SSHS UIL One Act Play Advances
Following district competition earlier this week, the Sulphur Springs High School UIL One-Act Play advanced with their performance of “The Madwoman of Chaillot” by Jean Giraudoux, adapted by Maurice Valency. SSHS students Sydney Hawkins and Josh Thompson were named to the All-Star cast. Hailey Farmer received the Outstanding Technician Award. Logan McGraw was All-Star Honorable Mention.
One-Act will compete at Bi-District in Lindale next week.
Friday Game Day Schedule for SSHS Teams
Friday is game day for four SSHS teams and district implications are evident in all four games.
Friday night at Eagle Stadium, 7 p.m. Wildcats baseball hosts Mt Pleasant. The Wildcasts lost their district opener at Texas High but hope to rebound with a win against the Tigers.
Lady Cats softball will be in Mt Pleasant with varsity start at 6 p.m. The Lady Cats are 3-0 and plan to continue their march toward a district championship.
Big playoff implications for the Wildcats soccer varsity at Hallsville at 7 p.m. as the Wildcats seek a playoff berth. The Wildcats and Hallsville are tied for third place in district.
Lady Cats soccer will be on Prim pitch at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. The Lady Cats are currently in 3rd in district and qualified for the playoffs.
Jay Hodge Chevrolet Ribbon Cutting
Thursday marked the official grand opening for Jay Hodge Chevrolet in Sulphur Springs. Owner Jay Hodge, pictured in the center of the photograph above, spoke about the excitement surrounding the opening and thanked those who played a vital role in the building and opening process. Hodge added that the future is bright for the Chevrolet dealership.
LIVE from the Jay Hodge Chevrolet Grand Opening Event…
Posted by KSST Radio on Thursday, March 17, 2016
“Updated” Severe Thunderstorm Warning Until 2 PM Thursday
The severe thunderstorm warning has been extended until 2 p.m. today
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR… NORTHERN HOPKINS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS… DELTA COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS… SOUTHEASTERN LAMAR COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS… * UNTIL 200 PM CDT * AT 112 PM CDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR COOPER…OR 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF COMMERCE…MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. HAZARD…QUARTER SIZE HAIL. SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED. IMPACT…DAMAGE TO VEHICLES IS EXPECTED. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… COOPER…DEPORT…COOPER LAKE PARK DOCTORS CREEK…COOPER LAKE PARK SOUTH SULPHUR AND TIRA. HAIL…1.00IN WIND…<50MPH
Business History Month: ABC Autoplex
ABC Autoplex opened its doors in May 2002 by Ronnie Parris who is now in charge of sales at the auto dealership. He started the business after working for a number of years in sales for Price Ford dealership in the sales division. “I sold cars at the Ford dealership here for about 13 years and they sold out, so we came over here and built this.” Parris said. “I had another partner at the time, Holly Swatsell, he owned the property. We built the building, and that’s how we started.”
ABC’s first year saw great business for Parris and his partner, and they advertised with newspaper, billboards, and radio for their business. Currently, ABC is partnered with the Greenville Mitsubishi dealership. “ABC Autoplex is tied in with Greenville Mitsubishi, so we don’t offer services here on this site, but we do have services at the other facility,” Parris said. “We’ve been partnered since October of 2015. Polly Swatsell, who’s Holly’s widow, and I were partners in this business. When Polly wanted to change her relationship to the auto business, we leased the property and the building to Larry Jackson at Greenville Mitsubishi. So I’m in charge of sales and running the business for them here.”
Parris is the only one at ABC in the sales division, but he employs a finance manager and a clean-up crew. Parris and his employees strive to make ABC Autoplex stand out over the other car dealerships in Sulphur Springs. “What makes us stand out is the quality of the cars that we keep and treating the customer right. If the customer has a problem, we take care of it,” Parris said. “We’re just going to keep on doing what we’ve been doing which is selling good, clean, quality cars.”
