Good News Christian Bookstore Celebrates a 31-Year Business Journey on Friday November 19 at Noon
GOOD NEWS! The Christian Bookstore in Sulphur Springs has moved to the Spring Village Shopping Center 1181 South Broadway Street in Sulphur Springs, TX. Previously, GOOD NEWS! was located in the VF Outlet Mall. On Friday, November 19th, 2021 GOOD NEWS! will celebrate our 31 years in business with a 31% discount off everything in the store! We will also have free drawings every 31 minutes, including drawings from Good Treasures, a crafter/vendor mall located inside GOOD NEWS! Refreshments will be served and there will also be a ribbon cutting by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce on Friday, November 19th at 12 noon. Please stop in and share our joy! Store phone: 903-885-6946
The Last Tira News Column
By Jan Vaughn
After several weeks of no news to report, I decided that the Tira News has run its course.
I want to express my appreciation to all who contributed reports throughout the years and all who shared with me that they enjoyed reading about our community. Also, a special thanks goes out to all who made sure that our news was published.
I will sign off with my sincere wishes for you all to have a wonderful Thanksgiving, a merry Christmas, and many blessings in the coming months and years.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report – Nov. 8-14, 2021
Winnsboro Police Department released the following activity report for Nov. 8-14, 2021:
Arrests
- Mark Gleixner, 57 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Nov. 8, 2021, for possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams.
- Jeffery Hamilton, 32 years of age, was arrested on Nov. 10, 2021 on multiple Winnsboro Municipal warrants for driving while license invalid, expired registration, and vehicle without required equipment or unsafe condition.
- Louis Boyd, 21 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Nov. 14, 2021, for reckless driving, evading arrest or detention with vehicle, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
Calls for Service
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 181 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 62 citations and 59 warnings during this reporting period.
PUBLIC NOTICE: Public Hearing For Como-Pickton School’s 2021-2022 FIRST Report
Como-Pickton School Board will conduct a public hearing on Monday, December 13, at 6 p.m. in the Como-Pickton Conference Center, 13017 Texas Hwy 11 East, Como, Texas, to discuss results from the 2020-2021 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) report.
2 Men, 2 Women Sentenced This Week In District Court
The four people, two men and two women were sentenced this week in the 8th Judicial District Court on felony offenses, according to court and jail reports.
Janice Leigh Fite arranged to plead “not contest” Nov. 15, 2021, in the 8th Judicial District Court, to one of the four aggravated assault with a deadly weapon cases she faced.
As part of the agreement, the 56-year-old Sulphur Springs woman was placed on 5 years of deferred adjudication probation with several specially negotiated conditions, according to ADA Harris.
One condition requires Fite to vacate her current residence and have no contact with the victim of the case she pled no contest to nor any member of his family or household. That condition covers everybody who the State alleged that she threatened, including in the cases that were dismissed as all of the indictments stemmed from a single incident.
The woman was accused at 1:25 p.m. Sunday Dec. 20, 2020, of telling a man she would kill him, then threatened the man’s wife and their two adult daughters while displaying a handgun and pointing it at the four during a confrontation outside her County Road 4615 residence. She was arrested at 3:15 p.m. Dec. 20, 2020, at the residence on four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She was released from Hopkins County jail Dec. 23, 2020, on $35,000 per charge. She was indicted during the February 2021 Grand Jury session on all four aggravated assault charges.
She arranged to make the plea in court on Nov. 15, 2021, and was sentenced to the 5 years of deferred probation, which requires her to stay away from the individuals she was accused of threatening. If Fite violates the conditions of her probation, she will be facing 2 to 20 years in the penitentiary.
Belinda Jean Nash arranged to plead guilty Nov. 17 on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
The 52-year-old Arlington woman was arrested following a one-vehicle rollover crash on State Highway 11 east Nov. 30, 2019. She allegedly failed to drive the pickup in a single lane, entered a bar ditch and rolled through a fence. She refused medical treatment and displayed indicators of intoxication. She allegedly admitted to consuming two shots of alcohol and smoking marijuana before beginning her trip. She didn’t meet the clues on standard field sobriety tests for being intoxicated. A trooper found a bottle of Jaigermeister, two marijuana roaches, a pipe containing suspected methamphetamine residue and a glass vial containing suspected meth, trooper alleged in the 2019 arrest reports.
Nash was booked into Hopkins County jail Dec. 1, 2019, on a possession of a controlled substance charge, possession of drug paraphernalia, open container and traveling on the wrong side of the road and not passing. She was released later that day on a $10,000 bond on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports. She was indicted in May 2021 on a controlled substance charge.
