Foster Volunteers Needed at Animal Shelter
Current Animal Shelter Dog Facilities
The Sulphur Springs Animal Shelter is in need of foster home volunteers, especially for large dog breeds. Currently, the Shelter only has two fosters that take care of large animals. “What the foster does is they hold the animals — they house them so that we have more room here to bring animals in,” Shelter Officer Barbi Blanch said. “Right now we have three animals under foster care with two foster homes, and those are our only fosters. We don’t have anybody that does the big dogs, because they need a little more room and usually a secure fence.”
A foster volunteer primarily watches over the animal, keeping it fed, bathed, and healthy until it is adopted. Fosters are also required to bring the animal to off-site adoptions whenever required. “We have off-sites almost every weekend, and we just make sure that they come drop them off,” Officer Blanch said. “They don’t have to stay, unless they’re one of our volunteers that helps, and they just pick them up at 4 o’clock if they’re not adopted.”
People wanting to become foster volunteers can do so by checking with Officer Blanch at the Animal Shelter on Airport RD. The Shelter will then check the volunteer’s residence to see that it meets requirements. “If we have a big dog, you can’t just open have an open yard,” Officer Blanch said. “It does have to be a fenced in area, and one secure enough that you’re not right on the highway if the animal does jump out. We haven’t had any jump out of our kennels yet, so as of now we don’t have any jumpers.”
As of now, the Animal Shelter is at maximum capacity and is unable to take in any more animals. Maximum capacity was reached in the last week after picking up roughly 20 animals when before they housed only two. “Without the fosters, then we have a lot of healthy animals that could be adopted out, but are probably going to be euthanized,” Officer Blanch said.
Current Animal Shelter Cat Facilities
Holt to Coach Soccer Powerhouse
Thursday night it was announced at the athletic banquet that longtime Wildcats Soccer Coach Andy Holt was leaving. After fourteen years as Wildcats head soccer coach, Holt has accepted the head coaching job at soccer powerhouse Frisco Wakeland. Wakeland has been to the state tournament three times during the past seven years. They won the state championship in 2010 and they lost in the state final game twice including this past season. Coach Holt calls Frisco a Soccer Mecca.
He says the decision is bittersweet. After all, Sulphur Springs is Coach Holt’s hometown. He says it’s all he’s known as a head coach. Coach Holt admits everyone has a list of dream jobs to which you can’t say no. Frisco Wakeland is on his list.
For the past three seasons, Wakeland knocked Mesquite Poteet out of the playoffs. Poteet is coached by Holt’s former assistant and brother-in-law Colby Peak. Coach Holt says he wants to continue the tradition of getting the best of Poteet and good friend Coach Peak.
Coach Holt says he got emotional as he told his Wildcats’ players that he was leaving. He predicts that the Wildcats will be good next year. He feels his assistant Nick Wiggins would make a fine head coach but he says he’ll leave the hiring of his replacement to Athletic Director Greg Owens.
Forest Gregg MVP Presented to Blackmon, Gatewood, Womack
The Forest Gregg Most Valuable Player Award is presented to SSHS student athletes. Gregg was a Wildcat football standout who went on to play for SMU and, best known for his days with the Green Bay Packers. Gregg later returned to SMU to revive the football program that had received the death penalty due to recruiting and player violations.
Brody Blackmon and Jacob Gatewood, Forrest Gregg MVP Award
Gregg MVP Brody Blackmon
Wildcats’ golfer Brody Blackmon shares the Forrest Gregg MVP Award presented at the Thursday night athletic banquet. Wildcats Golf Coach Ross Funk presented the award noting that Blackmon has drawn nationwide attention. Blackmon qualified for a U.S. Amateur event becoming only one of only 32 in the nation to do so. He also played in an Under Armor Invitational in Austin. Funk noted that Blackmon is exempt for all AJPA tournaments nationwide. Blackmon played at the state golf tournament twice, with his team last year and by himself this year finishing seventh. Blackmon has lofty summer plans. He will attempt to qualify for the Byron Nelson PGA Event in Los Colinas and for the U.S. Open. He also plans to compete in the Texas Amateur tournament. Blackmon has also qualified to play in the North-South Amateur Tournament. Blackmon has accepted an offer to play college golf at Ole Miss.
