BE ROADWISE IN THE DARK by Johanna Hicks
BE ROADWISE IN THE DARK
According to research from the National Safety Council, driving at night is more dangerous than any other time of day, with traffic deaths three-times greater at night compared to daytime hours. The reason for this is that driver vision — the most important sense necessary for driving — is compromised at night, including depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision. Additionally, the glare from an oncoming vehicle with their high beams on can temporally blind a driver.
Headlights on vehicles can only illuminate about 500 feet (with high beams), and 250 feet for normal headlights. With visibility limited, there is less time to react to something unexpected in the roadway. Driving at high speeds at night with reduced visibility makes the situation even more dangerous. Drivers should not “out-drive” their headlights. In other words, do not drive faster than you can stop within the distance illuminated by your headlights. At 50 miles per hour it takes about 268 feet to slow down, including the distance traveled during reaction time. That would easily “out-run” the illumination of your normal headlights. Remember that the posted speed limit is the highest legal limit under ideal conditions and not necessarily the highest safe speed. One of the best plans for night driving is to simply drive slower.
Age is also a factor when it comes to night vision, which is the ability to see in low light. At 50 years of age, a driver needs twice as much light to see as well as a 30 year old driver. At 60 years of age and older, night vision is further reduced, making evening driving a risk — especially on unfamiliar roads.
Nighttime also brings on fatigue, and with the fatigue comes reduced alertness. Driving long periods of time late at night can further reduce reaction time. The only safe cure for fatigue is to get some sleep. Driving while sleepy is not only dangerous for the driver, it also puts other drivers and passengers on the road at risk.
I want to remind drivers to follow these safety tips for nighttime driving from the National Safety Council.
Drivers of all ages:
- Aim vehicle headlights correctly, and make sure they’re clean
- Dim lighting on dashboard
- Look away from oncoming lights
- If eyeglasses are needed, make sure they’re anti-reflective
- Clean the windshield to eliminate streaks
- Slow down to compensate for limited visibility and reduced stopping time
- Stop driving when you are fatigued
Older drivers:
- Have annual vision exams
- Reduce speed
- Minimize distractions at night, like talking with passengers or listening to the radio
- Check with your doctor about side effects of prescription drugs
- Be honest about your ability to drive after dark and limit driving to daytime hours if necessary
County 4-H Round-up
Several 4-H members have made plans to participate in the Hopkins County 4-H Round-up event, scheduled forSaturday, March 5, 2:00 p.m., at Shannon Oaks Church. We realize that several community events are taking place that day, so accommodations can be made for those who need to go first. 4-H contests taking place during the event are Food Show, Fashion Show, Educational Presentations, Public Speaking, and Share-the-Fun. A new contest has also been added – the Agri-Science Fair. Those who are planning to participate are asked to please contact our office so adequate preparations can be made.
This should be a fun day for 4-H families! A letter describing each contest was sent to all 4-H families earlier in the month, but if anyone has questions, please contact our office. AND, we will be calling individuals to serve as judges, so if you are interested, let us know – 903-885-3443.
Closing Thought
The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person – Andy Rooney
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]
Chamber Connection February 25th, 2016 by Meredith Caddell
Chamber Connection
February 25, 2016 by Meredith Caddell
5th Grade BASH at The ROC, Saturday, February 27th from 6-8pm
All 5th graders are invited to a fun night full of high energy games! This is a free event! Free food, games and fun! Register for Thousands of dollars of door prizes. The ROC is located at 115 Putman Street.
Attention all Bicyclists…Spring Fever Bike Rally will take place in SS, March 12h!
Mark your calendars NOW for the Spring Fever Bike Rally sponsored by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce. Bikers will have the opportunity to ride in one of 4 rides…10 miles, 27 miles, 37 miles or 60 miles. The ride will be through some of our beautiful East Texas communities on Saturday, March 12th! Registration forms are available NOW. The ride is only $30 if you register before March 4th and $35 after that. For more information, please call the Chamber at 903-885-6515 or you may register online at www.sulphursprings-tx.com/events.
