Brynden Andrews of the Como-Pickton FFA Chapter Serves as Foundation Ambassador
Corpus Christi, Texas – Brynden Andrews, of the Como-Pickton FFA Chapter served as a Texas FFA Foundation Ambassador at the 89th annual Texas FFA State Convention held July 10-14 in Corpus Christi.
Andrews was one of 58 FFA members selected to serve as a Foundation Ambassador. The Foundation Ambassador program serves as the official liaison to sponsors, special guests and dignitaries on behalf of the Texas FFA during the annual Texas FFA Convention.
Ambassadors went through a competitive application process, and once selected, they received an extensive two-day training specifically focused on donor relations, personal skills development and professional networking. Foundation Ambassadors studied the history of the Texas FFA Association, Texas FFA Foundation and the records of sponsors’ commitments to agricultural education and the Texas FFA.
Many Ambassadors were matched up with representatives from the Texas FFA Foundation’s corporate sponsors and individual donors, while others assisted in the logistics of the annual VIP Breakfast or helped organize sponsors’ availability for stage appearances during convention general sessions.
During the annual convention, more than $2 million in scholarships were awarded and more than 2,500 students were recognized on stage for their accomplishments at the state level.
The 89th annual Texas FFA Convention recorded approximately 12,000 members and guests. Members of the state’s largest agricultural youth leadership organization spent the week attending leadership workshops, participating in events and activities, being recognized for their achievements, and serving as the legislative body for the Texas FFA Association.
The Texas FFA is the nation’s largest state FFA association with a membership of more than 119,000. FFA gives students the opportunity to apply practical classroom knowledge to real world experiences through local, state and national competitions. For more information about the Texas FFA, visit www.mytexasffa.org.
TxDOT to Replace North Sulphur River Relief Bridge
PARIS – Texas Department of Transportation officials today announced that work will begin Aug. 30 on a project to replace the North Sulphur River Relief Bridge along State Highway 19/24 in Delta County.
The contractor, L&N Bridge LLC, Antlers, Okla., was granted 180 working days to complete this project valued at more than $1.6 million. Officials said the contractor plans to place work signs on Aug. 28 and begin construction Aug. 30. The target completion date for this work is May 2018, weather permitting.
The contractor will replace the existing north-bound bridge at this location, after removing the existing bridge. After a new bridge is in place, the contractor will also reconstruct the roadway approaches to the new bridge. TxDOT officials said the contractor will place an on-site detour to carry north-bound traffic while this project is underway.
The new bridge will be 38 feet wide with two, 12-foot travel lanes; a four-foot inside shoulder; and a 10-foot outside shoulder. This will match the width of the existing roadway approach, officials said.
Access to adjacent property will be maintained while this project is underway. TxDOT officials encouraged motorists to obey all traffic controls on site, including flaggers directing traffic, and reduce their speed while approaching and traveling through this work zone. They should also drive according to road conditions and avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio and navigation systems.
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“On the River” with Eddie’s Back to School Float
August 5, 2017 was a beautiful clear Saturday on the Red River. I had been invited on a “Back to School” float with the Eddie Trapp family, but declined the float portion, preferring to wait at the rendezvous point under the Highway 271 State Line bridge north of Paris, Texas. You might already know Eddie, author of the article “On the River With E.T” published in the Cooper Review, and of a dozen compilation volumes from his adventure journals he has kept since his high-school days from 1963.
Eddie Trapp with nephew Ryan Trapp and daughters
On Saturday I met Eddie’s brother Larry, and with his son Ryan and daughters, the family made up the merry crew of two vessels; one boat and a kyack. The launching point was a boat ramp about five miles west of the state line bridge, at the Sanders Creek crossing near Arthur City. From there the two families began their eastward journey at an easy, floating pace. Larry’s granddaughters Rainie and Audrey liked the beach settings the best, so along the way there were stops to let the kids out to play in the rich red sand and frolic in the water. Ryan took the opportunity to let the girls maneuver the kyack. At another boat ramp along the way, the party talked with three game wardens who were loading up the jet-propelled boat which they use in their outlook for persons violating safety rules or state laws on the waterway. Back on the river, the float continued to it’s destination, the famed state line crossing where a meal of grilled pork chops would be prepared on the wide red beach below the bluff on the Texas side.
