Diabetic Alert Dog Benefit for Local Girl
Sydnye is a 14 year old resident of Sulphur Springs and an 8th grader at Sulphur Springs Middle School. In March of 2013 Syd was rushed to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler with extremely high glucose levels and other complications and was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes (Type 1). Like all type 1’s the daily complications affect every aspect of her life from school, home time and recreational activities. On any given day Sydnye’s glucose levels can plunge or soar without warning.
A Diabetic Alert Dog or D.A.D, is a service dog trained to sense these fluctuations, often even before the diabetic themselves is aware of what is happening. This is particularly important for the individual when diabetic levels crash and, even more to the point, when the levels crash while the person is sleeping. During those times crashing levels can plunge the diabetic into a coma or even death.
In 2014 a nonprofit charity named Paws for a Better Life was formed with the purpose of raising money to purchase D.A.D’s for diabetics who otherwise would not be able to afford a service dog. Founder Vincent Davis is a Type 1 diabetic. As he sought to raise funds for his own alert dog in 2012, he realized how difficult it is to find the funds. Paws for a Better Life offices in Grand Saline, Texas.
Dogs with this diabetic alert training are quite expensive. Earlier this month Davis, announced that the group’s first fundraiser was planned, a concert and auction at Moore’s Store in Ben Wheeler, and that Sydnye had been chosen as the beneficiary of all moneys raised until a dog could be provided for her. The event is November 14 and begins at 6:30 with two country bands—Davis Alan and the Dukes and Wayland Hicks and the Travelers.
Donations from anyone wishing to help but unable to attend the fundraiser can be made via PayPal on the charity’s website www.pawsforabetterlife.net. Any individual or business who might be interested in sponsorship or providing an auction item can call Vincent Davis at 903-714-3003 or Kevin Joiner (Syd’s father) at 903-307-9014.
Chamber Connection October 22, 2015 by Meredith Caddell
Chamber Connection – October 22, 2015 by Meredith Caddell
Thank you Hopkins County for Making the Stew Contest a Success
Who would have thought that regardless of 9 inches of rain, we would still be able to have a successful stew contest? A very special thank you to the 123 teams that cooked stew this year. Please know how very much we appreciate your dedication to this event. It is because of you that we continue to have this event for the community!!!! I always say that to host an event that gathers over 7,000 people in one day is difficult…but to host an event that gathered over 3,000 people in one day in pouring down rain…was INCREDIBLE!!! It was certainly not ideal conditions, but no one complained. People just put on their rain boots and celebrated the much needed rain and enjoyed some good’ol Hopkins County Stew on a cool October day! In my opinion, that just goes to prove how amazing this community is. We have a tradition, and we continue with it rain or shine.
I cannot go another day without thanking all of the wonderful people who helped with the stew contest. It would take 14 pages to list them all but I will try to list them in categories…so here goes…Thank you Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Ambassadors…past and present, stew chairman,-Bradley Edge Stew Judges, SSHS Blue Blazes, HC Leadership Class, Teen Court, Juvenile Probation, City of Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department and Trustees, A&S Air Conditioning, Travel Time RV, Gary Spraggins, Hopkins County 4-H, 123 Stew Cooks, 161 Sponsors, Prize Money Sponsors, Winning Stew Sponsors, Campsite/Costume Sponsors, Product Sponsors, Goody Bag Sponsors, all of the people who came out and braved the weather to eat stew and to all of those who drove thru to get stew…and my mom, husband, son and daughter! This event would not have happened without the help of all of these amazing people. So, if I may take this moment…I would like to say, “Thank you from the Bottom of My Heart!!!” Mark your calendars NOW for the 2016 Hopkins County Stew Contest, Saturday, October 22nd!
Thank you to everyone who attended the ribbon cutting for B.T. Medical!
Guests were welcomed by owners Bill Holden and Tommy Anderson. B.T. Medical is a full service medical supply center. They have a HUGE showroom with everything you could imagine, from walkers, scooters, braces, oxygen, crutches…plus much more! They strive to provide the community with all of their medical supply needs. They offer free delivery and they also have someone on call 24/7. Please stop by B.T. Medical, located at 201 Linda Drive. You will be amazed at all of the equipment and services they provide. Guests were also treated to 2 tables full of homemade food provided by Pam Branstetter!