Chamber Members…here is your chance to be a part of the Spring Fever Bike Rally!
All Chamber members…if you would like to get your business in front of the hundreds of people that will be in town, Saturday, March 12th for the Springs Fever Bike Rally…there are lots of opportunities! We give each rider a dri-fit t-shirt that you could have your business logo/name on. We have 10 rest stops along the ride…may your business would like to host one! So far…Muddy Jakes, Shannon Oaks and Juvenile Probation have agreed to host a rest stop…that means there are 7 more available! We have lunch on the square hosted by Alliance Bank. If your business would like to fix homemade desserts for the riders…they love those after a long ride! Lastly, we always give the riders a FABULOUS SWAG bag (bag with cool goodies in it), such as lip balm, sunscreen, first aid kits, sweat bands, etc. If you would like to put something in their bags, we will need approximately 250 by Wednesday, March 9th! Needless to say, we would LOVE for you to be involved in welcoming the cyclists to Sulphur Springs! If you want to help, please call Meredith at the Chamber at 903-885-6515.
Biggest Loser Community Challenge begins February 29th…Register NOW!!! Local prize money-$3500!
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is so excited to announce our partnership with NBC’s The Biggest Loser Community Challenge! This is a national wellness initiative designed to help employees become healthier. This company vs company competition invites teams of four to join an eight-week, online health & wellness community challenge. The challenge is for companies of all sizes (no limit to the amount of teams you can sign up!) and people of all fitness levels. It is truly designed to get our community moving, eating better and having fun!
This company vs company competition invites teams of four to join an eight-week, online health & wellness community challenge. The challenge is for companies of all sizes (no limit to the amount of teams you can sign up!) and people of all fitness levels. It is designed to get our community moving, eating better and having fun!
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is going to enhance this 8-week challenge! The winning Hopkins County team was originally going to receive $1000 but NOW, thanks to Sulphur Springs Dodge & an anonymous donor who offered $1000 each and Alliance Bank who offered $500 the new final prize will be $3500 to the winning team!!! We will kick off the challenge on February 29th on the Square at 5:30pm! Register now!!! Healthy People. Healthy Companies. Healthy Communities! More information, registration and key dates can be found online at: www.biggestlosercommunity.com.
Open House of the newly renovated City National Bank Mortgage office March 10th, 5-6pm
Please join us at City National Bank Mortgage Office, 1108 South Broadway, Thursday, March 10th from 5-6pm. Stop by on your way home from work and see their beautifully renovated Mortgage Department, enjoy delicious refreshments and door prize giveaways!
Caregiver Support Group at Rock Creek Health & Rehab, 4th Thursday of each month at 2:30pm
Are you caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, cancer or some other ailment or disability? Caregiving can be rewarding but it can also be mentally & physically exhausting, frustrating & overwhelming. As a caregiver, you are not alone. Rock Creek Health & Rehab Center is offering a Caregiver Support Group to provide you and your family emotional support, education and guidance. They will help participants develop methods and skills to solve problems with new intervention and interaction activities. The group also encourages caregivers to maintain their own personal, physical and emotional health, to optimally care for their loved ones. You are welcome to bring your loved one with you. The will enjoy participating in a fun activity with the certified Activity Director while you attend the support group. For more information, please contact Christine Jackson at 903-932-5823.
We would like to welcome our newest members to the Chamber of Commerce:
Hopkins County Rodeo Committee
Sulphur Springs, TX 75483
Jennifer Mason
903-439-8112
Rodeo Committee
Celebration Association
201 Commercial Services Drive
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
Mary Campbell, Contact Person
903-243-1200
Association
The Chanler Salons
468 Shannon Road West
Sulphur Springs, TX 7482
Renee Chanler, Owner
903-885-3025
Hair Style Shop (Suites)
That’s all for now…have a GREAT week!
