Driver Arrested For Intentional Tampering With Warning Device at SH 19/I-30
A Sardis, Mississippi truck driver is sitting in Hopkins County Jail charged with Tampering with Warning Device. The driver of the semi-tractor/trailer combination was observed driving over and through the orange warning barrels at the intersection of State Highway 19 and I-30. The Texas Department of Public Safety does not condone that action.
A barrel was dragged underneath his trailer and down the roadway along with others being pushed into the ditch and traffic lane. During the roadside interview conducted by the DPS trooper, the 37-year old driver said he intentionally ran over the barrels with his truck because he needed to turn left. He was placed under arrest and transported to Hopkins County Jail.
Striped to allow four lanes of traffic, two in each direction, the overpass configuration now allows only right turns. Dedicated right-turn lanes provide access to State Highway 19 or State Highway 11 and the frontage roads. Vehicles on the I-30 east-bound or west-bound service roads do have traffic signs to guide the driver to SH 19 or SH 11, but many drivers are ignoring the signs. Many drivers, both semi-tractor/trailer and those driving business or personal vehicles, have stated that they are following GPS instructions and ignoring the signs.
The existing traffic signals have been programmed to function as flashing yellow lights and will continue for around 60 days and will be removed in the future. The traffic flow configuration is designed to reduce congestion at this highway interchange, TxDOT officials said.
Christmas Calendar of Events in Sulphur Springs 2016
THURSDAY DECEMBER 1….Lights of Life Tree Lighting in the Gardens at Christus Mother Frances Sulphur Springs hospital, at 6 pm. Santa will be there to visit with children, and everyone can enjoy carols, cookies and cocoa.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2…Casa Cookie Walk from 9 am til noon at First United Methodist Church Family Life Center. Lots of varieties of homemade cookies at $5 per pound! This benefits Hopkins County CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates)
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2…At dark the Downtown Business Alliance will have Santa and Mrs. Claus light the Celebration Plaza Christmas Tree…the Lions Club Lighted Christmas Parade will step off from Buford Park at 6:30 pm with live coverage by KSST…and the Snow Slide will entertain kids on Celebration Plaza all evening.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2-SUNDAY DECEMBER 4….”A Christmas Carol: The Musical” will take place at the SSHS Auditorium in the Civic Center. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets are $20 General Admission and $35 VIP. Purchase tickets at communitychristmascarol.com or at the Civic Center.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 3…Christmas in the Park at Heritage Park, 416 Jackson Street from 5:30-8:30 pm. Admission is $3 adult, children under 7 admitted free.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 6 and WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 7…”Spread the Warmth” Blanket Drive on Celebration Plaza from 6-9 pm. Drive up and drop off a new blanket to be donated to a senior citizen. The annual charity event is sponsored by the SS Corvette Club and the Sulphur Springs Seniors Center.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 8…SSMS Band Christmas Concert, 7 pm
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10…Northeast Texas Choral Society FREE open-air Christmas Concert on Celebration Plaza at 3 pm. Bring the kids and a lawn chair or blanket for seating.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10…”Fill the Trolley” Toy Drive by City of Sulphur Springs at City Hall. Bring toys from 5-7 pm , visit and take pictures with Santa. A concert by Matt Dunn will begin at 7 pm.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10, SUNDAY DECEMBER 11…First Baptist Church Christmas Concert, 6 pm.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 13…SSMS Strings Christmas Concert, 6 pm
FRIDAY DECEMBER 16…SSES Choir Christmas Program, morning
SUNDAY DECEMBER 18…Christmas Cantata at First United Methodist Church at 10:45 am service
SSISD will begin Christmas break with one hour early dismissal on Friday December 16. Students will return to class on Wednesday January 4, 2017.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall on a weekend this year. May you and yours be blessed with a safe and Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Christmas Tree Lights
NHS Induction Ceremony Held At SSHS
Sulphur Springs High School held an induction ceremony Tuesday night for the Gladys Alexander Chapter of National Honor Society. National Honor Society is built upon four pillars: scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Once students reach a weighted GPA of 3.2 or higher, they then fill out an application that lists their community involvement, volunteer projects, and any extracurricular activities they are involved in. These applications are then reviewed and students are invited to be a part of the National Honor Society. Two year members and inductees were recognized during the ceremony by NHS President Story Thompson. The four pillar candles were lit by Rodolfo Perez, Mandy Eckhart, Summer Brooks, and Story Thompson. Afterward, a reception was held for members and their families.
Tough Night for Saltillo Lions
It was a tough night Tuesday night for the Saltillo Lions’ basketball team as they lost at Celeste, 62-28. Celeste jumped out to a 15-7 lead after the first quarter, led 28-10 at halftime and 46-20 after three quarters.
For the Lions, Lyle Bench led the way with 9 points and Matthew Gurley scored 7. Logan Camp has 4, Walker McGill and Trevor Moore 3 each and Dakota Patridge 2.
The Lions are now 2-2 this season. They’ll play next in a Miller Grove tournament.
