National 4-H Week – Join us for the Festivities!
National 4-H Week – Join us for the Festivities!
Hopkins County 4-H’ers will be among thousands across the state celebrating National 4-H Week, October 4 thru 10. A full slate of activities will put our 4-H members in the limelight:
- Starting on Saturday, October 3, you will find our youth “tying the town green!” as they attach green ribbons to lamp posts, business doors, and the courthouse railing.
- On Sunday, October 4, we are encouraging our youth to attend the church of their choice as part of National 4-H Sunday.
- Monday, October 5, we invite everyone to join us on the downtown square, Celebration Plaza, at 5:00 p.m., for the reading of the 4-H Proclamation, celebration cake, and 4-H exhibits. 4-H registration information, 4-H Gazette newsletters, and other information will be available.
- Monday thru Wednesday, October 5th thru 7th, entries will be taken for the 4-H project show. A full list of categories was mailed to each 4-H member, so we encourage each of them to enter! Items may be brought to the Extension Office between 8:00 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. The projects will be judged on Thursday, October 8.
- Saturday, October 10th is the statewide “One Day 4-H” community Service project. Our Hopkins County 4-H members will be planting trees as part of the project. Parents, 4-H leaders, and 4-H’ers will gather at the Extension Office at 10:00 a.m. to begin the project.
- Monday & Tuesday, October 12 and 13, 4-H Project Show entries will be on display at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, 1200-B W. Houston Street, Sulphur Springs. We encourage the public to drop by and take a look!
- October 7th thru October 18th is the 2015 Fall 4-H Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign. During this time period, customers are encouraged to give an extra dollar at check-out, with proceeds benefitting our local 4-H program.
4-h
4-H is the country’s largest youth organization, and in Hopkins County, we currently have five clubs – Dike, Infinity, Miller Grove, Paws, and Stars of Texas. Project participation ranges from livestock to public speaking, foods & nutrition to photography, Clothing & textiles to shooting sports, and soon, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) to leadership, and so much more! The 4-H Gazette newsletter is prepared 6 times a year, with information on upcoming events, opportunities, deadlines, and 4-H’er recognition. Enrollment for the 2015/2016 year is now under way. Contact our office to learn more – 903-885-3443.
Fabulous Fall Fun Deadline Approaching
This is the last call for “Fabulous Fall Fun”, scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2015. Each year, our multi-county FCS team sponsors an event, and this is it! Fabulous Fall Fun will be held at Emory Baptist Church in Emory (just a few minutes south of Sulphur Springs on Highway 19), with sign-in starting at 9:00 a.m., followed by the program from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Fall gardening, recipe demonstrations, fall fashion tips, fall decorating, and the Dinner Tonight website will all be featured. The cost is $10, which includes a cookbook, door prizes, goody bags, and refreshments.
The deadline to register is Friday, September 25, and is limited to the first 100 participants. For registration information, stop by the Hopkins, Hunt, Rains, or Wood County Extension Offices, or call 903-885-3443, and I’ll e-mail you the form.
Closing Thought
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier – Roy Disney
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]
Rockdale Road Improvements Limit Traffic Flow
Rockdale Road north of the Interstate in Sulphur Springs is expected to be unavailable for through traffic for three weeks during improvement work on the road. City Manager Marc Maxwell said work will take place between Industrial Drive and Camp Streets. Residents along the street will be affected but some access will be available to them. The street improvement will be performed by contract labor.
Walk To Remember Fundraiser Quilt
Karon Weatherman, Director of the Sulphur Springs Seniors Center and Dollie Kelly of KSST display the 2015 Walk To Remember fundraiser quilt.
The annual Walk To Remember event is Thursday October 1 at 6pm at The Gardens at Memorial. It is a fundraiser for Terrific Tursdays, a respite care program for local Alzhiemer’s patient caregivers. To donate, contact Karon at 903-885-1661.
Nate Newton Headlines A & M-Commerce Recovery Month Celebration
COMMERCE, TX— On September 24, 2015 at 7 p.m. in Ferguson Auditorium on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce, the Recovery Month Celebration Committee, Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, A&M Commerce Athletic department, and Commerce High School will sponsor Recovery Month Celebrations with guest speaker Nate Newton, former Dallas Cowboy football player.
Nate Newton played for the Cowboys from 1986-1998 and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, six-time Pro Bowl team member and two-time first team All-Pro team member.
Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of prevention, treatment and recovery for mental and substance use disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment and service providers and promotes the message that recovery, in all its forms, is possible.
“For those struggling with addiction, help is available. Recovery Month Celebration highlights the importance of ‘hope after dope.’ Alcohol and drug addiction is a brain disease that impacts all facets of society. Drugs do not discriminate in the areas of socio-economic status, race, creed, ethnicity or gender,” said Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, associate professor of counseling.
Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.
For more information, please contact Dr. LaVelle Hendricks at [email protected]
Lady Cats 2-0 in District with Tuesday Win
There was no slow start for the Lady Cats’ volleyball team Tuesday night as they won the first set against Greenville and the next two as well to take a 3-0 district win in Wildcats Gym. The score was 25-13, 25-14 and 25-11. Lady Cats Coach Allison Irvin said she liked the chemistry of her team right now. They are 2-0 in district play and 18-9 for the season. They host Longview Friday at 4:30 p.m.
A large number of fans cheered on the LadyCats.
