Wildcat Golf Qualifies For Regional Tourney; Place Second in District
The Wildcats’ golf team almost caught Hallsville Tuesday for the district championship coming up one stroke short but they qualified for the regional tournament by finishing in second place. The Wildcats shot a second day 312 to go with a 302 first round to finish with 614.
The Wildcats were led by Alex Motes who shot 74 and 75 for a 149, good enough for a second place finish in the medalist race. Matt Calhoun also shined with a 74 and a 77 for 151 total, good for third place in the tournament. Motes and Calhoun made the All-Tournament First Team. Caleb Lewis shot 75 and 80 for 155. Andrew Escobar shot 79 and 83 for 162 total. Carter Lewis had an 87 and 80 for 167. Competing as medalists Cameron Morris shot 81 and 82 for 163. Colten Bench had 90 and 86 for 176.
The district tournament was played at the Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club.
City Manager’s Report, April 4, 2017
BILL BRADFORD ROAD – DONE!
LOCUST STREET – The utility work (water, sewer, gas) is complete. Cement stabilization and concrete work has begun at the north end of Locust. Work will progress from north to south.
MOORE STREET. – Utility work has begun on Moore Street.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT – Work has begun at the wastewater treatment plant. The contractor has excavated one very large hole to accommodate 3 new clarifiers, installed an underdrain system for the clarifiers and begun foundation work on the building that will house blowers for the new digesters.
CLAIMS – We one minor workers’ compensation claim in March and one liability claim arising from a police officer who backed into another vehicle.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT – Total suspended solids (TSS) came in at 1.63 mg/L, well within the limit of 10 mg/L.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES – Finance Director Peter Karstens will present a year-to-date summary of revenues and expenditures.
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Conducted 31 building inspections, 17 electrical inspections, 17 plumbing inspections, 5 mechanical inspections and issued 23 building permits.
- Made 18 extensive street repairs following utility repairs.
- Repaired 455 potholes.
- Repaired storm drain at Como & Bill Bradford.
- Made concrete repairs in the Woodbridge subdivision following storm drain repair.
- Repaired collapsed storm drain on Jackson.
- Helped the County attach new courthouse lights to our computerized lighting system.
- Responded to 227 animal control calls while achieving a 55% adoption rate.
- Responded to 34 accidents, wrote 658 traffic citations, recorded 73 offences and made 73 arrests.
- Performed multiple routine maintenance items as well as repairs at the wastewater treatment plant and the water treatment plant.
- Repaired 6 water main breaks, and replaced 12 water meters.
- Unstopped 30 sewer mains.
- Repaired 11 sewer mains.
- Washed 70,000 feet of sewer mains.
- Flushed 35 dead end water mains.
- Operated Cooper Lake Pump Station on emergency power for 2 days while Oncor made upgrades on the substation.
- Treated 129 million gallons of potable water.
- Responded to 138 fire/rescue calls including 5 structure fires.
- Checked out 3,022 items from the library.
- Hosted a 32 team softball tournament.
- Sold 2,510 gallons of AvGas and 7,953 gallons of JetA fuel.
TxDOT Turned 100 Years Old April 4th
AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Transportation turned 100 years old today and celebrated with an employee event at its downtown Austin headquarters office located in the DeWitt Greer building at 125 E. 11th Street. The event featured a travelling exhibit with a refurbished 1918 Liberty Truck and a time capsule that included some interesting items that have been used in the agency’s century-long history. The Centennial event highlighted the agency’s ongoing mission of connecting Texans to what matters most – the people and places they love.
“We are extremely grateful for the century of support from our elected leaders and citizens who have helped us build one of the greatest transportation systems in the world,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “As a long-time TxDOT employee, I have been blessed to know and work with so many extraordinary people who have helped shape the daily lives of all Texans. As we celebrate our past, we look forward to delivering new projects that will keep Texans moving for the next 100 years.”