Deante Shelley Wilson was tried and convicted by a Hopkins County Jury for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle. The 31-year-old Dallas man received a 7 year sentence from the court after a sentencing hearing on Nov. 15, 2021.
Assistant District Attorney Zachary Blackmon tried the case during the guilt/innocence phase of the trial and Assistant District Attorney Matt Harris the sentencing hearing. According to court reports, the defendant exercised his Constitutional right to represent himself in court.
Wilson, who is also noted in jail reports to be known by the alias Deankhte Solamun Bey, was arrested Aug. 19, 2020, after allegedly leading Sulphur Springs Police Officer Cleve Williams on an 8-mile vehicle pursuit on Interstate 30 from the Brashear area to Sulphur Springs. Williams attempted to stop the man for a traffic violation in an SUV. Instead of stopping, he continued from the 114 mile marker to the 122 mile marker, where officials spiked his tires and the SUV stopped at the I-30 exit ramp. He allegedly threw items out the SUV window as he continued on I-30, Williams alleged in the 2020 arrest reports. Wilson He was arrested around 9:45 p.m. Aug. 19, booked into the jail early Aug. 20 and released the next day on a $10,000 bond.
The Hopkins County jury reportedly found Wilson guilty after deliberating for approximately four minutes. According to ADA Harris, in no way meant the jurors did not take their duty seriously. The evidence was “absolutely overwhelming against him.” The entire crime was captured on video, according to Harris.
The prosecutors extend thanks to the jury “for upholding the rule of law in this community.” Harris commended Blackmon for a “fantastic job presenting this case to the jury.”
The Court then sentenced Deante Wilson to 7 years in prison at the conclusion of his sentencing hearing on Nov. 15, 2021, and taken into custody and jailed on the evading arrest conviction.
Phillip Lynn Wilson arranged to plead guilty Nov. 16, 2021 in court on third or more offense driving while intoxicated charge. The 43-year-old Dallas man received 10 years in prison, to be probated for five years. He must have an ignition interlock device on any vehicle that he owns or operates. He too was ordered to undergo a substance-abuse evaluation and follow any treatment recommendations.
Wilson was arrested just before 2 a.m. Feb. 10, 2021, on West Industrial Drive on the DWI charge. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Baumann stopped him on West Industrial Drive for failing to stop at a designated stopping point. He allegedly walked unsteadily, spoke incoherently when Baumann and Deputy Justin Wilkerson (who was assisting, tried to have a conversation with him. Deputies didn’t detect alcohol on the man, but were observed in his vehicle. Based on Wilson’s “erratic behavior and emotions during conversation” the deputies believed the man to possibly be intoxicated and under the influence of of a controlled substance or drug.
He allegedly failed horizontal gaze nystagmus tests and was unable to perform other standard field sobriety tests. He agreed to provide a blood sample for testing; it was taken and the man was jailed on the felony DWI charge, deputies alleged in February 2021 arrest reports.
Phillip Wilson was released from jail May 10, 2021, on a $10,000 bond, on May 10, 2021. He was returned to Hopkins County jail on Oct. 8, 2021, for bond forfeiture on the Feb. 10, 2021, third or more DWI charge, and remained in the county jail until his sentence on the third or more DWI charge on Nov. 16, 2021.
A&M-Commerce Hosts Successful Conference For Texas Association Of Future Educators
COMMERCE, Texas —The Texas A&M University-Commerce campus bustled with aspiring young educators recently when the university hosted more than 600 high school students for the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) Area 11 conference on Nov. 5.
Established in 1984, TAFE is a co-curricular statewide organization that provides students with an opportunity to explore the teaching profession and make informed decisions about pursuing a career in education.
Conference attendees packed the Ferguson Social Sciences Auditorium for a welcome message from A&M-Commerce President Mark Rudin, Provost John Humphries and Dean Kimberly McLeod with the College of Education and Human Services.
McLeod described the event as a great success.
“There is no greater honor than providing support, encouragement and inspiration for the next group of leaders tasked with teaching, growing and training our nation,” McLeod said. “I’m proud to say that A&M-Commerce continues to provide fertile ground to cultivate the next crop of teacher leaders for the state of Texas and beyond.”
Students participated in various competitions and breakout sessions throughout the day in Rayburn Student Center and Sowers Education South. The future college students also attended a session called, “What I Wish I Knew,” where they received advice from a panel of current A&M-Commerce students.
A&M-Commerce began its local TAFE chapter earlier this year under the leadership of Dr. Carol Revelle, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at A&M-Commerce.