Forest Gregg MVP Jacob Gatewood
Wildcats cross country and track distance runner Jacob Gatewood shares the Forrest Gregg MVP Award presented at the athletic banquet Thursday night. His Cross Country Coach Andy Holt called Gatewood perhaps the smallest and weakest athletic in the ninth grade. Yet Coach Holt noted that through hard work, Gatewood had transformed himself into a winner of the Forrest Gregg MVP Award.
Coach Holt said Gatewood had the vision and the goal to become a great runner. Gatewood qualified for the state tournament in cross country. He was the Area champion in the 1600-meters and the 3200-meters this spring. Gatewood will run cross country and track for Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee after graduation.
Sarah Womack, Forrest Gregg MVP Award
Forest Gregg MVP Sarah Womack
Lady Cats’ volleyball and softball standout Sarah Womack received the Forrest Gregg MVP Award for a Lady Cat at the athletic banquet Thursday night. Softball Coach David Carrillo presented the award. He noted Womack has had an impact on volleyball and softball for four years. He remembered her game winning hit as a freshman against Nacogdoches in the playoffs. Coach Carrillo called Sarah a big part of the success of both the volleyball team and softball team this year. He remembered her transformation from a quiet freshman at the front of the team bus to the talkative senior now seated in the back of the bus. Coach Carrillo described her as a clutch player and a play maker.
Cameron Fighting Heart Awards Presented to Outstanding Student Athletes
James Cameron Fighting Heart Awards were presented to Wildcat and Lady Cats student athletes Thursday night at the annual All-Sports Banquet.
James Cameron Fighting Heart Award for Tanner Ramirez:
Tanner Ramirez, James Cameron Fighting Heart Award
Outgoing Wildcats Cross Country and Soccer Coach Andy Holt wondered where Tanner Ramirez found the time to excel in three sports and still rank #9 academically in his senior class. Ramirez not only ran cross country and played soccer but was a football player as well. Ramirez played many positions on the football field including quarterback, receiver and punter. Saturday mornings he got up early and ran cross country. During soccer season he was asked to play a new position this year and did so without complaining according to Coach Holt. Coach Holt said Tanner also had to battled asthma. He did all these things without arrogance according to Coach Holt. Ramirez plans to study engineering at Texas A&M in College Station in the fall.
Sidney Dietze and Lexie Moore, James Cameron Fighting Heart Award
James Cameron Fighting Heart Awards for Lexie Moore and Sidney Dietze:
Two seniors, Lady Cats’ basketball player Lexie Moore and Lady Cats’ volleyball player Sidney Dietze shared the James Cameron Fighting Heart Award at the athletic banquet Thursday night. Moore was the only senior on this year’s district champion basketball team. She was a second team all-district selection. Her coach Jeff Chapman thanked her for her contribution and added he appreciated her. Outgoing Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Allison Irvin said Dietze achieved academic all-district honors. She was also an integral part of the Lady Cats success this past season. The Lady Cats’ volleyball team defeated Paris, Texas High and Pine Tree for the first time in eight years. They went from a 13-23 season to 28-14. The district turnaround was even more amazing from 1-13 last year to 10-4 and third place in district this year. The team also returned to the playoffs for the first time in over ten years and chalked up a come from behind bi-district win over Corsicana.
Keck Appointed Interim President at A & M-Commerce
College Station, TX – John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, announced today that Dr. Ray M. Keck has been appointed Interim President at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Keck succeeds Dr. Dan Jones, who served as President at A&M-Commerce from 2008 until he passed away April 29.
Since 2001, Dr. Keck has served as the fifth president of Texas A&M International University in Laredo, where he worked closely with Dr. Jones, who served as provost from 2003 until his presidential appointment at Commerce.
