Be Weather Vigilant on Tuesday and Wednesday
Winter weather is headed towards Texas on Tuesday January 24th, 2023. The National Weather service is not predicting freezing temperatures for Hopkins County until Wednesday. That means we will see precipitation, but not sleet, snow accumulation or the dreaded ‘wintry mix’..
Be cautious on bridges and overpasses especially Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Road crews are already pre-treating some major roads in areas across Texas. They are focusing on areas forecast to be colder than Hopkins County.
Though we should not see the worst of the storm, power lines and the power grid may falter. Ice and strong winds could damage lines and cause power outages.
KSST will be monitoring the weather continuously. Stay tuned for updates.
If You Are Having Ant Problems, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas
During a recent trip to a producer hay field I noticed several ant mounts in his field. If you are having ant problems, the first step is to identify the species. There are hundreds of ant species in the southern United States, including some native fire ant species, and most of them are considered beneficial insects. Collectively, ants till more earth than earthworms and some prey on other insect pests and help reduce their numbers. Fire ants will build their mounds almost anywhere—in the open or next to a building, tree, sidewalk or electrical box. A fire ant mound does not have a central opening. When the mound is disturbed, fire ants emerge quickly and begin biting and stinging. They will even run up vertical surfaces. Worker fire ants are dark reddish-brown with shiny black abdomens, and are about 1⁄16 to about 1⁄4 inch long. The current USDA quarantine for imported fire ants covers 320 million acres in all or parts of 14 U.S. states and territories (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Puerto Rico). The quarantine means that shipments of hay, nursery stock, sod and other articles from quarantined counties must comply with state regulations. Fire ants can’t be eliminated entirely because it’s not possible to treat all areas that are infested. Thus, the goal of current integrated pest management (IPM) programs is to suppress fire ants as much as possible with biological control methods and use insecticides only where it is economically and environmentally justifiable to do so. There may not be one “best” method for fire ant control, especially in large areas. Your objective should be to find the method or methods that are most cost-effective and environmentally sound. In areas where these ants do not present problems, doing nothing is certainly one option.
Control Approaches: The Two-Step Method
Step 1. Broadcasting an insecticide bait once or twice a year, which reduces fire ant colonies by 80 to 90
percent.
Step 2. Treating nuisance mounds or colonies that move into the bait-treated areas. Step 2 may not be
needed. This is likely to be the most cost-effective and environmentally sound approach to treating medium-size to large landscape areas. Certified organic products can be used for broadcast bait and mound treatments. For livestock pastures, select products registered for use on such sites, such as Amdro Pro®, Esteem®, Extinguish®, or Extinguish Plus®. The bait you apply determines how quickly ants will be controlled and how long the effect will last. Faster acting bait products include indoxacarb (works in 3 to 10 days), hydramethylnon (works in 7 to 14 days for mound treatments and in 2 to 3 weeks. For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-995-3443 or email me at [email protected].
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at m-villarino @ tamu.edu.
Filing Continues For Sulphur Springs City Council
Sulphur Springs City Secretary Natalie Darrow reports that only two candidates have filed for Places on the Sulphur Springs City Council as of Monday morning, January 23, 2023. Two Places, 6 & 7, are up for election on the upcoming May ballot. John A. Sellers, a current council member and previous city mayor has filed his application for candidacy for Place 7 on Sulphur Springs City Council. Tyler Law has filed his application for candidacy for Place 6, which is currently taken by Doug Moore. Doug Moore has yet to reapply for candidacy for his Place.
All places are elected at large. A prospective candidate shall be a qualified voter of the State of Texas, resided continuously in the City of Sulphur Springs for 12 months immediately preceding the deadline for filing an application for a place on the ballot. The election to select Council Members For Places 6 And 7 will be conducted May 6, 2023. Other qualifications for poetential canidates include:
- Must be a citizen of the United States eligible to hold such office under the constitution and laws of this state
- Must not be mentally incompetent as determined by a court
- Must not be convicted of a felony for which he/she has not been pardoned or had full rights of citizenship restored by other official action
- Must be 18 years of age or older on the commencement of the term to be filled
- Must not hold any other public office in which he/she was elected for and/or be a member of a board directly appointed by the City Council on the commencement of the term to be filled
- City taxes must be paid to current
- Must have knowledge of the nepotism law summary
Skeen Arrested on Organized Crime Charge
January 23, 2023 – Tira, Tx resident Christopher Lee Skeen Jr. was arrested last week and charged with Engaging in Organized Crime, failure to maintain insurance on a vehicle, and operating a motorcycle without a license. Skeen also had an outstanding ticket for speeding in Precinct 1. His bond was set at $75,000.
Skeen has been arrested several times in the recent past on charges ranging from forgery of financial instrument to controlled substance charges.
23FE0004 1 71.02 ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY MAGISTRATE COURT
20A0128 1 CPF SPEEDING 10% OR MORE ABOVE POSTED SPEED (JP PCT 1) MAGISTRATE COURT
22-2288 1 FAIL TO MAINTAIN FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (SSPD) MAGISTRATE COURT
22-2289 1 NO MOTORCYCLE ENDORSEMENT (SSPD) MAGISTRATE COURT
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.
Godbolt Arrested For Theft of Firearm
January 23, 2023 – Adrian Jamaal Godbolt of Sulphur Springs was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of theft of a firearm and no driving licence.
