Early Voting In City Council Race at 92
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, 92 ballots have been cast during early voting in the Sulphur Springs City Council race. Early voting is conducted at City Hall in the second floor conference room. Thursday, early voting is extended until 7 p.m.
Easy access to the board room is available to the handicapped and others with limitations. To access the boardroom, use the ramp entrance to City Hall. After entering City Hall from the ramp, the elevator is just inside the door. Take the elevator to the second floor and when you exit, the entrance to the conference room is across the hall. Hours for early voting in the city election are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day except Tuesday, April 26th and Thursday, 28thwhen early voting is from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For City Council Place 4, Charles G. Oxford is challenging incumbent Freddie Taylor.
In the Place 5 race, incumbent and present Mayor Pro-tem Emily Glass is challenged by Jimmy Lucas.
Election day is May 7th when the polling place is open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. KSST will broadcast election returns and post to ksstradio.com as soon as they are available.
TxDOT Urges Motorists to Share the Road with Motorcyclists
AUSTIN – On average, a motorcyclist dies in a crash on Texas roads every day. To mark Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May – and to remember the 455 motorcyclists lost in crashes last year – the Texas Department of Transportation is launching its “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign.
“Motorcycles can be difficult to see so it’s important for drivers to look twice, especially before turning at intersections or changing lanes,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Motorcyclists are extremely vulnerable because they don’t have seat belts, airbags and surrounding steel doors to protect them.”
Motorcyclists are nearly five times more likely than car or truck occupants to be injured in a crash and 26 times more likely to be killed. Besides last year’s 455 fatalities, another 1,867 motorcyclists were seriously injured in 2015. About half of fatal motorcycle crashes result from a collision with a car or truck. Drivers cite not seeing the motorcycle or misjudging how fast it is traveling as the reason for the collision.
Each year at the end of April, many Texas cities issue proclamations that observe May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. During this period, TxDOT’s “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign will make stops at baseball games and festivals in Texas communities where guests can participate in activities that highlight motorcycle safety. The campaign reminds drivers to:
- Look twice for motorcycles, especially at intersections.
- Use turn signals when changing lanes.
- Check your mirrors before changing lanes.
- Don’t follow a motorcycle too closely.
- Always assume motorcycles are closer than they appear.
Parental Involvement in Child’s Academic Success
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Parental Involvement Contributes to Children’s Academic Success
The school year is almost over, and students are counting the days until summer vacation. Kudos to all the teachers who tirelessly serve in a crucial role to educate our youth, day in and day out.
Caregivers, teachers, peers, extended family, media, heredity, and the environment all contribute to a child’s development; however, parents (if present) are the most powerful influence in the lives of their children. Parental involvement not only shapes development during the initial years of life, but also during the adolescent and adult years.
Given this important role, to what extent should parents be involved in their children’s development? According to the National PTA, “Parental involvement is the participation of parents in every facet of the education and development of children from birth to adulthood, recognizing that parents are the primary influence in their children’s lives.” Parents have a tremendous responsibility to be involved with their children both inside and outside the home.
Decades of research have demonstrated that the more involved parents are in their children’s development, the greater chance children have to succeed, particularly in their academic performance. Consistently, researchers have discovered that greater parental involvement in a child’s education is associated with:
- higher student grades and test scores
- better attendance
- higher rates of homework completion
- more positive student attitudes and behavior
- higher graduation rates
- greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education
When parents are involved, children achieve more regardless of their socioeconomic level, ethnic/racial background, or the parents’ educational level.
According to Dr. Stephen Green, Extension Program Director for Family Development and Resource Management, recent research on early brain development has shown that positive parental involvement needs to begin long before children enter into formal schooling arrangements. The early years of a child’s life are critically important for healthy brain development, attachment formation, and language acquisition. When parents become actively involved with their children at an early age, they lay a foundation for learning that will benefit children for the rest of their lives.
Every time I present a program to parents, they will hear me say that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, so we must train them in a positive manner!
Kids’ Camp: Fun, Food Fitness
Parents of Sulphur Springs students in grades 1 thru 4 should be expecting information about the upcoming “Kids’ Camp: Fun, Food, Fitness” within the next three weeks. Registration information will be distributed to the schools in May for teachers to send home with their students. 2016 will be the 6th year for Kids’ Camp, and our committee is putting together another great camp!
Nutrition (including hands-on food preparation), physical activity (including Walk Across Texas), and gardening/horticulture are the three main components, but we will also include fire safety, pet safety, stranger danger, weather/emergency management, and other short segments.
This camp has steadily grown over the years, and many students have been with us all through their early school years! Cost of the camp is only $10 per student (or $20 per family if more than one age-eligible camper), which covers 12 sessions (9:00 a.m. to noon) on select Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in June and July. Watch your child’s take-home folders for information. Registration is limited to the first 40 campers.
Skills Camp
Due to the popularity of Kids’ Camp, our Community Health/Wellness Alliance has added another camp opportunity for students who have “aged out” of Kids’ Camp. The 2nd annual Skills Camp will take place July 5 thru 8, and will include many hands-on opportunities! This year’s camp will include outdoor cooking, leather work, woodworking, welding, and technology. Due to the nature of this camp, only the first 10 Sulphur Springs students to register will be accepted. Registration brochures will go to the schools toward the end of May, so parents are encouraged to watch for the information!
