Eleven Athletes to Area Track in Pine Tree Thursday
The Wildcats and Lady Cats’ track teams will send eleven athletes to an Area track meet at Pine Tree Thursday. Zach Spigner will be in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles, Jaylon Dugan in the triple jump and Seth Harred in shot put. The Wildcats 4×100-meter relay team features Dugan, Jaylon Hawkins, Spigner and Bubba Hall. Lady Cats include Madeline Massey in the 1600-meters and 3200-meters, Imani Taylor in triple jump, N’ysa Dugan in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles and Mackenzie Moore in the 110-meter hurdles. The Lady Cats 4×100-meter relay team includes Taylor, Dugan, Tahtiana King and Raleigh Potts.
Newsom, Commissioners Return to Austin to Promote SB1158
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom and the County Commissioners are expected to make a trip to Austin early this week to attend a discussion of Senate Bill 1158, which would allow the county government, with voter approval to pay for their new County Jail by an increase in the sales tax. The discussion will take place Tuesday at 9 a.m. before the Senate Finance Committee in the State Capitol.
Alexander Named Principal at Sulphur Springs Elementary
The Academic Specialist at Sulphur Springs Elementary Ashanta Alexander has been named the Principal at Sulphur Springs Elementary replacing Kristen Monk, who has accepted an Assistant Superintendent position in Administration. The School Board approved the personnel move Friday and also voted to submit a missed school day waiver application to the TEA for a third day missed this school year due to bad weather
Open Carry Wins Initial Approval in Texas House
by Morgan Smith, The Texas Tribune – April 17, 2015
Texas is well on its way to allowing the open carry of handguns in public places after House lawmakers took an initial step to approve it Friday.
After a debate that stretched for more than five hours, the chamber passed House Bill 910 from state Rep. Larry Phillips, R- Sherman, on second reading, 96 to 35. It would allow license holders to openly carry their handguns in shoulder or hip holsters.
Similar legislation has already cleared the state Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to sign any open carry bill that reaches his desk. The House is expected to pass the bill finally as early as Monday.
The vote came over the protests of Democrats, who offered amendment after amendment to the legislation.
“We seem to live in this fantasy world of protecting second amendment rights at all costs…what we have here is a descent down a path that we can’t come back from,” said state Rep. Poncho Nevarez, D-Eagle Pass. “I’m going to vote against anger, I’m going to vote against hate, and I’m going to vote against the deterioration of our state into something that resembles — I don’t know.”
The Republican majority shot down efforts to require stronger holsters, badges, and deeper background checks in order to carry a gun. They also rejected attempts to allow cities to opt out of the law, close a loophole in the law that allows handgun permit-holders from other states to openly carry their firearms in Texas and simplify the signage requirements for business owners who want to ban guns on their property.
But the most contentious exchanges of the day came between Republicans themselves.
State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, took the floor debate as an opportunity to repeatedly demand public explanations for why House leaders had rebuffed his attempts to repeal handgun licensing requirements altogether.
Stickland, who objects to the fees and restrictions the permitting process imposes, has vowed to bring so-called “constitutional carry” for a vote on the floor. Unable to get a committee hearing for his bill, he must try to tag it on to a related piece of legislation as an amendment.
“Representative Phillips, are you aware that someone else has filed a bill that they care about, that 100,000 Texans have signed a petition for, held six rallies at this Capitol and have been lobbying the legislature for a hearing in your committee for months?” Stickland asked.
He had earlier accused Speaker of the House Joe Straus and his top lieutenants of “singlehandedly” obstructing his provision when he was told the House parliamentarian had ruled that his measure was not germane to the open carry bill.
Phillips told Stickland that he had himself — and the Senate — to blame for his bill not advancing.
“The fate of your bill was cast when the Senate decided it was not going to take up constitutional carry,” he said. “And in how you treated other members of this chamber… the way those who support your bill have treated members of this house, their families, and their staff.”
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/open-carry-gets-initial-approval-texas-house/.
Check Out Our Latest Poll
Scroll down and vote on our poll on the right sidebar of the KSST website. We are curious to know what you think of the downtown “Sunrise Market”
Opposition to Gay Conversion Therapy Grows
by Bobby Blanchard, The Texas Tribune – April 18, 2015
The suicide of a 17-year-old Ohio transgender girl whose parents sent her to a therapist to “convert” her has refocused national attention on so-called gay conversion therapy. But despite calls to end it from President Obama, gay rights groups and medical associations, the controversial practice isn’t likely to face a statewide ban in Texas.
Obama took a decisive stance against gay reparative therapy last week in response to a petition calling for a ban and citing the death of Leelah Alcorn, the Ohio teen who left a desperate suicide note late last year and apparently walked into traffic.
