Scudder Hosts Listening Summit Focused On Special Needs Children and Adults
Greenville, Texas – Kendall Scudder will host a Listening Summit in Greenville on April 29, 2017 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. to learn from parents, educators, advocates, and community members about the real challenges facing children and adults with special needs. The event is at the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library, 1 Lou Finney Blvd, in Greenville.
The Texas Senate, District 2, candidate invites all members of the community to meet with him and share their insights, experiences, and needs for individuals with special needs.
“I want to hear what people in District 2 really need so that I can become a better advocate for children and adults in our community that have been shut out of this legislative session,” Scudder said. “The out of touch politicians in Austin keep pushing bathroom bills and school vouchers instead of investing in our schools and social services. We need to ensure that every individual with special needs, child or adult, receives the care they deserve.”
He especially would like to hear from the parents of students with special needs.
“As the Texas education budget has been whittled away, I worry that the students who need to most support are suffering from cutbacks. I want to know what your children need so that when I go to Austin, I can fight for you and your children in the most effective and efficient way possible,” Scudder said.
Election Day for midterm elections falls on November 6th, 2018. To learn more about Scudder’s positions on vital issues such as inadequate funding for veterans affairs and our crumbling infrastructure, as well as resources for families visit www.ScudderForSenate.com.
Sulphur Springs Man Takes Seven Year Plea Bargain
Miles Anthony Hutchings, 24, of Sulphur Springs plead to seven (7) years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Monday in Eighth Judicial District Court during a docket call. Hutchings was charged with Manufacture, Delivery of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams in a Drug Free Zone.
A traffic violation led to a traffic stop at the corner of Beckham at WA Street in March of this year. Hutchings, exhibited nervous shaking and clenching of the jaw, signs of methamphetamine use at the time of the stop. Hutchings was asked to exit the vehicle. A green leafy substance was found in the driver’s seat. The substance was believed to be marijuana.
That led to a probable cause search where the law enforcement officer found baggies containing pipes, marijuana, and a small amount of methamphetamine. The contraband was located in a United States Postal Service Bag in the auto.
Wildcat Football Begins Spring Drills
For the second year in a row, the Wildcats’ football team will have spring football. It will get underway next Monday and will culminate with a spring game on May 19.
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens said it’s starting earlier this year because school will be letting out earlier this year. He said spring football proved to be very beneficial last year. Coach Owens said the coaching staff can begin to find out what they up front in the offensive and defensive lines. He said it is also especially beneficial for linebackers and running backs. Coach Owens noted the Wildcats have some key spots to fill. Unlike in the fall with opponents to prepare for right away, the spring allows the coaching staff to slow things down and teach fundamentals.
On the flip side, Coach Owens said again the Wildcats would lose one week of fall practice and one scrimmage. He said spring football would be working around lots of stuff. For example, the Wildcats’ baseball team will be in the playoffs and the Athletic Banquet takes place May 1. Coach Owens said spring football would take place from about 3:50 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. on practice days. He said there would be time for weight lifting, film sessions and daily lists of things to accomplish. Special team work will begin. Coach Owens said last year the retention level was good between the spring and fall workouts.
The UIL allows teams 18 practice days within 30 days. Coach Owens said the Wildcats would have about 15 spring practice days. He said the coaching staff seemed to enjoy spring football last year and he added he thought the players also enjoyed the change.
SSHS Band Earns Sweepstakes
For the third straight year, the Wildcats’ band earned sweepstakes. Only the Wildcats’ band and Pine Tree in Class 5A earned sweepstakes at the UIL Contest last Thursday featuring a concert on stage and site reading. The band also earned the highest score of first division, or 1, in marching during the fall.
Wildcats Band Director Charles McCauley said when it comes time to perform, his kids show up and do well. He said Sulphur Springs was the only school to send five bands, three from middle school and two from high school, to UIL contests. All five bands earned a top score of 1 in concert. Four also earned a 1 in site reading to get sweepstakes.
McCauley said success at the high school level begins with work at middle school. He praised assistant band directors Steven Proctor, Jennifer Turner, Robert McDaniel and Jeffrey Garza.
Next for the band are tryouts for the color guard and drum majors.
The band banquet will take place May 13.
Trojans Drop Close District Game at Fruitvale
The Cumby Trojans’ baseball team dropped a close district game at Fruitvale, 6-5 Friday.
The Trojans got off to a good start with a three-run top of the first inning. Fruitvale tied the game with a single run in the second and two runs in the third. Then Cumby went ahead, 5-3 with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Fruitvale had a big three-run bottom of the fifth to take a 6-5 lead and they held on to win. Both teams had seven hits.
Cumby had four errors and Fruitvale had six. Cumby used three pitchers. Cole Sprague started, R.J. Valentine pitched next and took the loss and Elmer Rodriguez finished up. Cumby pitchers allowed only two earned runs.
Valentine had a big game at the plate going 3 for 4 with an RBI, two runs scored, one walk, two singles and a double and three stolen bases. Austin Thomas was 1 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. Braden Porter knocked in a run and had two sacrifices. Ethan Coble, Jake Petty and Dakota Young also had hits. Coble, Braden Coble and Sprague also had stolen bases.
Yantis District Track Results: Lady Owls Place First; Owls Place Third
Yantis Lady Owls track team took first place at the district meet last Thursday and the Owls placed third in district. Several athletes advancing to Area meet.
