Lady Cats Volleyball Captured Consolation Championship at Garland Tourney
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team captured the consolation bracket championship at a Garland tournament this past Friday and Saturday. The Lady Cats defeated Carrollton R.L. Turner, 2-0 in the consolidation championship game. Friday the Lady Cats ended up in third place in their pool with a win over North Garland and losses to Forney and Richardson Berkner. On Saturday, the Lady Cats won three of four matches in consolation play. Besides the win over R.L. Turner, the Lady Cats also defeated Dallas Skyline and Garland Lakeview Centennial. Their lone Saturday loss was to Mesquite. In all the Lady Cats won four and lost three in the tournament. Their season record is now 5-4.
Tuesday the Lady Cats will travel to John Tyler to play the host school and Kilgore.
A KSST Intern’s Trip to Australia Part 4
Welcome back to Brisbane! This city had so much to do I couldn’t fit it all in one article! Last time we talked about the Anzac War Memorial in Canberra, Lady Musgrave Island in the Great Barrier Reef, and two of the most popular and famous Zoos in Australia. If you’d like to read one of my previous articles click here for: Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3. This time I’m going to talk about some cool things to do inside the city center. Before we start, here’s a fun tidbit! Just about everywhere in Australia shuts down at 5:30 pm. The only places that stay open are usually only restaurants and a few movie theaters. So if you’re planning a trip to Australia anytime soon, know that you’ll be eating around 5:30 pm, or 6:00 pm because the shops are very prompt in their closing times. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the places and things to do during the day!
Queen Street Mall
-This outdoor mall stretched across half the city. Modern shops, Book stores, and lots of restaurants added to the city aura. There was a really interesting and good restaurant called “Jimmy’s on the Mall” that was completely outdoors. 
The food was delicious, but it was slightly terrifying to be sitting on a bench where you could fall backwards into the walkways-nevertheless it was fun. The mall housed both western stores and local stores. They had a bookstore called Dymock’s which was similar to Barns and Noble here. One thing that really surprised me was the window displays. Almost every shop had an awesome window display, and it was obvious the workers had put a lot of time into creating them.
Brisbane Parliament House and Museum of Brisbane-
When planning my trip I didn’t realize that these were in the same building! It was pretty funny when we found the Parliament House and saw the signs for the museum. The museum had multiple exhibits including a section on the War history, how Brisbane was created on the river, and a section on the people and inhabitants of Brisbane. It really focused on how diverse the city was, and the people that make the city their own. They had quizzes and questionnaires so that visitors could add their personal views and stories to the museum. Also an odd item they had was “scents” of the city. They had quotes from locals about their favorite city smells-and they recreated these smells to go with each quote in a large tube container you could smell them in. They also had the city smells bottled as perfumes that you could purchase! While we were in the Parliament House, we also got to free tickets to view the inside of the clock tower. 
It was unbelievably cool to not only see the working parts of the clock but also see out over the city and even view the Queen Street Mall. The view stretched out to the far corners in every direction. I found it interesting that inside the tower the bell is muted and barely audible, but when you’re outside the tower the bells echo around the city.
The Brisbane Tramway Museum-Have you ever wanted to ride Trams (similar to a Trolley Car) and learn about transportation in the early 1900’s? The Tramway museum allowed us to ride 6 trams starting with the oldest one and working the way up to the most recently created one.
The museum workers even dressed up as an authentic Conductor and Motorman, asking for our tickets each time we switched Trams. While we were visiting, Remembering Brisbane Tramway’s worker, Paul Campbell, was there and he shared his past about how his father Theodore (Jim) Campbell worked as a mechanic on the trams in Brisbane until they were shut down. Paul remembered going to work with his dad a few times and said he has always enjoyed the trams. Now that he is grown he enjoys visiting the museum regularly with his wife and son.
Australian Rules Football (a.k.a Footy)-The Australian Rules Football game was so much fun! Aussie Rules Football is basically a combination between Rugby, American Football, and a little bit of basketball. 
The object of the game is to throw or kick the ball though 1 of 3 goal posts. If it goes between the 2 outer goals or hits the goal post the teams score 1 point, and if it goes between the middle goal the team scores 6 points. In America, typically there is a huge rivalry between teams, in any sport. In Australia, there was a rivalry, but the crowd never got rough or ugly. The fans were all mixed together-it wasn’t specific sides for each team, but the opposing fans were very cordial. I think the worst things I heard shouted were: “Power Sucks!” (But that was only after the other team had a 100+ point lead) and “I hate your arm!” (After a player made a particularly good one-armed catch.) Other than a few fights that broke out between the players the game was clean, and exciting to watch. 
The Brisbane Lions unfortunately lost, and the opposing team, the Port Adelaide Power happened to make the highest score and largest winning margin outside of South Australia for this season. Even though we lost it was still a really fun opportunity and I am glad we attended the game.
That’s all for now! I hope you’re enjoying these articles, and learning as much as I did when we went! Stay tuned for part 5 which will be about the delicious, average, and just plain weird food options in Australia.
