Tornado Watch for Delta and Lamar Counties Until 9 p.m.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 155 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 5 COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS:
COOKE DELTA FANNIN GRAYSON LAMAR
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…BONHAM…COOPER…
GAINESVILLE…PARIS AND SHERMAN.
HOPKINS COUNTY IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AT THIS TIME.
Commissioners’ Court Accepts Grant, Pursues Volkswagen Funds, and Seeks Fire Department Equipment Solutions
During their Monday, May 9, 2016, regular meeting, Hopkins County Commissioners Court voted to agree to a $315,000 state grant for repair of specific roadways that were damaged or destroyed in flooding that occurred in December, 2015. The state grant will be utilized along with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in making repairs. The county received state grant funds earlier in 2015 for summer flood damage and recently received a FEMA grant for that event. They await FEMA’s decisions regarding the December flooding.
Judge Robert Newsom said that commissioners are planning to begin investing the state grant in their work as soon as weather permits. Continued rainfall in recent days has not allowed the soil to dry properly for the work that must be accomplished. The state grant will be divided between each of the four county precincts.
The court also decided to go forward with an employment with Mabry Law Firm of Waco to pursue funds set aside by Volkswagen for fines related to air pollution. Judge Newsom said that other counties in the area have signed on with the law suit as well. There is no cost to the county should no funds be received, according to Newsom. He told KSST News that although there are not that many Volkswagens vehicles in the county; many pass through the length of the county on Interstate 30.
In work session Monday, Commissioners’ Court met with volunteer and paid firemen in the county. It has been discovered that some firefighting equipment, especially for the paid firemen, is not in good repair. The need was discovered as a new interim fire chief began his work for the county. Judge Newsom stated that commissioners not only met with the firemen during a morning work session but would continue the work session into the afternoon seeking solutions to the issues noted.
SSHS Anglers Hook And Reel Their Way To State Tourney
Members of the Sulphur Springs High School Fishing Club will be heading to the Texas High School Bass Association state tournament held at Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Texas-Louisiana Border. State qualifiers are Matt Reynolds, Braden “Katfish” Katchinska, Sam Scott, and Skylar Long. State Competition will be held June 17-19.
First started as the SSISD Fishing Club at the Sulphur Springs Middle School, it has now spread to include the High School and is part of the THSBA.
“About four years ago, I went to the school board,” Sulphur Springs Police Officer and SSISD Fishing Club Sponsor Norman Sanders said. “I talked to Patsy Bolten and to Branden Reed about starting a fishing club, and they agreed that I could. I announced it at the middle school first, and then we brought the high school along. Our first year we had four people and now we have about 24.”
When the THSBA first started, only a handful of schools were involved. Now the Association has dramatically grown to include close to 200 students in North-East Texas alone.
“We started this association of April of 2013,” Officer Sanders said. ” In April of 2013, there were six schools that had clubs in north-east Texas, Sulphur Springs was one of those six. In April of 2013, all six club founders met at a Mexican food restaurant in Canton, Texas. From that meeting we started an association and we called that association the Texas High School Bass Association. There are now 69 high schools that are involved.”
“This year we’ve been very successful. I have two boys that started out in my junior high club and they grew into the high school level, Braden Katchinska and Matt Reynolds. They were very successful and they came in this last year fourth place overall for Anglers of the Year,” Officer Sanders said.
For the members of the THSBA, fishing has become a normal part of their lives. Those here at Sulphur Springs continue to compete against schools across Texas, hoping to spread awareness of their love for the sport.
Install the New ksstradio.com Smartphone App Update
KSST is upgrading our LiveStream Service. This means new Smartphone Apps are on their way. The Android app is now ready for download. The iPhone app should be ready this week. Here are the steps to download the Android App.
First, uninstall the old app.
Next, on your smartphone using your search engine—Google, Yahoo, etc—go to ksstradio.com. At ksstradio.com using the Navigation go to ksstradio stream. Scroll down to “You can download the latest KSSTLiveStream app for Android here. Click on “here” and follow instructions given. When you open the app, depending on your connection speed, it may take up to one minute to being streaming.
The app, as the old app, will run about 30-seconds behind the radio broadcast. KSST Livestream2.1beta is now ready to use.
“Updated” Lady Cats Face Mansfield Legacy at Royce City Thursday and Friday
The Lady Cats will face Mansfield Legacy at Royce City in a best of three series for the regional quarterfinal crown. Game one of the series is Thursday at 7 p.m. Game two and, if needed game three, will begin Friday evening at 6 p.m. with the possible game three to follow.
