6 Big Reasons to “Jump Start” College This Summer at A&M Commerce
6 Big Reasons to “Jump Start” College This Summer at Texas A&M University-Commerce
COMMERCE, TX—Starting college can feel intimidating. After all, you’re moving to a new place, meeting new people and facing big new experiences. It’s exciting but scary! With this in mind, Texas A&M University-Commerce recently introduced Jump Start College, a summer program designed to help new students smoothly transition into college life.
Six reasons to join Jump Start College:
- Start College Early: The five-week Jump Start program lets you start college early and get a “jump start” on the busy fall semester. Your classes start on July 10!
- Take Advantage of Free Tuition: The President’s Promise Scholarship is available to qualified students and pays tuition for Summer II 2023 and beyond!*
- Enjoy Free Housing and Meals: Students who receive the President’s Promise Scholarship are also eligible for on-campus housing and meals—at no cost—in Summer 2023 and one additional year* through the Regents’ Access Scholarship.
- Get Support from Caring Staff: You’ll never need to feel lost or overwhelmed during your first days in college because caring staff from several student support services are available to help you every step of the way.
- Settle in Early: If you choose to live on campus during the summer, you can settle in early, before the busy fall semester. Note: Residential living is available at the main campus in Commerce, Texas, but not at A&M-Commerce at Dallas.
- Relax and Have Fun: The Jump Start program includes a full roster of fun summer activities so you can relax and make friends before everyone else arrives in the fall. *Terms and conditions apply. See tamuc.edu/Jump-Start for complete details.
“Jump Start College will help students gently ease into college life, taking advantage of the summer months,” said Nechell Bonds, vice president of Enrollment Management at A&M-Commerce. “This program will help many new students start their education journey on the right foot!”
New, incoming first-year and transfer students are encouraged to participate in the Jump Start College experience. Learn more about Jump Start College at tamuc.edu/Jump-Start.
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Additional School for Summer Feeding
A message from SULPHUR SPRINGS ISD
Good morning SSISD Parents and Staff,
Barbara Bush Primary has been added as a site for our Summer Feeding Program. Thank you to our food services department for the effort to make this happen for the children of Sulphur Springs.
Go Cats!
Information from the Paris Junior College Sulphur Springs Campus
INSTRUCTION
Ken Haley, right, English Instructor at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus, gives some personal instruction to student Mario Veloz of Sulphur Springs during the final days of the semester.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
Texas Lawmakers Fail To Reach Last-minute Deal To Cut Property Taxes
May 30, 2023- After weeks of public bickering, chaos and a stalemate, Republicans in the Texas House and Senate ran the clock out Monday without coming to terms on a key GOP priority: using a large part of the state’s historic surplus to lower property taxes for Texas homeowners and business owners.
And then Gov. Greg Abbott immediately called lawmakers to a special session to make a deal on property taxes.
The final hours of this year’s regular legislative session came with drama on property taxes — with Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick taking negotiations public to Twitter and lawmakers waiting on a potential deal for hours after they otherwise would’ve left Monday afternoon. The last day of the session is typically more ceremonial — not filled with tough negotiations on leaders’ top priorities.
After hours of suspense, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan gaveled out Monday — adjourning the chamber for the session, though he told House members to expect Abbott to call them back soon.
Texas Republicans came to Austin this year with a big promise to use a large portion of the state’s nearly $33 billion budget surplus to cut property tax bills for homeowners and business owners. Abbott made property tax cuts a pillar of his reelection campaign last year and vowed that the state would put half of its surplus toward tax cuts. But for months, lawmakers couldn’t come to terms on just how to do so.
For much of the session, the heart of the dispute was Phelan’s proposal to tighten the state’s appraisal cap and extend the benefit to owners of business properties like grocery stores, apartment complexes and movie theaters. Phelan backed the idea in response to complaints from homeowners and business owners about their rising appraisals, which they fear will result in higher tax bills.
The appraisal cap proposal also horrified tax policy experts from across the political spectrum who warned that the idea would have substantial negative side effects while doing little, if anything, to actually lower property owners’ taxes. Tightening the appraisal cap, critics added, would lead to major inequities among homeowners and business owners, plus higher housing costs.
But the House ended up dropping the cap proposal by the last day.
The biggest stumbling block to a final deal was the Senate’s refusal of any agreement that didn’t include an increase in the state’s homestead exemption on public school taxes — the portion of a home’s value that can’t be taxed by school districts. The idea was popular in both chambers but was left out of the final proposal under the $12.3 billion plan backed by Abbott and the House.
Meal A Day And Senior Citizen Center Calendar June 5-9th, 2023
Volunteers prepare meals at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center and deliver them five days a week to Meal A Day program recipients in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The Meal A Day Menu for the week of June 5-9, 2023 includes:
Monday, June 5th- Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, Veggies and bread
Tuesday, June 6th- Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad, Sweet Potato Mash and Bread
Wednesday, June 7th- Chicken Legs, Red Beans & Rice and Mixed Veggies
Thursday, June 8th- Soup, and Sandwich
Friday, June 9th- Tuna Noodle Casserole, Veggies and Bread
Arbala Homecoming And Cemetery Meeting
May 30, 2023- The Arbala Cemetery Association has announced their annual meeting set for Sunday, June 4th at 10:30am. A covered dish lunch will be served in the community center at 12pm.
Donations for the upkeep of the cemetery are greatly appreciated. Keep up with the cemetery news on FACEBOOK.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital News Release 5/30/2023
Sulphur Springs, Texas, May 29, 2023 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has ONE mission: To Extend the Healing Ministry of Jesus Christ.
