A KSST Intern’s Trip To Australia Part 1
1. Aborigines-Indigenous Peoples of Australia
4. Brekkie/Brekky-Breakfast
5. Brolly-Umbrella
6. Bush-Country side
7. Chemist-Pharmacy
8. Chips-French Fries
9. Chook-Chicken
10. Donner-Lamb
11. Footy-Australian Rules Football, Soccer, and Rugby
12. Hungry Jack’s-Burger King
13. Jumper-Sweater
14. Lemonade-Sprite
15. Lolly-Candy
16. Macca’s-McDonald’s
17. Mains-Entree
18. Mate-Friend
19. Nibbles-Appetizers
20.Outback-Desert
21. Pram-Stroller
22. Tomato Sauce-Ketchup
23. Trolley Cart -Grocery Cart
24. Take Away-To Go
25. Sunnies-Sunglasses
**Bonus**
26. Zed-The letter “Z”
(Example: If a girl was named Zoey and She was to spell out her name she’d say “Zed, O, E, Y”)
Lady Cats Open 2016 Season with Scrimmage Wins
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team opened their 2016 season by scrimmaging Commerce and Cumby at home Friday. The Lady Cats managed to squeak by Commerce by a couple of points and then topped Cumby by 13 thanks to a late flourish. The Lady Cats got contributions from all ten varsity players. Kaylee Jefferson and Autumn Tanton had especially big games at the net. Solid results also came from Mieke VanBenthem and Sheretta Hill. Also chipping in were Abbi Baier, Madi Vickery and Tori Moore. Leaders in serving included Mieke VanBenthem who had a string of five straight points against Cumby, Tori Moore who had three and four point runs against Commerce, Anden Hammack who scored four points while serving against Cumby, Autumn Tanton with two three point runs and a two point run against Cumby, Kaylee Jefferson with three scoring serves in a row against Cumby and Maggie McGlamery who had three and two point runs against Commerce and a three point string against Cumby. Imani Taylor was also active all over the court and as a server.
After the scrimmages, Coach Justin Maness said it looked like a scrimmage with his team trying to work the kinks out. He said the team had a lot of thing to work on. However Coach Maness said he also saw lots of positive things, such as lots of good attacks. He noted that he has changed some of the things the Lady Cats will be doing. Coach Maness said he is speeding up the offense and he has players running different routes on the court. He said those things take time to learn. His bottom line however is he believes the team has what it takes to be really good. Coach Maness liked his teams flourish of points at the end of the Cumby scrimmage. The Lady Cats will scrimmage Saturday in Wills Point before opening the regular season against Sherman and North Lamar next Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m. in Wildcats Gym.
Sulphur Springs Christian Preschool New Location Undergoes Renovation
New SSCP Location
The Sulphur Springs Christian Preschool, located in the Factory Stores of America outlet mall on 614 Bill Bradford Rd, has begun renovations on its new location. The new site for SSCP will be the old Sulphur Springs Athletic Club at 1129 Industrial Dr E, and is set to open for the start of the new school year on August 22nd. “For anybody that calls and enrolls their kids before the August 15th, we will be waiving their registration fee, and the first week is free as well,” Sulphur Springs Christian Preschool owner Darla Riley said. “So it’s a way to get your foot in the door and see if you like the program. It’s also cost-beneficial to those new parents.”
Riley first started in the preschool business when she was the director at Little Acorn School in Sulphur Springs many years ago. After some time, she moved away and opened her own preschool in Winnsboro where her program gained interest from parents in Sulphur Springs. “People were asking me to come back, so we opened at [Factory Stores of America] in April of 2012,” Riley said. “We are licensed here for 115 children and we started with about 30 kids. By the time school started the next year, we were pretty much full.”
SSCP sets itself apart from other preschools due to its religious core curriculum. Riley and her teachers focus on teaching basic lessons about morality and behavior which can be found in the Bible. “We start at the beginning in Genesis and work our way through,” Riley said. “We don’t teach any doctrine, we just teach the children basic Bible stories, how to respect their parents, how to love their neighbors, how to be kind to their teachers, just basic things that I think have been missing in society that kids are not getting in the day-to-day life of a preschool daycare.”
