SSISD Announces June 4th Dismissal Time
All students in the Sulphur Springs ISD will be released at 12:50 p.m. on Thursday, June 4th for the end of the school year.
The SSISD Transportation Dept. will deliver all regular route bus students to their homes approximately 3 hours earlier. Buses will leave Prim Stadium hub at 1:10-1:15 and begin afternoon runs. Please make this adjustment to your family schedule for the afternoon of Thursday, June 4th.
SSHS Sports Camps Dates and Registration Available Here
Sulphur Springs High School will be offering a variety of sports camps this summer. Two are scheduled for next week. In addition The Edge conditioning program will again be offered. Wildcats Athletic Director Greg Owens announced the scheduled times for various camps Tuesday morning. Owens said summer is always busy but many schedule their activities around the various camps offered.
The Edge, a summer conditioning camp for incoming freshman through senior school athletes, is offered June 15-July 23 from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. The two hours per weekday is dedicated to agility, conditioning and weight lifting. Owens said this is not a fitness club but is for athletes that want to improve their abilities. He called the two hours “grueling” for the athlete. The activities in Edge are not specific to any one sport. Owens said those who participate in Edge are ready to begin their sport practices as a new school year begins.
Click on the name of the sport in the Sports schedule below for registration forms. Forms for both girls and boys basketball and volleyball are not available online at this time but numbers to call are given.
Next week, June 9-11, the Baseball and softball camps are scheduled. Both baseball and softball camps take place in the indoor practice facility.
Girls basketball camp is on June 22-25. (to register call 903-439-7783)
Boys and girls soccer camp is on June 29-July 2.
Boys basketball camp takes place July 13-16. (to register call 903-360-2512)
Boys football camp and freshmen football camp are on July 21-23.
Volleyball camps are July 27-29. (to register call 903-243-2701)
Tennis camp is offered July 27-31.
Virginia 4-H Group to Visit Hopkins County
Virginia 4-H Group to Visit Hopkins County
Those of you who keep up with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Hopkins County know that we offer abundant opportunities including, camps, workshops, educational programs, field trips, exhibits, and the list goes on and on. Perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities pertains to our 4-H families. I’m talking about 4-H Exchange trips!
During the past three summers, Hopkins County has either hosted a group or traveled to other locations as part of a 4-H Exchange trip. The summer of 2015 is no exception. As you read this column, 28 4-H youth, parents and Extension agents from Smyth County, Virginia, are preparing for their drive to Hopkins County! They will arrive at our Extension Office on Friday, June 12 around 5:00 p.m.
Several host families have been lined up to house our guests. We have a full line-up of activities for our Virginia visitors. Since they will be in our county during opening weekend of the 2015 Hopkins County Dairy Festival, we plan to indoctrinate them fully in festival activities!
We’ll start with a meal provided by our Infinity 4-H Club, and then proceed to the Hot Air Balloon Rally. The next morning, our guests will attend the Dairy Festival Parade, Dairy Show, Cow milking Contest, and Ice Cream Freeze-off. We will all have matching shirts, so if you see gray t-shirts with the states of Texas and Virginia linked by 4-H clovers, you’ll be able to recognize Exchange trip participants! Of course, no visit to Hopkins County would be complete without a trip to Celebration Square for picture-taking, shopping, and delicious treats! After a brief respite from the crowds and change of clothes, the group will venture to Bobby McDonald’s home for swimming and a meal.
Sunday morning, the group will meet for a worship service at the home of some of our 4-H leaders, followed by outdoor activities to include zip-line, hay ride and other outdoor activities as weather allows. Lunch at Foster’s in Pickton will provide a taste of East Texas cuisine. A tour of a local dairy, followed by a trip to Coleman Park for more pictures (and maybe a little horseshoes and disc golf), will provide another glimpse of Hopkins County attractions. A little Tex-Mex and time with host families will wrap up the day.
Monday morning, June 15, the Virginia group will tour AT&T Stadium and spend some time in the metroplex before coming back to the country life, as they visit my home for a covered dish meal provided by host families. Tuesday will bring the end to their visit as they gather at the Extension Office for an early breakfast before heading to Louisiana to see Duck Commander.
Whew! That’s quite a trip! Plans are for our Hopkins County youth to travel to Virginia during the summer of 2016 to complete the exchange. So, if you would like to help some of our kids make this plan a reality, contact our office, and we will tell you how you can assist!
Dairy Recipe Contest
Don’t forget to enter a recipe in the 2015 Dairy Festival Recipe Contest! It’s easy to do. Simply select a recipe containing at least two real dairy products and submit the written copy to my office by 5:00 p.m. on June 15. Then, on Saturday, June 20, bring your dish to the Extension Office between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m., for tasting by our panel of judges. The awards presentation will take place following judging, around 2:45 p.m., depending on the number of entries. It’s that simple!
If you want to see a list of guidelines, go to www.hopkinscountydairyfestival.com or drop by our office at 1200-B W. Houston Street in Sulphur Springs. There is an age division for all ages!
Closing Thought
The starting point of all achievement is desire – Napoleon Hill
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
City Council Has Lengthy Agenda for Tuesday Night
The Sulphur Springs City Council will take up a 17-item agenda at a regular meeting at City Hall tonight. The council will actually began in executive session at 6:30 p.m. as they will consult with an attorney concerning pending litigation. The regular monthly meeting should get started at around 7 p.m.
The council will consider contracting with Garver Engineering for design and other services related to improvements and rehab of the current city Wastewater Treatment Plant.
