Attention NETLA Poultry Exhibitors: Chickens arriving January 14, 2016 7:30 to 8:00 AM
2015 NETLA Chickens
With intensive rain and wintry weather, 2015 is coming to an end. Please allow me to wish you a happy 2016 on behalf of the Hopkins County Extension Office staff and volunteers.
As we get ready to 2016, our 4-H and FFA NETLA showers of poultry must get ready for birds by January 14, 2016.
- OBSERVE ALL SHOW RULES AND REGULATIONS from NETLA governing the broiler show. NETLA poultry show allow the exhibition of both pullets and cockerels.
- Raised poultry only provided by NETLA superintendent.
- Use top-quality feeds.
- Follow recommended management practices during the entire brooding and growing period.
- Keep careful records of all expenses and receipts.
- Cull birds closely and select the show entry properly. Broiler projects are popular with 4-H and FFA members and are an integral part of most youth livestock shows.
NETLA show limit the number of chicks ordered to 25 or 50 per exhibitor. Birds not shown can be slaughtered for home use or sold locally to special markets.
Expensive housing and equipment are not necessary. However, a clean, dry structure that can be well ventilated, a brooder or heat lamps to warm the chicks and feeding and watering equipment are needed. Provide at least 2 square feet of floor space per broiler. Openings on three sides of the building provide plenty of fresh air for the birds. Plastic sheeting can be used to close sides during brooding and in cold weather. Make certain the concrete or dirt floor is at least 6 inches above ground level to prevent flooding.The roof overhang should be sufficient to effectively protect against blowing rain. Before chicken arrive Clean and disinfect the poultry house, feeders and waterers at least two weeks before the chicks arrive. Wash the house down with soap and water. Then spray a commercial disinfectant labeled for use in poultry houses. Be prepared for the chicks 2 days in advance. Put at least 4 inches of litter on the floor of the cleaned disinfected house. Wood shavings, cane fiber, coarse dry sawdust, peanut hulls or rice hulls make good litter. Hay makes very poor litter. Keep all sticks, boards and sharp objects away from the broiler house. Construct a cardboard brooder guard (brooder circle) to keep chicks near heat, water and feed. The brooder guard should be 14 to 18 inches high and must be a minimum of 5 feet in diameter for 50 chicks. When chicks are 7 days old, remove the guard and allow them full freedom of the pen. Electric heat lamps (infrared bulbs) are good heat sources for brooding chicks. Two 125-watt bulbs per 50 chicks are recommended. Make certain lamps are secured so they cannot fall to the litter and create a fire hazard. The lamps should hang so that the bottoms are 18 to 24 inches from the litter. Lamps can be raised or lowered depending on temperature conditions. Place waterers a good distance from the lamps to prevent splashing water from cracking the hot bulbs.If a gas or an electric hover-type brooder is used, it should operate at a temperature of approximately 92 degrees to 95 degrees F. Gradually reduce the temperature 5 degrees each week until the birds are 3 to 4 weeks old or until the house temperature reaches 70 degrees F. When chicks are comfortable, they will bed down in a semicircle around the perimeter of the heat zone. If cold, chicks will crowd near the heat source. If too warm, they will move to the outer limits of the brooder guard. Chilling can stunt chicks. In cold weather the heat source should be turned on 48 hours before chicks arrive to adequately heat the litter. After birds reach 4 weeks of age, the ideal temperature range is 60 to 75 degrees F. When winter temperatures permit, the house should be partially opened to improve airflow and remove moisture. Supplemental heat may be needed when the outside temperature is low. In hot weather, fans or evaporative coolers are used to cool birds more than 4 weeks old. Provide all-night light for broilers and roasters. Twenty-four-hour lighting (natural and artificial) improves feathering and increases weight, especially during the summer months. Hang a 40-watt bulb at least 6 feet above birds after removing heat lamps.
TO ALL NETLA EXHIBITORS: NETLA Participant/Parent Meeting – This meeting is very beneficial to all exhibitors, especially to those who are showing for the 1st time!
Sunday, January 10th – 2:00 p.m. at the Extension Office (conference room in back). Kevin Gibson, NETLA President and the different specie superintendents will be there to answer your questions and give information about the show and sale! For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please call the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
New Years Eve Watch Night Service at Morning Chapel Baptist Church
Watch Night Service at Morning Chapel Baptist Church will be held Thursday December 31st, beginning at 9pm. Fellowship and refreshments will be abundant. Service begins at 10pm. Rev. Fergus Jacobs, Pastor of Evening Chapel Methodist Church, will be the messenger.
