Community Invited to Send Off for Lady Cats Thursday Afternoon
Lady Cats Basketball will travel to North Forney High School Thursday afternoon for the 7 p.m. game against Mansfield Summit. Carrie Jefferson invites the community to join her in cheering on the Lady Cats as they begin their journey at 4 p.m. at SSHS gym.
Listen to the game tonight on KSST radio, ksstradio.com, and the KSST app. The game will be broadcast live and video recorded to playback on Suddenlink Cable Channel 18.
SSHS UIL Canton Results
uil
The Sulphur Springs High School UIL teams competed at the Canton UIL Invitational meet this past weekend, winning the overall Sweepstakes trophy.
In L-D Debate, Corban Philo won 3rd place.
In Computer Applications, Raynie Hooten won 6th place.
In Ready Writing, Patricia Parks won 1st place, Steven Payne won 2nd place, Lydia Burleson won 3rd place, and Tori Mattison won 4th place.
In Spelling and Vocabulary, Lydia Burleson won 1st place, Carson McIllwain won 3rd place, Mandy Eckhardt won 4th place, and Chase Charlton won 6th place. The team won 1st place.
In Literary Criticism, Patricia Parks won 1st place, and Jesse Allen won 4th place. They, along with Lucia Yanez, won 1st place team.
In Current Issues and Events, Evan Ost won 2nd place. The team placed 3rd overall.
In Social Studies, Christian Corona won 5th place, and Felipe Alba won 7th place. They won 2nd place team.
In Accounting, Austin Reyes won 4th place.
In Number Sense Rudy Perez won 2nd place, Austin Reyes won 5th place, and Gillian Thomas won 7th. The team placed 2nd overall.
In Calculator Applications, Naimishaba Parmar won 3rd place, Rudy Perez won 4th place, Carissa Carter won 6th, and Austin Reyes won 7th place. The team won 1st place overall.
In the Journalism events, Patricia Parks won 1st place in Headline Writing, and Steven Payne won 2nd place. In Copy Editing, Patricia Parks won 5th place. In News Writing, Steven Payne won 2nd place. In Feature, Patricia Parks won 3rd place, and Steven Payne won 4th. In Editorial Writing, Steven Payne won 3rd place, and Patricia Parks won 4th place. The team earned the 2nd overall journalism award.
In Computer Science, Mauro Basio won 1st place, Tim Charleton won 2nd place, Brayden Fisher won 3rd place, Trenton Brock won 4th place, and Austin Reyes won 7th place individually. The team won 1st place.
Extension Office Busy Preparing for NETLA Show by Mario Villarino
This time of the year, the Hopkins County Extension Office is busy organizing and mentoring youth for the NETLA showing coming up February 25, 26 and 27, 2016. To me, raising livestock projects provides many experiences in life that you might or not be aware off. For those not familiar with the process, everything starts with families deciding to engage in preparing and raising a project with their kids. During the process, families must have the project selected by validation date. The validation date is when 4-H and FFA members officially declare to the organizing NETLA committees their intent to prepare, fit and exhibit a project. After this date, exhibitors and their families will be raising, fitting and showing the project at the NETLA Junior Livestock Show. There are many different experiences during the process, from how-to-grow the project to community interactions with youth passing thru family cooperation and youth camaraderie. It is not uncommon to have families and friends showing the projects to get together and talk about the progress of the livestock project or even have a “healthy friendly” competition during the show. As a county agent, my role is to provide guidance and educational opportunities during the process, but it is after all, the youth responsibility of raising, fitting and showing the projects. During the process, I have share with many 4-H members part of their life as their learn how to get ready for the show. To me, it is a journey more than a destination. My personal experience in life is to endure and gain knowledge even when things do go thru as planned. This is, from my personal experience, the most important teaching experience of developing a livestock project. During the livestock show, our youth will have the projects evaluated by a judge who will determine what project makes it to the final stage, a livestock auction supported by the community who will purchase those projects. The NETLA Junior Livestock Show can be a bitter-sweet experience to me sometimes, because I do see the development of the projects and the challenges the 4-H members have to deal with but even with their best efforts, sometimes things do to go as planned. Only few projects will make it to the sale, the decision made by the livestock show judges. The complete experience is unique, and if you have time, I invite you to be part or attend the NETLA Junior Livestock Show, February 25-27 at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center where “a man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child”.
Coming up events:
Hopkins County Junior Market Show 2016
February 25, 2016, 2:00 to 3:00 PM. All lamb and goat weights due- Lamb Showmanship and Lamb Show.4:00 PM Lamb showmanship and lamb show immediately followed by goat showmanship and goat show. 7:00 PM: All heifers entries due.
February 26, 2016: 7:00 AM-All poultry projects in place and check-in. 8:00 AM– Poultry Show and poultry showmanship. 9:00 to 11:00 AM– All swine weights due 10:00 AM– All steer and heifer projects in place and check in. Noon: Swine showmanship and swine show. 12:30 -1:00 PM. Steer weights due. 3:00 PM Heifer Showmanship and heifer show. 6:00 PM. Steer showmanship and steer show. Immediately following steer show sale ring set-up by all sale participants.
February 27, 2016: Noon: Professional Ag Workers Stew. 1:00 PM Sale of champions.
The East Texas Forage Conference organized by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services in Rains, Wood and Van Zandt Counties has been scheduled for February 26, 2016 starting registration at 8:30 AM at the Rains County Fairgrouds.. This year topics are the use of prescribed burning on grazing lands, silvopasture in East and Central Texas, warm season pasture establishment perennnials and annuals, stockpiling Bermuda grass pastures, pros and cons of using GPS tracking and foam markers for herbicide applications. 3 CEU’s for private applicators (2 IPM, 1 General) and 2 DOPA credits will be granted for the attendees to the training. Registration to the Conference by calling 903-473-4580.
