Miller Grove FFA Monthly Spotlight
Miller Grove FFA students have been busy this Fall with welding, livestock and floral projects, Jackpot Show plans, Leadership competitions and community service.
Spotlight photos and reports by MGHS Ag Sciences Advisor Kristin Fortenberry
Sights And Sounds Of The Season Are Focus Of Sulphur Springs ISD Fine Arts Students
Sulphur Springs ISD Fine Arts students over the next two weeks will provide holiday cheers as the program launches its annual Sights And Sounds of the Season tour across district campuses, including a number of night performances so they can share holiday cheer with the community as well.
Some, like the Jazz Band, started their season early with a concert during Heritage in the Park. Students also performed during the 15th Annual Lions Club Lighted Christmas Parade. And, the Wildcat Jazz Band will play next in the lobby of Alliance Bank – be there at 11 a.m. Dec. 7 to hear some holiday jazz tunes from our local students.
The schedule of upcoming Sights and Sounds of the Season programs, released by Sulphur Springs ISD Fine Arts Coordinator Cindy Welch, and additional programs provided by SSISD instructors are shown below. (For a full schedule of performances by the Jazz bands, click here.)
First Known Case Of COVID-19 Omicron Variant In Texas Identified In Harris County
The first known Texas case of the COVID-19 B.1.1.529 variant has been identified in a resident of Harris County. The adult female resident was recently diagnosed with COVID-19. Results of genetic sequencing this week showed that the infection was caused by the Omicron variant strain. The case is being investigated by Harris County Public Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“It’s normal for viruses to mutate, and given how quickly Omicron spread in southern Africa, we’re not surprised that it showed up here,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “Getting vaccinated and continuing to use prevention strategies, including wearing a mask when you are around people you don’t live with, social distancing, handwashing and getting tested when you have symptoms, will help slow the spread of the virus and help end the pandemic.”
The B.1.1.529 variant was identified in South Africa last month and appears to spread more easily from person to person than most strains of the coronavirus. Currently, it is unclear if the Omicron variant is associated with more severe disease. Studies have commenced to determine how effective vaccines are expected to be against infection. However, vaccination is expected to continue to offer protection against hospitalization and death. Omicron is thought to be responsible for a small proportion of the current COVID-19 cases in Texas and the United States.
Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness and death from COVID-19 the DSHS report states. Everyone 5 years and older is eligible for vaccination, and everyone 18 years and older should get a booster shot when they are eligible. The latest on COVID-19 in Texas is available at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus, including daily case data and information on testing and vaccination.
Most local pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots, for eligible individuals; contact your pharmacist for additional information.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs offers a COVID Vaccine Clinic every Friday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the main lobby of the hospital until further notice, with the exception of Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31). The available vaccines include Moderna (2-doses, ages 18 and older) and Pfizer (2-doses, ages 12 and older) and Johnson & Johnson (1-dose, ages 18 and older). This includes all three brands of boosters for fully vaccinated people. Appointments are not required, but a parent or guardian must accompany anyone 17 and younger.
Chicago Man, Garland Woman Caught In A Stolen Car
A 21-year-old Chicago, Illinois man and 18-yarold Garland, Texas woman were caught in a stolen car Sunday night, according to arrest reports,.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Thomas Patterson reported stopping a Cadillac DTS shown in a records check at at 6:12 p.m. Dec. 5, 2021 to have been reported stolen in Garland. at mile marker 128 on Interstate 30 east. He took both the driver, Allen Bernard Griffin IV, and passenger, Jessica Marie Holmes, into custody at 6:47 p.m. Dec. 5 on one charge of felony unauthorized use of a vehicle, the legal charge for vehicle theft.
Holmes w, who jail records show is also known by Jazmine Johnson, found via a records check to be wanted in Dallas County on two warrants for violation of probation, which she was on for theft of property valued at $100 or more but less than $750, according to arrest and jail reports.
Both Griffin and Holmes were released from Hopkins County jail Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, on a $5,000 bond on the stolen vehicle charge. Holmes’ bond was also set at $1,500 per Dallas County charge as well, according to Hopkins County jail reports.
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.
5 SSHS Choir Students Advance To TMEA Area Contest
Middle, High School Choral Music Students To Perform Concert Dec. 7
Sulphur Springs High School Choir students competed at Texas Music Educators Association Pre Area contest on Thursday, December 2, 2021. Five SSHS choir students, two freshmen and three sophomores, advanced to the TMEA Area competition.