Revelle reports that three members of the A&M-Commerce TAFE chapter won two events at the conference and will advance to state competition in March 2022. Chapter President Caitlynn Moniz and Cayce Parris of Saltillo qualified in the children’s literature category. Moniz and Erin Bankston qualified in the educational leadership fundamentals test.
“We were honored to host this conference during our first year as an organization, and we are excitedly preparing our three local TAFE students to attend our first state competition,” Revelle said. “We are eager to demonstrate that education programs at A&M-Commerce train the best teachers in the state of Texas!”
Learn more about TAFE and the organization’s A&M-Commerce chapter.
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About Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University-Commerce serves rural and metropolitan East Texas with a dedicated mission to Educate. Discover. Achieve. With an enrollment of 10,966 students, the university is the third-largest member of The Texas A&M University System. The 2,100-acre Commerce campus provides many opportunities for students to learn and grow. The university offers more than 130 academic degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A vibrant student experience includes a thriving Greek system, over 120 student-led organizations and 14 NCAA Division II athletic teams. The university will join the Southland Conference in July 2022 and begin a transition into NCAA Division I. A&M-Commerce offers classes online and on-site in Commerce, Corsicana, McKinney, Frisco, Mesquite and the newest location at 8750 North Central Expressway in Dallas.
Lady Cats Basketball in First Tournament of Winter Season Today Through Saturday
The Lady Cats basketball team are set and ready for their first tournament of the winter 2021-22 season today when they head Northwest just removed from the Red River to participate in the Bells tourney.
Bells is about 15 miles east of Sherman, TX.
Coach Erica Delley and her squad will be ready for some tournament play starting today, which will continue through Saturday barring wins in the tourney.
Sulphur Springs enters Thursday’s tournament with an 0-3 record, still looking to get their first win after some tough losses to open their season.
The Lady Cats basketball team’s first opponent (of two) on this tourney Thursday game day will be against Howe at 12:45 P.M.
The second match for the women’s varsity team will be North Lamar, where the Lady Cats will be reunited with their former head coach Brittney Tisdell who departed Sulphur Springs for the same head coaching position with the Pantherettes.
The North Lamar-Sulphur Springs tourney contest will be the second and final match on this Thursday game day and will tip-off at 2 P.M.
The Lady Cats will also be in action tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 19.
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.
A “Happy Thanksgiving” Potluck for All at the Seniors Center
On Wednesday November 17, 2021, Karon Weatherman held a Thanksgiving-themed Potluck Lunch at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center. Those who attended the festive event brought a side dish as well as a dessert to add to the spread. From these photos, it looks like everyone was thankful for the good time and great eats at Karon’s holiday event! From the Director and staff of volunteers at the Seniors Center and Meal-a-Day, everyone is wished a plentiful and Happy Thanksgiving!
Cinch United Finals Brings Kids Events, Great Rodeo Talent and NFR Qualifiers
The Cinch United Finals Rodeo, staged each Fall in Sulphur Springs, Texas, represents the 147 rodeos held within the UPRA circuit across 7 states during 2021. Texas rodeo talent makes up a good portion of the Finals qualifiers, and there’s a good many from the local area as well! These men and women qualified to compete in the Cinch UFR by placing well in rodeos held in their hometown or county. They and the other top qualifiers are competing for titles plus cash and prizes of more than $200,000 during the three nights of rodeo action. As a spectator, you will see bareback, steer wrestling, ranch bronc riding, breakaway roping, tie-down roping, saddle bronc, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding events.
Congratulations to the local and area talent who have qualified for the Cinch UFR. They include:
Barrel Racing – Kenzi Pogue of Emory, McKenzie Mayes of Scroggins, and Emily Taylor of Emory.
Breakaway Roping – Kerstin Freeman of Cooper.
Bull Riding – Cameron Foster of Mount Vernon.
Ranch Bronc – Canyon Conley of Ladonia.
Saddle Bronc – Andrew Harris of Commerce.
Steer Wrestling — Garrett Fields of Quitman and Chase Pope of Winnsboro.
Awards will be given out following the Saturday night performance in Sulphur Springs.
Many among top Texas talent coming to the Cinch UFR have rodeo bloodlines. That includes National Finals Rodeo qualifiers Stephenville’s J.J. Hampton in Women’s Breakaway Roping, and her nephew, 26-year-old Marty Yates in Calf Roping, both whom are wrapping up an incredible year.