Those practicing gay conversion therapy, also called reparative therapy, say it removes homosexual feelings. Critics say the practice is usually intertwined with religious teachings condemning homosexuality, and often sought by parents for their children. The American Psychiatric Association has condemned it, and experts say it can cause mental harm to individuals.
State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, has filed House Bill 3495, which would ban the practice for minors in Texas, but she acknowledges that just getting a hearing before the House State Affairs Committee would be a big accomplishment.
“I don’t know that we’ll be able to pass the House and the Senate and go on to the governor’s desk, but there is some value in having a public hearing about this practice,” Israel said. “If a family decided to take their kid to therapy, there is no need for a therapist to suggest there is anything wrong with that child. To put that on a kid is the worst thing you can do.”
Last summer, the Texas Republican Party made national news for backing gay reparative therapy in its platform.
“All these messages serve to increase internalized homophobia and internalized transphobia, which are predictive of negative mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression and increased in suicidality,” said Colt Keo-Meier, a licensed psychologist in Houston specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health. “Reparative therapy either just doesn’t work or increases the harm and the trauma to an already vulnerable population.”
David Pickup, who practices reparative therapy in California and Texas, said he was upset by the president’s words last week and feels reparative therapy has been mischaracterized.
“Words hurt sometimes, and some of our clients have been upset about his public condemnation of these things — it has really hurt their feelings,” Pickup said. “Reparative therapy is there for people who believe that for them, homosexual impulses arise not because of something genetic but because of emotional and sexual abuse.”
Pickup said claims that reparative therapy includes electroshock, is forced, attempts to shame people or increases suicide are “absurd.” He said bans on reparative therapy for minors, in place in New Jersey, the District of Columbia and California, harm children.
“Some children in California, who everyone knows have been sexually abused by same-sex pedophiles, they can’t go into an office anymore and get help to eliminate and reduce their homosexual feelings,” Pickup said.
Legislation banning reparative therapy has been filed or considered in at least 18 other states.
Jeff Lutes, a counselor in Austin who is against reparative therapy, described the counseling he has heard from people who have undergone this therapy as “archaic.”
“Over the years we’ve heard really strange things, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist every time you had a desire for someone of the same sex,” said Lutes, who has organized two conferences in the past for people who’ve gone through conversion therapy. “Reparative therapy is based on a heterosexist idea — and by that I mean the assumption that being heterosexual is preferable and superior to being anything else.”
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/18/opposition-gay-conversion-therapy-grows/.
Young Eagles Take Flight
Young Eagles take flight today at Sulphur Springs airport. Still plenty of time to attend.
Free Airplane Rides at the Young Eagles Rally
SSISD Fine Arts Find Spring Success; Set Sight on 2015 Fall Program
Fine Arts Director Charles McCauley has announced the 2015 marching band show for the Sulphur Springs High School band. The announcement was made to the High School band on Monday. The fall show will be called “Astro”. The opening song is “The Jetsons” but has parts of Gustav Holt’s “The Planets” work in it as well. Thus, it is called “The Jetson’s Travel the Planets”. The second song is from “Apollo 13” and the last song will be music from the Star Trek movie that came out a couple of years ago. McCauley calls the show the best arraignment he has worked with yet.
McCauley also praised the success of the 2014-2015 school year band and orchestra programs at Sulphur Springs High School and Middle School. Both varsity and junior varsity high school bands earned Sweepstakes in competition this spring. At the Middle School the Symphonic Band made straight ones. The Middle School Honors Band made straight ones in sight reading and were one judge away in concert. The Middle School Concert Band made second division. High School Choir, One-Act Play, and Strings also placed well in competitions this year.
With the Blue Blazes Spring Show next week, McCauley said both students and instructors do an outstanding job each year and this year is no exception.
Early Registration Underway at PJC-Sulphur Springs
As construction continues, early registration is underway. Although classes will not be offered at the future home of the Paris Junior College campus in Sulphur Springs, classes will continue at their current facilities between Sulphur Springs High School and the Regional Civic Center.
WORK CONTINUES
Construction continues at the future home of Paris Junior College-Sulphur Springs Center as workers erect the framework and air conditioning system for classrooms inside the main building. The future campus of PJC-Sulphur Springs is located on East Loop 301 on the former Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Co. site. Construction also continues on the building to house the welding program on the Sulphur Springs campus.
SIGNING UP
Audra Huie of Dike, right, who plans to one day be a nurse, is taking advantage of early registration to sign up for classes at Paris Junior College-Sulphur Springs Center. Assisting Huie is Sulphur Springs Center secretary Linda Meier. Early registration continues daily at the PJC-Sulphur Springs campus, located at 1202 W. Houston St. Academic and financial aid advisors are available during office hours.
