Thunderstorms Move through Area Overnight; River Flood Warning
A line of thunderstorms moved through the Hopkins County area early Wednesday morning. KSST began broadcasting radar reports shortly after 2 a.m. as the first thunderstorm with a threat of hail moved across the northern segment of the county. Then at 3:07 a.m. a dangerous thunderstorm advisory was issued as high winds, small hail, and heavy rains marched across the county specifically in the Tira, Dike, Arbala, and Como areas. The City of Sulphur Springs saw gusty winds that blew small limbs from trees and heavy rainfall that created some light flooding. Lightning strikes were prolific during the storm.
A river flood warning was again issued for the Delta Hopkins areas on the banks of the South Sulphur River. That river flood warning extends until 8 p.m. Thursday. At 5:15 a.m. Wednesday the stage was 17.63 feet. Flood stage is 16.0 feet. The river will continue rising to a crest near 18 feet by Wednesday afternoon. The river should fall below flood stage Thursday morning. River flooding has occurred earlier in the week thanks to heavy rains upstream. As always, the National Weather Service warns that one not drive into flooded areas.
Thunderstorms, with a possibility of a few severe, are expected to continue through Wednesday morning as the weather system continues to move through the area making its way south and east.
You haven’t been on a Cruise?? Why Not??
Many folks voted in our ksstradio.com poll about whether or not they had been on a cruise. In our informal results, about the same number of people responding had said they had not been on a cruise, as those who had been on a cruise. My question is to those who haven’t been, is “What is holding you back?”. I understand some folks are worried about the movement of the ship and getting seasick, but tremendous improvements have been made in the stabilization of the cruise liners no matter what their size. Also, with advanced weather radar, most ships try to avoid the worst part of any storm that may be in their way. We have been on many cruises over the years, and really have never experienced any severe adverse conditions.
The best thing about taking a cruise vacation has got to be the convenience of unpacking your bags once and having the ship go from location to location as you enjoy the sights and get back on the ship for the included dining and rest while the ship moves overnight to another port. Certainly some people think that they do not get an in-depth experience by just spending the day in one port before moving to another, but now some ships are spending more time in port, even overnight so that the passengers can enjoy the nightlife. A lot of travelers will take a cruise to a certain region just to try out some of the ports so they can plan to return sometime in the future for a longer vacation.
Either way, you approach it, a cruise can be a very economical way to experience a new region. The first question you should ask yourself, is “where to go first?” The easiest way to go would be to “find a good deal” and give it a shot, but that could lead to mixed results. With so many cruise lines and so many ships going so many places, the choices can be overwhelming. We are always looking for unique experiences and of course the best deals on those trips, so keep checking back to see what we find. Or if you have any questions, feel free to email us: [email protected]
Plenti Card Comes to Sulphur Springs
Speed Pass Sensor
The Joe’s Exxon station, located on 1234 S Broadway ST, is now offering customers the Plenti card program. The Plenti Card allows card-holders to collect points through purchases in order to earn discounts and savings when buying gas and other products. “Depending on how many points you collect, it will show me if you want to take a certain amount off on your next purchase,” Manager Kushal Aryal said. “Whenever you swipe the Plenti Card, if you prepay your gas for $20 and there’s $20 worth of points on your card, then on your next purchase it will tell me on the register if you’d like me to take off $20 so that you don’t have to really pay any cash, you can just work with your points.” It is basically a loyalty program across several different brands. You can shop at one store and earn discounts on another brand.
The Plenti Card program is used by all AT&T, Macy’s, Exxon, Mobil, Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy, Enterprise, and Hulu establishments. The Plenti Card can also be connected to Speed Pass: a key-chain device offered by Exxon and Mobil that allows users to instantly pay for gas at the pump by waving the speed pass in front of the Speed Pass Sensor. Card Holders who link their Plenti Card to their Speed Pass can instantly pay for gas and used Plenti Card points without having to leave the pump.
