Stellantis Issues recall of Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee
Stellantis has issued a recall for about 81,000 Jeep and Ram vehicles because their engines can repeatedly stall due to a metalwork defect. The problem affects two models, but only those equipped with 3.0-liter diesel engines.
2014-2019 Ram 1500
2014-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee
The problem, the company says, is that magnetic material can delaminate from the surface of a tone wheel — a wheel with teeth mounted around the flywheel. The crank position sensor uses the tone wheel as a reference point to know when the engine control unit (ECU) starts the combustion process. Without a working tone wheel, the crankshaft position sensor can’t function, which makes the engine lose its timing.
That can make the engine stall repeatedly and even fail to restart.
The company says it knows of no accidents caused by the issue but has received at least 611 warranty claims that were related to it.
The solution does not involve a new tone wheel. Instead, Stellantis says, dealers will “update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion by reading the camshaft position signal if crankshaft position signal is lost.”
Recall repairs are always free.
Heat-Related Illnesses And How To Help
June 23, 2023- With the risk of extreme heat coming to Texas the need for those who know what to look for in heat- related illnesses is in high demand. The following is a list of illnesses and what to look for and do in the event of one:
Heat Stroke
What to look for
- High body temperature (103 Degrees F or higher)
- hot, red, dry, or damp skin
- Fast, strong pulse
- Headache
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Losing consciousness
What to Do
- Call 911 right away as heat stroke is a medical emergency
- Move the person to a cooler place
- Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath
- Do not give the person anything to drink
Heat Exhaustion
What to look for
- Heavy sweating
- Cold, pale, and clammy skin
- Fast, weak pulse
- Nausea or vomiting
- Muscle cramps
- Tiredness or weakness
- Dizziness
- Fainting
What to do
- Move to a cool place
- Loosen your clothes
- Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath
- Sip water
Get medical attention if:
- You are throwing up
- Your symptoms get worse
- Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour
Heat Cramps
What to look for
- Heavy seating during intense exercise
- Muscle pain or spasms
What to do
- Stop physical activity and move to a cool place
- Drink water or a sports drink
- Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity
Get medical attention right away if:
- Cramps last longer than 1 hour
- You’re on low-sodium diet
- You have heart problems
Sunburn
What to look for
- Painful, red, and warm skin
- Blisters on the skin
What to do
- Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals
- Put on cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath
- Put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas
- Do not break blister
Heat Rash
What to look for
- Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin or in elbow creases)
What to do
- Stay in cool, dry place
- Keep the rash dry
- Use powder (like baby powder) to soothe the rash
Texas A&M Commerce Rodeo Team Dominates At National Competition
Henry’s National Title Highlights A&M-Commerce Success at National Rodeo
COMMERCE, TX—For the second year in a row, a member of the Texas A&M University-Commerce Rodeo team captured a national championship at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyo.
Kincade Henry repeated as the National Champion in the men’s Tie Down Roping event, finishing with the lowest combined time of 35.8 seconds across four rounds of competition. His time of 8.1 seconds in the second round was tied for the fastest single-round time throughout the event.
Henry, who won the same event at the 2022 CNFR as a member of Panola College, becomes just the second A&M-Commerce Rodeo athlete to win an individual national title. Last year, Bryana Lehrmann was the first National Champion in program history, winning the Breakaway Roping and Women’s All-Around titles.
Cutter Carpenter wasn’t too far behind Henry, finishing second in the nation in Tie Down Roping with a four-round total time of 39 seconds flat. Rounding out the top five finishers was Ty Johnson, who finished fifth in the final standings of the Team Roping event after being paired up with Panola’s Cooper Parsley. Johnson was a late substitute for CNFR qualifier Trevor Kernick, who was unable to compete.
In addition to these accolades, Carpenter’s horse “Twix” was named the 2023 American Quarter Horse Association’s Horse of the Year in the men’s events. Carpenter and Twix won the award after earning the most combined points in the men’s timed events.
Overall, the men’s team captured a third-place finish in the team standings, the highest ever for an A&M-Commerce team at the CNFR. The women’s team placed 24th overall with just three competitors.