Larry Trapp with Ryan, Rainie and Audrey on one of the red sand beaches along the Red River
You may have noticed the old iron bridge, or railroad trestle whenever you have traveled into Oklahoma. There’s easy access to the river’s edge along a narrow road running parallel to the highway on the east side. Even through I missed the famed “river float” that day, I enjoyed my time at the river, beholding the slow majesty of it’s movement but also guessing at the power it possesses swollen from rain. I am pleased there are still people like Eddie Trapp who pursue the outdoor life and invite us “landlovers” for a peek from time to time.
The Results are In!
The results are in. The least favorite intersection in Sulphur Springs is…
[poll id=”62″]
Various suggestions for this dubious honor include:
- The offset between Main and College St
- Drivers not certain if turn signals are needed when driving through the ‘jog’ in Main and College St.
- Traveling north on Gilmer, and the College St blind spot.
- Narrow Main St being hard for some vehicles to traverse.
- Significant pedestrian traffic.
- The draw of various downtown attractions.
- The volume of traffic from 154 and Texas Highway 313/Business 67.
Thanks for voting and Happy Motoring!
SSISD Board Approves Insurance Bid; Personnel Changes
Sulphur Springs School Board approved a bid from Texas Political Subdvision for District Property/Casualty Insurance for 2017-2018 during a special session of the board Friday, August 4, 2017.
In other business, the board approved the following personnel changes:
Resignations
Bridget Albert SpEd Aide ECLC
Xenia Franco SpEd Aide Lamar
Natalie White ELAR Teacher Douglas
Leigh Ann Adamson English Teacher High School
New Personnel
Kayla Miller SpEd Aide ECLC
Ariel Morris SpEd Aide SS Elementary
Dennis Powers Technology Aide SS Elementary
Esmeralda Sanchez Bilingual Aide SS Elementary
Dustin Barrett English Teacher Middle School
Eddi Flores PE Teacher/Boy’s Coach Middle School
Dana Harp Grade 6 Science Teacher Middle School
Fernando Arellano Spanish Teacher/Asst. Boys High School Soccer Coach
Personnel Change New Position/Campus Former Position/Campus
Jeremy Scroggins Asst. Principal/Middle School PE Teacher & Boy’s Coach/Middle School
Elizabeth Moss English Teacher/High School English Teacher/Middle School
Griggs Seeks County Treasurer Post
I attended school at Sulphur Bluff ISD, later entering the military where I was a diesel mechanic in the Army National Guard. While in the military, I attended the police academy and received a Peace Officer license and later a Paramedic certification. I served in the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department as a Reserve Deputy and worked at Hopkins County EMS as a paramedic for several years. For many years I worked at Aero Space Aluminum Products helping to manage all aspects of the office & production including accounting, purchasing, scheduling, sales, payroll, human resources, compliance and quality control. I have also worked at Priefert Manufacturing in Mount Pleasant in their accounting department, managing accounts payable, receivables, 401K retirement plans and payroll for multiple entities there. Currently I am employed at Alliance Bank as a Mortgage Loan Processor.
I am excited to serve the citizens of Hopkins County once elected to the Treasurer’s Office. I will be a working Treasurer, performing all the duties that normally fall in the full scope of the Treasurer’s responsibilities. I also hope to assist in the duties of other County offices that may need help with their numerous responsibilities. I am very thankful to call Hopkins County my home. I look forward to assisting in the growth of our county and to help us to operate more efficiently. I am a team player and I want to continue to serve our community using my experience, attention to detail, organization, integrity, strong work ethic and honesty. I am eager to meet all of you and to fulfill the role as a hard working Treasurer for our community!