2229619 1 46.05 UNLAWFUL POSSESS FIREARM BY FELON
2229617 1 31.03(E)(4)(C) THEFT OF FIREARM MAGISTRATE COURT
2229618 1 31.03(E)(4)(C) THEFT OF FIREARM MAGISTRATE COURT
22A796 1 NO DRIVERS LICENSE
Godbolt has been arrested several times in the past 2 years for parole violations related to controlled substance charges.
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.
Souper Bowl Of Caring 2023
Join Hopkins County 4-H in this community food drive!
They will be collecting food donations and/or monetary donations to provide to a local hunger relief organization. all efforts benefit local families who utilize local hunger relief agencies.
From January 15th to February 13th, 2023 the food drive will be accepting donations at Texas A&M Agrilife Extension and Sulphur Springs Alliance Bank.
for more information contact 903-885-3443 or visit Tacklehunger.org if you have more questions.
Man Killed in Hunt County Sunday
The following information was released by Hunt County Sheriff’s Office:
HUNT COUNTY Terry Jones, Sheriff
SHERIFF 2801 Stuart Street
Greenville, TX 75401
903.453.6800
Press Release January 22, 2023
At approximately 6:15 AM on January 22, 2023, the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to suspicious activity in the area of Hunt County Road 4108 in Greenville. The information received from the caller was that her brother and her husband were at a residence on County Road 4108 when allegedly three individuals kidnapped her husband at gunpoint and several minutes later her brother heard gunshots. Hunt County deputies arrived in the area and upon investigation, located a deceased male on Hunt County Road 4106.
Hunt County Sheriff’s Investigators and the Texas Rangers were called to further investigate. Investigators and the Texas Ranger determined the deceased male was a victim of a homicide. Silviano Robles of Rowlett, TX has been arrested and is suspected to be the person responsible for the death of his brother-in-law Homero Leos. Silviano Robles has been booked into the Hunt County Jail, charged with murder, and is awaiting arraignment.
Hunt County Sheriff Terry Jones would like to commend his entire team of deputies and investigators for their tireless efforts in working this crime and getting the suspect in custody.
Dollar Store Burglary Suspect Sought in Emory
Rains County deputies are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect in a burglary at the Dollar General Store in Emory early Sunday morning. A screenshot from surveillance has been provided below. Anyone who recognizes the man should call 903-473-3181, ext. 2. You can also message the Rains County Sheriff’s Office with any information. No other information is available at this time.
Reusing Last Year’s Potting Soil
By David Wall, Mount Pleasant Master Gardener
Many grow vegetables in 5-25 gallon pots using potting mix, soil mix or compost. At the end of the growing season, a question of whether the soil can be reused the following growing season. Answers range from no to yes, BUT.
First off, at end of growing season, get every growing plant or critter out of the pot. You don’t want anything sucking up remaining nutrients.
If using potting mix, reuse the following year is a firm NO. The nutrients in the mix have largely been utilized, meaning there aren’t enough nutrients left to sustain life next year, even if you’re just growing flowers. Next spring, swap out 50% of the old, replacing it with new mix. Then, new plants can get the nutrients they need, particularly if you add some slow-release fertilizer
and/or other organic nutrient materials, but mix well. If, however, you grew tomatoes, throw the entire mixture away to avoid the possibility of spreading blight to next year’s crop.
Reusing potting soil is slightly different. As with potting mix, the soil will be hardened, thus, making next year’s vegetable plant roots have great difficulty penetrating it. The same is true for water which tends to pool of the surface or run down between the soil and the pot wall. Generally speaking, potting soil will have more nutrients than potting mix, but the odds of having enough nutrients to last the entire growing season is questionable. Mixing new with old, the same as with potting mix, is recommended.
Pure compost should contain more than enough nutrients for a second growing season, but stir the mixture to break up hardened clods. I’ve never gone beyond two growing seasons, soil I have no information beyond two seasons.
In the summer heat, paint dark pots white to help keep temperatures cooler.
Lady Cats Basketball Hosts Two Straight Matches This Week
Coach Bryan Jones and his team are back at home this week for two straight district contests, beginning the second half of district season doing so.
The Lady Cats host Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The women’s basketball team hope for better results than their last three outings. all loses for Sulphur Springs.
Their most recent one came Friday, in Paris at North Lamar. Against their former head coach Brittney Tisdell, the Lady Cats fell 52-27.
Coach Jones’ squad found themselves trailing early, scoring only three points in the opening quarter against the undefeated Pantherettes (5-0).
While marginally outscored in the second, 9-7, the Lady Cats saw North Lamar race past them leading big 33-17. From there Sulphur Springs watched as their former head coach and her new team blew past them for a 52-27 win on Friday, Jan. 20.
Friday’s loss in Paris is the third straight for the basketball team, now 19-7 overall (2-3 district).
The third straight loss also drops the Lady Cats to 4th place in 15-4A.
Coach Jones and his team are looking to find the spark that saw them win 19 of their first 23 games, and it is hard to find a better time to regroup than when a squad hosts two straight.
The two-game home-stand for Lady Cats basketball starts Tuesday, Jan. 24 when they host Pleasant Grove.
That game tips off on Tuesday at 6:30 P.M.
Tuesday’s match-up with the Lady Hawks will be broadcasted onto KSST 1230 AM. We will also livestream the game onto KSST Radio’s Youtube channel.
Friday the homestead wraps up when Sulphur Springs hosts Pittsburg.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
