County Begins Search for New Fire Chief
A new county fire chief could be in place for Hopkins County by July 1, 2016 according to County Judge Robert Newsom. Wednesday morning, Newsom was concluding the application that will be posted on the county website before this weekend. Deadline for applicants will be May 26th.
Those applying for the top firefighter job in the county will be required to live in the Hopkins County area according to Newsom. He stated that he and commissioners seek one who will plant his life in the area served. A number of qualifications will be posted but Newsom pointed out that moral leadership, experience and education will be top priorities for the new chief.
Judge Newsom said he and Commissioners Court will review applications, interview the top six candidates, and hire the new chief. Newsom’s office will review applications to ensure that those forwarded to commissioners meet the criteria for the job.
Track Coaches Review Opportunity for Three at Regionals This Weekend
Three SSHS thin-clads will travel to the regional track meet at UT Arlington this weekend.
Wildcats Track Coach Matt Young said distance runner Jacob Gatewood had a really great couple of days at the the area track meet in Whitehouse last week. Gatewood took first in both the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run. Gatewood also was able to top athletes from Pine Tree and from Lufkin that he had never been able to defeat before in his high school career. In the 3200-meter run, Gatewood was right behind those two athletes when he heard Coach Andy Holt tell him, “You’ve got it. Go get it”. Coach Young said at that point, Gatewood left everyone behind. Coach Young said Gatewood ran about 4:35 in the 1600-meters and just under ten-minutes in the 3200-meter run. Coach Young said Gatewood would need to run like never before to qualify for the state meet. The top two regional finishers will go to state. Coach Young has more modest expectations for Gatewood. He would like to see Gatewood place in the top six. Coach Young said that’s the mark of a good athlete and something to be really proud of. Gatewood will run one of his races Friday and the other Saturday.
Lady Cats Track Coach Triston Abron will be taking hurdler Abbi Baier and jumper Imani Taylor to the regional meet this Friday and Saturday at UT Arlington. Baier, a freshman, took first place in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles at the area meet last week. Taylor, a sophomore, was second in the long jump. Taylor qualified for the regional meet last year in triple jump.
Coach Abron called the double win by Baier phenomenal. He said her times place Baier right in there with the other regional competitors. He said he would not be surprised if she earned her way to state. Coach Abron said Abbi has not been challenged this year in the 300-meter hurdles. That is expected to change at the regional meet. He is interested in how she will respond to that. Baier will run hurdles prelims Friday and if she qualifies, she’ll run finals Saturday.
For Imani Taylor, Coach Abron said he would be working with her on building up her speed and on her explosion as she jumps. Outside of one girl from Mansfield, Coach Abron said Taylor’s distance in long jumps is right there with other competitors. He added he wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor earned her way to state. Imani will have prelims and long jumping finals both on Friday.
Graduate Medical Education Opens with Local Family Medicine Residency Program
In April the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) awarded accreditation to a new Family Medicine Residency program that will be located here in Sulphur Springs. Residency training is required after medical school to prepare young physicians to enter the specialty of their choice. During residency, young physicians gain clinical experience under supervision. Residents are gradually afforded more independence and authority as they progress through this training, but at all times are supervised by qualified faculty physicians. At the conclusion of residency training here in Hopkins County, these physicians are eligible to take the specialty board examination given by the American Board of Family Medicine.
The academic sponsor for the local program is the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (UTHSCT), recently rebranded, UT Health Northeast. UTHSCT operates residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, occupational medicine and psychiatry. The residency is a three year program that is accredited for two residents per class (6 total). Medical students from all over the United States will have the opportunity to apply for a position in our program, in the fall of 2016. The application process is conducted through a web based system that ultimately matches applicants with residency programs after both have submitted their list of preferences. Medical students Match to their residency in March each year. The first participation in the Match will occur in March 2017.
The resident physicians will begin their training in Tyler at UT Health Northeast and complete all their first year rotations alongside the UTHSCT program residents. Among other rotations, clinical training in Tyler will include family medicine, critical care medicine, general and trauma surgery, dermatology, obstetrics, and pediatrics. In July of each year, the residents completing the first year of the program move to Sulphur Springs where they will serve years two and three of the residency with Memorial Hospital and clinic. Some of the rotations in Sulphur Springs are: cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, pediatrics, inpatient medicine, neurology, pulmonology, psychiatry, and orthopedics.
