Lady Cat Volleyball Taking Speedier Approach to the Game
Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Justin Maness says he was pleased with the Lady Cats’ play in scrimmage action Saturday at Wills Point. He says he saw a lot of improvement from Friday scrimmages to Saturday. After a slow start in a early 9 a.m. Saturday match with Wills Point, the Lady Cats bounced back to top Caddo Mills, Mabank and Greenville. Coach Maness says the Lady Cats appeared to be figuring things out concerning his new speedier approach to the game and he says they seemed more comfortable on the court.
Coach Maness says he still sees things that need improvement. He cites defense and serving. Monday Coach Maness worked with several players concerning individual areas that need improvement. Later he says the team will concentrate on serve/receive plays and free ball plays.
Coach Maness says Monday’s practice is an important one with the regular season starting Tuesday in Wildcats Gym. They play Sherman at 3 p.m. and then North Lamar at around 5 p.m. Coach Maness says he wants to play good opponents who will make the Lady Cats better.
Wildcat Football Practice Begins Monday at 5 p.m.
After missing a week of practice due to having spring football, Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens says he’s ready for some football and he believes his team is too. He admits it was weird not practicing last week when most schools were. Coach Owens is interested to see how much retention his team will have concerning things they learned in May. He says the majority of his team will report in shape so he’s not worried about that.
Coach Owens says it is also weird that the Wildcats didn’t get things underway with a morning practice Monday. Instead practice will get underway at 5 p.m. The first hour will be indoors in the Multipurpose Building. The freshmen team will get started on the Multipurpose Building field while the JV and varsity squads will lift weights, view video and do some walk throughs. All teams will hit the outdoor grass practice fields at 6 p.m. Coach Owens says there will be a lot of early emphasis on special team play. The Wildcats first and only scrimmage will be at Liberty-Eylau at 10 a.m. on August 19.
football
SSISD Board Meets Monday
REGULAR BOARD MEETING SULPHUR SPRINGS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD ROOM, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
6:00 PM
- CALL TO ORDER: Invocation
- FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS
- Announcement by the President whether a quorum is present, that the meeting had been duly called and that the notice of the meeting had been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551.
- Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees conducted on Monday, July 11, 2016, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Administration Building, the minutes of the special meeting of the Board of Trustees conducted on Friday, July
III. PUBLIC FORUM:
Public participation is limited to the designated open forum portion of a meeting per policy BED(LOCAL).
- ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS/INFORMATION ITEMS
- Information re: Food Service Purchasing 2016-2017. (Exhibit IV-A) 12
- Report on Meet the Teacher activities.(Exhibit IV-B) [Kristin Monk] 14
- Present Elementary Student Handbook and Secondary Student Handbooks for review. (Exhibit under separate cover) [Kristin Monk & Josh Williams]
- Present SSISD Employee Handbook. (Exhibit under separate cover) [Josh Williams}
- Report on HR Department. [Rusty Harden]
- CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:
These items are considered to be routine by the board and will be enacted under one motion, unless a member of the board requests that an item be removed from the consent agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda.
- Consider approval of Tax Credits and Supplements for July 2016. (Exhibit VA)
- Consider approval of Delinquent Tax Collections for July 2016. (Exhibit V-B) 19
- Consider approval of Financial Statements and Bills Payable for July 2016. (Exhibit V-C)
- ACTION ITEMS
- Discuss and consider approval of Student Code of Conduct. (Exhibit under separate cover) [Josh Williams]
- Discuss and consider approval of teacher appraisers and appraisal calendar for the 2016-2017 school year. (Exhibit VI-B) [Josh Williams]
- Discuss and consider approval of bid for general classroom materials/office supplies from September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017. (Exhibit VI-C) [Sherry McGraw]
- Discuss and consider adoption of the General Fund, Debt Service and Food Service budgets for the Sulphur Springs Independent School District for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2017, and review all other budget areas. [Sherry McGraw]
- Discuss and consider adoption of Ordinance 2-16 levying an annual ad valorem tax for the year 2016 for the Sulphur Springs Independent School District. (Exhibit VI-E) [Sandra Gibby]
VII. EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Executive Session will be held for the purpose of consideration of matters for which closed or executive sessions are authorized by Title 5, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, Section (.071), (.072), (.074).
- Discuss and consider personnel to be employed, personnel to be reassigned, acknowledge and accept resignations of personnel, other personnel matters.
- Discuss purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property.
VIII. RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR ACTION RELATIVE TO ITEMS COVERED DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION.
- ADJOURNMENT
Mapps Trial Begins With Testimony From Young’s Mother and SSPD Officer First on Scene
A jury trial began Monday morning in 8th Judicial District Court for Tilton Joshua Isaiah Mapps, 21, who is being tried for the murder of Jonathan Trahern Young. Mapps is accused of the murder of Young at Pacific Park on June 8, 2015.
Following opening instruction to the jury by Judge Eddie Northcutt, Assistant District Attorney Matt Harris arraigned Mapps reading his indictment before the jury. Standing with his hands in his pocket during the arraignment, Mapps pled not guilty to the charge.