The Saltillo JV team did defeat Celeste, 44-32. The JV Lions were led by Nate Valenzuela with 13 points. Levi Hoover scored 11, Ben Moore 10, Colt Speir 6, Hendrick Rios 2 and Dillon Beadle 2. The Saltillo JV team is 3-0 so far this season. They will play Dodd City next Tuesday at home.
Wildcats, Lady Cats in Tournaments This Weekend
Both Lady Cats and Wildcats are in tournaments beginning Thursday.
According to the latest on pool play at the Winnsboro Hoopfest Tournament as of Wednesday morning, the Lady Cats’ basketball team is in Pool A with East Texas rivals Longview and Whitehouse. Lady Cats Basketball Coach Jeff Chapman said it looks like they have put together a good tournament. It includes ranked teams Gilmer, Canton and Winnsboro. The Lady Cats are scheduled to open against Longview Thursday at 10:40 a.m. in the Winnsboro High School Gym. They play Whitehouse Thursday at 6:40 p.m. in the Winnsboro Junior High Gym. Coach Chapman said Longview should be a good test for the Lady Cats. He said the Lady Cats had better be ready to play or it won’t be good. Despite the team’s 4-1 record, Coach Chapman said his team has been up and down this season. He expects Longview to be ready for the Lady Cats. The Lady Cats defeated Longview the last time they played in an instant classic in Wildcats Gym. The Lady Cats took a 62-58 win in triple overtime. It might have been the first Lady Cats win over Longview ever? So Coach Chapman expects that Longview will come in ready to play. He said he didn’t know much about Whitehouse. Coach Chapman said he would spend his time getting his team ready to do what they need to do to be successful.
The Wildcats are 4-0. They should be severely tested in a Royse City tournament that starts Thursday. The Wildcats play basketball powerhouses Anna and Lufkin. Coach Clark Cipoletta predicted that both 4A Anna and 6A Lufkin would go deep into the playoffs. He said the pool games would be a good way to measure where the Wildcats are right now on offense and defense. The games should also reveal things on which the Wildcats need to work. The Wildcats play Anna at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and Lufkin 8:30 a.m. Friday. Coach Cipoletta said the early starts shouldn’t bother the Wildcats who often gather at school early in the morning before the start of school to get in some shooting time.
Plea Bargain Results in 10 Years in TDCJ for Young
Christian Dior Young was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in a plea bargain agreement in Eighth Judicial District Court Tuesday, November 29th. Young plead guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 more than 4-grams but less than 200-grams.
Christian Dior Young, 27, was in Hopkins County Jail for bond forfeiture on a Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, over 4-grams but under 200-grams and for Violation of Parole (Austin). Young, who gives a Rowlett address, was arrested at a location on Freeman Street in Sulphur Springs Saturday. September 17th.
On May 26, 2016, in 8th Judicial District Court, Young was sentenced to three (3) years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 1 (methamphetamine) more than 4 grams and less than 200 grams. He was indicted in February of this year for the possession.
Young had meth in his sock when arrested near the Douglas School campus, a drug free zone. He has been in prison once before and after today, if he is convicted of a third degree felony again, he will be sentenced to 25 years to life under the habitual offender statute.
Choral Society’s “Celebration Christmas” Concert
Director Carol Allen and Northeast Texas Choral Society board member Kacey Batterton are thrilled to announce that during this Christmas season, the choir will have a wish of theirs come true at long last…to offer the public a FREE concert as a gift from the twenty-year-old singing organization. In an interview on the Morning Show with Enola Gay, the two explained how recent weeks of rehearsal will culminate on Celebration Plaza in an open-air presentation of “A Celebration Christmas” concert Saturday December 10 at 3pm. Be sure and bring the kids and lawn chairs or a blanket for seating.
You will also see members of Choral Society with principal roles in “A Christmas Carol:The Musical” on December 2-4 in the Sulphur Springs High School Auditorium at the Civic Center. The Choral Society is one of four local arts organizations that will present the musical. Tickets are available at communitychristmascarol.com.
The Northeast Texas Choral Society has two major productions planned for next year. The Spring Concert will be titled “Touchstone: The Music That Makes Your Heart Remember” to be staged on the first weekend in May 2017. Also, the 100-voice choral membership will return to the SSHS auditorium stage on the first weekend of December 2017 for their 20th annual Christmas Concert.
If you would like to become a member of Choral Society, get ready for auditions during mid-January at First United Methodist Church choir room, or contact Carol Allen by calling 903-885-2185. Find out more about the organization at netchoral.org.
Vaughn Sentenced to 15 Years In Plea Bargain Agreement
Robert Charles Vaughn was sentenced to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in a plea bargain agreement in Eighth Judicial District Court Tuesday, November 29th. He faced three charges including Theft of Property over $20,000 but less than $100,000, Bail Jumping and Failure to Appear, and Evading arrest Detention with Previous Conviction. All were felonies. In January, 2012, the Dike man was accused of stealing a Caterpillar back hoe from a crew repairing a bridge on Highway 69. The man had disguised the equipment to look like a John Deere back hoe.