The Board of Directors of the Hopkins County Hospital District anticipates significant community benefit from the UTHSCT Memorial Family Medicine Residency in Sulphur Springs. Among the benefits are: a) increased physician access for the community, b) opportunities to recruit family physicians to Northeast Texas, c) improvements in quality of care and patient safety , d) improved access to CME (continuing medical education) for hospital and clinic staff.
Among some of the highlights of our rural training curriculum are access to high quality subspecialty teaching and patient care through telemedicine links to current faculty and to graduates of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School programs, access to more than one hundred clinical teachers and researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and weekly broadband transmission of 7 hours of live conferences from UTHSCT to our campus.
The physicians, staff and administration of Memorial Hospital state that they are excited about the impact this new program will have on Northeast Texas.
Family Medicine Residency Q & A
What is Graduate Medical Education? Graduate Medical Education(GME) is the formal educational process that begins after completion of the doctoral degree that leads to board certification in the individual’s chosen medical specialty. This process is called RESIDENCY. Different specialties require residency programs of different lengths. The specialties within primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics all require completion of 3 years of residency; while the surgical specialty of neurosurgery requires 7 years of residency before board certification can be obtained.
Why did HCHD decide to begin a GME program? Michael McAndrew, the CEO of Memorial Hospital along with the Board of Directors, realized the hospital district need for a long term strategy to address physician recruitment, continuous quality improvement in healthcare, and a vigilant focus on patient safety.
How did HCMH develop the program? In conversations with the leadership of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (UTHSCT), Mr. McAndrew discovered the potential for a joint venture to address some of the needs of the hospital district as previously described.
A grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2014 funded a consultation with the ECG firm in Boston. The consultant’s conclusions were that a joint venture family medicine residency with UTHSCT would be feasible and would bring substantial benefit to North East Texas.
The Board of Directors approved the plan and Dr. Leslie Tingle, the former director of the residency program for Baylor Scott and White Family Medicine residency in Garland was hired to design the program and apply for accreditation. Dr. Tingle came on board in August of 2015 and with the help of the medical staff and administration of HCMH Memorial Hosiptal, submitted the residency program application to the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in November 2015. In January of 2016, the ACGME sent a site visitor to Sulphur Springs to review the proposed program structure and determine the level of support for family medicine GME in Hopkins County. The Review Committee of the ACGME met on April 18, 2016 and issued Initial accreditation for the program.
The academic sponsor for the program is UTHSCT. Our first residents will begin the program in July of 2017. Each class will spend the first year in Tyler and years two and three here in Sulphur Springs. Our total complement of residents is six, with four on campus in Sulphur Springs at all times.
How do Resident Physicians work?
Residents are licensed by the state of Texas to practice medicine under an institutional permit issued to them and to their teaching hospitals. Residents are supervised by experienced medical staff physicians, while the ultimate responsibility for patient care remains with the attending physician. Residents work in the hospital, clinic, and the nursing home. They also perform house calls. In the curriculum for family medicine education, residents learn to manage acute and chronic disease and deliver preventive health service to all age groups. They work in the emergency department, the intensive care unit, and in labor and delivery.
Skills obtained in the outpatient clinic environment also include care of common skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis; as well as many skin cancers. Residents learn to repair lacerations and to care for uncomplicated fractures.
At the successful conclusion of three years of residency, these physicians are eligible to take the specialty board examination in Family Medicine. To maintain certification by the American Board of Family Medicine, diplomates must complete prescribed yearly educational projects and retest every seven to 10 years.
Yellow Flowers in the Pasture
Yellow flowers in the pasture
As our cold days are moving out, we start seeing the flowering of many weeds turning into yellow flowers. As I was starting my working week, several friends and producers ask me about “this little yellow flower that grows everywhere”. Diligently, I went into finding of such as pesky flower and found not one but several weeds flowering with yellow blooms in the countryside. From the many yellowing flowers native to Hopkins, the dandelion and buttercup are probably the most abundant this time of the year.