Meredith Caddell
President/CEO
Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
300 Connally Street
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
903-885-6515-office
903-885-6516-fax
www.sulphursprings-tx.com
May 7th Placement for City Council Election
Placement on the May 7th ballot for Sulphur Springs City Council was decided Thursday morning in a 9 a.m. drawing for placement in the city secretary’s office at City Hall.
For City Council Place 4, Charles G. Oxford will appear first followed by incumbent Freddie Taylor. In the Place 5 race, incumbent and present Mayor Pro-tem Emily Glass will be first followed by Jimmy Lucas.
With three seats open on the Sulphur Springs ISD Board and only the three incumbents filing, Board President John Prickette, Board Vice-President Leesa Toliver, Kerry Wright, the SSISD board will officially cancel the need for a May election. That action will take place at the March 7th meeting.
Only incumbent Joe Bob Burgin filed for the Memorial Hospital Board. When the hospital board meets in March, it is expected that the board will officially cancel their election as well. According to the guidelines for the hospital board, the seat that will be vacant at the end of the current term will be filled by a board appointment.
About Composting
Mario Villarino DVM, Ph.D. Hopkins County Extension Agent for Ag and NR, 1200B Houston Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482 903-885-3443
As we prepare for spring planting, many growers and gardeners are looking for good soil mixes to start their crops or gardens. An excellent option is composting at home. I have included here technical data from Texas AgriLife Extension related to home composting.
In the home place are many sources of raw materials for the compost pile. From the kitchen comes coffee and tea grounds, and vegetable and fruit trimmings, which amount to 0.2 to 0.9 pound (90 to 400 g) per capita per day. From the landscape comes leaves, grass clippings, brush trimmings, old plant material, and many weeds, yard trimmings that represent 15 to 20% of the municipal waste stream. Leaves present less of a challenge in both collection and composting than do other organic sources while representing a major portion of the waste stream. In most cases the home compost pile will be built with landscape trimmings and rakings. Starting with leaves and grass clippings, for example, and adding some brush or wood chips for a bulking agent could prove to be the right mix to begin composting in the first year. Kitchen wastes can be added to the pile as they occur.
Most all organic materials will compost, but not all of them should be put in the pile. Some organic wastes will attract rodents, dogs and cats, while weeds and pathogen-infected materials may survive the composting process. Also, fatty foods and bones should be avoided because they will attract rodents and create odor problems. Cat and dog fecal materials as well as cat litter should not be used in the pile due to harmful pathogens. In looking at compostable materials one consideration should be the amount of time each material needs for breakdown. High nitrogen materials, like grass, will break down very readily while wood chips may take up to two years to reach the humus stage. The higher or wider the carbon:nitrogen ratio (C:N), the longer time it will take for breakdown to occur. Coarse materials, such as straw, nut shells, corncobs and stalks, will also take longer to breakdown. However, the greener and more succulent the material, the quicker the breakdown period.
All materials that are high carbon should be cut or shredded into small pieces and mixed with high nitrogen materials, such as manure or fresh grass clippings. Do not discount the rough or coarse materials because they can be used as bulking agents in the pile. Coarse matter will break down slowly in the pile and will improve the pile structure by allowing air circulation. A bulking agent is very important when there is not a good mixture of materials or when raw materials tend to pack together. It might take several attempts to get the right mixture of materials that will give you the perfect recipe for composting. Mixing different types and sizes of organic materials will provide a well- drained and arable compost pile.
The more varied the materials going into the pile, the better chance of maintaining the proper C:N ratio and efficient decomposition. Microorganisms need nutrients, primarily carbon and nitrogen, for both energy and growth. The ideal carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio is not found in any one organic source. However, it is possible to create compost out of primarily one raw material, such as leaves. Due to their high carbon content leaves may take 5 months to 2 years to compost by themselves. However, leaves will compost and turn out a good finished product if moisture is adequate and if the pile is turned frequently, ensuring a good supply of oxygen. Mixing other organic wastes with leaves to utilize these other sources in recycling is important. The high nitrogen source, such as grass clippings or other plant wastes, animal manures, food scraps or other high nitrogen materials can speed up the decomposition process and increase the nitrogen content of the end product making it more suitable for use as a soil amendment. The high nitrogen component must be carefully controlled because the addition of too much nitrogen can result in the formation of ammonia, creating an odor problem.