There are a total of six gas stations in Sulphur Springs that use Exxon gas. The three Super Handy gas stations are now using the Plenti Card program with linked Speed Passes. These stations are located at 1700 S Broadway ST, 941 Gilmer ST, and 1401 College ST. None of the three Joe Bob’s gas stations are using the Plenti Card with linked Speed Passes. However, the Joe Bob’s station at 1302 Church ST does accept SpeedPass.
More information about the Plenti Card can be found at www.plenti.com/join.
Speed Pass users that want to link to their Plenti Card can do so at www.speedpass.com
Sulphur Bluff Bears Second, Lady Bears Fifth at District Track Meet
Last week the Sulphur Bluff Bears and Lady Bears’ track teams competed at their district track meet at Union Hill. The Bears finished second and the Lady Bears fifth. 14 Bears and all 5 members of the Lady Bears’ team qualified for an area meet at Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday. For the Lady Bears, Makayla Covington was first in pole vault, second in the 200-meter dash and second in triple jump. Tori Dorner was sixth in the 200-meter run. Katlyn White was third in the 100-meter hurdles, fifth in the 300-meter hurdles and sixth in long jump. Keirsten Brown was fifth in the 100-meter hurdles. Dorner, White, Covington and Margaret Ryman were fourth in the 4 X 100-meter relay and Dorner, Brown, Covington and Ryman were third in the 4 X 200-meter relay.
For the Bears, Ricky Davis was fifth in the 200-meter dash and was third in pole vault. Thomas Coberly was second in the 400-meter run, was fourth in long jump and was third in triple jump. Turner South was fourth in the 3200-meter run. Ky Rochelle was second in the 110-meter hurdles and third in the 300-meter hurdles. Ethan Brown was sixth in the 110-meter hurdles, sixth in the 300-meter hurdles and second in pole vault. Joe Forshee was first in shot put and sixth in discus. Jonathan Brown was fifth in discus. Hunter Carpenter was fourth in pole vault. The team of Jaden Goldsmith, Marshall Anderson, Rochelle and Ishmeal Wade were fourth in the 4 X 100-meter relay. Collin Moore, Davis, Goldsmith and David Rosas were fourth in the 4 X 200-meter relay and Coberly, Moore, Brown and and Davis were fifth in the 4 X 400-meter relay.
Seven SSHS Senior Band Members Sign Letters of Intent to Major in Music
Seven Sulphur Springs High School Band seniors have signed letters of intent to attend universities and major in music. Six signed with Texas A & M University-Commerce and one with Dallas Baptist University. Fine Arts and Band Director Charles McCauley praised the seven male students for their dedication and for the honor they brought to the band program, the school, the community, and their families.
Each of the seven will major in music at their chosen university. McCauley stated that with all majoring in music, it was a first for the local program. Students in the past have signed letters of intent but not all have committed to major in music.
Those who signed with Texas A & M University-Commerce include: Zachary Herron, Timothy Ramos, Jose Lopez, Cris Rodenis, Carlos Williams, and Aaron Randolph.
Gillian Boyer signed with Dallas Baptist University.
“update”Game Day: Rain Soaked Fields
This Tuesday game day report is a weather report as much as anything. Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said he expects Eagle Stadium to be ready to play on for tonight’s 7 p.m. game against Hallsville if it doesn’t get any more rain on it. He changed his mind Tuesday after lunch. The Wildcats are chasing Hallsville as the Bobcats are in the fourth and final playoff spot in the district. The Wildcats are 4-6 in district play and they are two games behind the Bobcats with four games still to play. The Wildcats are coming off of a 10-0 win over Greenville at Eagle Stadium last Friday night.