“We lost a tremendous leader when we lost Dan Jones,” Sharp said, “In appointing Ray Keck as Interim President, we help insure that Texas A&M University-Commerce will be in capable hands during this difficult transition. His experience as President at Texas A&M International University will help him to lead TAMU-C and keep the incredible momentum they have established going into the future.”
Keck will assume the role of interim president on June 1, 2016 and will continue through the 85th Legislative Session, which begins in January 2017 and will conclude in May 2017, Sharp added.
“We will appoint a search committee at some later time to begin looking for a permanent president for TAMU-C, and until then we have every confidence that Dr. Keck will provide the solid leadership that will help keep this remarkable campus moving ahead, especially through the upcoming legislative session,” he said.
Under Dr. Keck’s leadership, enrollment at Texas A&M International University has more than doubled, and it now serves a higher percentage Hispanic population than any college or university in the country.
The campus has experienced a number of major improvements and additions since 2001, including the complete upgrade of the Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium, the establishment of the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, and the creation of the Texas Academy of International and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Studies.
In recent years, Texas A&M International University has been consistently recognized in rankings by leading national publications, including Washington Monthly and Money magazines and The Economist, for providing a high value education for its students and graduates.
Before serving as President, Dr. Keck, who was reared in Cotulla, Texas, and considers Laredo his hometown, was Texas A&M International University’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to that, he served as associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Language, Literature and Art for the University’s College of Arts and Humanities.
He holds an AB and PhD in Romance Languages and Literature from Princeton University and has studied at Harvard Divinity School, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Estudios Hispánicos en Madrid (Bryn Mawr College), and the Deutsche Somerschule am Atlantik.
Dr. Keck is also an accomplished organist, with a specialty in J.S. Bach. He has performed as a guest artist across the State and nation and on numerous occasions with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra.
He is married to the former Patricia Cigarroa.
“To have served Texas A&M International University as president for 15 years has not been a job. It has been a life, our life for me and for my family,” Dr. Keck said. “That Chancellor Sharp should entrust me with a new challenge is humbling. I willingly embrace his mandate, to continue and build upon the legacy left by President Dan Jones at Texas A&M Commerce. At the same time, the Laredo community, Patricia’s and our daughters’ by birth, mine by adoption, remains deeply embedded in our souls.”
Sharp also announced that Pablo Arenas, Provost at Texas A&M International University, will succeed Keck there as Interim President. A search committee will be appointed soon to seek a permanent successor.
Top Awards Presented At SSHS All-Sports Banquet
Golfer Brody Blackmon and track and cross country distance runner Jacob Gatewood shared the Forrest Gregg MVP Award for a Wildcat and volleyball and softball player Sarah Womack got the Forrest Gregg MVP Award for a Lady Cat at the Wildcat All-Sports Banquet Thursday night.
Football, soccer and cross country player Tanner Ramirez won the James Cameron Fighting Heart Award for a Wildcat. Basketball senior Lexie Moore and volleyball senior Sidney Dietze shared the James Cameron Fighting Heart Award for a Lady Cat.
Team MVP’s named included Drew Fisher for athletic trainers, the whole team for volleyball, the seniors for football, Lauren Helm for Lady Cats cross country, Jacob Gatewood and Tanner Ramirez for Wildcats cross country, Kaylee Jefferson for Lady Cats basketball, Cain Cody for Wildcats basketball, the entire team for Lady Cats soccer, Tanner Ramirez for Wildcats soccer, Joe’ell Morales for powerlifting, Karolina Espinoza and Andrew Sant for Wildcats tennis, Jessie Ash for Lady Cats golf, Brody Blackmon for Wildcats golf, Abbi Baier and Imani Taylor for Lady Cats track and Jacob Gatewood and Bubba Hall for Wildcats track.
Athletic Director Greg Owens also recognized, cheerleaders, the Blue Blazes Drill Team, band drum majors and special athlete Jose Brito.
During the banquet it was also announced that long time soccer coach Andy Holt would be leaving to take a job elsewhere. Also leaving are football coach Johnny Irvin and wife volleyball coach Allison Irvin and powerlifting coach Jacob Alford.