The rapid decomposition also uses up oxygen, causing further problems as the aerobic microorganisms are replaced by anaerobic ones. Grass clippings are high in nitrogen and can be added to the leaf pile. However, high moisture and high nitrogen content in the grass clippings require that they be mixed into the pile with other materials in order to reduce the anaerobic conditions that can occur from grass being “clumped together” in the pile. Research conducted at Rutgers University by Dr. Peter Strom indicates a mix of 2-3:1 (leaves:grass clippings) as being the optimum for decomposition in the compost pile. However, as the material decomposes, the problem of maintaining an optimum leaves:grass ratio increases. After leaves are collected in the fall and wind-rowed, they undergo a substantial reduction in volume due to the burst of microbial activity that occurs within the first month of composting. By the time grass clippings are being collected the following spring and summer, the leaves have been reduced in volume as much as 50%. If leaf/grass clipping mixes are to be composted, leaves collected in the fall should be stockpiled without turning until grass collection begins. At that time, form a pile with the appropriate mix of stockpiled leaves and grass clippings. The leaf piles will likely be anaerobic and some short term odors may be generated when the piles are disturbed. Leaves act as a bulking agent, allowing more oxygen into the windrow to maintain aerobic conditions. Grass clippings, because they are high in nitrogen and moisture provide needed nitrogen and speed the decomposition, and restore vigorous composting activity to pile.
Again, experimenting with mixes is a good way to find the mix that works for you. It should be noted that grass clippings do not need to be removed from the lawn when mowing. If lawns are mowed frequently, and the clippings allowed to fall back into the lawn, their collection is not necessary. Grass clippings, being high in nitrogen, will decompose rapidly and actually return nitrogen to the soil, reducing the need to apply nitrogen in the form of fertilizers.
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 [email protected].
Over 2,000 Ballots Cast in Early Voting; Two Days Remain
Midweek March 1st Primary early voters cast 263 ballots Wednesday. Of that number 225 were Republicans and 38 Democrats. With Wednesday’s vote, early ballots now number 2,088.
Republicans continue to out poll Democrats. Republican totals stand at 1,895 and Democrat totals are at 193 with two days left in early voting.
Early voting continues through Friday at the Sulphur Springs ISD Administration Board Room on Connally Street from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day.
Another, Older Scam Call Received by Local Senior Adult Wednesday
Shortly after reporting the call to Sulphur Springs Police, a well-known city resident contacted KSST News Wednesday afternoon regarding a phone call that had proved unsettling for the senior adult who is a grandfather. The call was a scam that has been around for years but once again rang in the home of an unsuspecting senior adult. This was the second specific scam call reported Wednesday.
On the other end of the phone call was a voice that claimed to be the senior adults grandson. The grandson impersonator told the grandfather that his best friend was getting married that weekend in a certain city in Florida and the father of the groom, knowing that the young men were such good friends, had flown the young man from his home in Arkansas to Florida for the wedding weekend. When he landed in Florida, he had taken a taxi to go to the wedding destination. However, on the way the taxi was pulled over and a police search had led to the trunk of the taxi where, along with the grandson’s luggage was a large amount of a controlled substance. The young man needed money to pay an attorney. The attorney then came on the call to tell the grandfather that for a sum of money he could settle the matter for the young man and the young man could go free without fearing any future problems in the matter. The local senior adult had questions.
The local senior adult called his actual grandson’s phone and his grandson answered to tell his grandfather that he was not, nor had he been to Florida at any time recently. The scam was reported to local police by the senior adult.
This scam has been around for several years with a few variations but the story is basically the same. A grandchild in trouble or injured, far from home, indicating some sense of separation from parents, and in need of the grandparents help.