Drivers Enjoy Lower Gas Prices
With oil prices down, gas prices have now fallen as low as $1.95 a gallon at places such as the the Shamrock #1 Stop on Industrial Dr. and Wal-Mart Supercenter. Other gas stations are as low as $1.96 and $1.97, but some are still at the $2.00 range.
Gas Prices on September 15, 2015
Gas prices fell a cent over the course of one day. Current prices are almost as low as they were this time last year.
Gas Prices on September 14, 2015
County Received Grant for Roads; Approved Budget Monday
At a regular meeting of the Hopkins County Commissioners Court Monday morning, the court approved its’ budget for the next fiscal that begins October 1. The tax rate in the budget increases a bit, according to County Judge Robert Newsom. Also, Monday morning the Hopkins County Commissioners Court approved a disaster recovery grant, a Texas Community Development Block Grant, that will be providing funds to offset money spent on county roads during a wet, rainy winter and spring.
Newsom said the grant is both good news and not so good news. The grant is limited to $350,000 and will be divided between all four county precincts. Specific roads were named in the application according to grant guidelines. The Judge stated that the county will continue to applying for funds for roadwork.
The tax rate increase will cover the cost of the jail and for renovations to the civic center. Newsom said the cost ran over the remodeling funding provided by the local school district. the school district is leasing the auditorium at the civic center.
The county budget should be found on the county website either Tuesday or Wednesday according to Judge Newsom.
Grant:
Budget:
Up In Smoke; Wildlife Management Area Marijuana Farm Near Cooper Destroyed
AUSTIN – Public hunters pursuing feral hogs at Cooper Wildlife Management Area in northeast Texas over the weekend stumbled upon a sophisticated marijuana growing encampment having more than 6,500 mature plants with a street value estimated at more than $6 million.
Alerted by the public hunters, Texas game wardens led a multi-agency investigation of the well-established site tucked away in a remote swampy area of the 14,480-acre WMA about 70 miles northeast of Dallas. Wardens found a campsite with tents, farming tools, fertilizer, a generator and water pump irrigation equipment indicating the operation had been ongoing for some time.
“This was not someone playing around and experimenting,” said Texas Game Warden Captain Steve Stapleton. “The camp was at least a mile from any road in some harsh conditions. They picked this spot on purpose and spent day and night out there for some time. There was a lot of trash to clean up.”
An extensive search of the area from the air and on the ground by game wardens, Delta and Hopkins County Sheriff’s Offices, Texas Department of Criminal Justice tracking dogs and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers netted no arrests. Officials destroyed all the marijuana on site and seized the property and equipment.
“The destruction to the habitat and the damage these people did to the environment is probably the worst part,” said Texas Game Warden Chris Fried. “They cut mature hardwood trees, including a pin oak that was at least five foot in diameter, and cleared parts of a levee that will take many years to recover. The chemicals they sprayed, insecticides and pesticides that contaminated the soil and eventually run off into the streams will have lasting impacts.”
Fried said illegal marijuana growing operations are not unheard of in remote areas, both on public and private lands, but it is uncommon to catch the illegal farmers in the act.
“It’s something we keep our ears open to, but this is the first one I’ve seen on Cooper,” he said.
In all probability, the growers would have harvested their crops and left prior to the archery deer season opener in early October.
“They would’ve folded up shop by October 1 ahead of archery deer season opening, but obviously didn’t figure in the opening of teal and feral hog hunting season in mid-September,” Stapleton noted.
Instead, they got an early season wakeup as their efforts to grow marijuana crops valued at $6 million went up in smoke.
A & M Commerce Accounting Path Placed on “Best of” List
COMMERCE, TX— The Accounting Path has placed Texas A&M University-Commerce on its list of the Best Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accredited Online Accounting Degrees.
“It is an honor to be recognized for the work that we do. We always want to provide our students with the best educational experience, whether in a traditional classroom or online,” said Department of Accounting Chair Dr. Sandra Gates. “We have a rigorous accounting program, taught by well-trained and caring faculty. These are the factors that attract students to our program and the university. This recognition highlights the quality of our program and the quality of the university.”
The Accounting Path has chosen Texas A&M University-Commerce because of the A&M-Commerce brand and the university’s report of students working for Big 4 firms.
To learn more about The Accounting Path rating, go HERE.
About Texas A&M University-Commerce: Founded in 1889, Texas A&M University-Commerce is a member of The Texas A&M University System. Located in Northeast Texas, A&M-Commerce is home to more than 12,000 students, four academic colleges, a thriving graduate school, and more than 140 degree programs. As the region’s focal point of higher education, A&M-Commerce offers students facilities ranging from the world-class Keith D. McFarland Science Building and University Planetarium to the Sam Rayburn Student Center, to a fully equipped recreational facility and music hall. The university also has convenient locations in Corsicana, downtown Dallas, Midlothian, McKinney, Mesquite and Rockwall.
Winnsboro Police Department Report September 7-13
Winnsboro Police Department reports four arrests, 163 calls for service, no accidents, and 35 citations and 48 warnings for the week of September 7-13.
Arrests for the week include:
Tuesday, September 8, 20-year old Brian Greer of Winnsboro was arrested on a Winnsboro Municipal warrant.
Also Tuesday Jose Deleon, 61 of Winnsboro was arrested for driving while license was suspended or invalid.
Tony Chambly, 52, of Winnsboro was arrested on a Franklin County warrant on Tuesday.
On Friday, September 11, Luis Tiscareno, 38 of Winnsboro, was arrested for public intoxication.