For more information on these or any other agricultural topics please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443.
Gigliotti Seeks to Unseat Incumbent Congressman
Lou Gigliotti is seeking to unseat Congressman John Ratcliffe in the Texas Congressional District 4 Republican Primary. Gigliotti has campaigned for the office four time—three times against the late Congressman Ralph Hall. Gigliotti does not live in the district but says he is building a new business facility in the district in Anna, Texas. Gigliotti was in Sulphur Springs Monday for the Republican President’s Day forum.
Gigliotti accuses the incumbent of calling him a liar and dishonest but Gigliotti said he is telling the truth. The controversy revolves around Gigliotti’s accusation that Ratcliffe has connections to a lobby group that is involved with Homeland Security.
If Gigliotti is elected, one of his biggest goals is to reduce the size of the federal government from the EPA to the Bureau of Land Management. Too many congressmen go to Washington with dollar signs according to Gigliotti who said that he was a math teacher who knows how to add and subtract.
He stated that as a businessman, he has built two businesses in the district and sold them. Now he is building a 55,000 square feet structure in Anna where he plans to employ 200 people in the next six to eight months with 40 to 50 of those jobs permanent in the district.
First Day of Early Voting: 374 Ballots Cast
Tuesday, February 16th was the first day for early voting for the March 1st primary. On the first day, 374 Hopkins County residents cast ballots. Of that 374, 352 voted in the Republicans Primary and 22 voted in the Democratic Primary.
Early voting for all county voters both Democrats and Republicans takes place in the Sulphur Springs ISD Administration Building in the boardroom on Connally Street in Sulphur Springs. Hours for early voting are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each weekday until February 26. Early voting is also available on Saturday February 20th from 8 until 5 and Sunday the 21st from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
When preparing to cast your ballot, the election worker will ask you in which party primary you wish to vote. You must choose Democrat or Republican. At that time the worker will mark you voter card and assign the appropriate ballot. Voters must cast ballots according to party divisions in this election. In the general election you may choose to cross party lines.
See sample ballots here.
Oxford Files for Place 5 on City Council
One more time… Former Sulphur Springs City Councilman Charles Oxford, a perennial candidate for city council, has filed for Place 4 on the Sulphur Springs City Council Wednesday morning. He will oppose incumbent Freddie Taylor, who filed shortly after the start of filing. Filing for a place on the city council ends Friday, February 19th. Last year Oxford filed for Place 3 on the council. He lost that election to then incumbent Councilman Oscar Aguilar.
In his last attempt to unseat an incumbent, Oxford had compiled a list of what he called “concerns for the city”, which he had said he based on talking with local residents. Among his concerns then were that many in the city desired to “get rid of the city manager” and “why bother to vote because they are going to do what they want to do anyway.” Last year, Oxford said that he had talked to 4,000 citizens, twice. He also had stated that he wanted the residents to elect the major as opposed to the council picking the mayor.
Incumbent Emily Glass will face Jimmy Lucas for Place 5 on the council. The election will take place May 7th.
Filing for a place on the city council takes place in the City Secretary’s office on the second floor of City Hall.
Kiwanis Club Serves Pancake Fundraiser
Wildcats Soccer Opens Second Half of District in Second Place
The Wildcats Soccer Team improved it’s standing in the playoff race with a 1-0 victory over Hallsville at Gerald Prim Stadium Tuesday night. The top four teams were playing each other Tuesday night and the Wildcats are now tied for second with Hallsville one game behind the winner of the Mt. Pleasant and Pine Tree game Tuesday night.
The Wildcats are now 5-2 after the completion of the first half of district play. The Wildcats season record is now 10-7-1. The Wildcats open the second half Friday night at Prim Stadium as Marshall is coming to town. The Wildcats won in Marshall, 1-0 back on January 26.
Saltillo Lions Down Owls; Take Second in District
Saltillo Boys Basketball, Lane Bench
A total team effort sends the Saltillo Lions into play-off action after the Lions defeat the Yantis Owls, 48-38 Tuesday night at Yantis. The Lions will now face Roxton in Bi-District play with time and place to be determined.
“Everybody played hard, played defense, and blocked out,” said Coach Bill Giles. He continued that he is “Extremely proud of this team. We lost 13 of our top 14 players from last year. Ten graduated, two left the program and one injury. For this group of young men to finished second in district is an outstanding accomplishment. Earlier in the season we played a tough schedule and really struggled, but they stayed positive and continued to work hard and it paid off.”
The Lions hit 16 of 23 free throws. Scoring for the Lions: John Vanholten 20, Lane Bench 13, Matthew Gurley 7, Walker McGill 2, Dakota Patridge 2, Branson McGill 2, and Logan Camp 2.
The Lions end regular season with a 14-17 overall record and a 7-3 district record.
Lion junior varsity defeated Yantis 29-21 to go 5-0 in district play.
Heartbreak in Hallsville for Lady Cats Soccer
The Lady Cats Soccer Team has found some heartbreaking ways to lose at Hallsville the past two years. Last year, late in the game a Lady Cats penalty resulted in a penalty kick goal as Hallsville excaped with a 1-0 win. This year after the teams battled to a 0-0 tie, Hallsville won a shootout scoring on 3 penalty kicks to 2 for the Lady Cats.
After starting district play, 4-0, the Lady Cats have lost three games in a row. They will open play in the second half with a game at Marshall Friday night at 7 p.m. The Lady Cats defeated Marshall 4-0 at Gerald Prim Stadium back on January 26.