Hamilton Bake Sale at Sulphur Springs First United Methodist Church Friday, October 30th
The lovely ladies of the Hamilton Bible Class would like to invite you to pick up some delicious treats, Friday morning beginning at 8am, October 30 in Fellowship Hall at FUMC. They always have yummy cakes, jellies, pies, cookies and TONS more! For more information, please call 903-885-2185.
Harvest Festival, stew & chili supper Saturday, October 31st at First United Methodist Church.
Don’t miss the annual First United Methodist Church’s Harvest Festival, Saturday, October 31st. The evening begins at 4:30-7:00 with the stew and chili supper. The movie night for children begins at 6:00 (pre-registration is required). The live and silent auction begins at 7:00. For more information please call 903-885-2185.
Scream on the Square, October 31st on Main Street from 1-5pm.
Come downtown to trick-or-treat at every business. They will have a costume contest, games, prizes and more. Select businesses will be offering special discounts. They will also be showing the Nightmare before Christmas on the square at 8pm.
“A Man Called Jon” Red Carpet Premiere on November 1st at Shannon Oaks.
The film, “A Man Called Jon”, was shot on location in Terrell, TX. We are hoping the city of Sulphur Springs will come out and support this film. They will be hosting the Red Carpet premiere on November 1, 2015 first screening at 3:00pm-5:00pm and another at 5:30pm-7:30pm at Shannon Oaks Church, 1113 E. Shannon Road, Sulphur Springs. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. They are hoping to pack it out to send a huge message to Hollywood. For tickets please call Eric King at 903-348-0404 or visit their website at www.kingandbrownenterprises.com.
20th Anniversary of the Lights of Life Campaign-Kickoff, Tuesday, November 3rd at 10am
Stop by the Memorial Hospital Lobby Tuesday morning, November 3rd at 10am for the kick off for the 20th Annual Lights of Life Campaign. If you would like to honor or memorialize someone special, you may donate $25 and a light will be placed on the Lights of Life Christmas tree located in The Gardens at Memorial. All donations are tax deductible and be will be used to help purchase Six LUCAS CPR devices for EMS which will provide them the tools and abilities they need to improve survival rates during cardiac arrest!
Load the Wagon & Saddle Up for St. Jude Trail Ride, Saturday, November 14th
Saddle up your horses and help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fight cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The event will take place on Saturday, November 14th at Two J Ranch, 993 CR 2331 in Como. Gates will open at 7:00am, Saddle Up at 9:30 and Ride out at 10:00am. A free lunch will be provided, but remember…it is a fundraiser to help St. Jude’s Hospital, so donations will gladly be accepted. There will be horses and mule wagon rides available. There is a $10 minimum donation for you to ride your own horse. If you would like more information, please call Jean & Jim Murray at 903-488-3030 Sandy Billodeau @ 903-488-3311 or Jr. Gregg at 903-488-3685. Others assisting in this great event are Cathi & Jim Wright 903-488-4811 Don Meeks 903-488-3456, Mike Mund, T.W. Little, Daniel Walker, Carole Hatch and Jo Marie Neal, so any of them will be able to give you more information. If you have never participated in this event, it is spectacular and you should! Not only is it raising money for an amazing hospital, but to see the hundreds of people, loaded up in their wagons, heading out for the cause…it is absolutely incredible, so please try to attend!!
History By Foot with John Sellers, Saturday November, 14th at 10:00am
The Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance presents the 10th Semi-Annual History By Foot with John Sellers. Join John for a walking tour of downtown Sulphur Springs and discover the history of some of the historical buildings and landmarks and learn what events took place where! The tour will begin by the flagpole in the center of the Celebration Plaza (square). They will stroll down College Street and will see the historic Presbyterian Church, down to Jackson Street and over to Jefferson Street by Payne Electric then back up Jefferson to the square. Lots of interesting buildings in this area that they have not explored on the tour. Did you know we had an Opera House on Jefferson Street? Transportation will be available for those of you who have trouble walking. The tour is only $10. Please make your reservations early. A second tour may be available if the first one fills up. You may make reservations at Alliance Bank, City National Bank or The Hopkins County Genealogical Society at 903-885-8523 or call 903-438-4831.
5th Annual Hopkins County Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run and Kids Fun Run, Thanksgiving Day!
