Atmos Energy Donates to Meal-A-Day
October 10, 2023 – Beth Dattomo of Atmos Energy presented Meal-A-Day of Sulphur Spring with a $5,000 donation this week.
The donation is part of Atmos’ Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities initiative. Dattomo said that, “On behalf of Atmos Energy, we are proud to support a worthy cause such as Meal-A-Day. We are also impressed with how effective Meal-A-Day is with the funds they receive.”
The Meal-A-Day program delivers meals to seniors in the Sulphur Springs area. If you want to apply for this service call the Sulphur Springs Senior Center at (903) 885-1661 and ask to be connected with the Meal-A-Day Director.
Veterans Breakfast At The Senior Center
October 12, 2023 – The inaugural Veterans Breakfast at the Senior Center in Sulphur Springs was well attended Thursday Morning.
This event is new to the activities available at the Senior center. It promises to be a monthly occasion from now on. Next month there will be a speaker, and more of the “Wetzel Breakfast Casserole”.
Como Store Robbed By Team of Three
October 11, 2023 – The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying three unknown suspects that are wanted in connection to a theft of a convenient store in Como, TX.
According to the sheriff’s office, the three are accused of stealing approximately $700 from Joe Bob’s convenience store as they worked together to distract and confuse the store’s staff.
Anyone that has information relevant to this investigation is asked to call Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office at 903-438-4040.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Trail Rides, Wagons, and Mules; Must be Autumn Trails in Winnsboro TX
October 11, 2023 – Winnsboro’s Autumn Trails will resemble a cow town or more accurately, a mule town, later this month.
Alicia Banks Moore spoke to KSST about some of the many events happening during the last weekend in October. “We will have people coming into Winnsboro with their wagons, mules, and horses and camping out in City Park.” This year Autumn Trails will welcome campers around one week earlier than previous years. “We hope they start checking in on Sunday afternoon, but we know there will be some folks arriving even earlier.” said Moore.
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two possible first-generation hybrids between them, the mule is easier to obtain and more common than the hinny, which is the offspring of a female donkey (a jenny) and a male horse (a stallion).
Moore also said that her 74 year-old father will be bringing out their antique wagon this year. “We know it was made prior to 1905.” she said. Her family restored the iron wheel wagon recently.
Moore will be in the Trail Ride Welcome Parade on 4pm Friday the 20th. She will have some of the Pageant Winners in her rubber-tired wagon. “Oh, we have numerous Autumn Trails Queens. Little Miss Autumn 4-6 years old, Autumn Princess 7-9 years old, Jr. Miss Autumn 10-13 years old, and QUEEN Autumn Trails 14-18 years old.” Moore also wanted to remind parade riders of the strict ‘No Stallions Allowed Policy.
Saturday morning kicks of the Trail Rides that Autumn Trails is famous for. Riders will have escourts during the rides as the rides use some paved County Roads. There are two trail rides slated, one Saturday, one Sunday. Find out more about the rides here.
Texas A&M Forest Service Encourages Responsible Recreation During Annular Eclipse
October 11, 2023 – COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Within six months, two eclipse events will crisscross the heart of Texas. The first being an annular solar eclipse occurring Oct. 14 and featuring a “ring of fire” created by the sun’s shadow around the moon while parts of Texas will be in the path of totality.
The second eclipse is a total eclipse, occurring April 8, 2024, that will traverse across the path of the annular eclipse.
To have a safe and enjoyable eclipse viewing experience, Texas A&M Forest Service encourages everyone to recreate responsibly and prevent wildfires.
“With the first of two eclipse events approaching, we expect Texans and visitors alike to travel across the state and gather on public lands to get a great view,” said Emily Wall, Texas A&M Forest Service Chief Operating Officer Forest Resource Protection. “We encourage everyone to get outside and appreciate this rare occurrence. However, it is important that all eclipse-watchers leave no trace and take care of the lands that we all enjoy.”
Consider the following tips for a fun and safe eclipse viewing experience:
Leave no trace but take a memorable eclipse experience. Practice responsible and respectful recreation by staying on trails, packing out trash and being mindful of wildlife and other eclipse-watchers.
Avoid sparking wildfires. Don’t drive or park on tall, dry grass. Be cautious of dragging chains and check tire pressure.
Burn it where you buy it. Help reduce the spread of invasive pests and diseases. Buy and use firewood locally.
Don’t leave campfires hot. Drown, stir, drown again and feel—if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.
Learn more and download resources to help enjoy a safe Texas Two-Step Eclipse experience: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/TexasEclipse/
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Winnsboro Police Department Media Report 10-02-2023 – 10-08-2023
Arrests:
Vance, Stormie, 39 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on 10-02-2023 for Winnsboro Municipal Court warrant for Expired Driver’s License and WSCO warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance less than 1G.