Hopkins County Area Under Flash Flood Watch 7 p.m. August 6 to 7 p.m. August 7, 2017
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING… The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a * Flash Flood Watch for portions of North and East Texas. This includes the following counties in North Texas…Bosque, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Montague, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise. In Northeast Texas…Delta, Henderson, Hopkins, Lamar, Rains, and Van Zandt counties. Timing….From 7 PM CDT this evening through Monday evening. Locations of heaviest rain…Heavy rainfall is expected this evening and into the overnight hours. Additional rainfall on Monday may aggravate and promote additional flash flooding. The heaviest rainfall is expected for areas east of a Bowie to Meridian line and for areas north of a Meridian to Corsicana to Athens line. Rainfall amounts….Rain amounts across North and Central TX will range between 2 to 3 inches with isolated 4 to near 6 inches of rainfall possible, especially across Northeast TX. |
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Aviation History: Lockheed C-121 Constellation
The following information comes from local Sulphur Springs resident Tony Hughes. Mr Hughes worked on, performed engine run up, pre-flight/post flight and flew as an aircraft mechanic observer on FCF’s (functional check flight) at the Greenville, Tx. plant, formerly known as TEMCO. The Greenville plant started as Temco (Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Co.) then changed to Ling-Temco Electronics, Inc. in 1960, then Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. in 1961. The company then changed it’s name to LTV Electrosystems, Inc. in 1965, then E-Systems, Inc. in 1972. A merger changed the name to Raytheon E-Systems in 1995, and now the company has been managed by L-3 Communications since 2002.
The C-121A was the military variation of Lockheed commercial Model 749 Constellation. Howard Hughes was one of the driving forces behind the design of the Lockheed Constellation commercial transport. Between 1948 and 1955 the USAF ordered 150 C-121As for use as cargo/passenger carriers, executive transports, and airborne early warning aircraft.
Fifty-five percent of the Super Constellations built by Lockheed were delivered to the U.S. Navy and Air Force. A majority of the aircraft were used for electronic reconnaissance and airborne early warning. In the mid-1960s, the Air Force sent the first EC-121 “Warning Star” to Southeast Asia to maintain radar surveillance over North Vietnam and then later to warn of MiG attacks and alert American pilots who were straying over Chinese territory.
The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a United States Navy and United States Air Force Airborne early warning and control radar surveillance aircraft. It was designed to serve as an airborne early warning system to supplement the Distant Early Warning Line, using two large radomes, a vertical dome above and a horizontal one below the fuselage. EC-121s were also used for intelligence gathering (SIGINT). It was introduced in 1954 and retired from service in 1978, although a single specially modified EW aircraft remained in service with the U.S. Navy until 1982. Warning Stars of the U.S. Air Force served during the Vietnam War as both electronic sensor monitors and as a forerunner to the Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS. U.S. Air Force aircrews adopted the civil nickname, “Connie”
Columbine II is a Lockheed VC-121A Constellation (Air Force Serial Number 48-0610) used by President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower until replaced by VC-121E Columbine III (AF Ser. No. 53-7885). This aircraft was the first plane to use the Air Force One call sign. Over Richmond, Virginia in 1954, Eastern Airlines Flight 8610, a commercial flight, shared the same air space withAir Force Flight 8610, which was carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the time, prompting the adoption of the unique call sign Air Force One whenever the President was on board any aircraft.
After being replaced, Columbine II continued in service with the United States Air Force until retired to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base for storage during the late 1960s. The aircraft was sold as part of a package lot to Mel Christler, a Wyoming businessman who owned a crop-dusting service, and was made airworthy in 1989 and flown to Abilene, Kansas for Eisenhower’s 100th birthday celebration and to an air show at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. In 2003, it was then flown to Marana Airport, Arizona for storage.
The aircraft owner was considering cutting the aircraft up as scrap when the Smithsonian Institution, during a research project, contacted the owner and informed him that 48-610 was, in fact, a former presidential aircraft. Columbine II was purchased and moved from Arizona to Bridgewater, Virginia in March 2016 for restoration by Dynamic Aviation. The purchase price has not been disclosed but the purchaser, Karl D. Stoltzfus Sr., founder of Dynamic Aviation, has said it was less than $1.5 million. Dynamic Aviation mechanics did significant work on the plane in Arizona in preparation for its flight to Virginia where it is to be completely restored.
The Lockheed VC-121E “Columbine III” is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force DAYTON, Ohio.