As the state’s economy and population continue to grow, TxDOT remains committed to meeting Texas’ ongoing and ever-changing transportation needs. In the early 1900s, the goal was connecting farms and ranches to market; today, it’s safely moving goods and a population of more than 27 million across a nation-leading 80,000 miles of state-maintained roadways – even in the midst of historic growth in our population and trade.
To commemorate this 100-year milestone, TxDOT invites the public to visit its centennial website. The public also is invited to “Track the Truck” and join in the celebration as a refurbished, 27-foot-long 1918 Liberty Truck makes its way across the state as part of a traveling exhibit that tells the district-by-district story of the agency’s 100-year history. Along with the truck, the exhibit will feature historical photos and a visual timeline highlighting significant dates and achievements.
“Our traveling centennial exhibit affords us a great opportunity to thank the public and share a uniquely historical perspective of how our roadways have evolved from their early beginnings into the expansive network we know today,” Bass said.
The TxDOT Story
Born as the Texas Highway Department on April 4, 1917, the earliest incarnation of the Texas Department of Transportation was tasked with a challenge that continues today – there’s a lot of ground to cover in Texas.
In its first nine months, the Texas Highway Department registered nearly 200,000 automobiles and drew the first official map showing the routes of 8,865 miles of improved roadways that would tie Texas together.
As Texas grew, so did the department’s responsibilities. In the 1970s, its scope would stretch beyond roads and highways to local and regional public transit providers. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the agency was assigned additional duties, including aviation and railroads along with ports and waterways. It also was given a new identity – the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT for short.
Today, TxDOT continues to address the state’s ongoing and growing transportation needs. From its humble beginnings of 10 employees and a 1918 construction project creating a 20-mile road between Falfurrias and Encino to the world’s first precast network arch bridge in Fort Worth, TxDOT has grown into one of the state’s largest agencies with more than 11,000 team members maintaining 80,000 miles of Texas roadways.
It’s been a century of service and TxDOT looks forward to the next 100 years of connecting Texans to what matters most.
TxDot logo
Branch Receives 5-Years in TDJC in Plea Bargain Agreement
Amy Michelle Branch, 44, pled to five years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Tuesday afternoon in a plea bargain agreement in Eighth Judicial District Court, according to Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison.
Branch was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 more than 4-grams but less than 200-grams with Intent to Deliver, a Felony 2.
Saltillo Lady Lions Defeat Yantis 24-9 in District Win
The Saltillo Lady Lions’ softball team scored early and often in a 24-9 district victory at Yantis Monday night. The Lady Lions actually had to rally after trailing early. The Lady Lions led 3-2 after the first inning but then fell behind 5-3 after two innings. Saltillo went ahead 11-9 after three innings.The Lady Lions scored the games last 13 runs. The game was called after five innings.
Melissa Groenewold had a big game with a home run, a triple and a single. Madison Simmons hit a double and two singles. Tori Mobley had three singles. Rainie English, Melissa Tawil, Kasey Sanders and Christie Gurley had two singles apiece. Shelby Matlock and Jordan Sustaire each had a single.
Workshop Focuses on Prescribed Burning
by Adam Russell
CANTON – A workshop focused on prescribed burning will be April 21 in Canton.
The event, co-sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will begin with registration at 8 a.m. at the Van Zandt County Farm Bureau, 281 E. Texas Highway 243.
Cost is $20. Organizers ask that attendees RSVP with the AgriLife Extension office in Van Zandt County at 903-567-4149. The event includes lunch and refreshments.
Topics and speakers include:
- Why Burn? Fire History and Fire Effects – Chris Schenk, TPWD statewide fire program leader, Tyler.
- Planning a Burn, Including Weather and Fire Behavior – Larry LeBeau, TPWD wildlife biologist, Tyler.
- Tools, Equipment and Resources – Heidi Bailey, TPWD wildlife biologist, Van.
- Burn Contractors – Kevin Bowman, Bowman Land Management president, Athens.
- Safety, Liability and the Law – Jason Ellis, Texas A&M Forest Service district forester, Jacksonville.
Demonstration burns will be conducted at 1 p.m., weather permitting, following the speaker presentations.