Rev. H.B. Nash, Sr. Pastor
Winnsboro Police Report for December 21-27
Winnsboro Police answered 171 calls for service and issued 44 citations and 34 warnings during the seven day period from December 21 until December 27.
No arrests were made. No accidents reported.
Wildcats Win One, Lose One at Kaufman Tourney
The Wildcats’ basketball team won one and lost one Monday in a Kaufman tournament. The Wildcats opened by defeating Kaufman 64-50. The Wildcats were led by Ke’Ontae Dunn and Keaston Willis with 12 points each. Later Monday the Wildcats lost to Forney, 42-37. Bryson Lynn led the Wildcats with 10 points and Keaston Willis had nine. The Wildcats ended day one of the tournament with a 7-8 season record.
Memorial Hospital Board Hears Positive Reports
At the year’s end, CHRISTUS Health and Hopkins County Memorial Hospital continue to slowly move toward an agreement. Hospital CEO Michael McAndrew says there is no significant disagreement between the two. He says a meeting will be set up to talk with some Texarkana doctors about how things work concerning Ethics and Religious Directives. Both sides are focused on a March 31 agreement date.
Memorial Hospital has hired a CMS approved consultant as part of its’ Systems Improvement Agreement. They chose the Greeley Company of Danvers, Massachusetts. McAndrew says they have wonderful success with CMS. The consultant will do a gap analysis to determine any areas that don’t meet standards 100%. A plan will be devised and implemented. The process could take a year.
One of 2015’s biggest local stories was Memorial Hospital’s affiliation with UT Northeast in Tyler for a family practice residency program. Program Director Dr. Les Tingle is on board and has submitted an application to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The council plans to visit the hospital January 28. McAndrew says the program should help the hospital grow their own doctors.
McMahan Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Life in Prison
December 29, 2015 – Tuesday afternoon in 8th Judicial District court, Patrick Wayne McMahan, 31, plead guilty to the murder of 66-year old Gary Maynard at his home. McMahan was sentenced to life in prison, straight time, by District Judge Eddie Northcut. McMahan will be eligible for parole in 30 calendar years. McMahan’s plea will save Hopkins County as much as $300,000 in attorney’s fees and court expense. He was to have been tried for Capital Murder.
Patrick Wayne McMahan,
Both McMahan of Sulphur Springs and Cody Scott Shaw of Emory were indicted for capital murder. In a plea bargain Monday, Shaw received life in prison without parole in a plea bargain agreement. Shaw’s sentence was greater than McMahan’s because Shaw was the one who shot Maynard, according to District Attorney Will Ramsay. Ramsay said that McMahan was the follower participating in the crime but not the shooter.
Gary Maynard was shot to death at his home in his bed on November 29. Both Shaw and McMahan worked for Maynard’s tree service. Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Investigator Lewis Tatum said both men admitted they were involved in the murder after they were arrested. Items stolen from Maynard’s home were recovered. McMahan was arrested at his Sulphur Springs home and Shaw at his Rains County home.
Star Wars Greatly Impacts Sulphur Springs Cinema
“Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens” saw massive success worldwide. It grossed $1.1 billion dollars internationally in only 12 days, breaking box office records. The previous record holder, “Jurassic World,” took 13 days to pass that mark. In the United States, it made $544.6 million since its release on December 18. Star Wars received four and a half stars on “Rotten Tomatoes,” and a four star rating on “Metacritic.” Overall, director J.J. Abrams and his cast of faces new and old have received major praise for the movie, leaving high hopes for future sequels.
Star Wars’ unprecedented success was also seen by Trans Texas Theater in Sulphur Springs who saw major turnouts by Star Wars fans. The opening premiere on December 18 saw 1,024 tickets sold, netting $5,431.87. Since then, 5,414 Star Wars tickets have been sold with a net worth of $30,095.14, and the numbers continue to grow. On multiple occasions, lines trailed all the way to the parking lot with the interior filled to brim with crowds of people.
December 16, 2016 is the scheduled release date of a stand-alone Star Wars film called “Star Wars: Rogue One.” Star Wars VIII is scheduled to release on May 26, 2017, and will be written and directed by Rian Johnson with J.J. Abrams as executive producer.