Meanwhile the home game for the Lady Cats’ softball team against Hallsville has been postponed due to soggy conditions at Lady Cat Park. Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo says he is hoping to play the Lady Bobcats either Wednesday or Thursday in the late afternoon at Texas A&M-Commerce. The Lady Cats are 8-4 in district play and in third place. Hallsville is the district’s top team but reportedly they have lost their best pitcher for some time due to a knee injury.
Bankhead Highway Celebration Comes to Celebration Plaza Thursday
This year, 2016, is the 100th anniversary of the Federal Aid Highway Act that birthed the modern day highway system in the nation. The celebration of the centennial event comes to Celebration Plaza in Sulphur Springs Thursday.
When John Hollis Bankhead, a U S Senator from Birmingham Alabama and newspaper publisher Asa Rountree became president and secretary of a nationwide good roads movement, their dream may not have been as broad as the ribbon of interstate highways across the nation today. However, their vision for a brick paved highway reaching from coast to coast began the movement that has led to the national highway system today. Few cars were on the road at that time but their numbers were increasing and the desire to travel began burning in the heart of the drivers.
In 1916 Senator Bankhead was instrumental in passing the Federal Aid highway Act which in turn caused Senator Bankhead to become known as the “Father of Good Roads.” The Bankhead Highway, approved by Congress in 1916, became our nation’s first federally subsidized, coast to coast, all season, all weather roadway connecting Washington D.C. with San Diego. Nearly one third of this national roadway ran through Texas connecting Texarkana to El Paso following Texas Highway #1. In our area the Bankhead Highway is U S Highway 67, the route now primarily followed, with a few changes, by Interstate 30.
Bankhead Highway Centennial Celebration (1916-2016) will travel through and stop at Celebration Plaza Thursday, April 21st. Approximate 50 to 60 selected Bankhead era cars from the year 1919 through 1933 will begin their 620 mile Texas tour in Texarkana and travel to Odessa. The cars and drivers are scheduled to arrive at Celebration Plaza around 3:30 p.m. and depart at 4 p.m. They will be welcomed to Sulphur Springs by City Councilman and local historian John Sellers. While in Sulphur Springs, the tour vehicles will be on display on the plaza.
While driving through Hopkins County, the tour will arrive in Saltillo at 2:20 p.m. and Saltillo ISD. They will leave at 2:55 p.m. They then travel to Weaver and on to Sulphur Springs. Leaving Sulphur Springs, they travel to Brashear and then to Cumby where they will have dinner. The tour vehicles will be on display on the parking lot of Hot Rods by JSK shops near the intersection of Frisco Street and North I-30 Serivce Road between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
From Cumby, the tour enters Hunt County on their journey to Odessa.
CPS Child Endangerment Investigation Leads To Arrest Of Cooper Residents
Raelynn Danielle Arney, 20, and Taliaferro Samory Prince, 33, were both arrested Monday afternoon on felony charges for Endangering a Child. The warrants issued for Arney and Prince came as the result of an approximately two-month long investigation by Hopkins County Special Crimes Unit Sergeant Mark Estes and Child Protective Services agents.
According to arrest reports, the investigation found that a 1-year-old child tested positive for methamphetamine. Arney and Prince, who are both from Cooper, had been residing with the child at the Spanish Trails Apartments located at 1531 East Industrial Drive in Sulphur Springs.
SCU officers arrested Arney and Prince at the CPS office located on College Street and transported them to the Hopkins County Jail where they were both placed on $40,000 bond for Abandonment and Endangerment of a Child with Imminent Danger.
A third arrest has been made (see story here).
KSST Has Outgrown Our Server!
Demand for KSSTLivestream has finally overwhelmed our current server. A new streaming server is on it’s way.
The good news, soon even more people can listen live to all of KSST’s programming.
The bad news is, if you use one of our Apps to listen, it will not work. New apps are under construction. Until they are ready you can always go to ksstradio.com/ksstlivestream on any device to listen live.
Watch for updates. We will do everything humanly possible to keep you connected.
Dramatization of current server. Engineer Cat never works during the day.