Harris began opening arguments stating that the shooting developed over time due to an argument between Kendall Frazier and K C Macon. Someone at Macon’s house called Mapps and he grabbed two pistols at his home in Greenville and traveled to Sulphur Springs to Macon’s home at 312 Whitworth. Mapps goes with Macon’s sister. In Pacific Park, Frazier, Young, and Maria Hawthorne were confronted by Mapps and an argument ensued. Young removed his shirt and invited Mapps to fight. Mapps pulled a .40-caliber handgun and shot Young several times. Harris pointed out that some would say Young also had a weapon. Harris also pointed out that witnesses will say that Mapps was seen with a gun as he went back to the house on Whitworth Street. Mapps left Sulphur Springs and returned to Greenville and then fled to Arkansas, according to Harris statements. In Arkansas, Mapps was arrested at 1:45 p.m. Monday, June 29, 2015.
Mapps had been the object of a three week search by SSPD, Texas Rangers, and the U S Marshal’s office in Sherman. He had been traced to Fort Smith, Arkansas where law enforcement had staked out an apartment where he was staying. Harris said that someone in the apartment building alerted Mapps and those with him that a Texas license plate had been noted in the parking lot. A decoy car was used in an attempt to draw law officers away from the scene. After the first vehicle left two police cars gave chase. A second vehicle was then used and as it was leaving the U S Marshal’s made the stop and found Mapps hiding in the back seat under a pink swimming pool floaty.
Harris said that while interrogated by SSPD Detective David Gilmore and Texas Ranger John Vance, Mapps stated at first he was not familiar with Sulphur Springs and did not know about the incident and wasn’t hiding. Ranger Vance asked Mapps if he wanted to use a self-defense plea and Mapps said “it was him or me”, according to Harris. Harris pointed out that the defendant said Young pulled a gun on him and then admitted to using a .40-caliber weapon. Casings from a .40-caliber weapon were found at the scene. Harris raised the question “Is that self-defense” stating that the defense would seek to prove that as fact.
The Defense Attorney for Mapps had no opening statement.
Harris called Young’s mother as his first witness. She stated that Jonathan grew up in Sulphur Springs, was a SSHS graduate in 2007, and worked at Walmart and the Dodge house. She was shown two photos of her son, one at his grandmother’s funeral and the other after his death. She told the court that at 2:30 a.m., she was awakened and told that “Jon got shot… I don’t think he is breathing” by one who came from the park. When she arrived at the park, he was already at the hospital. At the hospital, the doctor told him that their efforts to save his life had failed.
The Defense Attorney asked her if Jonathan was friends with the Frazier’s. She replied “yes”. He had no other questions.
SSPD officer Pat Leber testified that he had received a call at 2:05 a.m. on the night of the incident. At Pacific Park, he found several individuals in the northwest corner of the park. Young was laid out on the ground, wearing a tank top soaked in blood, according to Leber. He checked his pulse and called EMS and the Fire Department to the scene through dispatch. A DVD of his patrol car video and audio was produced but technical troubles led to a recess of the court. Leber stated that he had interviewed Hawthorne regarding the incident. That testimony was to be heard when the court resumed following recess.
Senior Citizens Center Closed Today Due To Gas Leak
The Sulphur Springs Senior Center will be closed today 8/8/2016 due to a gas leak. Activities as well as lunch will be cancelled today.
For more updated information stay tuned into KSSTRadio.com
City Council Sets Special Session to Discuss Budget, Cross Town Trail, and Tax Increase
A special meeting of the Sulphur Springs City Council will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 in the Council Room at 201 North Davis. The following items will be discussed:
- Pledge and invocation.
- Discussions on proposed fiscal year 2016-17 budget.
- Discussion/action on selection of park design and engineering consultant and approval of specific contract for conceptual design of Cross Town Trail.
- Discussion/action on motion to place a proposal to increase total tax revenue on the September 6, 2016, City Council meeting agenda and to schedule two (2) public hearings for the proposed tax increase.
Kaufman County Warrant Increases Hykel’s Charges in Hopkins County
After his arrest for burglary of a habitation in Hopkins County, Clayton Matthew Hykel, 33, of Pickton is now being held on a $200,000 bond for Kaufman County. A warrant for Assault Family Violence there was served on Hykel late Friday at Hopkins County Jail. That also changed his charges in Hopkins County. He is now also charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and a $30,000 bond has been added to his $30,000 for Burglary of a Habitation.
A burglary of a habitation south of the city of Sulphur Springs that occurred on Wednesday was solved Thursday evening around 8:34 p.m. with the arrest of Hykel. Hykel had taken firearms and jewelry in the burglary.
Deputies received information Thursday that firearms taken in the burglary could be located at a residence on a County Road between Como and Pickton. Deputies found Hykel hiding in the attic at his residence. Along with Hykel were the stash of stolen firearms and about one half of the jewelry taken. The firearms were quickly confirmed to be stolen out of Hopkins County. Hykel admitted to entering the residence through a window and removing the firearms and jewelry without consent of the owner. He also informed deputies and investigators that the remainder of the jewelry had been pawned in Kaufman County.
Drinking, Driving, and Possession of Controlled Substance
A traffic stop at the corner of Beckham and Ardis Street Friday night found Haylee Brooke Chester, 20, of Sulphur Springs, disoriented, sleepy, and drowsy in the eyes of the officer that made the stop. A field test indicated that she was driving under the influence and an arrest was made. An inventory of the vehicle produced a small yellow baggie with a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine in the driver’s door. Additional contraband was also found inside the vehicle.
Chester is in Hopkins County Jail charged with possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1 (a state jail felony) and charged with Driving While Intoxicated. She is held on a total bond of $6,000.
Meal-A-Day Menu August 8th- 12th