ABC Autoplex is located at 1412 College ST, Sulphur Springs, Texas. Contact them at (903) 885-9600 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hunt Regional Medical Center Opens New Transitional Health Clinic
L–R: Emily Sundeen, FNP, Syed Hamid, M.D., Brandi Isham, FNP.
In order to help improve the transition for patients from a hospital setting to the care of outpatient providers, the Hunt Regional Medical Center opened a new transitional clinic in January on the second floor of their hospital campus in Greenville. Because Texas currently rates second in hospital readmission rates, the new clinic will help patients who do not understand how to manage their condition at home, or fail to follow-up with a primary care physician, as well as increasing communication with patients after they return home. “Our goal with all new initiatives is to improve the quality of care our patients receive,” clinic provider Emily Sundeen, FNP. said. “We want to make sure that our patients are improving when they leave the hospital.”
Patients who are scheduled to be seen at the clinic will be able to discuss prescription medications and side effects as well as follow up on outstanding diagnostic testing, schedule appointments with a community primary care provider, and receive their discharge summary and test results.The clinic is led by Syed Hamid, M.D., with Emily Sundeen and Brandi Isham, FNP also serving as providers. “The Hunt Regional Transitional Care Clinic is designed to make it easier for patients to continue recovering at home and prevent the need for readmission,” Isham said.
Hunt Regional already uses a combination of methods to reduce readmission rates, such as the ‘Vocera Good To Go’ communication system, which allows providers to record their personalized discharge instructions for patients who in turn can place a free call at any time to listen and receive assistance. These efforts have helped 30% of patients who understand post-hospital care become less likely to be readmitted.
The clinic will be open Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Patients who are assessed at a moderate to high risk of readmission will automatically be scheduled with the transitional care clinic prior to hospital discharge.
Animal of the Week: Sparky
Sparky
Sparky is a male Pit/Rottweiler mix who is under one year old. He was surrendered to the Animal Shelter Monday by the man who originally found him after he was unable to find Sparky a home. “The guy tried to find him a home for about a month and them brought him to us,” Animal Shelter Officer Annie Patridge said. “He was hoping that we would have better luck than he did.”
Sparky is unique among other dogs of his age and breed in that he is overly playful and energetic. Rather, Sparky prefers to bathe in the sun or lounge in the shade. “He is the Shelter blob,” Patridge said. “He just lays there and he wants attention, and he’s just a lovable, furry blob. He’d be good for somebody that just wants a nice dog to lay around and pet on.”
Sparky is currently the only male animal at the Animal Shelter. The Shelter currently has two puppies, one female pit, a dog-friendly cat, and one other dog that is waiting to pick up by its new owner. Sparky has had positive interactions with the other animals, but has yet to be tested with the cat. “He has no shots as of now,” Animal Shelter Officer Barbi Blanch said. “When he gets adopted, he’ll got neutered and all of his shots updated. He’s a bit too young for a heart worm test, but he doesn’t seem to have any yet. We’ll just get him good on heart worm prevention and he should be good.”
Sparky, along with all of the other animals currently at the Shelter, will be involved in an off-site adoption this Saturday, March 19 at Tractor Supply from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Shelter will be closed Saturday for the off-site.
Hopkins EMS “Strike Team” Deployed on Seven Day Mission
Hopkins County Emergency Medical Services’ Emergency Response Vehicle, two MICU Ambulances, and five paramedics have responded to a Texas Division of Emergency Management SMA request, otherwise known as a State Medical Activation, to assist in evacuation of certain residents of counties inundated with flood waters around Orange, Texas.
The team will be deployed for a seven-day mission. During their deployment, they will be directing, planning, and carrying out any needs established during the event. Among needs served will be moving patients in nursing homes and the home-bound to neighboring facilities and jurisdictions away from the flood zone.
