23 SSHS Students Advancing To Virtual State BPA Contest
Twenty-eight members of the Sulphur Springs High School Business Professionals of America competed virtually in the Regional BPA Competition on January 16, at the high school, with 23 advancing to the virtual State BPA Competition to be conducted March 3-6. Six students placed as state alternates and one team placed fifth. Every student who competed placed in their event, according to Jenny Arledge, SSHS Director of College & Career Readiness, and Career & Technical Education noted.
Students who qualified for the State BPA contest and their rank include:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley | Alba | Advanced Interview Skills – Associate | 1 |
| Emily | Atkinson | Admin Support Research – Indiv | 2 |
| Jack | Bain | Legal Office Procedures | 3 |
| Cameron | Beard | Banking and Finance | 2 |
| Jacob | Beggs | PC Servicing & Troubleshooting | 1 |
| Mika | Boren | Basic Office Procedures | 2 |
| Talley | Brown | Interview Skills | 1 |
| James | Goggans | Business Law & Ethics | 1 |
| Kenia | Herrera | Graphic Design Promotion | 2 |
| Ashland | Hooten | Prepared Speech | 1 |
| Kelsea | Meadows | Digital Media Production | 1 |
| Ryan | Mitchell | Computer Network Technology | 1 |
| Jaqueline | Monroy | Health Administration Procedures | 5 (Promoted) |
| Katlyn | Noe | Banking & Finance | 4 |
| Makayla | Pullen | Admin Support Research – Ind | 1 |
| Kinslei | Smallwood | Small Business Mgt | 5 |
| Jacob | Semler | Intermediate Word Processing | 1 |
| Jessica | Snyder | Adv Spreadsheet Applications | 1 |
| Daniel | Soto | Payroll Accounting | 2 |
| Perla | Tinajero | Interview Skills | 2 |
| Peyton | Willis | Basic Office Procedures | 3 |
| Joel | Villarino | Java Programming | 1 |
SSHS students selected as alternates for the State BPA contest include:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Allen | Interview Skills | 3 |
| Padraig | Flannery | Graphic Design Promotion | 3 |
| Norrisa | Lane | Legal Office Procedures | 5 |
| Karen | Martinez | Advanced Interview Skills | 3 |
| Kami | White | Banking & Finance | 6 |
| Macey | Williams | Basic Office Systems | 5 |
Team competitors recognized at the Regional BPA Contest included:
| First Name | Last Name | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Allen | Small Business Mgt | 5th |
| Kinslei | Smallwood | Small Business Mgt | 5th |
Arledge encourages the community to join her in commending these students and sponsors Lynn Smith, Heath Robinson and Jordan Owens for doing “an amazing job.”
Alliance Bank To Make Substantial Organizational Changes
Sulphur Springs, Texas – January 19, 2021 – Alliance Bank plans to make substantial organizational changes, according to an announcement made on behalf of the Board of Directors-Alliance Bank/Alliance BancShares, Inc.
Tom Sellers is to assume the role of Chairman of the Board and remain Chief Executive Officer for Alliance Bank/Alliance BancShares, Inc. James Law will assume the role of President of Alliance Bank and remain Chief Financial Officer for Alliance Bank and its holdings.
“Tom Sellers has overseen unprecedented growth and stability over the last 22 years in his role as President/CEO,” stated Alec Bridges, outgoing Chairman of the Board-Alliance BancShare, Inc.
“His leadership has been instrumental in Alliance Bank’s unparalleled dominance in our markets and continues to show exceptional leadership even under the most trying market conditions,” continued Bridges. “We expect Tom’s new role as Chairman of The Board to be a seamless transition of that continued thoughtful leadership. I can’t imagine a more suited person to assume this role, which I have personally held for 22 years.”
Sellers has positioned the bank for continued success with several key people assuming pivotal roles within Alliance Bank, and James Law has accepted the everyday role of President for Alliance Bank, in addition to his existing role as Chief Financial Officer, Bridges stated.