City Secretary Gale Roberts will give oaths of office to councilmen Craig Johnson, Clay Walker and Oscar Aguilar. Aguilar was reelected last month. Johnson and Walker did not draw any opposition. The council will also consider naming of a new mayor and mayor pro-tem.
City Manager Marc Maxwell will give his monthly Manager’s Report touching on capital improvements and other matters.
The council is expected to have a public hearing and first reading of an ordinance establishing a reinvestment zone for new industry Aluf Plastics.
The council is expected to authorize submission of a request to become a participant in the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs HOME funds program. Qualified home owners can have their substandard house torn down and replace with a brand new one. Several city residents have taken part in the program in the past.
The city council is expected to take up a negotiated settlement between an Atmos Energy Cities Steering Committee and Atmos Energy Energy concerning a rate increase from Atmos.
The council is expected to approve appointments to city boards and commissions.
They are expected to appoint a represetative to serve as a director on the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Board.
The council is also expected to appoint a Municipal Court Judge. Judge Phyllis Rogers is expected to be reappointed.
Winnsboro Police Weekly Report
During the week of Monday, May 25-Sunday, May 31, Winnsboro Police made four arrests, answered 119 calls for service, issued 19 citations and 21 warnings, and assisted with one minor accident.
Arrested by the WPD were Harvey Roddigues-Soler, 30 of Mt Pleasant on two Hopkins County warrants, Joseph Simmons, 45, of Winnsboro on a Greg County warrant and for possession of marijuana under 2 oz in a drug free zone, Bobby Robbins, 29, of Winnsboro on two municipal warrants, and Jason Goines, 34, of Winnsboro on two municipal warrants.
Dairy Fest is Coming!
Get ready! The Hopkins County Dairy Festival is coming June 12 – 20th.
KSST will provide updates as the festival approaches. Be sure to check in with ksstradio.com often.
#dairyfest15
Area Students on the 2015 Spring PJC President’s and Dean’s List
Paris Junior College is pleased to announce those students making the President’s and Dean’s lists for academic achievement during the spring 2015 semester.
To be eligible for the President’s List, students must earn a 4.0 grade point average, (straight A’s) on a minimum of 15 semester hours. Those on the dean’s list must have a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average for at least 15 semester hours, and have no grade lower than a “C.” Both lists are compiled exclusive of developmental hours.
Students on the President’s List from the Hopkins, Delta, Franklin, Rains, Wood County area include:
Cooper: Katy D. Gifford and Clinton D. Stewart
Dike: Landon S. Dorner
Mount Vernon: Rosa M. Casildo
Pickton: Billy D. Fuller
Sulphur Bluff: Kaci R. Powers
Sulphur Springs: Michala L. Davis, Kelly J. Faulks, Iris L. Gutierrez, Andrew P. Moody, Nima Sherpa, Daisy Sosa, Jonathan T. Williams and Sarah E. Williams
Students on the Deans’ List and their hometowns in Texas include:
Brashear: Patrick A. Covington
Como: Christopher W. Nabors
Cooper: Elmer R. Clark, Debbie D. Huff and David A. Sepulveda
Emory: Hannah G. McAden and Bethany M. Webb
Sulphur Springs: Stephanie D. Bradford, Dillon R. Butler, Kimberly A. Isonhood, Chaliyah S. Moore, Jordan B. Perry, Justin T Robertson and Nizia M. Tubb
Yantis: Amy L. Wilburn
County Judge Issues Declaration of Disaster
Monday afternoon Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom issued a declaration of disaster for the county. The declaration follows a month of heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms that swept across much of the county. Newsom said his tardiness in issuing the declaration is attributed to the lack of electrical power and problems with the county’s phone system immediately following the May 25th severe weather. Although the initial declaration was made from the county judge’s office, within seven (7) days county commissioners’ court must approve the declaration for it to continue. Hopkins County Commissioners Court is expected to discuss the declaration during their regular session Monday morning, June 8.
Newsom said the declaration will be forwarded as a request for state and Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) to Doyce Winchester, Northeast Texas Emergency Management Director. In turn, Winchester will forward the request for assistance to Austin for approval of assistance funding. Newsom expects little or no financial assistance for the private sector but does expect public sector help. He stated that much of the damage done in the private section, homes and businesses, was covered by insurance. However, he pointed out that in the public sector–roads, streets, bridges, parks, and government and public buildings–there would be little or no insurance. Several reasons for state and federal assistance were noted by Newsom as he alluded to a bridge out in Precinct 1 and other street and road damage, damage to various city parks, and some public buildings that do not have insurance. He stated that he has either spoken with or would soon speak with officials in the cities Como, Cumby, Sulphur Springs as well as various communities in the county.
Newsom called request for state and federal assistance a lengthy process. It begins with the Declaration of a Local State of Disaster.
Stuck in Mud Now Stuck in Prison and Probation
Wesley Aaron Lawrence, 35, was sentenced to five (5) years in the Texas Department of Corrections in May. Lawrence was arrested in Hopkins County early in the morning of March 19, 2015, when the vehicle he was driving bcame stuck in the front yard of a residence on County Road 4778 just off of State Highway 19. In his possession was a list of identity information for more than 50 other people along with possession of illicit drugs.
With Lawrence in the truck on March 19 was Tamara Rose Story, 24, and a 6-year old boy. In April, Story plead guilty to this and other charges and was sentenced to 10 years probation. The child was taken into custody by Child Protective Services in March.
See arrest story here.