Riley encourages her teachers to be interactive with the children under their care. She tells them every day that, “Whatever level we’re on today, I want us to be at a higher level tomorrow.” All teachers are CPR certified and have received 25 hours of training every year. Because of the success of SSCP, Riley is moving to the former athletic club in order to take on more children and provide more opportunities for them. “We have outgrown this space, and we saw that that building was available and it was something that we could renovate,” Riley said. “We’re going to have a lot of really nice things over there — more areas for them to explore, two indoor play areas, two playgrounds in the back, a small riding track for their cars, a covered area for picnics and sensory play, and we’re hoping by next spring that we’ll be able to put in a Splash Pad in. We’ll also have dance one day a week for children, and I’m talking to a lady from Minneola about having Tumbling on the go there at the facility so that while parents are working children can participate in those classes.”
The new location for the Christian Preschool will allow for 250 children to enroll, over double the current location’s maximum capacity. Thanks to a small business loan from Texas Heritage Bank, Riley has been able to get renovations underway and scheduled to wrap up in time for the new school year. “It is quite expensive to open a new facility and renovate it in that way, but I think that it will be worth it,” Riley said. “It’s going to be pretty ‘5-Star’ for the area, and I think that we will recuperate that initial investment quickly.”
All teachers at Sulphur Springs Christian Preschool, as well as being CPR Certified and having undergone 25 hours of training each year, are fingerprinted and background checked through an FBI database for criminal records. Anybody interested in teaching at SSCP can pick up an application at the current location or at the new one after August 22. Applicants with past childcare experience are appreciated. “We’re hoping to launch with some new employees, so I’d like to able to have those already in place before we get too far into the new school year,” Riley said.
Cooper Lake State Park Activities or August
Has it been hot enough for you? It almost seems as if it will go on forever but it won’t. In just a little while we will be hitting those 82 degree days again and the heat of summer will be over for this year.
At the park the wildlife has been as active as ever; as have the programs we offer each week. Few, if any, take place without someone coming to enjoy them. This past weekend, at the Wonders of the Night Sky program, there were 3 families that came to participate. One family drove from McKinney just to look at stars with us. Their oldest child was 3 year old Alex who couldn’t get enough time on the telescopes looking at the planets of Jupiter and Saturn. In addition we were able to see the Milky Way and saw around 15 meteorites as they entered Earth’s atmosphere from the Perseid meteor that is passing near Earth right now. It’s always exciting to hear the “owws and ahhs” as they see things in the night sky they have never seen before. We also held the second of the Outdoor Kids’ Camp programs and 17 kids completed the program and were asking for more.
You are invited to come and enjoy any of the programs that are offered here at Cooper Lake State Park. We would love to have you join us. Check out August’s schedule and plan on coming out to the park to experience the natural world around you.
Just a note about SOMETHING NEW COMING VERY SOON TO COOPER LAKE STATE PARK. For the past 8 years I have had the privilege to work as one of the Park Police Officers and as the part-time park Interpreter. The program has grown to the point that we needed a full-time person to handle the park interpreter’s position. Beginning October 6, Katelyn Juenger will be assuming the position of the Cooper Lake State Park Complex interpreter. I will still be close at hand and will still be doing some of the programs. This will be an opportunity for us to expand the outreach and programs here at the park and around this part of the state. Stop in at the park office and welcome Katelyn to East Texas. Y’all come see us!
SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS AT COOPER LAKE STATE PARK FOR AUGUST, 2016
AUGUST 6
9:00 am HIKE THE BACK COUNTRY OF COOPER LAKE STATE PARK-GUIDED HIKE – Meet at Coyote Run Trailhead – Wear appropriate foot wear and bring water. Optional items: binoculars, camera.
2:30 pm DISCOVER THE TREES AT COOPER LAKE STATE PARK – Meet at Honey Creek Amphitheater and take a hike with a Ranger around our Nature Trail (.2 miles) Bring water.
AUGUST 13
9:30 am LIP SMACKIN’, GOOD EATIN’/DUTCH OVEN PROGRAM – Meet at Honey Creek Amphitheater (Bring a fork and bowl to sample the food)
AUGUST 20
9:30 am GUIDED CANOEING TOUR – Meet at Park Headquarters. $12 Canoe rental for up to 3 people (Bring water, cap, sun screen). Call the park office to RESERVE your canoe.