The full finishing results are as follows:
• Kincade Henry (Mount Pleasant, Texas) – 1st, Tie Down Roping
• Cutter Carpenter (Athens, Texas) – 2nd, Tie Down Roping
• Ty Johnson (Sulphur Springs, Fla.) – 5th, Team Roping
• Addie Weil (Edna, Kan.) – 13th, Breakaway Roping
• Sonora Schueneman (Madisonville, Texas) – 14th, Goat Tying
• Cash Robb (Altamont, Utah) – 15th, Steer Wrestling
• Rylee George (Oakdale, Calif.) – 27th, Breakaway Roping
• Will Farris (Centerville, Texas) – 39th, Team Roping
• Tristan Sullivan (Centerville, Texas) – 39th, Team Roping
(Photo by Matt Strasen | Office of Marketing and Communications, Texas A&M University-Commerce)
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Federal Trade Commission Sues Amazon For Fraud
June 22, 2023- The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon Delivery Service on Wednesday, stating that the company tricks customers to sign up for Prime while also sabotaging attempts to cancel the subscription.
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Amazon.com, Inc. for its years-long effort to enroll consumers into its Prime program without their consent while knowingly making it difficult for consumers to cancel their subscriptions to Prime.
In a complaint filed today, the FTC charges that Amazon has knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime. Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as “dark patterns” to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions.
Amazon also knowingly complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscribers who sought to end their membership. The primary purpose of its Prime cancellation process was not to enable subscribers to cancel, but to stop them. Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would’ve made it easier for users to cancel Prime because those changes adversely affected Amazon’s bottom line.
“Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike. The FTC will continue to vigorously protect Americans from “dark patterns” and other unfair or deceptive practices in digital markets.”
For now, the FTC’s complaint is significantly redacted, though the FTC has told the Court it does not find the need for ongoing secrecy compelling. Nevertheless, the complaint contains a number of allegations related to the company’s decision not to make changes to prevent nonconsensual enrollment in Prime and the difficulties consumers faced in attempting to unsubscribe from the service. Specifically, the complaint charges that Amazon used so-called “dark patterns” to cause consumers to enroll in Prime without their consent, in violation of the FTC Act, and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.
During Amazon’s online checkout process, consumers were faced with numerous opportunities to subscribe to Amazon Prime at $14.99/month. In many cases, the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to Prime was more difficult for consumers to locate. In some cases, the button presented to consumers to complete their transaction did not clearly state that in choosing that option they were also agreeing to join Prime for a recurring subscription.
The FTC charges that Amazon put in place a cancellation process designed to deter consumers from successfully unsubscribing from Prime. Previous reporting about the process in the media has noted that Amazon used the term “Iliad” to describe the process, which the reporting cites as an allusion to Homer’s epic poem set over twenty-four books and nearly 16,000 lines about the decade-long Trojan War.
Consumers who attempted to cancel Prime were faced with multiple steps to actually accomplish the task of cancelling, according to the complaint. Consumers had to first locate the cancellation flow, which Amazon made difficult. Once they located the cancellation flow, they were redirected to multiple pages that presented several offers to continue the subscription at a discounted price, to simply turn off the auto-renew feature, or to decide not to cancel. Only after clicking through these pages could consumers finally cancel the service.
The complaint notes that Amazon was aware of consumers being nonconsensually enrolled and the complex and confusing process to cancel Prime that the company’s executives failed to take any meaningful steps to address the issues until they were aware of the FTC investigation. In the complaint, the FTC also alleges that Amazon attempted to delay and hinder the Commission’s investigation in multiple instances.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 3-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Meal A Day And Senior Citizen Center Calendar June 26-30th, 2023
Volunteers prepare meals at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center and deliver them five days a week to Meal A Day program recipients in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The Meal A Day Menu for the week of June 26-30, 2023 includes:
MONDAY, June 26 – Cabbage Casserole, Vegetable of Day and Bread
TUESDAY, June 27 – Eggplant Parmesan, Cucumber Salad and a Roll
WEDNESDAY, June 28 – Mexican Chicken Spaghetti, Vegetable of the Day and Bread
THURSDAY, June 29 – Chicken Taco Salad, Salsa and Guacamole
FRIDAY, June 30 – Ham & Cheese Sandwich, Carrot Salad and Chips
This And That For June 2023 By David Wall
Water availability will continue to be a problem now and in the future. You can help by storing rain water, saving bath water wasted by running until the water gets warm, drip garden irrigation, saving the water from boiling vegetables which contains nutrients plants will love, enlarging ponds when they are very low, and so many more ways. In the NETSEO area, there are probably several hundred thousand gardens. If each of us could reduce water requirements by just 5% That would be quite a savings, not to mention lower water bills!