As always, senior adults, as well as others, are reminded to check out the story given. This scam is often quite familial in that the supposed grandchild begins the conversation using a generic name for the grandparent that is often used and the information given sounds like a probable act for the grandchild who is supposed to be calling. Always check out the facts by calling other family members and/or the grandchild that is purported to have called. Always report the number used in the call to local law enforcement. Don’t wire money, purchase a money card, or give personal financial information to the caller before confirming the validity of the call.
Tigers Dominate Wildcats on Prim Pitch
soccer ball net
Just about everyone anticipated a really good soccer match Wednesday night as the district’s #2 team Mt. Pleasant visited the district’s #3 team, the Wildcats at Gerald Prim Stadium. It didn’t materialize as Mt. Pleasant dominated the Wildcats early scoring four unanswered goals in the first half.
In the second half, at 29:37 Chris Espinoza scored the Wildcats first goal on a penalty kick after a Wildcats player was fouled in the box. When Mt. Pleasant tacked on a fifth goal, Wildcats Soccer Coach Andy Holt emptied his bench. Israel Lopez also tallied a late goal for the Wildcats. Mt. Pleasant ended up with a 7-2 win.
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 6-3 in district play with two of the losses to the Tigers. The Wildcats season record is now 11-8-1. The Wildcats will try and right the ship as they travel to tough Pine Tree for a 7 p.m. game Friday night.
Wildcat Soccer Takes on Tigers at Prim Wednesday
It’s game on for Wildcats Soccer on this Wednesday game day. Unless we hear something different, the Wildcats will be playing the Mt. Pleasant Tigers tonight at Gerald Prim Stadium at 7 p.m. There will be no JV game. The Wildcats are 6-2 in district play and they are in third place. Mt. Pleasant is just a single point ahead of the Wildcats and they are in second place. Mt. Pleasant won at home 2-0 when the two teams played there back on January 29.
We’ll bring you Wildcats soccer tonight at 7 p.m. on KSST Radio. We’ll also videotape the game for replay on Channel 18 TV on Suddenlink Cable at a later date.
Lady Cats Soccer Lose to Mt Pleasant Tuesday
The Lady Cats Soccer Team had an off night on the road Tuesday night losing at Mt. Pleasant, 2-0. Lady Cats Soccer Coach Jesus DeLeon said the last time they played, the Lady Cats won but he said it wasn’t a comfortable win. He added they exposed some Lady Cats weaknesses even in defeat. Coach DeLeon said he thought those weaknesses had been corrected.
Coach DeLeon said he tried to tell his team this rematch would be difficult. He said recently Mt. Pleasant had been playing very well taking strong teams Hallsville and Texas High into overtime before losing. Coach DeLeon said a couple things hurt the Lady Cats Tuesday night. He said the wetness and the wind had more impact on the style of the Lady Cats. The Lady Cats play a possession style game that depends on station to station passing to move the ball down the field. Coach DeLeon said Mt. Pleasant plays a more direct style that features playing long balls in toward the goal. A couple of those long passes resulted in Lady Tigers’ goals as they got behind the Lady Cats’ defense. Coach DeLeon added several of his players were not feeling 100%.
The Lady Cats now play Pine Tree next at Gerald Prim Stadium Friday night at 7 p.m. The Lady Cats defeated them on the road when the teams played back on February 2. The Lady Cats are now 5-3-1 in district play and 14-4-1 for the season.
Wildcats Football Plans Spring Drills
football
For the first time since Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens has been in Sulphur Springs, the Wildcats will have spring football practice. It will take place during one week in May and the coaching staff is currently working on details. Taking the week in the spring means that the Wildcats will be getting under in August one week later than usual. The later start is why the Wildcats have time for just one scrimmage instead of their usual two. They’ll be scrimmaging at Liberty-Eylau on Friday, August 19. The regular season gets underway the next Friday at Prim Stadium.