One Texas Department of Agriculture integrated pest management continuing education unit will be available for attendees.
“Prescribed fire is the most efficient, effective and cheapest management tool for managing native habitats in East Texas,” said Tommy Phillips, AgriLife Extension agent Van Zandt County. “We invite residents from Van Zandt and all surrounding counties to come learn about this great time honored tool of land management.”
“The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” Opens Thursday at PJC
Magic springs to life on stage this week at Paris Junior College with the opening Thursday evening of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” at 7:30 p.m. in the Ray E. Karrer Theater. Evening showings continue Friday and Saturday and a 2:30 p.m. matinee showing will be held on Sunday.
“The production has been a joy to work on,” said director and PJC drama instructor Robyn R. Huizinga. “It’s not often that a theatre artist gets an opportunity to bring the world of a favorite book from her childhood to life.
Audiences can expect a storybook feel, an unusual set puppeteered by the cast, some humor, and some exciting action sequences. We hope to see kids and kids at heart coming out to travel through the wardrobe with us!”
The play brings to life the beloved story of four children who travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free that land, guided by the mystical lion, Aslan.
Based on the fantasy novel by British writer and Christian theologian C.S. Lewis, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” features not only PJC students, but many children and adult members of the community.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, and free to those with a current PJC student ID. For more information or to make reservations, contact [email protected] or 903-782-0488.
Local Farm Bureau, Farmers Co-op and NETBIO Send Fencing Materials to Panhandle
Wildfires burned across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado in early March, destroying homes, barns, fences, livestock, and tragically, several lives were lost. The fires charred more than 520,000 acres of land in the Panhandle and killed thousands of head of livestock.
When word of the extent of the losses reached Sulphur Springs, the Hopkins/Rains County Farm Bureau and the Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op along with the support of the Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization (NETBIO) and others launched a relief fund drive.
The goal was to raise enough funds to send a load of fencing materials to producers so they can begin rebuilding their pastures and replacing cattle. They reached their goal and more by raising $35,000 by of March 30.
Don Smith, President of the Hopkins/Rains County Farm Bureau, said that through the efforts of a lot of people in Northeast Texas farmers and ranches in the Panhandle can begin to rebuild.
With those funds deposited in Texas Heritage National Bank, Smith said that with the help of Brad Johnson at the NET Farmers Co-op, a truck load of fencing materials including 189 rolls of wire, 3,400 posts, stays and other accessories, was put together and shipped to the Panhandle over the weekend.
“A county extension agent and others will meet the truck there and get the materials distributed to producers,” Smith said. “That will be enough materials to build 11 miles of fence, which will be a big help to some folks.”
Smith said that thanks to the help of members of the NETBIO organization, the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission, Hopkins County Co-op, Farm Bureau members and others, the wildfire relief fund was a success.
Help also came from around the area, according to Smith. The Hunt County Farm Bureau contributed to the fund, along with people from Mount Pleasant and Rockwall. The national Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) heard about the local fund drive and sent a contribution.
“We are so grateful for what the cattle producers in the area and so many others have done to help those cattle producers who lost so much,” Smith said.
A & M Commerce Names New Men’s Basketball Coach
Texas A&M-Commerce introduced its’ new head men’s basketball coach, Jaret von Rosenberg, Monday. He is a familiar face having served as a Texas A&M-Commerce assistant coach for two years in the recent past. He helped the Lions to a 2015 Lone Star Conference Championship and a top ten national ranking. Von Rosenberg also recruited several notable Lions players.
Von Rosenberg becomes only the fourth head coach in the Division II era for Texas A&M-Commerce. He comes to the Lions from Hartford University, where he served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons. Von Rosenberg’s hiring concludes a national search by Texas A&M-Commerce for a head basketball coach. Jaret von Rosenberg is a 2009 graduate of Hartford University. He’s been a college basketball coach for the past eight years.
Texas A&M-Commerce also announced Monday they are kicking off their 2017-2018 basketball season ticket campaign.