Designer Handbag Bingo
The Hopkins County Health Care (HCHC) Foundation has scheduled their Designer Handbag Bingo event for Thursday, August 3. Sponsorships and reserved tables for 8 are available now, and individual tickets will be available on July 1. Last year, this event sold out in record time. Those who are planning to attend should make their reservations as soon as possible. This event is a fundraiser for the Foundation. Proceeds are used locally to support healthcare.
Sponsorships are on sale now at handbagbingo23.givesmart.com. Or email [email protected] or call 903-438-4799 for a sponsorship form or more information.
Daisy Award
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System started the DAISY program in early 2011. The award is presented quarterly to the ONE best nomination, as chosen by a panel of direct care nurses from each of our seven sites. All nominations are blinded, so no one knows who has been nominated until after the winner is chosen.
The award recipient for this quarter is Deven Wrigley Smith, in our OB department. Congratulations!
Digestive Care
At CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs, we offer some of the latest treatment options for patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Our highly trained team, led by gastroenterologist Dr. Umair Sohail, provides screening, diagnosis and advanced treatments for a wide range of complex digestive disorders including: colonoscopy and colon cancer screening, heartburn and reflux, abdominal pain, nausea and ulcers, bowel issues, gallstones and pancreatitis. If you would like to schedule an appointment with our CHRISTUS GI team, talk to your primary care physician about a referral.
June Blood Drives
Carter BloodCare Bus will be on CHRISTUS campus in front of our 113 Airport Rd Building for blood donations on three different days in June: Friday, June 2, from 9am to 2pm, Saturday, June 3, from 9am to 1pm, and Wednesday, June 7, from 9am to 2pm. You may drop in, or schedule an appointment at 1-800-366-2834 or online at https://linkmix.co/16387932.
Brashear Cemetery Association Annual Homecoming Meeting
May 30, 2023- Brashear Cemetery Association has announced that their annual homecoming meeting will be held Saturday, June 3rd starting at 10:30 am. Bring your favorite covered dish and enjoy the fellowship with your friends and neighbors.
Mail donations should be sent to the Brashear Cemetery Association, P O box 72, Brashear Texas 75420
Texas Lawmakers Approve Bill That Would Require A Armed Person At Every Texas Campus
May 29, 2023 – Texas lawmakers have sent a school safety measure Bill to Gov. Abbott’s desk on Sunday, including in their response to last year’s Uvalde massacre a requirement to post an armed security officer at every school and provide mental health training for certain district employees.
This measure will also give the state more power to persuade school districts to create active-shooter plans.
Both Chambers gave their final approval to House Bill 3 after ironing out their differences over the past week.
The provision to require an armed person at every school campus was added back into the Bill during the negotiation process after the Senate took it out earlier in the session. The armed person can be either a peace officer, a school resource officer, a school marshal or a school district employee, according to the law.
That provision caused the most tension among the opponents of the Bill, who have argued all through the legislative session that fewer guns — not more — is the solution to mass shootings. However, the Bill still passed by a relatively large margin in the House, 93-49.
The proposal requires the Texas School Safety Center to review best practices to best secure campuses every five years. In the Uvalde shooting, the gunman entered Robb Elementary through a backdoor that failed to properly lock. The Bill would also create regional safety teams that would conduct intruder detection audits at least once a year.
Both chambers have agreed that school safety is this years topic of choice this session after the Uvalde elementary school shooting that occurred last year. However, Uvalde parents were left disappointed after the raise-the-age Bill they advocated for failed earlier in the session. The Bill would have raised the age of purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 years old to 21 years old.
Under the Bill, school employees who regularly interact with children would need to complete an “evidence-based mental health first-aid training program.” The TEA would reimburse the employee for the time and money spent on the training.
In counties with fewer than 350,000 people, the bill requires the sheriff to hold semi-annual meetings to discuss school safety and law enforcement response to “violent incidents.” This includes making sure there is a clear chain of command and that all radios are working.
Each district would be required to give the Department of Public Safety and other law enforcement a walkthrough and a map of each campus in an effort to avoid confusion when responding to an incident.
“This is a huge win for the safety of our children,” said Rep. Carrie Isaac, R-Dripping Springs.
Friday From The Chamber, May 26th
Introducing the 2023 Stew Contest Theme: The Stew Bowl!
Attention all designers and stew enthusiasts! The World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest Logo Contest is now officially open! If you’ve got a knack for creativity and want your design to be featured on this year’s Stew shirt, posters, and all marketing materials, this is your chance!
The theme for this year’s contest is “The Stew Bowl,” inspired by college football. So, put on your creative helmets and get ready to tackle this challenge!
To participate, simply submit a PNG, JPEG, or PDF through the official contest website: https://www.hopkinschamber.org/logocontest/
One lucky winner will receive 4 Stew Contest t-shirts, 4 tickets to the event, a coveted parking pass, and a quart ticket.
The deadline to submit your design is June 6 at 4 pm.
Good luck to all the talented participants. Let’s make “The Stew Bowl” an unforgettable experience!
Upcoming Ribbon Cuttings
Slaughter’s BBQ – NEW LOCATION!
Date: Tuesday, May 30th
Time: Noon
Location: 129 Magnolia Street in Sulphur Springs
The Diamond @ Star E Ranch – Wedding & Special Event Venue
Date: Friday, June 2nd
Time: Noon
Location: 13342 FM 1567, Cumby, TX 75433
Adult Leadership Applications Now Open!
Leadership Sulphur Springs is back on this year, with applications online!
The leadership class is for Hopkins County men and women who want to learn and become more invested in their local community. It’s an intensive nine-month program that immerses the participants in the business and government of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County.
The tentative dates for this year’s program are attached to the application, which can be accessed at HopkinsChamber.org.
The registration fee is $500 and that covers the cost of the food, drinks, transportation, etc. for the year.
To Apply click HERE