2:30 pm GEOCACHE TREASURE HUNTING – Meet at Post Oak Amphitheater at DOCTOR’S CREEK (GPS receivers will be Provided)
AUGUST 27
2:30 pm NIGHT SKY ACTIVITIES – Meet at Gulls Bluff Group Pavilion Make a “Sky Wheel” and learn about the night sky. (Bring water.)
8:00 pm THE WONDERS OF THE NIGHT SKY /STARGAZING –Meet at Honey Creek parking lot
PROGRAMS MAY BE CANCELLED BECAUSE OF WEATHER! CONTACT THE PARK OFFICE FOR UPDATED INFORMATION.
903 945-5256
Mapps Trial Begins Monday
Tilton Joshua Isaiah Mapps, 21, will be tried for the murder of Jonathan Trahern Young in the Eighth Judicial Criminal Court beginning Monday. Mapps is accused of the murder of Young at Pacific Park on June 8, 2015. He has been held in Hopkins County Jail on a $1- million bond for murder and a $20,000 bond for tampering with physical evidence. He was indicted for the charges by a Hopkins County Grand Jury on Wednesday afternoon, September 23 2015. A jury was picked earlier this week. Assistant District Attorney Matt Harris will represent the state in the trial.
Mapps became a suspect in the murder after local law enforcement questioned several witnesses at the park. Police obtained a warrant for Mapps arrest the day of the shooting. At that time, Mapps, who was known to live in Greenville, was considered armed and dangerous and area citizens were asked to report his whereabouts to local law enforcement.
Mapps allegedly shot Young multiple times and disposed of the fire arm after he admitted to throwing the weapon into an unspecified body of water. SSPD Criminal Investigator David Gilmore had said at the time that one of the key pieces of evidence in a homicide is the murder weapon. Gilmore said Mapps was very vague regarding what body of water the weapon was thrown. Tampering with evidence is a felony 3 carrying 2-10 years in a state penitentiary.
Mapps proved to be elusive. On June 11th, KSST News reported that Texas Ranger John Vance, the U. S. Marshal’s office, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety were assisting in the search. They felt hampered in the search because, as they stated, the family members and associates of Mapps are not law abiding citizens and were assisting Mapps in eluding law officers. Mapps was arrested in Fort Smith Arkansas on Monday June 29.
Mapps, along with his girlfriend, Tressa Macon, were located by the Marshal’s office. Marshalls along with Ranger Vance, Sgt. Gilmore, and the Fort Smith Police made the arrest at an apartment complex where the pair and others were staying. Mapps was being assisted in his attempt to evade arrest by several individuals, according to Gilmore. A decoy car was used in an attempt to draw law officers away from the scene. After the first vehicle had left with two police cars giving chase, a second vehicle was used in which Mapps laid down in the back seat and, in an attempt to hide from view, pulled a pink swimming pool floaty over him. Gilmore said that the Marshal Service and the Fort Smith police worked together with a part of the force apprehending the first vehicle while the remainder of the force continued to watch the apartment. That group of officers was able to apprehend the second vehicle as Marshals converged on the vehicle as it was pulling away from the curb. Gilmore stated that even though the law officers had not worked together before, they were able to orchestrate the arrest as though they had worked on other arrests.
Hiding in Attic with Stolen Firearms Didn’t Help; Firearms, Jewelry Recovered in Arrest
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 Clayton Matthew Hykel, 33, of Pickton. 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.
Hykel is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Burglary of a Habitation (Felony 2) and is being held on a $30,000 bond.
Tira News By Jan Vaughn
By Jan Vaughn
Applications for a place on the ballot for Tira City Council will be accepted through August 22, 2016. For more information, please contact Jan Vaughn, Tira City Secretary, at 903-438-6688.
North Hopkins is gearing up for another great school year! Teachers begin next week and students return to the classroom on Monday, August 22nd. Elementary students are encouraged to “Meet the Teacher” and drop off their school supplies on Thursday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m.
Yvonne Weir visited with her grandchildren, Elise and Eli Campbell (Dacy’s children) last Wednesday. They went to a movie in Greenville and shopped at the antique stores in Caddo Mills. On Thursday, Yvonne visited Dustin and Natalie Weir in Garland, She also picked up her grandson, Nicolaas (Destri’s baby), early from daycare. She went back to Dallas this Thursday to pick up “Nico” and spend some time with him.
The new section of the Tira Cemetery is well underway. The dozer work is almost finished. The next step will be to have the plots surveyed.