Students advancing from Pre-Area to Area include Axel Garcia, Lausen Ost and Colbie Glenn; and freshmen Celeste McCoy and Summer Patterson.
Ten SSHS Choir students qualified for the All Region Choir in October, advancing them to the Pre-Area contest last week. Half of that number have qualified to audition for the Area Choir contest.
“The students will have one final round of auditions on January 8. If they advance, they will make the TMEA All State choir!” said SSHS Choir instructor Beth Cole.
Community members will have an opportunity to hear both SSMS and SSHS Choirs perform during a concert Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, at 6 p.m. in SSHS Auditorium and will feature both the middle school and high school choirs.
Sentence Reached For Cumby Man Accused Of Shooting His Pregnant Wife
A 43-year-old Cumby man accused of shooting his pregnant wife in August has been sentenced as part of a plea agreement, according to prosecutors and court reports.
Jason Cory Sanders has remained in custody at Hopkins County jail since his arrest on Aug. 10, 2021, on a capital murder charge, according to jail reports. He was accused of shooting his wife, who was about 9-weeks pregnant, in the torso with a small caliber firearm during a domestic disturbance late Aug. 9, 2021. Sanders, at the time, allegedly claimed he wielded a firearm in order to fire a shot and scare his wife during a verbal altercation; she was struck by the gunfire, according to a news release from Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office.
EMS reportedly provided medical care and airlifted the woman to a hospital for further treatment of the gunshot wound to the torso, officials reported in August. Jason Sanders was taken into custody early Tuesday morning, Aug. 10, 2021, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon-family violence, Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum reported following Sanders’ arrest.
Sanders also was charged with tampering with physical evidence after a deputy caught him using his phone to delete a message thread on Facebook. He’d asked to be allowed to message his boss. Instead he used it to delete the Facebook thread, Hopkins County sheriff’s deputies alleged in the Aug. 10 arrest report.
Officials were notified the woman and the child she was carrying died in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, 2021. Thus, a warrant was obtained, upping the charge against Jason Sanders from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to capital murder by shooting his pregnant wife, according to sheriff’s reports.
Jason Sanders appeared in the 8th Judicial District Court on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. In exchange for his plea of guilty, the charge was reduced from capital murder to murder of his pregnant wife, and Sanders received a life sentence. According to current standards, Sanders won’t be eligible for parole for at least 30 calendar years. The tampering with evidence charge was dismissed because it was taken into consideration with the murder case, according to prosecutors.
The agreement was reached, prosecutors noted, after the parents of the victim agreed a life sentence would be an acceptable resolution to the case. A plea agreement also saves time and resources that of a long and costly trial process.
“This case was tragic. Two lives were taken in a senseless act of violence. I want to thank the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Ranger for another job well done constructing a case that facilitates this quick resolution. The criminal case may be concluded, but we have family members dealing with a lot of pain and loss. We should keep them in our prayers this holiday season,” District Attorney Will Ramsay said.
Cumby ISD Students Qualify For State TAFE Contest
Over the weekend, Cumby ISD students qualified for the state TAFE (Texas Association of Future Educators) Contest in three different areas.
The Cumby students participated in the 2021 TAFFE Area 6 Conference, hosted at Region 8 Education Service Center on Dec. 3, 2021. At lease five of those students are state qualifiers.
Madison Carson and Shelby Saragosa were recognized for participation in professional development events, Macie Morales in teacher created materials-middle/high school, and Neely Hammond and Savannah Kurn in interactive bulletin board-elementary. These students are all state qualifiers.
The Cumby future educators program was started in a previous school year thanks to a Texas Education Agency Grow Your Own grant, which helps districts “grow their own educators” to keep in the district.
TAFE Area 6 includes school districts in Rains, Wood, Upshur, Harrison, Van Zandt, Smith, Gregg, Rusk, Panola, Henderson, Anderson, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Angelina, San Augustine, Sabine, Lamar, Red River, Bowie, Delta, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Camp, Morris, Cass, and Marion counties.
The Texas Association of Future Educators or TAFE (pronounced “taffy”) is a co-curricular statewide non-profit (501c3) student organization created to allow young men and women an opportunity to explore the teaching profession. The organization was created in 1984 to provide the best and brightest high school and middle school students in Texas with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about pursuing careers in education.
TAFE is sponsored by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and is governed by a board of directors comprised of teachers, students and principals.
TAFE is one of the nine Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) recognized by the Texas Education Agency. TAFE is the newest CTSO recognized in Texas. This recognition has not been granted to a student organization in Texas in the past 20 years, according to the TAFE website.