“James Law is by any measure an outstanding Chief Financial Officer and has through his expertise positioned Alliance Bank for continued tremendous growth and expansion over his 22 years in that role,” stated Bridges. “Alliance Bank and it’s holdings have enjoyed a very solid financial foundation, in no small part due to James Law’s guidance as CFO. We are very excited that he has accepted the additional role as President and expect him to add continued expertise in his new role as President/Chief Financial Officer.”
Alliance Bank Biographical Information:
Alliance Bank was established in 1927 with corporate offices in Sulphur Springs, Texas and began serving Greenville and Hunt County in July of 1990. It expanded into Wolfe City and Commerce in August of 1993. In February 1996, the bank purchased Colonial Bank of Greenville and now has (2) branches serving that community. Alliance Bank completed construction of its branch in Rockwall, Texas in October 2005 and now operates (2) branches in Rockwall. In July of 2015, the bank opened a Loan Production Office in McKinney, Texas. In November of 2018, Alliance Bank acquired First National Bank of Mount Vernon and now operates (3) branches in Mt. Vernon and Cypress Springs. Additionally, the Bank owns and operates Galyean Insurance Agency and Alliance Bank’s brokerage company-Alliance Bank Financial Services.
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and are not insured by any financial institution insurance, the FDIC/NCUA or any other government agency, are not deposits or obligations of the financial institution, are not guaranteed by the financial institution, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal. Raymond James is not affiliated with the financial institution or the investment center.
Jan. 19 COVID-19 Update: 1 Fatality, 5 New Cases, 139 Active Cases, 117 Fully Vaccinated In Hopkins County
While one additional Hopkins County COVID-19 fatality was reported by the state on Tuesday, local officials report COVID-19 hospitalizations across the region seem to be stabilizing; and Texas Department of State Health Services reports the same number of new cases on Jan. 19 as on Jan. 18, and 117 people have been fully vaccinated in Hopkins County, according to the DSHS and Hopkins County Jan. 19 COVID-19 updates. Up to 700 more people are expected to receive the first dose of the vaccine by the end of the day Saturday in Hopkins County.
Case Counts
One additional Hopkins County resident was confirmed Jan. 19 to have died for COVID-19, for at total of 85 COVID-19 deaths confirmed by cause on death certificate to have died as a result of COVID-19. The death, according to the DSHS Jan. 19. COVID-19 Fatalities Over Time By County report, occurred on Dec. 29, making three deaths reported on that date. So far, 23 Hopkins County COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed by death certificate and reported by DSHS to have occurred in December 2020. While there have been more than a dozen days on which two fatalities occurred, there have been only three days on which three COVID-19 fatalities occurred in Hopkins County: Oct. 18, Oct. 5 and Sept. 30, according to the Fatalities Over Time By County and County Trends reports.
Five new confirmed cases were reported on Tuesday, one more confirmed case than was reported on Monday, but two less than on Sunday. That makes 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported so far this week, which is 21 less confirmed cases than the first three days of last week and 29 less than the week of Jan. 3-9. Cumulatively, 183 Hopkins County residents have received lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 results from molecular testing this month and 1,305 have had confirmed COVID-19 cases since March 2020, according to the DSHS Ja. 19 COVID-19 Case Counts dashboard.
There were no probable cases reported on Jan. 19, so the total this week remains four. While that’s still two more than this time last week, it’s eight less than the week of Jan. 3-9. So far this month, 96 probable cases have been reported. Since the state began tracking probable cases, that is those of people who have either tested positive through an antigen test or have a combination of symptoms and a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 without a more likely diagnosis, Hopkins County has had 1,213 probable cases.
Cumulatively, that’s 2,518 COVID-19 cases reported to DSHS officials since the pandemic began in March 2020. No new recoveries were reported on either Monday or Tuesday, although there were 80 recoveries on Saturday and 50 on Sunday. So far, that’s 240 recoveries reported during January. Cumulatively, 2,293 of the 2,518 cases have recovered from the virus.
That leaves 139 Hopkins County residents who actively had COVID-19 as of 2:40 p.m. Jan. 18, four more than on Monday, and nine more than on Sunday, but 32 less than on Saturday and 100 less than on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.
Hospital Reports, GA-32 Measures
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials reported 26 patients in the COVID-19 Unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs on Jan. 19, which is two less than on Jan. 14 and three less than on Jan. 15 and Jan. 4, and six less than on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8.
