City Council Approves Creating Cultural Arts District
A Resolution creating a Cultural Arts District for the City of Sulphur Springs was approved Tuesday night, May 3rd, during the regular session of the City Council. The Cultural Arts District will be named The Celebration Arts District of Sulphur Springs, Texas for at least the next 10 years.
The Cultural Arts District will allow the city to access grant funds from the Texas Commission on the Arts for State designated Cultural Arts District, art and cultural entities within the districts. The Texas Commission on the Arts defines a Cultural Arts District as “special zones that harness the ower of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. These districts can become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride.” In the last legislative session, the state allocated $13-million for the grant program. The governor vetoed $8-millioon so the economic results of the remaining $5-million could be assessed. In 2016, $1.5 million was allocated to 20 non-profits and districts in large and small cities including Dallas and Wimberly.
The Cultural Arts District is designed to attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job development, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, foster local cultural development, be a tourist destination, and be specific to the community.
Celebration Market Kick-off Set For May 7th
The Celebration Market kick-off is set for May 7th in the Downtown District at Celebration Plaza. Market activities will begin around 3 p.m.. Visitors can expect locally grown produce, homemade arts and crafts, entertainment, and more. Reds, Whites, and Brews presented by Hopkins County Fall Festival will also be in the Downtown District on May 7th. Bands such as Southern Soul and 121 North will provide entertainment as well. For children, the splash pad, bubbles, balloons, and hands on activities will be available. The Market will run from May 7th until September 24, every Saturday evening from 6 to 10 p.m.. Vendor registration applications are available at sulphurspringtx.org.
Winnsboro Police Department Reports Two Arrests in Report for April 25-May 1, 2016
Winnsboro Police Department arrested two responded to 143 calls for service and issued 35 citations and 23 warnings during the seven day reporting period April 25 to May 1, 2016.
Ray Griffith, 62, of Mt Vernon was arrested on a Hopkins County warrant Monday, April 26th. Griffith was wanted for a issuing a bad check.
Martin Williams, 24, of Hallsville was arrested on an Upshur County warrant on Friday, April 28th.
There was no traffic accident reported during the seven day period.
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.