Star Wars: Rogue One cast
Lady Cats Win First Game in Tournament
The Lady Cats’ basketball team won their first game in the Idabel Winter Tournament, 61-30 over Haworth, Oklahoma Monday morning. The Lady Cats led by seven at the half but put the game away with a 15-2 third quarter advantage. Kaylee Jefferson led the Lady Cats with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Sadavia Porter scored 11 points. The Lady Cats play Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Lady Cats improved their season record to 14-4.
Local Library Offers OverDrive Digital Library for Patrons
The Sulphur Springs Public Library is now offering Digital eBooks, Audiobooks, Periodicals and Videos. This service is powered by OverDrive and is provided for free to all library card holders.
Users may browse the library’s Overdrive website, borrow titles with a valid library card, and start reading, listening or watching on all major computers and devices, including iPhone, iPad, Nook, Android phones and tablets, and Kindle. All titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period. There are no late fees.
“If you are unsure of how eBooks work or how to load them onto your device, bring your device to the library and any library staff member is happy to assist you,” Hope Cain, Director of Sulphur Springs Public Library, said.
Sulphur Springs Public Library has joined with 64 other area library directors including Paris, Tyler, Mt. Pleasant, Rockwall County, Rains County, Quitman, Mesquite Public, Longview, Commerce, and others into a shared eBook library provided through Overdrive, meaning that all eBook purchases are available through one large digital library. Over 90,000 eBooks and Audiobooks are available. Libraries involved in OverDrive will purchase new eBooks throughout the year, offering new additions every day.
Due to the fact that multiple libraries share OverDrive, popular books may have a long waiting list despite having been bought multiple times. Some books, however, have a yellow check mark, meaning that they are exclusive to Sulphur Springs Public Library card holders. Exclusive books include: Killing Patton, Outlander, Gray Mountain, Ruby, Go Set a Watchman, Kingdom Woman, Unbroken, Kingdom Man, Night, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Promise, Girl on the Train, and Make Me.
Since OverDrive opened eBook rentals in October 2014, 99 Sulphur Springs users have checked out 2,012 eBooks and Audiobooks. SSPL will be promoting the use of eReaders over the next year of 2016. March and April are adult summer program months, June and July have summer reading programs for kids, and October is the teen program month. Some of these programs will have giveaways. More information on the giveaways and OverDrive can be found at www.sslibrary.org.
Shaw Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole
December 28, 2015 – Cody Scott Shaw, 27, entered a plea of guilty to Capital Murder charges in the murder and robbery of 66-year old Gary Maynard. Shaw entered his plea Monday afternoon, December 28, 2015, during a pretrial hearing in 8th Judicial District Court. District Judge Eddie Northcutt sentenced Shaw to life in prison without parole. The sentence came as a part of an agreement for the guilty plea.
Cody Scott Shaw
Shaw is one of two suspects arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the November 29, 2014, slaying of 66-year old Gary Maynard. Maynard’s wife found him murdered in his bed at their County Road 2301 home. An investigation pointed toward two suspects who worked for Maynard’s tree service. Authorities arrested 31-year old Patrick Wayne McMahan at his Sulphur Springs’ home and the then, 26-year old Shaw at his Emory home in Rains County. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Chief Criminal Investigator Lewis Tatum said both men admitted they were involved in the murder. Items stolen from Maynard’s home were also recovered.
Both Shaw and McMahan were indicted for capital murder December 8th of 2014.
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom had announced that an insurance policy would pay for attorneys for Shaw in the capital murder trial but would not pay for McMahan’s trial attorneys. County Judge Newsom was unavailable Monday to comment on whether or not the policy would be required for any other expenses related to Shaw. Several years ago, fearful that a capital murder case featuring the death penalty could bankrupt the county, the Hopkins County Commissioners Court invested in a program that would help defray costs. Newsom said the policy is an interlocal agreement between Hopkins County and Lubbock County. He said the agreement cost the county just over $10,000 this year. The program pays for only one defendant but that will save the county up to $300,000. The program will provide two court-appointed attorneys, an investigator, and other needs that are expensive.
On November 21st of this year, a call from Hopkins County Jail brought EMS, Jail Administrators, and law enforcement officers to the cell of Shaw, who according to dispatch reports, had attempted suicide.