Tira News By Jan Vaughn
Tira News
By Jan Vaughn
Robert and Yvonne Weir are proud grandparents of Nicolaas Robert Esterhause. Nicolaas was born on April 29, 2016 and weighed 3 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 16-¾ inches long. He is still in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, but Yvonne says he is doing well and is very sweet. His parents, Destri and Eben, live near the hospital. Robert, Yvonne, and Wesley spent the weekend at their home and kept the baby’s big sisters, Mena and Emlyn. They also got to visit with Dustin, Dakota, and Dacy.
Gwen Karney returned home from a Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, only to find that her shed had been destroyed by wind during last Friday night’s storms. Gwen and four friends from the Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild, Pat Sparks, Lou Jane Brandenburgh, Dianna McGregor, and Judy VanWinkle, and a friend, Debra Ren, from the McKinney Guild, went on the cruise out of Galveston. They attended quilting classes on three days and had three days of sightseeing.
Our community had quite a bit of damage to trees, in addition to a couple of barns, during the storms last Friday night.
Floyd and Martha Payton have experienced a great change in their lives, Floyd fell at the Tira Cemetery four weeks ago and he suffered three fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He was transported from Hopkins County Memorial to Trinity Mother Francis in Tyler where he spent sixteen days in the Trauma Center, then ICU. He is having therapy at Carriage House Manor at The Cottages at this time. Martha reports, “Due to the injury, age and trauma he is resigning from the Tira Cemetery Board, where he has served for almost twenty years. Thank you for the support he has received through out the past years. We want to thank everyone from our church and community for the well wishes and prayers. Jan Vaughn has been so gracious to get the cemetery toward reorganization and moving forward again.”
I hesitate to include Martha’s quote, but I appreciate her encouragement. I really haven’t done much, but would like to add that Floyd and Martha have been hard workers and such an asset to our community.
The Tira Cemetery Board had a called meeting on Thursday, May 5th, to discuss the resignation of Floyd Payton, Board President. The group voted to move board member Mick Petty into the position of President. Mick’s brother, Rick Petty, is willing to help with the cemetery duties, so the board appointed Rick to fill the vacant slot. They also discussed the repairs needed to the grave stones and the fence.
**Last Minute Addition**
Tiffany Vaughn and Darris Cross visited with Darris’ daughter, Tabitha, in Kopperl over the weekend.
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].
Miller Grove News May 6, 2016
by Brandon Darrow
Another week packed full of activities in Miller Grove. Monday was my birthday and I was shocked at now many birthday wishes I received either through cards, Facebook, or messages. It was a good day even though it did rain that morning and I couldn’t get much accomplished outside.
I guess most of our community is aware of the pipeline that is snaking through our community. The machinery and men have been working quite a bit on getting things ready to start. They have put in wire gates, cleared a path for the line, and added culverts for crossings. The line goes south east across Edward Clark’s place, across the Clem’s and to Johnny Ferguson’s land. It crosses FM 2653 and makes it’s way across Patsy Yates’ place and across to Kim Irby’s land where it crosses FM 1567. You can also see in the Daugherty community of Rains County where it crosses the highway.
I hope anyone with a connection to the cemetery will come out for the annual Memorial Day services. The morning service begins at 10:30 am at the Miller Grove United Methodist Church. This year’s Master of Ceremonies will be Nick Lamb, son of T.S. Lamb. The message will be delivered by Bro. Ronald Davis (MGHS teacher and preacher at Miller Grove Baptist Church). Mr. Davis’ wife, Jeanette, will be the pianist this year and Kim Irby was chosen to bring the special music for the day. A business meeting will be held just before lunch and everyone is encouraged to say for dinner on the grounds. The weather should be nice so I’m hoping for a good crowd that day.
That afternoon will be the MG FFA Stew and Auction. The FFA students have put together quite a few items to be auctioned and, as always, there are many donations to be auctioned off. Stew begins at 5:00 pm with the auction to begin at 6 pm. I know the FFA Chapter will appreciate any donations that the community would like to bring that night and of course they hope for a good showing of community members to raise the funds to keep them going all year long.