Make room for your holiday meal by participating in the Turkey Trot benefitting Braden Tinsley and in honor of Micah Reed. This run/walk is presented by Mother’s Culture Club. The 5K will begin at 8am with a $30 entry fee. The 10K Run will begin at 8am with a $40 entry fee with a pace <12 minute/mile. The kids Fun Run will begin at 7:30 with a $5 entry fee for 10 years and under. It will begin at Celebration Plaza downtown Sulphur Springs. You may register at Fieldhouse Sports or register online at www.rctregister.com. Early registration ends November 5 with a t-shirt guaranteed for 5k/10k early registration. Packet pick up Wednesday, November 25 from 5-8pm at SSFBC the ROC. This event is sponsored by many caring individuals and local businesses.
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
Same Rate, Pick Up Dates, Different Color Truck; City Manager Talks Trash
Rates will remain the same. Pick up dates will remain the same. Only the color of the truck will change when the city of Sulphur Springs begins being served by a new sanitation company in January. Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell literally talked trash Thursday morning with KSST News. Maxwell said a number of false rumors have been circulating in social media recently. He stated that residents can be assured service will continue with little change. Maxwell said most of the current workers for Republic, the current service company, will be hired by the new service because those individuals know the routes and the rituals.
The new contract will keep the expense at the same rate for the city. Sanitation Solutions, the company that will begin the new service, is aggressively expanding its territory according to Maxwell. He said it had been 20 years since changes have been made in trash service companies. This year, the city decided to go out for bids.
Maxwell said the landfill contract will be ready to bid in seven years. Maxwell stated there are two landfills in the area. One is owned by Republic-Malloy. The other landfill in the area is owned by Sanitation Solutions.
Cumby Methodist Church Annual Stew Fundraiser
Cumby United Methodist Stew
Saturday, November 7
All you can eat $6.00
Chicken and Beef Stew
Coffee and Tea
Cornbread and Crackers
Cheese, Pickles and Dessert
Stew to go $6.00 per quart
Serving 11 a.m until stew is gone!
10th Annual Heritage Square Car Show on Celebration Plaza
The 10th annual Heritage Square Car Show is coming up Saturday, November 7 on Celebration Plaza from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Downtown Business Alliance vice-President Jason Tully says about 180 cars were registered for the show last year and he expects 200 this year. 25 awards will be given and there will be lots of cash prizes. All vehicles must be 1987 models or older.
Animal of the Week: Blackie the Lab
Blackie (for lack of a better name) is a three to five year old female black lab. She was picked up by Animal Shelter Officers outside of the AABCO Medical Center where she happily approached the officers upon their arrival.
“She has been kind of overbred and someone must’ve dumped her,” Animal Shelter Officer Barbi Blanch said. “They probably got tired of her getting pregnant, but they wouldn’t get her fixed, so they dumped her out here. She was laying out there waiting for someone to come get her.”
Shelter Officers picked Blackie a week and a half ago. She has reacted well around other animals, and her age and past pregnancies have left her calm compared to other animals.
“We’ve had her out with the other females in the backyard playing and she’s been ok,” Officer Blanch said. “She’s not bothered by cats and would probably be great with older kids.”
Blackie’s past pregnancies have taken a toll on her. She was found underweight and Shelter Officers continue to work toward helping Blackie reach a comfortable weight with a frequent supply of high-protein food.
“When you overbread them, they wear down,” Officer Blanch said. “She’s actually gained weight since she’s been here. It definitely wouldn’t hurt her to have a few more pounds.”
Plain black colored dogs, like Blackie, have a harder time getting adopted or cared for by proper owners. However, they do not share the same musforturne of black cats on Halloween. So far there have been no reported cases of specific situations involving black cats or black dogs in the Hopkins County area. Sylvester, last week’s Animal of the Week, has been adopted and is scheduled for a vet check-up before leaving for his new home.
Rabid Skunk Killed in Delta County
According to Chris Menges, DVM, MPH, Regional Zoonosis Control Veterinarian, Region 4/5N (Tyler) Texas Department of State Health Services, over the last couple weeks, two (2) more positive-for-rabies skunks have been found, one in Delta county, and the other in Rusk County.