Tiffany Vaughn spent the day with her friend, Stephanie Weaver, of McKinney, on Saturday. Chip and I met our son, Delayne Vaughn, of Waco, for lunch at Razoo’s Cajun Café in Mesquite on Saturday. We were celebrating Delayne’s birthday, a little early. His birthday was on Monday, August 1st. Chip and I ran some errands in Dallas, and then visited with Chip’s sister, Linda Ellen Vaughn, and we all went to dinner at Tony’s Italian Restaurant.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945-2190 or 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
Opinions Vary Regarding Unit Road System
By Allison Bledsoe
Upshur County has it. Titus County Commissioners face petition seeking it. The pros and cons of the Unit Road System creates varying opinions.
Hopkins County currently maintains 960.9 miles of county roads under the Ex-Officio Road System. As a recap, within the Ex-Officio System four County Commissioners oversee the county road maintenance of the four precincts while serving on the County Commissioners Court. Each precinct has it’s own equipment, annual budget, and crew members. The Ex-Officio System is used widely across Texas, but not exclusively. Several options for county road maintenance exist, including the Unit Road System. All five options are described in a previous article, here. Each precinct in Hopkins County has an annual budget of $946,440.00 as of 2016. The Road and Bridge Maintenance budget covers operating costs for the county as well as personnel costs, such as salary, insurance, etc. This brings the total Road and Bridge budget to $3,799,385.00 every year for Hopkins County under the Ex-Officio System. The proposed 2017 budget is available online, here.
Neighboring counties have begun to convert to the Unit Road System, or the Road Department System, in lieu of the Ex-Officio System. Upshur County is the most recent to make the switch. In the Unit Road System one licensed engineer is appointed over all road maintenance regardless of precinct, all resources are shared including equipment and crew members. Upshur County maintains 793.9 miles of county roads, very close to the amount of Hopkins County. Upshur County spent $2,592,685.00 in their 2015-2016 Road and Bridge budget.
The Unit Road System isn’t loved and adored by every Upshur County inhabitant, by any means. We talked to citizens from Upshur County who expressed their frustrations about their Commissioners Court. “The officials who have been appointed don’t care about the people. This last meeting they adopted more county road mileage but can’t take care of what they have now. Instead of giving the Road Engineer the money to fix the roads they’re spending it elsewhere. When your Commissioners are crooked it doesn’t matter what road system you choose, the problem we have isn’t with the Unit Road System,” stated Jimmy Caughron, resident of Upshur County.
On the other hand other residents believe the switch was the most logical motion. According to Wayne Arnold, one of the originators of the petition to secure the Unit Road System, “For the layout of our county this system proves to be most efficient. The centralization of the county’s equipment as well as our crew really made the difference. There were no huge reductions in road personnel from what I recall. We still utilize the barns to hold some equipment when we have ongoing projects in those areas and that’s helpful. For us it has worked out extremely well.” Mr. Arnold also stated, “I had no reservations going into this. You’ll always have tremendous opposition because Commissioners don’t want to give up their territory, so to speak.”
To implement the Unit Road System, a petition must be signed by 10% of the people who voted in the most recent governors election and then presented to the Commissioners Court where they have 30 days to verify the signatures. After the 30 days, the proposal must be presented for 70 days before election day. Titus County is currently undergoing the proposal process, which will be voted on in the upcoming November election. Titus County residents went door to door explaining the system as well as it’s impact on the county and quickly received well over their 517 required signatures. Nigel Christopher, a Titus County resident, commented, “Over here in Titus County we have just submitted a petition to get the County Road System option put on the ballot for the November election. One of our Commissioners Al Riddle helped organize it as he is tired of the lack of cooperation from other commissioners. We had no problem collecting the required 517 signatures.” Al Riddle, Precinct 1 Commissioner in Titus County, has expressed his frustration with the existing county government road oversight, “With this system we’ll get a lot more production for our money. You need someone who is a road professional to take care of your roads and someone who knows about business to take care of your county business. I feel strongly that this is a lot better way to run our county.”
Many residents of Hopkins County have expressed a need for change within our county government and county road maintenance policies. A very important step in change and development is to educate yourself on all the options that are available and then act. Roughly 60 Texas counties currently utilize the Unit Road System. Counties under this road system have reported a rise in productivity as well as efficiency per square mile.