PJC-Sulphur Springs Students Completing Welding Certification
CERTIFIED WELDERS These students in the welding program at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center are completing their certification work this week in various welding skills, including structural welding (SW), pipe welding (PW) and Advanced Welding (AW). The students are, from left including certification: (Front row) Benito Escobar (PW), Patrick Owens (PW), Ethan Dorsey (AW), Daniel McDonald (AW), Seth McMackin (PW), Ben Brown (SW). (Back row) Christian Kilgore (SW), Dalton Peek (SW), Xavier Plata (AW), Marcus Beumer (PW), Logan McClure (AW), Austin McKim (AW), Jacob Neal (AW), Frederick Smith (SW), Todd Lehenbauer, lab facilitator and John J. Plemons, welding instructor.
Rain Delays County Roadwork
Although welcoming the rain, the precipitation has created difficulties for Hopkins County Commissioners as they continue to work their way through road damage done in previous flooding as well as normal maintenance needs.
For Commissioner Precinct 1, Beth Wisenbaker a planned oil mix for one of her roads cannot be accomplished today. Wisenbaker says she now has access to the needed oil to mix the for road work and will begin as soon as weather permits.
For most precinct crews, wet weather means clearing roadways and ditches of dead trees and fallen limbs, mechanic work on equipment, replacing signs, and selling scrap metal to recycle and replenish the precinct budget with the revenue received from the sale.
IRS Phone Scam Rings Again
It’s happening again. A telephone scam in which the caller says he represents the IRS is once again being worked in the area. A Como resident reports two automated phone calls requesting a return call to a specific 800 number to arrange payment to the IRS for money owed. The calls stated that the individual was in severe trouble with the IRS. The resident did not return the call.
The IRS has warned consumers to guard against such scam calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Often these callers demand the victim pay a bogus tax bill through a prepaid card or wire transfer. Phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten arrest, deportation, or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money. The callers often use IRS titles, fake badge numbers, and other means to appear legitimate. Often, they use the victim’s name, address, and other personal information to make the call sound official.
The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail. They will also allow the tax payer to question or appeal the amount owed. They will not require a specific means of payment such as a prepaid debit card, nor will they ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone. They will not threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.
If you receive such a call, the IRS advises you to:
- Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
- Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:
- Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.
Altercation at Local Sports Bar Results in Arrest
August 15, 2016 – A disturbance/fight at Muddy Jakes called for Sulphur Springs Police to respond. As the police arrived, Kyle Dayne Putman, 24, of Commerce fled the area. Given a description of Putman and his auto, Putnam later passed by the location in a White Trailblazer. The witnesses alerted police again and the vehicle was stopped at EZ Mart on Main Street. The officer that made the stop noted a black Glock .40-caliber handgun on the passenger side of the console. The officer retrieved and secured the weapon for safety.
Kyle Dayne Putman
Putman does not possess a license to carry the weapon. Under the barrel of the weapon was a clear plastic bag of 1.1-grams powder substance believed to be cocaine. Inspecting the auto, the officer found a pipe, a marijuana bud, and a clear plastic bag suspected to be marijuana in the console. Putman told the officer he needed a medical unit. He had a laceration on the back of his head. He was treated by EMS at the scene and placed in Hopkins County Jail. The offense occurred within 1000ft of Travis Elementary School, a drug free zone.
Putman was charged with Possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, over 1-gram and under 4-gram and unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Back To School Bash!
Sulphur Springs if you’re a student or school employee of any kind, we are celebrating you this Sunday, August 21, at Central Baptist Church. There will be a free lunch, door prizes, games, bounce houses and lots of fun! Join us for church at 10:30 or if you are unable to make it for our church service join us from noon to 2:30 in the family life center. Rain or Shine! All ages welcome! For more information go to 840 Connally Street. Or call 903-885-3660
Renovation of Frontage Roads Set to Begin Monday
Some equipment is now in place for a Monday start as the Texas Department of Transportation beings work on Interstate Highway 30 north and south frontage roads through Sulphur Springs in Hopkins County.
The project will extend from about one-half mile west of State Highway 19 eastward to Loop 301, along the north and south frontage roads of I-30. The contractor will perform spot base repairs on the roadway, mill the existing pavement surface, apply a hot-mix asphalt surface overlay and re-stripe the roadway. The contractor anticipates beginning work just west of State Highway 19 and moving eastward along the frontage roads until the project is completed.
The contractor, RK Hall, Paris, Texas, has 62 days to complete this overlay and renovation project with an estimated cost of more than $2.4 million. Weather permitting, this roadway improvement project will be completed by mid-November 2016.
TxDOT officials asked drivers to remain alert when traveling I-30 frontage roads through Sulphur Springs while this construction project is underway. They should pay special attention to all signs, barricades and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach work zones on the roadway. They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems when driving.