Wildcats Basketball Goes 3-2 in Mansfield Tournament
The Wildcats basketball team had a solid outing Mansfield, going 3-2 over three days in the tournament from Thursday through Saturday Dec. 3-5.
Sulphur Springs went 1-1 on Thursday, Dec. 3, losing their first game in Mansfield to 6A Atascocita but rebounded by getting a big win over Arlington’s Seguin High School.
Friday the team got two more wins, first in a rout of the Wilson Wildcats 80-56 then against College Station’s A&M Consolidated HS 68-59.
Saturday did not go as planned as the men’s basketball team lost to Frisco’s Liberty High School 70-57 to wrap up their participation in the tournament.
Coach Brandon Shaver’s squad went 3-2 against a lot of tough 5A Division I and II schools plus some 6A talent. The outing puts the Wildcats basketball team’s season record at 9-2.
Next up, Sulphur Springs will be back at home on Tuesday, Dec. 7 when they host Royse City. That match is set to tip off around 7:45 P.M.
The men’s basketball team non-district match-up with the Bulldogs will be broadcasted in to KSST 1230 AM.
If given permission, we will also broadcast that game on to KSST Radio’s YouTube channel.
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.
Bond Set For Love’s Armed Robbery Suspects
Bond has been set at $100,000 each for the two suspects arrested Friday night for the armed robbery at Love’s Travel Center in Sulphur Springs Friday morning, according to Hopkins County jail reports.
The arrest followed an anonymous tip made to Sulphur Springs Police Department that a vehicle spotted in Commerce matched the description of the suspect vehicle. Commerce officers checked the location and identified a person at the location, then notified SSPD Detective Jason Reneau of their findings, SSPD Chief Jason Ricketson reported Monday morning.
A witness at Love’s Travel Stop reportedly identified the individuals Commerce contacted as the person who committed the robbery at Love’s Travel Stop at 9:33 a.m. Dec. 3, 2021. Reneau obtained an arrest warrant for the individual. SSPD and Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office detectives accompanied Commerce Police Department to the address in Commerce, where they arrested suspected Charles Orrin Lee Nash as well as Cass Hunter Sullivan, police noted in a media release Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, about the robbery.
According to arrest reports, the wo men were read their rights and taken into custody at 5:31 p.m. Dec. 3, 2021, and transported to Hopkins County jail. Sullivan, a 22-year-old Caddo Mills man, allegedly admitted to being the driver of the pickup involved in the robbery. He and 18-year-old Nash of Sulphur Springs were both booked into Hopkins County jail shortly after 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 on a first-degree felony aggravated robbery charge, according to arrest reports.
Nash is accused of displaying a black pistol during the robbery at Love’s at 9:33 a.m. Dec. 3, 2021. He allegedly left the store with approximately 35 cartons of cigarettes and was picked up in a reddish maroon colored Chevrolet Colorado pickup driven by Sullivan. The truck fled west onto Interstate 30.
Although SSPD and HCSO searched the area immediately following the robbery, they were unable to locate the suspect vehicle at that time. Officials in surrounding counties were also alerted regarding the vehicle and suspect descriptions in the Dec. 3 Love’s robbery.
SSPD and HCSO officers and detectives continued investigating the robbery and searching through Friday evening for the robbery suspects. Police by midday Friday had obtained and released surveillance images of both the suspect and truck he was reported to have left Love’s in. Authorities also at that time asked anyone who might have information concerning the Dec. 3 Love’s robbery to relay tips to the lead detective for the case at SSPD or or Lake Country Crime Stoppers. One tip resulted in location of a suspect and warrant, which was served Friday evening, with both the alleged robber and accomplice who drove the truck he fled in in custody.
At 8 p.m. Friday, SSPD Chief Jason Ricketson confirmed two suspects were in custody in connection with the Friday morning aggravated robbery at Love’s Travel Center.
Both Nash and Sullivan remained in Hopkins County jail Monday morning, Dec. 6, 2021, in lieu of the $100,000 bond set on the first degree felony aggravated robbery charge, according to jail reports.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
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.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report – Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2021
Winnsboro Police Department provided the following media report for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2021:
Arrests
- Lynn Taylor, 33 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Nov. 28, 2021, for terroristic threat of a family member or household member.
- Justin Gillis, 34 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Nov. 30, 2021, on multiple Winnsboro Municipal Court warrants for driving while license invalid.
Calls for Service
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 125 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 25 citations and 28 warnings during this reporting period.