Hopkins County EMS Director Brent Smith spoke about the EMS “Strike Team” with KSST News on Wednesday morning. “We assembled a strike team comprised of two ambulances from Hopkins County and the Strike Team leader which used our Emergency Response Vehicle,” said Smith. “With the compliment of our team, the City of Longview Fire Department, Fairfield EMS, and Paris EMS all sent an ambulance to also assist in any type of evacuations and medical needs in Orange, Texas.”
Smith said that Hopkins County EMS A-Shift Captain Danny Wilburn was activated in a role called MIST which stands for Medical Incident Support Team. Wilburn is serving in a leadership position and working side-by-side with the leaders for the city of Orange to help them facilitate needs for evacuation and to manage 911 calls.
The Hopkins County EMS Strike Team has completed two missions since their arrival, but Smith tells us that details pertaining to the missions remains confidential.
Study Ranks Hopkins County 91st in State for Overall Health Outcomes
Out of 240 counties in Texas Hopkins County ranks 91st in overall health outcomes according to a recent report published by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program. Neighboring Franklin County ranks 15th with Rains at 83, Hunt at 125, Lamar at 199, and Delta at 204. Several factors were noted in the study. Franklin County, according to the report, only outscored Hopkins County on length of life, education percentages and children in poverty. Rains County slightly outscored Hopkins in the education percentage and Health care costs.
For Hopkins County residents, length of life rates 112th out of the 240 counties. That means that 111 counties have a longer life span among residents than does Hopkins. Premature death (living to an average age, not specific child death) is above the state average but that number is looking better for the county as the number of premature deaths decrease.
Quality of life for Hopkins residents is 99th out of the 240 counties in the comparison. Poor or fair health is at 17% below the 19% state average. Poor physical health days are at 3.6 which are on state average. Poor mental health days are also near state average. Both poor physical health days and poor mental health days for the state is slightly above the national average. Adult smoking, adult obesity, physical inactivity in the county is slightly above the state average. Yet access to exercise opportunities in the county are considered being well below state averages.
Health insurance is just above state average at 28% and that number is increasing. Uninsured adults in the county are at 33%. Uninsured children are at 18%. Health care costs average $11,375 which is slightly higher than the state average of $10,837.
There is one primary care physician for every 2,960 residents which is well above the 1 for 1680 state average. The number of dentists is well below state numbers. There is one dentist for 3,990 residents compared to one for 1,880 in the state average. Mental health provider numbers also fall short in the county. There is one mental health provider for every 1,710 residents compared to one for 990, which is the state average. Preventable hospital stays are above the state average but that number is decreasing, which is good. Diabetic monitoring is below the state average at 67% compared to 84% and that’s not good. The numbers have fallen in the last two years of the study. Mammography screening is also falling off in the past few years.
Excessive drinking and alcohol-impaired driving deaths are both below state averages with driving deaths well below at 19% compared to the state percentage of 32%.
Sexually transmitted diseases are on average with the state and, like the state and nation that number is increasing.
Teen births are on state average.
High school graduation is at 92% which is above the states 88% level. Yet, those with some college are below the states 59%. Hopkins has 49% in that category. Children living in poverty are above the state average but children in single-parent household’s number below the state’s average. Unemployment numbers are below state average.
Violent crimes are well below the states average but injury deaths are above.
These numbers and the placement of the 240 counties in Texas are based on the scoring values set by the Foundation. The study was a nationwide study conducted by the foundation.
Food Safety and Your Refrigerator
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]
by Johanna Hicks, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Family & Consumer Sciences
Chill Out This Spring!
Do you have “mystery foods” hiding in the back of your refrigerator? Have you discovered something at the very back of the bottom shelf that you didn’t know you had? As the “home” for raw and cooked foods, the refrigerator is both a useful and vital appliance that must be kept clean to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, according to Rebecca Dittmar, Extension Food and Safety Specialist. With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to be thinking about cleaning the refrigerator and making it as safe as possible for food storage.