Closing Thought
“There are not traffic jams on the extra mile” – Zig Ziglar
Four North Hopkins Academic UIL Team Members Qualify for State Meet
Four North Hopkins students placed at the Regional UIL Academic Competition April 22 and 23 and two will advance to the state meet May 23-25. Rachel Stanley qualified for state in Lincoln Douglas Debate and Allegra Thomas qualified in spelling and ready writing.
left to right: Rachel Stanley – Regional Champion and State Qualifier in LD Debate, Veronica Ugalde – 2nd place spelling team member, Katerin Flores – 2nd place spelling team member, Allegra Thomas – Regional Champion, State Qualifier in spelling, 2nd place spelling team, and 2nd place, State Qualifier in ready writing
Animals of the Week: Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey and Louie are three male kittens of two months of age. They were found in a cardboard box under a tree at the Shadow Ridge Apartments and were picked up by Animal Shelter Officers this morning, April 27. “Somebody found them this morning after the storm, so we went and picked them up.” Animal Shelter Officer Barbi Mitchell said. “We don’t know anything about them, but they look very healthy. We’ll give them their first vaccines and get them a home.”
The kittens will be old enough to be neutered in one to two months. In the short time they have been at the Shelter, Huey, Dewey and Louie have proven to be playful and at ease, often climbing surfaces and sleeping together on the office chair. Each individual kitten’s adoption fee is $85.
Gatewood Signs to Run Track at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee
Wildcats’ cross country and track distance runner Jacob Gatewood signed a letter of intent to run for Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee Wednesday. Gatewood said he would run the 8K in cross country and the indoor and outdoor 5K and 3K in track.
Gatewood said he learned about Lincoln Memorial from a Mt. Pleasant runner he had competed against who is now at Lincoln Memorial. Gatewood said he visited the campus in northeastern Tennessee and he fell in love with it. Even though training in altitude presents a challenge, Gatewood said he looked forward to running in the mountains. Gatewood plans to major in kinesiology and minor in math so he can become a coach and teacher.
Wildcats Cross Country Coach Andy Holt remembers having to talk Gatewood into running as a freshman. At the time, Gatewood was one of the smallest members of the freshman class. Gatewood, now 6-foot one, soon took to running and Coach Holt said running is now a part of him. Coach Holt said Gatewood is one of the best runners he’s ever coached. Gatewood, who won both the 3200-meter run and 1600-meter run at the area meet last week, will run both races at the regional track meet at UT-Arlington Friday and Saturday.
Trojans Win Thriller; Five Bears, One Lady Bears qualify for Regional Track; Lady Bears Defeat Como Pickton
In Hopkins County sports news, the Cumby Trojans won a thrilling baseball game at Sulphur Bluff last Friday. The Bears actually led 5-4 after five innings and 8-7 after six. The Trojans then scored four big runs in the top of the seventh to take an 11-8 lead. Sulphur Bluff got one run in the bottom of the seventh but came up short 11-9. The Bears actually outhit the Trojans 12 to 11. Cumby’s Elmer Rodriguez pitched the last two and a third innings and got the pitching win.
The Sulphur Bluff Bears and Lady Bears competed at an Area Track Meet in Mt. Pleasant recently. Five Bears and one Lady Bear qualified for Regional. Makayla Covington qualified for triple jump with a third place finish and in pole vault with a first place win. For the Bears, Thomas Coberley qualified in three events finishing second in the 400-meter run, second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump. Ky Rochelle qualified in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles finishing fourth in each event. Joe Forschee qualified in shot put with a second place effort. Ricky Davis qualified in pole vault finishing second and Ethan Brown qualified in pole vault finishing third.
Finally in softball, Sulphur Bluff defeated Como Pickton 20-9 at Como on Monday.
24 Hour Travel Deal
Someone took advantage of this special offer. Deal No Longer Available…
We found a great deal on a cruise out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas for a client. An Outside cabin (no balcony) with a reduced fare. The client ended up taking another cruise but this ONE cabin is available for the next 24 hours. The grand total with all taxes, port charges, and cruise fare is: 1662.18 (that is for both passengers!)
The details are as follows:
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas
Sailing out of Galveston: June 05, 2016
Itinerary:
Date Ports of Call Arrive Depart Activity
Sun 05Jun2016 Galveston, Texas 04:30 PM Boarding
Mon 06Jun2016 Cruising Cruising
Tue 07Jun2016 Cruising Cruising
Wed 08Jun2016 Costa Maya, Mexico0 8:00 AM 05:00 PM Docked
Thu 09Jun2016 Roatan, Honduras 07:00 AM 04:00 PM Docked
Fri 10Jun2016 Cozumel, Mexico 08:00 AM 05:00 PM Docked
Sat 11Jun2016 Cruising Cruising
Sun 12Jun2016Galveston, Texas 07:00 AM Departure
email: [email protected] if you are interested.