Marty’s late father, Marty Sr., was a Texas state rodeo champion in high school, and competed for Tarleton State University — which offers a scholarship in his name. Marty’s mother, Angie, also compete in rodeo, as did his late uncle J.W. “Row” Yates, who won the 1994 Texas high school team roping championship with the legendary Trevor Brazile. And Marty’s aunt, J.J. Hampton, has fashioned an incredible career as a 17-time Women’s Professional Rodeo Association champion.
See this rodeo talent and much more this weekend at the UPRA’s annual Cinch Finals Rodeo set to run Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 18-20, at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. The competition starts nightly at 7 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now at the Civic Center box office and Circle E Western Store.
47 Inducted Into Geral Kennedy Chapter Of National Technical Honor Society
Sulphur Springs High School National Technical Honor Society, Geral Kennedy Chapter, recognized 79 students this week during the annual induction ceremony.
2021-2022 SSHS Geral Kennedy Chapter of the National Technical Honor Society along with advisor Debbie Stribling 
Chapter President 
Chapter Secretary 
Chapter Vice-President 
Chapter Treasurer 
Candle Ceremony 
Chapter Advisor Debbie Stribling 
SSHS Director oof College and Career Readiness Jenny Arledge 
Receiving 
Inductees taking the NTHS pledge
Forty-seven new members were inducted into the SSHS Geral Kennedy Chapter of the NTHS, which honors student achievement and leadership, promotes educational excellence, award scholarships, and enhances career opportunities members. Lighting candles to symbolize and describing the importance of these character traits were NTHS President Cable Glenn, Vice President Emily Dick, Secretary Litzy Chacon and Treasurer Jessica Yanez.
Individuals under consideration as candidates for NTHS regularly exhibit the characteristics which have been observed by his/her instructor(s) including:
- a desire to pursue a career in his/her course of study,
- scholastic achievement,
- honesty,
- dependability,
- responsibility,
- high quality task performance and pride in work performed,
- cooperation and ability to work well with others,
- interest in learning,
- initiative,
- leadership, and
- citizenship.
The applicant must be classified as a junior or senior with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5. The candidate must have been enrolled and/or have completed a minimum of three Career & Technical Education courses, and be a current member of a Career & Technical Student Organization, NTHS Advisor Debbie Stribling noted.
Inducted into the SSHS Geral Kennedy Chapter of NTHS on Nov. 15, 2021, were:
- Jayla Abron
- Carolos Alba
- Lithzy Alvarez
- Jack Bain
- Brylee Brock
- Mattie Bridges
- Luke Caton
- Matthew Clarke
- Alexander Cooper
- Catherine De La Rosa
- Daniel Elam
- Andres Flores
- Jonah Foster
- Kinley Friddle
- Colbie Glenn
- Martha Gonzalez
- Makayla Grinnan
- Cole Haney
- Jadyn Harper
- Zoe Haywood
- Laney Hurst
- Jillian Jumper
- Chloe Kerns
- Mali Maeker
- Kamilah Martinez
- Trentin McKinney
- Mykylie Meador
- Kirsten Miesse
- Matthew Mitchell
- Natalie Negrete
- Lausen Ost
- Ella Ray
- Alfredo Renteria
- Jose Manuel Rodriguez
- Mattye Schmidt
- Brooklynn Shackelford
- Brooklynn Shelton
- Imani Smith
- Robert Lynn Smith III
- Emily Soto
- Rebekah Stanley
- Isabelle Thesing
- Briley Vie
- Addisyn Wall
- Merrin Williams
- Olivia Worth
- Khira Young
Organization President Glenn lead the new inductees in the pledge of membership to the National Technical Honor Society.
Returning members recognized by SSHS Director of College and Career Readiness Jenny Arledge for continued achievement and leadership, and educational excellence included:
- Alaisha Alvarado
- Emily Atkinson
- Beau Bankston
- Alex Botello
- Bailee Burnett
- Claire Bybee
- Addison Caddell
- Litzy Chacon
- Fernando Chimal
- Emily Dick
- Alex Flecker
- Jaslyn Galvan
- Priscilla Gaspar
- Cable Glenn
- Mayra Gudino
- Peyton Hammack
- Juan Hernandez
- Baylie Large
- Madison Martin
- Carter Owen
- Macy Pepys
- Ashley Rodriguez
- Aidyn Rogers
- Paige Seagraves
- Jacob Semler
- Kaitlyn Tiemeyer
- Michelle Tijerin
- Jadyn Van Winkle
- Joel Villarino
- Tyler Warner
- Jessica Yanez
- Emily Zarco
Afterward, Community members were invited to enjoy juice and cookies courtesy of SSHS Culinary Arts students and senior National Honor Society members.