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week and MG PTO had lunch catered from Juan Pablo’s for all of the faculty and staff at Miller Grove. I heard that everything was really good and enjoyed by everyone. The PTO helps the school in so many ways. They ask the teacher for a “Wish List” each year for things that are not in the school’s operating budget. They also give out 2 scholarships each year to graduating seniors. They also coordinate the Fall Carnival stew and chili each year.
Upcoming events at the school will be: Academic & Athletic Banquet (May 19), End of School Stew (May 20), FFA Banquet (May 20), Baccalaureate Services (May 22), Elementary Awards Assembly (May 24), Kindergarten & Junior High Graduation (May 26), and High School Graduation (May 27). Wow, I can’t believe the school year is almost over!
Barbara Lynn will be honored with a retirement reception on Sunday, May 15, at Quitman Elementary School. Barbara has taught school for 52 years and has decided to retire. Best wishes to her on her retirement and what a honor it is to have educating students for more than half a century!
Happy Birthday to Yan Heijligers, Donna Poteet, Connor Hall, Madison Rater, and Leon Hallman on May 8; my mother, Lynda Darrow, and Jalayne (Boggs) Minter on May 10; Travis Lennon on May 11; Laryn Cummings on May 12; Cristy Wren on May 13; and Vicki (Mabe) Lee and Tommie Jean Lennon on May 14.
Happy Anniversary to Tim and Melanie (Lynn) Clem on May 10.
As you travel the highways and byways don’t forget that all roads lead back home and back to Miller Grove. Please send me any newsworthy information. My email address is [email protected].
Auto Fire, Repossessions, Questionable Business Practices Plague Lot on Gilmer Street
A Sulphur Springs fire investigator is seeking to determine the reason for an April 29th auto fire discovered at 2:03 a.m. behind what has been the location for Father and Son Auto on Gilmer Street. Fire Inspector Aaron Kager is seeking the cause of the fire discovered when Sulphur Springs Firemen were returning to Fire Station 2, according to the City Fire Marshall. The firemen noticed the blaze and responded to the location. After putting out the fire, the Captain on duty discovered a few things that were abnormal regarding the fire and notified the City Fire Marshall. The scene of the fire was cleared at 3:55 a.m. on the 29th. This is just one of the unusual events to occur at the 900 Gilmer Street location recently.
The building at 900 Gilmer Street has served as a location for a number of local businesses. Most have outgrown the location and moved on to larger facilities. Herschel’s, Chicken Express, Potato House, and others have at one time been found at that location and thrived. The last business at the location was Father and Sons Auto Sales. It is now no longer there. However, the reason for the auto sales company no longer doing business at the location is quite different from the others who are no longer there.
Overnight the auto sales lot was emptied by a number of people dressed in vests normally worn by those who work traffic control, according to law enforcement who drove past while the work was performed. According to sources, Father and Sons Auto Sales sold cars on which they, as a business, were making payments. As each auto was sold, the specific auto was paid off and the amount over the original cost to the auto sales establishment was used to pay expenses and what was left resulted in profit to the proprietor or, as the auto was sold and payments made to Father and Son, the payments were to be forwarded on to the financial operation that funded the autos. It seems the process wasn’t working well.
According to information given KSST, Father and Sons were unable to make their payments on the vehicles. It was also reported that some of the business practices were questioned by customers who had purchased an auto from the group but had not received the benefits of certain guarantees that accompanied the sale. One individual reported that they had made a sizable down payment for the purchase of an auto but that vehicle had been repoed and, some who purchased vehicles also had those vehicles repossessed because the auto sales was receiving their payments but not passing those payments on to the financial institution that served as financier for the enterprise. In other words, payments were being pocketed and not passed up line.
Father and Son Auto Sales also list a location in Mt Pleasant, Texas, according to their website. Calling the toll-free number resulted in learning that number is disconnected. A look at one of their Facebook sites, there are two, has a last entry of February 5th on one and the other has only one comment, “Do not buy anything from Father and son. They’re scums and in a lot of trouble.”