The COVID-19 patient count at CMFH-SS went as high as 33 in the last two weeks, but has remained below 30 for the last week, CMFH-SS CEO Paul Harvey said. Hospital health professionals have been able to appropriately manage COVID and non COVID patients, both critical and normal medical surgical, through the pandemic, to ensure all appropriate procedures needed to manage health conditions are done.
He said there was at least one time recently when all hospitals across Northeast Texas were full, to the point that they were temporarily unable to send patients to Longview, Tyler, Texarkana and Dallas hospitals for more critical care needs. But, he said, the staff were good to manage that.
COVID-19 patient counts have stabilized and appear to be declining a little bit in CHRISTUS facilities across Northeast Texas, specifically in regions F and G. While COVID-19 hospitalizations still account for more than 15 percent of overall hospital capacity, if the current trend continues, those rates could potentially drop below the 15 percent high hospitalization threshold in the next week or two, the hospital officer reported Tuesday afternoon.
In Trauma Service Area F – which covers all of Northeast Texas from Bowie and Cass Counties across to Lamar, Delta and Hopkins Counties – there were 210 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Jan. 18, which is the same as on Jan. 4, 16 less than on Jan. 17, 22 less than on Jan. 16, 31 less than on Jan. 11, but still four more than on Jan. 5, and 46 more than on Dec. 26.
Total staffed hospital beds declined Monday for third consecutive day, from 1,068 on Jan. 15 to 1,058 on Jan. 16, 1,044 on Jan. 17 and 1,011 on Jan. 18. Total hospitalizations across TSA-F declined for the second day in a row, down from 232 on Jan. 16 to 625 on Jan. 17 and 597 on Jan. 18 – the first day since Dec. 27 that there were fewer than 600 hospitalizations across TSA-F. There were fewer staffed inpatients beds for the third consecutive day as well, down from 976 on Jan. 15 to 966 on Jan. 16, 952 on Jan. 17 and 919 on Jan. 18.
Available in TSA-F on Jan. 18 were eight ICU beds, one more than on Jan. 17 and seven more than on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, but two less than on Jan. 16 and four less than on Jan. 14. Seventy-two ventilators were available in TSA-F on Jan. 18, one less than on Jan. 17 and five less than on Jan. 12, but still 13 more than on Jan. 6 and eight more than on Jan. 14.
COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for 20.77 percent of the total hospital capacity in TSA-F on Jan. 18, down from 21. 65 on Jan. 17, 21.93 percent on Jan. 16 and 23.42 percent on Jan. 11.
| TRAUMA SERVICE AREA F | 1/12 | 1/13 | 1/14 | 1/15 | 1/16 | 1/17 | 1/18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Staffed Hospital Beds | 1022 | 1,051 | 1,066 | 1,068 | 1058 | 1,044 | 1,011 |
| Available Hospital Beds | 315 | 310 | 316 | 321 | 308 | 327 | 322 |
| Available ICU Beds | 7 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Available Ventilators | 77 | 74 | 64 | 70 | 70 | 73 | 72 |
| Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Patients in Hospital | 231 | 232 | 220 | 221 | 232 | 226 | 210 |
| Total Hospitalizations | 615 | 649 | 658 | 655 | 658 | 625 | 597 |
| Total Staffed Inpatient Beds | 930 | 959 | 974 | 976 | 966 | 952 | 919 |
| Percent Capacity | 22.6 | 22.07 | 20.64 | 20.69 | 21.93 | 21.65 | 20.77 |
TSA-F has been considered according to GA-32 to have “high hospitalizations” since Dec. 26, and has been on the list for high hospitalizations since Jan. 2, which means certain businesses allowed in October to open with 75 percent capacity are supposed to have reduced capacity back to 50 percent.
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom Tuesday afternoon said he’s talked to some retail and restaurant owners. Many restaurants proprietors said they hadn’t really reached 75 percent capacity since being allowed to do so, so scaling back to 50 percent hasn’t impacted their business as much it has some other businesses. Newsom said reported that the business owners indicated if they stay close to that 50 percent they will be able to stay in operation, but cannot stand reductions of much more than that.
