SSISD Board Names Angela Edwards Principal for Bowie Primary School; Board Incumbents Take Oath
May 3, 2016 – Tuesday at noon, Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board incumbents were sworn in for new terms, new officers for the board were elected and Angela Edwards was named Principal of Bowie Primary School.
Mrs. Edwards will begin her duties as principal on July 28, 2016. She is currently at Bowie as the Academic Specialist. She has also taught on the elementary level in the local district.
Unopposed for re-election, the trio received the oath of office from School District Tax Collector Sandra Gibby. The three sworn in were Kerry Wright, Leesa Toliver, and John Prickett.
New officers for the board include: Leesa Toliver, President; Robbin Vaughn, Vice President; and Robert Cody, Secretary.
Personnel changes for the the school district that were approved include:
Resignations
Cheslie Brook Grade 4 Teacher SS Elementary
Lindsay McCoy Grade 3 Teacher SS Elementary
Teri-Rae Azulene Science Teacher Middle School
Jacob Alford History Teacher/Coach High School
Kailey Bowman SpEd Teacher High School
Sulphur Bluff’s Davis Qualified for State Track Meet Pole Vault Competition
Ricky Davis of Sulphur Bluff qualified for the State Track Meet by winning the pole vault at the regional track meet this past weekend in Stephenville. Davis vaulted 11 feet to win the event.
Others did well representing Sulphur Bluff but did not qualify for state. Thomas Coberley, who participated in three events at regional, made it to the finals in the triple jump and finished eighth. Coberley was also fifth in regional in the 400-meter dash. He also competed in the long jump. Other Bears and Lady Bears and their events at regional were Makala Covington in pole vault and triple jump, Ky Rochelle in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles, Ethan Brown in pole vault and Joe Forshee in shot put.
Saltillo’s Collins Goes to State Track Meet
Sienna Collins placed first in the 3200-meter and 800-meter at the Class 1-A, Region III Track meet at Tarleton State University last weekend. She will represent Saltillo and the Region in competition at the state meet in Austin May 13-14.
Also competing for Saltillo at the Regional meet but not advancing were Brenda Castro who placed seventh in the 1600-meter and ninth in the 800-meter; Katy Perea, 11th in the 1600-meter; Trevor Moore, fourth in the 800-meter and 12th in the 3200-meter; and Walker McGill, 14th in the 3200-meter.
Woman Arrested for a 2nd Degree Felony Drug Possession
Shatobia Keoshia Clayton, 29, of Sulphur Springs was arrested Monday night on a 2nd degree felony charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance. Clayton was the driver of a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation. Upon contact with Clayton, Special Crimes Unit Officer Sergeant Mark Estes could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Sgt. Estes advised Clayton and the passengers of the reason for the stop and then proceeded to ask about the marijuana smell. The front passenger of the vehicle then handed Sgt. Estes a red container carrying marijuana. All of the occupants were then asked to exit the vehicle as cover units arrived on the scene at which time the back right passenger handed Sgt. Estes approximately 2 ounces of marijuana. Clayton stated that she was in possession of contraband as well and confessed to having approximately 14 grams of crack cocaine hidden in her underwear. All occupants were arrested and transported to the Hopkins County Jail for booking. Once at the jail, officers removed the contraband from Clayton which was discovered to indeed be crack cocaine weighing approximately 18 grams. Clayton now sits in the Hopkins County Jail on $30,000 bond for Possession of a Controlled Substance equal to or greater than 4 grams but less than 200 grams which is a 2nd degree felony.
Texas A & M-Commerce Awarded $1.6 Million to Fund New Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Medicine Growth
By Julia Gessner
COMMERCE, TX—Texas A&M University-Commerce is honored to be awarded $1.6 million from the Chancellor’s Research Initiative (CRI) for the purchase of specialized scientific equipment for the new Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Medicine (BIRR) and recruitment of a new professor and two new assistant professors to conduct research in the institute.
The innovative research, headed by A&M-Commerce Distinguished Professor from the Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Dr. Larry Lemanski, is expected to be developed into a world-class university-based research enterprise located in the new health sciences building with faculty-level scientists, postdoctoral fellows and both graduate and undergraduate students contributing to the research.
“The Chancellor’s Research Initiative award represents recognition of the seminal work on regenerative research that Dr. Larry Lemanski and his colleagues are conducting here at Texas A&M University-Commerce,” said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Benavides. “Moreover, the funding that comes with this award will enable us to attract other world-class scientists to join our soon-to-be established Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Research.”
The current research team recently discovered a ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the human heart that has the ability to turn non-muscle cells into functional cardiac muscles. This breakthrough in biology and medicine means that in the future it should be possible to repair the damaged areas of the heart following a heart attack.
Dr. Lemanski will serve as the founding director of the BIRR. The new award will allow Dr. Zhenghan Zhao, MD, PhD, life science researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine, to join him as the associate director to the BIRR. In addition, Dr. Javed Equabal, a research assistant at one of the top research universities in the world, the Indian Institute of Technology, and Dr. Yelica Lopez Rodriguez, DVM, PhD, a faculty member currently at a university in Venezuela will join the team.