Cabral Ortiz, Joel, 27 years of age, of Haltom City, arrested on 10-06-23 for Criminal Mischief.
Maggard, Paul, 44 years of age, of Winnsboro, arrested on 10-06-23 for Terroristic Threat of a Family/Household.
Rodriguez, Jose, 53 years of age, of Winnsboro, arrested on 10-07-23 for DWI.
Calls for Service:
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 101 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations:
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 31 citations and 34 warnings during this reporting period.
Sulphur Springs Varsity Tennis Takes Bi-District Championship
October 10, 2023 – SSHS Varsity Tennis will advance in the playoffs as they conquered Kilgore for the Bi-District Championship recently. The following are the results of the matches:
Girls Doubles – Ella Sant and Jessie Li, Coral Perez and Stori Shropshire, Gianna Carter and Anna-Claire Newsom ALL WON their doubles!
Mixed Doubles – Mac McCoy and Flor Gudino took a WIN!
Boys Doubles – Ian Westlund and Malachi Negrete, Oscar Guerrero and Brody Emmert WON!
Boys Singles – Oscar Guerrero, Ian Westlund, Malachi Negrete, Justin Chen, and Mac McCoy ALL WON!
Brody Emmert fought back from being one set down and won in a third set tie breaker!
Girls Singles – Ella Sant, Coral Perez, Jessie Li, Stori Shropshire, Anna-Claire Newsom, and Flor Gudino ALL WON!
Congratulations to Wildcat Tennis, our 2023 Bi-District Champions!
College Street Project Slowly Progressing
October 10, 2023 – Homeowners and drivers on College Street in Sulphur Springs anxiously await the completion of the road work project that has been slowly progressing for more than a year. In September the Sulphur Springs Capital Construction Division installed 640 feet of storm water drainage pipe on College Street as they hope to install the remaining 600 feet of water and sewer mains all
the way to Como Street during the month of October. The city crews will move over to Holiday Drive at that point to begin a new project.
The concrete contractor, 5W Contracting has poured concrete all the way past Carter Street. When they gets to Rookson Street they will pause and tie-in all the intersections between Lundy and Rookson. Then continue East from Rookson where they will have another 1,950 feet until Como Street. The project ends at Como.
A second concrete crew is following behind the street crew. They are constructing sidewalks and driveway approaches. At the present rate the project should be finished by next July.
Senior Citizen’s Center Takes Shape
October 10, 2023 – The long anticipated Senior Citizen’s Center begins to take shape on Oak Avenue as the roofline and exterior facade are coming together. The $4 million project made possible with a $2.4 million grant, as well as bond funding that also helped complete Pacific Park. The $2.4 million grant was received back in 2022 from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The bond dollars come from Economic Development funding and will be paid back over the next 20 years.
The new Sulphur Springs Senior Center should be a huge improvement over the current facilty, as the building will be more than double in size of the less than 5,000 square feet that currently houses the senior activites. With the TDHCA grant, the new Senior Center will encompass over 11,000 square feet which will also house the local Meal-A-Day program.
Plant Potatoes Now! From Master Gardener David Wall
October 8, 2023 – Planting potatoes in the spring is usually a hit or miss action due to weather. Is the soil dry enough? Is the soil too wet? Well, if you’d like to avoid spring planting problems, including fitting potato planting in with everything else you’re doing at the time, try planting your potatoes early, like now!
You don’t hear much about fall planting any more, but 50+ years ago, fall plantings were often the rule rather than the exception, and that includes garlic and onions as well.
The big advantage to planting this time of year is that it gives the potatoes a head start for next year’s growing season. They’re going to be dormant through the winter but will start growing on their own as soon as the soil is the right temperature, usually two or more weeks before the seed potatoes you plant next spring. Also, they grow faster than spring-planted potatoes, which means an earlier harvest. If you want, the earlier harvest gives you time to plant a second round of potatoes, getting two harvests in one season.
One change in planting is the “seed” potato. Rather than using seed potatoes, use a whole potato. Seed potatoes, particularly seed potatoes that have been split to go further, tend to rot over a total winter. A complete potato will ride through the winter just fine. Small potatoes work well, but larger potatoes have more available “energy” when needed next spring. If you really want to use seed potatoes, Amazon is one of only a few sites that may have them.
After planting, a good practice is to have soil on three sides covered with 1-2” of composted manure mixed with straight compost on top, followed by 4” of mulch. Now you have plants that are provided with their own fertilizer.