Temco/Ling-Temco Electronics/Ling-Temco-Vought Greenville, TX performed maintenance and modification on the C-121A, C-121G, EC-121D and EC-121K aircraft beginning in 1958 thru 1969.
Good Times at the Dairy Queen Back To School Carnival
Everyone who attended had a good time at the Back to School Carnival hosted by Dairy Queen.”Teams from both locations chipped in to help! We would like to make it an annual thing, and maybe switch between [the Main Street and South Broadway] locations.” Destanie Walls, GM for Main Street Dairy Queen, said.
Students and families enjoyed bounce houses, duck pond games, dunking booth, the bake sale, face painting, and a photo booth. Dontations from the bake sale will go towards the new Senior Citizen Center and the Lil’ 4’s non-profit group. The weather was perfect for a night of fun to celebrate summer coming to a close. Students expressed mixed emotions about starting back to school and meeting new teachers and classmates!
KSST spotted the following people out and about at the carnival:
Braton (Kindergarten) roared for the camera in his “zombie” face paint.
Niaysia, Trinity, and Jaquarius
Shekinah Coleman was there with her kids Niaysia Johnson and Jaquarius Johnson.
Trinity Elliot enjoyed the bounce house.
Dante Elliot paused his fun to smile for the camera.
Savannah Self, Kasin Self (2nd grade), Ricky Self (5th grade), Stetson Taylor, Jaden Taylor, Sarah and Amelia Davis.
Donna Hamilton and Amanda Gotcher ran the bake sale.
Joanh Monrreal took photos of this event.
Autumn Adams painted faces for the kids.
Check out some more pictures from this event!
CANHelp Back To School Bash was a Big Success
CANHelp’s Back to School Bash was a huge success! There were over a thousand people in attendance.
Shanna Martin met up with KSST to talk about the event. “It’s been crazy but good! For our first year, we think it’s a hit! We are very happy with the turnout and we want to make this a tradition.” Martin said her favorite part was “seeing the place filled up! It’s a testament to the community, we didn’t know what to expect.”
Martin said she knew it would be good when “there was a line of 50 people waiting before we opened.”
In response to why she does what she does, Martin said “I like to help people, kids especially and when they have all the tools they need to do better in a learning environment [that’s when they really thrive]. It’s also what God calls us to do.”
There were all sorts of community members out with booths from Churches, Healthcare Agencies, Insurance Agencies, Girl Scouts, Banks, First Responders, and more!
Great Clips hairstylists had a long line for kids eager to recieve fresh back to school hair cuts. Christus Mother Frances representatives and Abacus Home Health representatives were offering blood pressure tests and giving out information about good health…as they offered candy to the kids. The Lions Club was offering free vision screenings.
Ragan Dennis with the Safe-T Crisis Center was giving out information and helping bring awareness to the cause. “A lot of people still don’t know were out here.” The Safe-T Crisis Center is a place of help for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Shannon Almand with UnitedHealthcare offered pencil bags with school supplies in them to kids, and talked to parents about medicaid options, and health plans. Their newest plans are Starplex and Starplus medicaid options that allows them to “help more people.” Almand also helped educate families about benefits of being healthy.
The Oral Health Program from Tyler, Texas helped educate families on the importance of dental hygiene and good habits. They had teeth molds and a diorama to show kids possible outcomes if they smoke or don’t brush their teeth. They also explained the importance of fluoride applications-which is to prevent cavities and tooth decay.
Texas State Technical College provided several education options for parents and older students thinking about improving their future.
First Convenience Bank’s Vanessa Alexander and C.J. Davidson gave out school supplies to kids. C.J. Davidson is also an author who encourages victims of domestic violence to be survivors.
The Sulphur Springs Public Library handed out book bags and encouraged kids to visit the library where they can check out books or enjoy Story Time.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department printed KidPrint IDs-which are a recommended safety precaution. The cards have the child’s, name, picture, date of birth, address, and parent’s contact information. It’s best to renew Kidprint ID’s once a year.
TX DOT’s Safety Bob educated families about the importance of not texting and driving.
EMS showed kids their ambulance and stretcher, and the Firemen provided delicious hot-dogs and drinks!
One thing’s for sure, this is one event you don’t want to miss next year!