“With the new health sciences building in the planning stages and with the addition of this specialized research faculty, A&M-Commerce will begin a new journey into biomedical research innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Vice Provost for Research/Graduate Dean, Dr. Arlene Horne. “This institute will take A&M-Commerce to the next level of research.”
The CRI was originally created in 2013 for Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University to hire highly qualified professors who would impact the academic and research missions of their schools. In 2015, The Texas A&M System Chancellor, John Sharp, announced that the Chancellor’s Research Initiative would expand to the rest of the System.
TxDOT Presents Transporation Improvement Program For Public Review
The Texas Department of Transportation will host an open house meeting May 12 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the McLemore Student Center at Paris Junior College to share the details of its Transportation Improvement Program for 2017-2020. Interested citizens are invited to attend, review the plan and share their input with TxDOT officials representing the nine-county Paris District in Northeast Texas. The Paris District consists of Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hunt, Hopkins, Lamar, Rains and Red River counties.
Transportation project listings and maps will be available for review at the meeting. Paris Junior College is located at 2400 Clarksville Street in Paris, Texas.
TxDOT will also accept written comments for an additional 12 days following the open house meeting. Written comments should be addressed to: TxDOT – TIP Comments, Attn: Penny Sansom, 1365 N. Main Street, Paris, TX 75460.
Those who need language assistance or have other communications needs, or persons with disabilities who may require special accommodations should contact Sansom at (903) 737-9373 at least five working days prior to the meeting. TxDOT will make every reasonable effort to accommodate these needs.
Wildcats Season Ends With Loss
A disappointing season for the Wildcats ended with a disappointing loss to Marshall, 11-1 on the road Monday night. The game was a continuation of one that got underway Friday but was quickly called due to lightning and rain. The game resumed Monday with the Wildcats ahead 1-0 with a runner on first and no one out.
The momentum soon shifted to the Mavericks, who needed a win to stay tied with Hallsville for second in the district. The Mavs scored two runs to take the lead after one inning, 2-1. They scored in every inning adding nine more runs over the next five innings. The game was halted in the bottom of the six inning due to the ten run rule.
Tyler Follis worked the first three innings and took the loss. Heston Golightly pitched the final three innings. Marshall outhit the Wildcats 9 to 8. Easton Silman and Michael Arnold led the Wildcats with two hits apiece. Ryan Humphries had a double.
The Wildcats end the season with a district record of 5-9. Their season mark was 8-14-1.
Regional Track Wrap-up
Wildcats Track Coach Matt Young said distance runner Jacob Gatewood capped off a sensational season competing in the 3200-meter run and 1600-meter run at the regional track meet Friday and Saturday at UT Arlington. Coach Young knew the competition was tough and he hoped Gatewood could finish among the top six. In the 3200-meter run Friday, Gatewood challenged the best runners and was at 4:49 half way through. Coach Young said that was a fast first half for Gatewood. Coach Young said Gatewood was not able to sustain the pace and finished ninth. Gatewood ran the 1600-meters Saturday and he was hoping to break 4:30 in the race. He finished in the 4:40‘s and came in 12th. Gatewood, a senior, ends as one of the best distance runners in recent history. His best 1600-meter time puts him in the top three to run the race as a Wildcat. Gatewood is also one of only three runners to break the 10-minute mark in the 3200-meter run. He will continue his running at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.
Lady Cats Track Coach Triston Abron took long jumper Imani Taylor and hurdler Abbi Baier to the regional track meet last Friday and Saturday at UT Arlington.
For Taylor, a sophomore, it was her second regional tournament. She placed ninth in the prelims of the long jump. Coach Abron said her jump was not a personal best but he added it was close to her distance at the district meet. Coach Abron said anyone who finishes in the top ten in our region should be extremely proud of that accomplishment.
Abbi Baier competed in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. She had prelims for both events Friday. She finished tenth in the 100-meter hurdles and didn’t make the finals. Still Coach Abron said it was her fastest time of the season in the race. He was especially proud of her effort in the 300-meter hurdles prelims. The races took place late Friday night after four weather delays and Baier, a freshman, qualified for Saturday’s final with the third or fourth best time in the field. Saturday Baier came in fourth in the final.
Coach Abron will have Taylor and Baier back next season.
Bond for Roach Increased to $200,000
Bond for Donald Michael Roach, 44, was revoked and reset Monday, May 2, 2016 in Eighth Judicial District Court during a hearing on the state’s request to re-bond. Roach is now under a $200,000 bond. Roach, who was out of jail on bond, was taken into custody Monday morning and returned to Hopkins County Jail.
Roach was arrested and had been in Hopkins County jail following the outcry of a 7-year old child to a relative. He had been on a $150,000 bond for Sex Abuse of a Child Continuous: Victim Under 14-years of age. The child and her mother were living in the same residence with Roach.
According to Chief Criminal Investigator Lewis Tatum, the child told a relative about the continuous sexual abuse and the relative took the child to the Hopkins County Sheriff’s office where a report was made. The child was then taken by Investigator Dennis Findley to the Child Advocacy Center in Winnsboro where she, again, made an outcry during the interview there. Findley then secured a warrant for Roach’s arrest. Hopkins County and Wood County officers went to the residence on Highway 154 South near Yantis where Roach was living at the time. Hopkins County Deputy Scott Davis made the arrest.