In Delta County, as a man worked on his truck with his dog lying under, a skunk decided to join them. The dog noticed first and took off away from the skunk into the garage as fast as possible. The skunk promptly chased the dog into the garage, where the man’s wife was working on a table. She immediately jumped on the table as the dog continued to “head for the hills”, according to Dr. Menges. The skunk, tired of the chase, moved on to attempting to knock the entire home over by head-butting it repeatedly. During this distraction, the man and his wife retreated to the front porch and the man was able to obtain a gun from inside the front of the home. The skunk, making no headway against the house, now refocused on the man and his wife. This time the couple moved off the porch and around to the side of the house, but the skunk continued to follow. It was here where the man shot the skunk multiple times. He was loaded into plastic bags with the help of gloves and a shovel. No known exposures occurred.
In Rusk County, a woman saw a skunk wandering through a pasture across from her home. The skunk then decided to head towards the home. She told her husband, who killed it. They called Animal Control who collected it appropriately. There were no known human or animal exposures.
SSHS Drama at Celebration Plaza in November
The Sulphur Springs High School Drama Department is putting on You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown next month. The first presentation will be 7 p.m. Thursday, November 12 at Celebration Plaza. High School Theatre Arts Lesha Woodard said dress rehearsals being next week and opening night jitters have begun.
On opening night the outdoor presentation on Celebration Plaza will be free admission but donations will be accepted to assist in the cost of the production. Two separate casts will perform the play. The set will not be elaborate. Lucy’s psychiatric booth, Schroder’s piano, and a few other items will give the comic strip identify to the play.
Three additional performances will be presented in the high school conference center, which is a small venue seating around 120. Those performances will be November 14th, Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p. m. and Monday at 7 p.m. Other performances will be presented at various schools in Sulphur Springs.
Lady Cat Volleyball Playoff Begins Tuesday Against Corsicana
The Lady Cats bi-district match has been firmed up. They will play Corsicana Tuesday, November 3 at 7 p.m. at Forney High School.
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team closed out district play on a positive note as they defeated Mt. Pleasant on the road, 3-1 Tuesday night. Score was 25-18, 21-25, 25-16 and 25-18. The Lady Cats ended district play at 10-4 and in third place. Their season mark is 26-13. A warm up game for the playoffs has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday in Wildcats Gym against Princeton.
Hospital Receives Extension of Medicare/Medicaid Program
CMS did not wait until Friday or Monday to respond to the request of Hopkins County Memorial Hospital to reinstate the Medicare/Medicaid program and not terminate the program November 6th. In a letter dated October 28, 2015 to Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the termination date for Medicare/Medicaid program until November 30th. Hospital representatives had offered several options to CMS during a meeting Tuesday of this week in Dallas. Included in those options was a Systems Improvement Agreement (SIA). CMS agreed to the SIA which allows the hospital to “develop and implement systemic correction at your hospital with the assistance of independent consultative experts.”
CMS notified the hospital October 22, that HCMH no longer met the requirements for participation in the Medicare program “because of deficiencies that represent an immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety.” The Medicare provider agreement with the hospital was then scheduled for termination on November 6, 2015.
For Tuesday’s meeting, Terri Bunch, Chief Nursing officer, Scott McDearmont, M.D., Chief of the Medical Staff, Chris Gallagher, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Attorney Kevin Reed, Attorney Trent Krienke and Michael McAndrew, Hospital CEO travelled to the Federal Building in Dallas. The purpose of the trip was to meet with representatives from CMS regarding the notice of termination sent on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
McAndrew stated the objective of the trip and meeting was to present information to CMS regarding recent surveys that “we hoped would, at the very least, mitigate the termination and allow us to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement while working through a plan to satisfy their concerns. We felt that our team did a very good job of presenting our side of things. The CMS staff mostly listened and asked a few pertinent questions. At closing, Ms. Ginger Odle who led the meeting told us they would meet together as soon as possible to consider our request to lift the termination. We expect to hear something by the end of this week or Monday at the latest. As I told Ms. Odle, Form 2567 which lists the surveyors’ citations, does not present an accurate or adequate picture of Hopkins County Memorial Hospital. I suggest that if someone wants to see what kind of organization we really are they go to CMS’s own website that rates hospitals, Hospital Compare.Gov. The scores on this website clearly demonstrate a history of low infection rates, high quality care and strong patient satisfaction scores.”
A summary of the CMS report and the hospital’s reaction to it can be found here.