Buttercup Field
The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a troublesome weed in bluegrass lawns throughout the transition zone. Although it is found in every southern state, it is most troublesome in the cooler regions where it persists year-round. The bright yellow flower of the dandelion appears from early spring through summer in the transition zone where it constrats sharply with the color and texture of turfgrasses. In the Gulf States the flowering period ends in late spring. The dandelion is frequently cited as having medicinal values. Plants are sometimes eaten raw in salads or blanched like endive and used as a green. Dandelion roots have been used medicianlly as a simple bitter laxative. Chinese regard the whole plant as useful for abscesses, boils, snakebites, ulcers and other internal injuries. The dandelion is a perennial plant with a deep, thick taproot. A rosette of basal leaves emerge from the crown of the plant. The leaves are long, narrow, deeply notched with backward pointed lobes. The leaves and flower stalk contain a milk-like juice. Flower stalks are long and slender and terminate in a single flower. The flower is 1 to 1° inches across and consists of bright yellow to orange-yellow petals. The flower head is surrounded by narrow pointed bracts with the outer ones curved backwards. The seeds are brown, -inch long, narrow, with a parachute-like pappus attached to a long beak at the upper end. The dandelion flowers from April through June and seed mature and disperse quickly after the bloom appears. Dandelions are readily controlled by 2,4-D, or products containing 2,4-D, if applications are made in fall or early spring before the plants begin to flower. After flowering begins, 2,4-D will twist and curl the leaves and flower stalks, but the plants often survive the treatment.
Buttercup (Ranunculus species): One of the many yellow flowering weeds that we fight in pastures and hay meadows. Buttercup is a winter annual that thrives in weak or thin pastures. There are several species of this winter annual. They differ mainly in leaf shape and growth, but all produce characteristic bright yellow blossoms. March to early April is the best time to kill buttercup. The goal is to spray buttercup before bloom. Fertilizing and liming to soil test recommendations and efficient utilization of pastures or hay fields are the primary ways to decrease weed pressure. Control can be accomplished using Weedmaster, 2, 4-D, GrazonNext, Grazon P+D, Milestone, Cimarron Max (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass), Pastora (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass). For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at m-villarino@tamu. edu.
REMEMBER: THE LABEL IS THE LAW! Always read the pesticide label before using.
Coming up:
Texas Watershed Steward Workshop, May 6, 2016, Rains County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, 410 Tawakoni Drive (highway 276) Emory Texas. Workshop with overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas. CEU’s for Private applicators and others. Register by calling 979-862-4457 or http://tws.tamu.edu.
Homeowner Maintenance of Aerobic Treatment Units, May 16, 2016 at the Hopkins County Extension Office located at 1200B Houston Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas. $100 registration. Call 903-885-3443.
Golf, Volleyball Out at PJC in Cost Saving Move
The Paris Junior College Board of Regents voted to discontinue the golf and volleyball athletic programs Monday evening due to financial constraints.
Revenues to support athletic programs have declined significantly over the last three years and the revenue stream no longer will support eight sports. Eliminating the programs will save the College $350,000 annually, according to PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin.
In other actions, the Board of Regents:
- Received an update from fellow Regent Ginna Bowman on the Board of Trustees Institute she and fellow regent Louise Taylor attended last month. The meeting focused on the Pathways Project and how regents could facilitate its success.
“One in five students in Texas complete a bachelor’s degree,” said Bowman. “We need to improve that.”
- Approved an increase of 3.5 percent to the cost of meal plans for students.
- Approved new prices in the base 15-meal plan for $1,675 and 19-meal plan for $1,925 (including board and tax).
- Approved the Texas Association of School Board’s Local Policy Update 31. PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin explained that the modifications are based on legislative changes or court decisions affecting the law.
- Authorized the refinancing of the 2012 bond balance of $3,554,000 at four percent for ten years.
- Approved the private re-sale of six foreclosed properties for $1,000. “This will get them back on the tax roles,” said Dr. Anglin.
- Received a list of end of semester events as follows:
May 10 – GED Graduation, 7 p.m. in the Ray E. Karrer Theater;
May 12 – Jewelry Awards Ceremony, 10 a.m. in the Ray E. Karrer Theater; Medical Records Coding and Surgical Technology Pinning, 1 p.m. in the Workforce Training Center, Room 1202; Associate Degree Nursing Pinning, 5 p.m. in the Paris Junior High School Weger Auditorium; and Licensed Vocational Nursing Pinning, 7 p.m. and also in the Weger Auditorium;
May 13 – PJC Graduation at 7 p.m. in Noyes Stadium (or the Hunt Center if there is inclement weather).
- Accepted the reassignment of Stephanie Parker as Interim Director of Health Occupations and retirement of Instructor of Licensed Vocational Nursing Kay Miller, effective Aug. 31, and Barbara Thomas, Director of Counseling/Advising, effective May 31.
