friday in Hopkins County Jail
November 27, 2023 – An Irving man passing through Hopkins County on the day after Thanksgiving was stopped on Interstate 30 for expired registration and speeding near mile marker 127 in a black S5 Audi. A strong odor of marijuana emitted from inside the vehicle as the DPS officer was talking with the 40 year-old male, identified as George Kim. The driver and lone occupant of the car admitted to having a small amount of marijuana inside his vehicle. He was also found to have two vapes on his person and freely admitted that one of the vapes contained THC. During a probable cause search, a usable amount of a green leafy substance was found and suspected to be marijuana. A small cartridge containing a brown viscous substance labeled and suspected to be THC was also located inside a backpack. George Kim, 40, of Irving who refused to give his place of employment was placed under arrest and transported to the Hopkins County jail with Possession of Controlled Substance Penalty Group 2 under 1 gram charge as well as Possession of Marijuana under 2 ounces. The Controlled Substance charge is a state jail felony while the marijuana charge is a class B misdemeanor. The Audi was impounded but has since been reclaimed as Kim was released from Hopkins County Jail over the holiday weekend.
Another Good Shade Tree for 2024 From Master Gardener David Wall
There are many great deciduous shade trees for yards. Both red and white oaks, for example, will grow straight and true. Red oaks tend to grow faster. There are several other nice shade trees, but one for
which you’ve hear very little is the Tulip Tree.
The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is native to eastern North America and gets its common name for its tulip-like flowers. It’s also called canoe wood as Eastern American Indians frequently used it to make
their dugout canoes.
Tulip Trees are hardy, fast growing and the tallest of all eastern hardwoods, commonly reaching heights of well over 100 feet with a diameter of 5+ feet. It can easily reach 60 feet tall in 15-20 years.
Life spans are well over 200 years. They are fast-growing in youth, taking on the pyramidal form of a Pin Oak. Later, growth slows with the limbs taking on a more rounded shape. Tulip Tree leaves look like
someone has cut the top off a maple leaf. They are deciduous and dark green with a polished appearance, turning yellow in fall. Young tree leaves are much larger those in older trees. The fragrant flowers produced in spring are large, tulip-shaped, and greenish yellow with orange markings inside.
Interestingly, if the tree severely damaged or even cut off in its early years, it will regenerate itself at the base or ground level.
Tulip trees will accept clay, loam and sandy soils. They especially like rich, moist, well-drained soils and full sun to light shade. It prefers a slightly acid soil but is quite adaptable. Don’t plant next to
a house, as it needs plenty of root room!
The Tulip Tree is a great shade tree, although finding one in your local nurseries can be a problem. Google it for nursery sources.
This and That for November 2023 From Master Gardener David Wall
Please consider buying your honey from locally-based bee keepers. Why? Because a lot of the honey in grocery store may not be real. In some cases, jars contain little or no real honey. In fact, honey is one of
the most falsified foods available. Even though the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a honey grading system so you can know honey quality, there’s no enforcement system, so producers can put whatever they want on the bottle.”
Got a bunch of old CDs in a box somewhere? Give ‘e, a new life in your garden by hanging them on string from pole or branches in string them from bushes, trees, or stakes. Presto, you now have a bunch of scary garden decoys in place. Even a slight breeze will move them around, and
the combination of light flashes and sudden movement will scare most garden pests.
Over half today’s diet is based on relatively few plants. With the coming climate change, now estimated to be irreversible by 2050, plants that can survive in the new climate will become critically important.
Fortunately, there’s a new book out by Kevin Hobbs and Artur Cisar-Erlach, titled, “Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat.” It’s an interview book that discusses current and new
crops that have potential under the “new” climate. Unfortunately, most of these crops are not widely grown in the U.S. It’s well worth reading.
No matter how rich your garden soil was when you started this year’s growing season, that soil has moved a good deal toward lifeless. It has grown weak and used up a lot or most of its nutrients, particularly if the garden is several years old. If you don’t put nutrients back into
the soil before spring, next year could be a disaster.
Don’t Miss Clue
November 24, 2023 – The Rains ISD High School will be performing the play ‘Clue’ in late November and December. VIP seating is available. Contact Lance at [email protected] for more details.
CHRISTUS Health: Prioritize Your Lung
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
(IRVING, Texas) – An estimated 127,000 Americans will die this year from lung cancer, a number that is equal to the combined deaths of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Those numbers from the National Cancer Institute emphasize the need for lung cancer screenings, which can detect potential cancerous cells before a patient exhibits symptoms, leading to a wider range of treatment options. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. “The idea, like with other cancers, is that if you catch it early, the survival rate is markedly improved,” said Dr. Suman Sinha, chief of pulmonary medicine at CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic.
Sinha recommends that people between the ages 50 to 80 who smoked at least one pack a day for 20 years or half a pack for 40 years, is a current smoker, or has quit smoking in the last 15 years, get screened.
Smoking is widely considered the leading cause of lung cancer. “There are around 15 million Americans that fall into those categories that we highly recommend get a lung cancer screening,” Sinha said. “Unfortunately, the national screening rate of that group is only about 6%, so the health care industry is working hard to encourage more screenings.”
Lung screenings typically include a chest X-ray, a low dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan, PET scan or blood testing. If an area of concern is located through screening, further testing is ordered to determine any potential cancerous cells.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the death rate for lung cancer patients has fallen more
than 25% over the past 25 years.
“Medicine is becoming smarter and smarter, and we are seeing some real breakthroughs in how we treat cancer, whether through chemotherapy, targeted therapies or surgical options,” Sinha said. “The key is that we know what we are dealing with, and from there we can take the appropriate approach to each patient.”
Patients interested in lung cancer screening should talk to their primary care provider or visit
www.christushealth.org to learn more.