A KSST Intern’s Trip To Australia Part 3
We continued our trip by traveling to Canberra, Australia’s Capital, and also where my aunt works. While we were there we saw the Anzac War Memorial. This combined memorial/museum was huge, and extremely informative. We went on the tour and kept thinking “Wow! How can there be more to see here?” But there was! We spent half the day there and still didn’t cover it all. The museum is probably one of the best WWI and WWII museums we’ve seen. It not only explained how Australians were involved in the wars but also continued up to present day. They honored soldiers from all different countries from all different wars. 
They had airplanes that had been used, and a Japanese submarine that was pieced together after being hit with a depth charge in Sydney Harbour. A documentary showing the war through the eyes of soldiers that was created by Peter Jackson and played every 30 minutes. It was fascinating to watch the progression of the war as the soldiers grew older. As it showed the soldiers’ faces, it was obvious from their smiles and joking mannerisms that they were young, but as the war progressed, they grew somber and more serious with their eyes showing wisdom beyond their years. I would definitely recommend going here. There was even a “discovery zone” where you could dress up, use a lamp to see what frostbite would look like on your hand, and much more. They had something for everyone. They had something for everyone to enjoy. My favorite thing was that they sold fake red poppies. 
Poppies are a remembrance flower and people would purchase them and could either keep them or place them somewhere around the museum, helping to remember those who lost their lives. It was extremely powerful to see theses fields of poppies and then realize they are on a memorial with names of servicemen and servicewomen.
From Canberra we took a 2 hour flight to Brisbane, which is the southern part of Queensland. It was (thankfully) a lot warmer. (A lot meaning it was in the 70’s compared to the 40’s). 
Brisbane is different from Sydney in many ways. It has less people, and is more spread out. It would be similar to comparing Dallas to Fort Worth.
On one excursion, we drove four hours to a city called Bundaberg to catch a Great Barrier Reef Tour. It was amazing! We visited Lady Musgrave Island which is the second farthest Southern island in the Great Barrier Reef. 
Named after Governor Musgrave’s wife, the island houses over 7 types of coral. There are two different types of sea turtles that live in the lagoon, Green and Loggerhead and we were fortunate to see both. Lady Musgrave Island houses 70% of the world’s Pisonia tree population. In the summer they produce sticky seed clusters. These clusters stick to the birds on the island, and eventually, when the bird can no longer un-stick them and cannot fly, they fall to the island floor and die. The white capped Noddy Terns are the most common birds on the island. The Noddy Terns are most famous for their nests which at first glance look thrown together.
But the nests are actually created with a lot of attention and love. The male Noddy Tern will get a leaf for the female, who either accepts it or rejects it. It is estimated that she picks 1 out of every 10 leafs brought to her, and it takes 100 leafs to build the nest, so that is about 1,000 leafs picked up by the male Noddy Tern. Talk about dedication!
Australia Zoo-
Originally, I thought this zoo would be like every other zoo, and assumed it would be extremely “touristy”. But it wasn’t. It was obvious the zookeepers cared about the animals’ welfare and happiness. Every single zookeeper we interacted was knowledgeable and wanted to share information about each animal. They had a Kangaroo enclosure where you could feed and pet the Kangaroos
-and an outdoor area where the koalas were napping. The Dingoes were extremely happy and playful. There were three of them that chased each other around their enclosure-through their man made river, and up on the rocks. The otters were also very playful. They had 2 older otters, but you would never guess they were older from the way they sped through the water playing with their toys. I thought it was funny that the otter named Rosie was mischievous and liked to cause trouble while the other one, Mayhem was extremely sweet-natured and calm. The Crocodiles were huge-I was surprised that the Keepers were in the cages with food as they talked about them. They gave tips on what to do if you find yourself around Crocodiles. First, stay at least 4-5ft back from the water, and make sure you have a buddy. The Australia Zoo was very large. They have big enclosures for each animal. They have many different species, including indigenous animals, and plants, as well as animals that you would normally see at a zoo, like tigers and giraffes.
Koala Wildlife Sanctuary- 
Instead of the usual stereotypical zoo, this was more of a “Retirement Home” for most of the animals. They had a bunch of koalas
-both old and young, but also other animals like Dingoes and Tasmanian Devils. Something interesting I learned about Tasmanian Devils was that they are scavengers (meaning they eat dead animals) and their jaws are so strong they can eat bone. So when they eat an animal, they eat literally everything. Absolutely nothing goes to waste. Pretty crazy right? They also had two platypuses.
I was really excited about seeing the platypuses because I wasn’t originally expecting to see them on the trip. The Australia Zoo didn’t even have them! The zookeeper said that contrary to popular belief, the platypus is not endangered. However, platypuses like to live in deep streams away from people so they aren’t spotted that often. The sanctuary also had sheepdog and sheep shearing shows which were very entertaining. We all enjoyed watching the dogs round up the sheep in the pasture, and it was amazing how the farmer kept most of the wool intact when he sheared the sheep!
If you though the Anzac Museum, Great Barrier Reef and Zoos were awesome, but stay tuned for part 4 about more amazing things in Brisbane and an inside look at what Australian Rule Football is all about.
If you missed the first two articles click here for part 1 or part 2.