Bare garden soil is rapidly becoming a giant no-no. Keep it covered. I prefer miniature and Dutch white clover which enrich the soil. Even weeds are better than bare soil. When summer temperatures get to or exceed 90°, soil temps can reach 150°. What you think are problems caused by air temp are caused more by soil temps which can affect activity and interfere with plant photosynthesis.
If we get another dry summer this year, don’t forget to water your trees with a 2” watering every two weeks.
Cardboard covering works well with raised bed gardens. Simply cover the bed with cardboard. Then cut 4-6” holes where you’ll plant your vegetables. You can use bricks, rocks, etc., to prevent the cardboard from blowing away.
We hear a lot about plants for pollinators, but usually think nothing about plants for moths. Moths do their pollinating at night. They don’t get to do it as long or as densely as daytime pollinators, but believe it or not, moths pollinate much more efficiently than bees. Also very important, turn off night lights which distract and prevent pollination.
If you’re really serious about improving your garden soil, consider Restoring the Soil or Dirt to Soil, two books that really make a difference.
Alamo Redevelopment Get $400 Million Boost From Texas Legislature
When Kate Rogers was hired in 2021 to lead the Alamo Trust, she encountered a “healthy level of skepticism” about whether redevelopment of the Alamo complex would actually come to fruition.
During the previous year, the project encountered controversy over moving the Alamo Cenotaph, multiple deep-pocketed donors to the project had dropped out, and San Antonio residents remained uncertain how the evolving site plans would actually look in the end.
But the project got its biggest boost to date on Sunday, when Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state’s $321.3 billion budget, which includes a $400 million allocation for the historic Alamo redevelopment.
However, the Alamo Trust, the historic site’s nonprofit steward, will still need to raise significant funds for the redevelopment, but the budget allocation shows the state’s commitment to the project.
The total cost of the project is set at $504 million, this project includes street closures, plaza improvements, a new museum, artifact collection and education centers.
That’s significantly more expensive than the $388 million projected in 2021, due to rising construction costs.
The project is on track for a grand opening on March 6, 2027 — one year after the 190th anniversary of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
The overall redevelopment has received other local and state funding, including $38 million from the city’s 2017 bond and $25 million from Bexar County over five years for the museum.
The Alamo Trust has raised about $50 million in private donations so far and plans to raise $75 million more: another $50 million for redevelopment costs and $25 million to set up an endowment for continued operating expenses related to on-site preservation and educational opportunities.
Entrance to the plaza and Alamo church will be free, in addition to smaller exhibits and artwork in the museum lobby, she said.
While construction in the plaza continues, the embattled Alamo redevelopment is now in a period of political calm compared with recent years.
The goal of the redevelopment is to preserve the Alamo’s historic structures, which were designated a World Heritage site in 2015, and enhance the experience of visitors by restoring the site’s “dignity and reverence,” according to the master plan.
Approvals for the project’s work and design will be required at various levels, including the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission and the Texas Historical Commission. Despite everything, Houston remains optimistic that the project will celebrate its grand opening on schedule, saying, “It’s a totally different vibe than it was several years ago.”
To learn more about the Alamo Trust visit: https://www.thealamo.org/alamo-trust
How To Prepare For Severe Weather
Severe weather systems in Texas, such as tornadoes, can pose serious threats to personal safety as well as disrupt power to homes for extended periods. Before an anticipated severe weather event, stock up on essential non-perishables such as canned fish, poultry and canned fruits and vegetables. A loss of power can severely affect meal preparations as well as the safety of important food items needed to sustain healthy living standards,. Texans should be mindful that severe weather season is now, and the threat of these weather systems can disrupt or severely hamper electrical services across the state.
Create a plan: While extreme weather may be somewhat unpredictable here in Texas, preparing and planning for them should not be. Before an anticipated severe weather event, stock up on essential non-perishables such as canned fish and poultry and canned fruits and vegetables, If a blackout is expected to last longer than four hours, consider preplanning recipes using an emergency preparedness cookbook. .Additionally, stock up on sources like dry ice or cold packs to help keep perishable food items cold without power.