“Updated” Blackmon Seventh at State Golf Tourney
Wildcats’ golfer Brody Blackmon finished seventh at the State Class 5A Golf Tournament. Blackmon fired another 74 on day two Tuesday to finish with a total of 148. He was 13 strokes behind the leader. Blackmon was tied for eighth place after his 74 on day one Monday. Blackmon has signed a letter of intent to play golf at Ole Miss. On his resume this year are Regional Champion and District Champion. Blackmon won both of those tournaments at the Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club.
Wildcats Golf Coach Ross Funk accompanied senior Brody Blackmon to the State Class 5A Golf Tournament played Monday and Tuesday at Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines near Bastrop. Blackmon shot 74 each day for a total of 148, good enough for a seventh place finish. Coach Funk said Blackmon played really, really well. He said about four bad holes over two days cost him. Coach Funk said each marathon round featured numerous delays. He said round one took eight hours to play and round two seven hours and 20 minutes. Funk cited an example of Blackmon getting an eagle and a birdie before having to wait forty minutes before hitting his next tee shot. Funk said Blackmon was a great person who conducted himself very well even on bad holes or during long delays. Funk said Blackmon played very well from tee to green but never could get his putter as hot as he would have liked.
Lobos Gain Victory Over Wildcats in Seventh
The Longview Lobos broke a 2-2 tie with four runs in the top of the seventh on their way to a 6-3 win over the Wildcats’ baseball team at Eagle Stadium Tuesday night. The Lobos had no hits in the big inning but they received three walks and the Wildcats committed three errors. The Wildcats got one of the runs back in the bottom of the seventh but they came up short as they left the bases loaded.
Ryan Humphries took the pitching loss. Heston Golightly pitched the first six innings allowing only one earned run and five hits. Golightly and Logan Merrell had doubles for the Wildcats, whose nine hits included at least one in every inning. They stranded eight runners on the bases. Tuesday night was Senior Night for the Wildcats and they recognized Tyler Follis, Cole Cooper, Garrett Jones and Logan Merrell. All were in the starting lineup.
The loss officially ended the Wildcats quest for the playoffs . They are now 5-8 in district play and 8-13-1 for the season. The Wildcats are scheduled to close out the season at Marshall Friday night, weather permitting.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch; KSST Following Radar Now
KSST weather watch staff is currently at the studios tracking the line of storms on radar as they move toward Hopkins County. We will interupt programming from time to time until the storms arrive in the county and then we will go full time with radar and called in reports. As you have severe weather, call KSST at 903-885-3111.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 113 UNTIL 5 AM CDT WEDNESDAY WHICH REPLACES A PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH 109. THE NEW WATCH IS VALID FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
IN TEXAS THE NEW WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL TEXAS
HILL
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
ELLIS FANNIN HUNT
KAUFMAN ROCKWALL
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…BONHAM…COMMERCE…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
113 IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 18 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL TEXAS
ANDERSON BELL CORYELL
FALLS FREESTONE HENDERSON
LAMPASAS LEON LIMESTONE
MCLENNAN MILAM ROBERTSON
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
DELTA HOPKINS LAMAR
NAVARRO RAINS VAN ZANDT
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF…ATHENS…BUFFALO…
CAMERON…CANTON…
CORSICANA…EAST TAWAKONI…EDGEWOOD…EMORY…
FORT HOOD…FRANKLIN…GATESVILLE..
GUN BARREL CITY…HEARNE…JEWETT…
MEXIA…NORMANGEE…OAKWOOD…
ROCKDALE…SULPHUR SPRINGS…TEAGUE…TEMPLE…
WILLS POINT AND WORTHAM.
Cruise Cheaper From Galveston
Cruising out of Galveston is Super Easy for those of us in East Texas, as the drive is a great alternative to flying to Florida for a cruise. Royal Caribbean’s ship Liberty of the Seas is currently offering 7-day sailings (choice of two different itineraries) this summer out of Galveston. Find out more about these by using this link.
Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston
Keep in mind that all passengers need a valid Passport for these sailing. Also, by driving to Galveston, you can save a ton on airfare, especially if you have a large family.
There are MULTIPLE savings opportunities through Royal Caribbean
Through our agreement with Montrose Travel, we are able to offer EXTRA On-Board Spending Money on ANY Liberty of the Seas sailing from Galveston for the rest of 2016. Sailing must be booked through website: KSSTtravel
The amounts per stateroom are as follows:
Inside Cabin:$75
Outside Cabin:$100
Balcony:$150
Suite:$200