Coach Carrillo said Mansfield Legacy is very good. He got to scout them last Friday as they defeated Mt. Pleasant. Coach Carrillo said the Lady Broncos have strong batters from the top to the bottom of their lineup and he added they have something like seven Division One commits. Still he said games like this are why you play the game. Coach Carrillo said his team was not intimidated. He said if the game was decided on paper, the Lady Cats would be done by now. He said instead the game is decided between the lines.
The Lady Cats defeated Waxahachie, 14-4 at North Forney last Saturday night. The game, stopped in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the ten-run rule, was a winner-take-all one game Area contest.
Moreland, Kenny Re-elected to Yantis ISD Board
Yantis ISD voters returned incumbents Joni Moreland and Mike Kenny to their seats on the board. Moreland received 99 votes, Kenney 76, and April Johnson 70. There were two seats available and the two with the greater number of votes were elected. A canvas of the votes will be conducted later this week.
Lady Cats Advance to Regional Quarterfinals With 14-4 Win
For the third straight playoff game, the Lady Cats’ softball team fell behind but rallied to win. The Lady Cats defeated Waxahachie, 14-4 at North Forney Saturday night. The game, stopped in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the ten-run rule, was a winner-take-all one game Area contest.
The Lady Indians jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first using two singles and a Lady Cat error. Waxahachie added two more second inning runs utilizing a double, a sacrifice, an error and a single. The deficit grew to 4-0 in the top of the third as the Lady Indians got one more run using a walk and two singles.
After a slow offensive start, the Lady Cats exploded for nine runs on nine hits and three Waxahachie errors in the bottom of the third. Jaye Doughtie got things going with a one-out double. She scored on an Alyssa Abron single and a Lady Indian error. After Hannah Crowson singled, Brinklee Driver drove home Abron with a single. Kristen Allen then blasted a three run home run also driving in Crowson and Driver. The Lady Cats led 5-4 but they were far from finished in the inning. Molly Johnston doubled and Macee Hollins pinch ran for her. Sadie Stroud walked. Kelsey Wallace doubled driving home Hollins. Stroud scored on an error. Doughtie’s single, her second hit in the inning, scored Wallace. Abron knocked in Doughtie with a single. The Lady Cats led 9-4 after three innings.
The Lady Cats increased their lead to 10-4 with a single run in the bottom of the fourth on a Driver double, Allen single and an RBI single by Stroud. The Lady Cats extended their lead to 13-3 with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Doughtie and Abron walked. Crowson’s single drove in Doughtie. Allen’s sacrifice fly scored Abron. Sarah Womack’s single plated Crowson. The Lady Cats ended the contest with a single run in the bottom of the sixth with two outs as Abron’s single drove home Stroud who had opened the inning with a double. The Lady Cats pounded out 18 hits.
Bailey Haggerty got a third straight win in relief for the Lady Cats. She entered the game with the Lady Cats down 3-0 with the bases loaded and no one out in the second inning. Thanks to a double play, Haggerty escaped the inning with no further damage. Haggerty pitched a total of five innings allowing seven hits but just a single run.
The Lady Cats will now face Mansfield Legacy at Royce City Thursday night at 7 and Friday at 6 p.m. in a best of three series in a regional quarterfinal match. If needed, game three will follow the second game Friday night.
City Council Incumbents, Taylor, Glass, Returned to Office by Voters
City Council incumbents Freddie Taylor, Place 4, and Emily Glass, Place 5, have been re-elected by voters in Sulphur Springs. With 240 votes cast in early voting, near that number turned out Saturday to vote.
For Place 4, Taylor received 330 votes to defeat Charles Oxford who received 130 votes.
For Place 5, Glass received 305 votes to defeat Jimmy Lucas who received 148 votes.
Votes will be canvased at a later date.
City Council Election Saturday, May 7
Saturday, May 7th, is Municipal Election Day for Sulphur Springs City Council Places 4 and 5. Voting will take place at the Sulphur Springs ISD Administration Board Room, located at 631 Connally Street. The entrance to the board room is off the north (back) parking lot. Hours for voting are 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For City Council Place 4, Charles G. Oxford will appear first on the ballot followed by incumbent Freddie Taylor. In the Place 5 race, incumbent and present Mayor Pro-tem Emily Glass will be first followed by Jimmy Lucas.
Incumbent Freddie Taylor has been a part of the renewal projects for the city in his service to the council. His opponent, Charles Oxford has lost the last three tries to return to a council seat following one term on the council several years ago.
The campaign has been relatively quiet except for some social media content. Few endorsements have been made by public entities. The County Law Enforcement Association endorsed incumbent Emily Glass. Her opponent, Jimmy Lucas, has posted his support of a pay raise for police and firefighters. However, several derogatory remarks regarding local police on some media sites causes questions of his support for a pay increase. A few of his posts have been taken down on some sites but other comments have remained.
Early voter total turnout was, according to the City Secretary, the official keeper of the numbers, 240.