A National Sanitation Foundation study in which microbiologists measured levels of yeast, mold, staph and coliform bacteria — the family that includes salmonella and E coli – determined the kitchen was the “germiest” room in the house. It was also the room with the most coliform bacteria.
“Bacteria was found on multiple surfaces, including sponges, sinks, countertops and cutting boards,” Dittmar said. This really drives home the need to keep kitchen surfaces, including refrigerator surfaces, as free from bacteria as possible, but cleaning the fridge isn’t as simple as cleaning other areas of the kitchen.
First of all, harsh chemicals and disinfectants like bleach shouldn’t be used to clean surfaces where you will be putting food, Dittmar notes. Disinfectants that come into contact with food could make you sick due to the strong chemicals they contain. It’s best to use hot, soapy water to clean the refrigerator — or use specially formulated products or natural cleaners.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the two families of bacteria that can be found in refrigerators are pathogenic bacteria, which cause foodborne illness, and spoilage bacteria, which cause foods to deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors, tastes, and textures. This is a good time to use or throw away foods that are close to reaching their expiration date. Obviously, before cleaning the interior of the fridge you’ll want to remove all the food. An empty fridge makes cleaning easier and pretty much eliminates the possibility of contamination.
Take out all the removable parts, such as shelves and drawers and put these in the sink to soak with warm water and regular dishwashing soap before rinsing and drying. You may want to let any glass or ceramic pieces warm up a bit before putting them in hot water to avoid their cracking or breaking from ‘thermal shock.’
Dittmar suggests wiping the interior surface area with commercial wipes or dishwashing soap and warm water, working from top to bottom to avoid drips onto clean surfaces. Use a dishcloth or a paper towel when cleaning. To remove tough stains, mix some baking soda with water to make a paste and apply it to the stain and let it sit for a while before scrubbing and wiping it off. For thick or sticky spills, you may want to put a warm, wet cloth over the spill for a few minutes to soften them and make them easier to remove. If you used the dishcloth to wipe up raw meat or juices, wash it or replace it immediately with a clean one. While cleaning, pay particular attention to any corners, cracks and crevices where spills and small particles of food typically collect, and remember to wipe down interior doors.
Once the interior is clean, it’s time to put the food back into the refrigerator. Make sure the interior temperature is set to keep foods below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the fridge is clean, commit to take extra measures to keep it that way. Regularly look for hidden spills and wipe up any new spills immediately. Remove any foods that produce lingering odors, and to keep the fridge smelling fresh, put an open box of baking soda on one of the shelves.
This is a good time to start developing the habit of each week throwing out perishable foods that should no longer be eaten. A general rule of thumb for refrigerator storage for cooked leftovers is four days. If food is past its ‘use by’ date, it’s usually best to discard it. If you’re not sure or if the food looks questionable, the maxim ‘When in doubt, throw it out’ is a good way to go. Any food that looks or smells suspicious should be thrown out, and items such as ketchup and mayonnaise should be refrigerated after opening.
Raw meat, poultry and seafood should be kept in a sealed container or securely wrapped so their juices do not contaminate other foods. Large amounts of foods such as stews or soups should be divided into smaller portions and put in containers to cool quickly for refrigeration. The same applies for large portions of meat or poultry. When you’re returning foods to the fridge, this is also a good time to wipe any crust or sticky residue off jars or containers and dry them. Food in the refrigerator should be covered to retain moisture and prevent it from picking up odors from other foods.
For more specific guidelines for the length of time certain foods should be kept in a refrigerator, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Refrigeration_and_Food_Safety.pdf. With Easter quickly approaching, we want to keep our families healthy, instead of battling food borne illness!
Registration Reminders
Registration is currently being taken for three upcoming events: 1) Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes series; 2) “Cooking Through the Seasons” event; and 3) Twogether in Texas marriage education workshop. Contact our office at 903-885-3443 for more information.
Closing Thought
Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand – Andy Rooney