Keep it cold: When experiencing a power outage, regulating and maintaining the preexisting temperature of perishable food items is essential. For refrigerated foods, keep items under 40 degrees. Keeping the refrigerator door closed can keep foods cold for up to four hours, whereas keeping the freezer door closed can keep foods fresh for 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 in a half-full freezer. If cold food items reach the four-hour mark in the refrigerator, use a cooler and a cold source along with dry ice or cold packs to keep food cold.
When in doubt, throw it out: Don’t take any chances thinking food is safe to eat when it might not be. When in doubt, throw it out. Sometimes, it can be tricky to tell if perishable food items are safe to eat. However, regarding safety, it is best to be sure. Never taste test foods to determine if they are still safe to eat, If perishable food items such as meat, cut fruit and vegetables, eggs, milk and leftovers have been stored longer than four hours without a cold source, throw them out. It is better to be safe than sick.
Appliances; be safe, be Smart: First, identify what cooking equipment is best. Some standard alternatives to the indoor electric and gas stove include a charcoal or gas grill, camp stoves, fireplaces, wood stoves or a well-controlled outdoor fire. Next, understand the basic safety precautions for the selected equipment. Avoid asphyxiation from carbon monoxide by restricting only charcoal grills, gas grills and camp stoves to outdoor use. While using a fireplace or wood stove, ensure that the chimney functions properly and the damper is open or that the stovepipe has not been damaged on a wood stove. When cooking outdoors, scope out the perfect spot. Placing stones or a metal drum around the fire bed is essential to ensure any fire is well contained. Be mindful to never use gasoline to get a wood or charcoal fire started.
Take care of yourself: Close all drapes and blinds and use cross-ventilation and fans to cool your home. Dress in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Move to the lowest level of your home. Take your family and pets to a cool location if you have one. Try going to an air-conditioned public place like a movie theater or mall during the daytime. Check with your local emergency management to see if there’s a cooling shelter available in your area. Drink plenty of water and avoid heavy meals, caffeinated drinks and alcohol. Remember to provide plenty of cool water for your pets. Use alternative ways to prepare food, like a barbecue grill. Always grill outside. Check on children, seniors and those with medical conditions or disabilities. Turn off appliances to prevent damage from a power surge. Unplug major equipment, including air conditioning units, computers and televisions. Turn off all your lights except one so that you know when power has been restored. Keep refrigerator or freezer doors closed; don’t open unless necessary. A freezer will keep food frozen for up to 36 hours if the door remains closed, and an unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for up to four hours. If an outage lasts longer, remove and pack meat, milk and other dairy products in a cooler with ice.
Firefighter Budget Adjustment And Previous Year Emergency Call Volume
Hopkins County Commissioners met with members of the Hopkins County Firefighters on Wednesday to discuss firefighter budgets and other items.
During this meeting Fire Chief Andy Endsley showed the proposed personnel budget, this budget from the 2023 year currently sits at just over $800,000, stating the cost of salaries, overtime, holiday and other items. However, with the growing need for more personnel, equipment and other items within the department the budget was adjusted to appropriately allow finances for these items, this new budget for 2024 will be just over $970,000.
Also during this meeting a new incentive pay was pitched, this pay would give firefighters of different levels the chance to earn more money. these levels are as follows:
- TCFP Intermediate Firefighter- $100 per month
- TCFP Advanced Firefighter – $200 per month
- TCFP Master Firefighter – $300 per month
During the 2022 year there were more than one thousand different emergency calls made to the emergency lines, these calls were as follow:
- Structure Fires: 50
- Grass Fires: 172
- Vehicle Fires: 40
- Ems: 177
- Motor Vehicle Crashes: 210
- Rescues: 3
- False Alarm: 56
- Hazardous Condition: 60
- Good Intent: 334
- Public Assist/Misc: 71
Totaling to 1,195 separate calls.
Sulphur Springs Woman Back in Hopkins County Jail
June 21, 2023 – NESSICA RACHELE MCPHERSON, who also goes by the alias Nessica Rachele Hale, is back in Hopkins County Jail after Deputies retrieved her from the Lamar County Jail. She was transported without incident.
On Thursday, June 15, 2023, 48 Year-Old Nessica Rachele Hale of Sulphur Springs was arrested at the Parole Office in the 3900 block of North Main Street in Paris, TX for a Parole Violation Warrant and a Violation Probation-Possession Controlled Substance Warrant out of Hopkins County and was booked into the Lamar County Jail.
McPherson was arrested last month in a Sulphur Springs hotel with around 50 grams of methampetamine. See that story here.
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.