Varsity Girls: District Champs: Coach Kristi Beech
1st Place Mile Relay: Bayley Bush, Maddie Hooker, Maggie Hooker, Montana Wetzel
Long Jump: 2nd- Bayley Bush, 3rd Maddie Hooker
Shot Put – 3rd Montana Wetzel
Triple Jump – 3rd Sydney Williams, 4th Maggie Hooker
Discus 6th Dani Santizo
High Jump: 1st Sydney Williams, 2nd Maddie Hooker, 3rd Maggie Hooker
100 M: 1st Montana Wetzel
400M:3rd Emily Davis, 4th Hope Dixon
800 M: 4th Maggie Hooker
3200 M: 1st Maddie Hooker
100 M Hurdles: 2nd Sydney Williams,4th Jocelyn Hodges
300M Hurdles: 2nd Maggie Hooker
4X100 Relay: 2nd Ashten Burnett, Sydney Williams, Montana Wetzel, Bayley Bush
4X200 Relay: 2nd Ashten Burnett, Sydney Williams, Montana Wetzel, Bayley Bush
Varsity Boys: Third Place: Coach Mike McMinn
4×100 Relay 3rd Bradley Potts, JC Nolen, Jayden Modrall, Marshall Anderson
4X200 Relay 2nd Bradley Potts, JC Nolen, Jayden Modrall, Marshall Anderson
4×400 Relay 3rd Bradley Potts, JC Nolen, Jayden Modrall, Marshall Anderson
400 M 6th Dallas Scott
110 M Hurdles 6th Kaiden Bush
Shot Put 1st Jayden Modrall
Discus 5th Jayden Modrall
High Jump 3rd Bradley Potts
1600 M 4th Will Graham
Tampering with Evidence; Swallowing Marijuana
A Cumby Police officer assisted by a Hopkins County Deputy made traffic stop near the 113-mile marker on I-30 Sunday evening around 7 p.m. The odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle was quickly recognized by the Cumby officer. During a probable cause search, Grace Elizebeth Diana Jones, 25, was found to have a small amount of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana on her tongue.
Grace Elizebeth Diana Jones
The Cumby officer asked her to open her mouth. However, she swallowed the contraband. She did admit to having smoked marijuana four hours earlier. In her possession was a glass marijuana smoking pipe belonging to her.
Jones was charged with Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence with Intent to Impair (a Felony 3), no driver’s license, and possession of drug paraphernalia. It was also found that she had two warrants issued by the Sulphur Springs Police Department.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Evans Fulfills Boyhood Dream; Will Not Seek Re-election
Hopkins County Commissioner Precinct 4, Danny Evans announced Monday, April 17, 2017 that he will not seek re-election for a 5th term. Evans was sworn in as commissioner for the first time in January, 2003. His current term ends when a newly elected commissioner is sworn in January 1, 2019. His time as commissioner fulfilled a childhood dream.
Most recently, Evans was the catalyst for conversation between Hopkins County Commissioners and Texas Department of Transportation regarding the dangers of driving State Highway 19/154 north of the city of Sulphur Springs. Evans told KSST at the time that the number of accidents resulting in death seems to be increasing. He noted the Highway 19/154 problems will take time to improve. Studies made, funds appropriated, and work done will take time according to Evans. However, he thinks the planning and development of the plan needs to begin now. During his term, work on the 11-West rework began. He said that even though it is taking 10 years to complete the task, the end result will be a huge benefit to those who travel from Sulphur Springs to Commerce. Many of those are students at Texas A & M University-Commerce.
Evans noted that several major accomplishments highlight his years of service to the county. He named the partnership with TxDOT and with the City of Sulphur Springs in the extension of State Highway 11 or Wildcat Way between State Highway 154 and State Highway 19 as one of the top accomplishments during his time in office. Evans said the street/highway opened a large area for future development. Already apartments, a middle school, and a major car dealership have opened along the roadway. He also stated that with the help and approval of county voters, the jail problem was solved. The old jail building had been a thorn in the county commissioner’s court side as it often failed to meet state standards and its cost efficiency was low. A greatly improved civic center, both financially and structurally, developed in partnership with the Sulphur Springs Independent School District and county investment of funds is also a highlight for Evans. He also noted the building of a new firehouse for the county and moving from a 12-hour paid firefighting force to a 24-hour force. The firehouse has been paid for as well. The partnership with the City of Sulphur Springs in work on the downtown square is also on Evans’ list. He stated that commissioner’s court was also instrumental in assisting the City of Cumby receive grants for a generator for their water town and a generator for the sewage plant. The county has also helped the City of Cumby with developing better streets.
With all the improvements that have been made, Evans says the county is financially more sound than it has been. He said the court will know the exact financial numbers in a couple of weeks when the audit is completed. However, Evans expects a surplus of between $6-million and $7 million. A surplus of that amount would equal four months operating funds in surplus for the county. The four months surplus would meet state standards for a county. Evans said the one fear he had when elected as Precinct 4 Commissioner was that the county would not be in good financial shape and that it would create long term issues for him as a commissioner. He said that with cutbacks in 2009 and 2010, the court was able to stop the red balance and, with better economic times that have followed, has grown with good fiscal management.
Evans received only a small amount from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following heavy rains that created county road woes a few years ago. Precincts 1 and 2 were hit hardest and received the larger funding. However, at the time of the FEMA grants, Evans stated that 50-60 percent of the work needed on roads in his precinct had been performed. Money that he received was added back into his budget with the exception of the few areas that remained to be repaired at the time. He said those funds will be spent over the next two summers in road work while he remains in office.
He said he made a lot of friends as commissioner and met a lot of great people. He said he is thankful for the support of people in Precinct 4. He said he is stepping aside at the end of his term to allow someone who will enter the work with lots of energy and enthusiasm to serve the county.