Newsom said that local officials announced the need for reduction and are dependent on the businesses to “do what they’re supposed to do” and self regulate as local officials “don’t have staffing” to regulate them. City and county officials ask businesses to honor that reduction in capacity as applicable to their enterprise as the state has asked them to do. Bars and businesses that serve alcoholic beverages and others that have to have certifications are regulated to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and state agencies.
COVID-19 Vaccines
DSHS’s Jan. 19 COVID-19 Vaccine dashboard showed a total of 1,213 COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Hopkins County as of 11:59 p.m. Jan. 18. That’s 40 more people who have received at least the first dose of the vaccine in Hopkins County. Cumulatively, 117 people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, 22 more than on Jan. 17, and 1,096 had received the first dose of the vaccine on Jan. 18, 12 more than on Jan. 17.
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic-Sulphur Springs received 700 doses of they vaccine Tuesday afternoon Jan. 19. Appointments for the vaccine are being made exclusively via christushealth.org chatbot for individuals who meet 1A (healthcare worker or first responder) and 1B (over 65, or age 16 and up with certain underlying health conditions that place them in the “high risk” category). They are only offered Jan. 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 23 at the clinic at Medical Plaza.
Registration for appointments the vaccine at the clinic opened at 3 p.m. Tuesday for slots open Wednesday evening. All filled up by 3:30 p.m. Registration resumed Wednesday morning for slots available late Wednesday evening and on Saturday, for up to 700. Appointments will continue to be available until all slots are filled. In the event slots open up, they will be made available on the website “virtual assistant” Christy, the yellow chat box, so anyone who has difficulty registering or is told there are no appointments are encouraged by CHRISTUS officials to continue checking back for opening.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs was initially one of three providers allocated vaccine in Week 2 of distribution. However, after a few days, the hospital was removed from the list. The clinic and Brookshire’s Pharmacy remained on it and received doses later. After working with a couple of legislative support staff local authorities were eventually able to get the 400 doses originally allocated for the hospital; all were administered to health care professionals and first responders, including employees at one local nursing home and some local school district nurses. Doses for the nursing care facility (the others did not respond when local officials reached out offering the vaccines) were administered at the facility but tracked through the hospital.
Before the hospital received doses, some CHRISTUS associates received the Pfizer vaccine at another CHRISTUS facility, according to Harvey. Those individuals have already gotten their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, as that dose is due in 21 days, while the Moderna vaccine has one additional week before the second dose is due. Many of those in the first week of COVID-19 vaccine administration in Hopkins County have now also had the second vaccine.
Local doses administered were Moderna vaccine. The clinic distributed all of the first dose to any 1A workers and those meeting the 1B criteria on a Wednesday and Saturday. Among them were some school district employees who met 1B criteria, but it was not offered to other school employees, Harvey noted. Both Brookshire’s and the clinic were allocated additional vaccine to distribute.
Harvey said there are still some 1A employees from the other counties that CMFH-SS serves who have yet to receive the vaccine that are anticipated to be among those receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from the 700 allocated to the clinic this week.
One hundred additional doses of the vaccine are due next week at CHRISTUS’ Sulphur Springs facilities to provide the second dose to 100 more individuals vaccinated there.
Newsom, during a Zoom press conference with local emergency management and hospital officials Tuesday afternoon, said while Hopkins County Emergency Management has no say in the vaccination allocations, distributions and providers (that’s handle strictly by the state), he was able to speak with a state contact. Newsom was told vaccination is allocated “per capita.” Hopkins County, he said is within 1 percent or less of all other counties in the state in vaccine allocations. He praised the local vaccine providers for getting all of the vaccines out as quickly as possible, and noted that Hopkins County is fortunate in receiving vaccines. There are some smaller counties that have not received any vaccines, he noted.
Officials said they have been told a third vaccine is expected to be approved no later than March, and it will only require one shot if it receive approval and is distributed as predicted.
Test Data
A total of 8,261 COVID-19 tests have been conducted at 128-A Jefferson Street since the site opened, including 206 free tests performed from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18, according to the HC/SSEM Jan. 19 COVID-19 update.
Cumulatively since March, 13,153 viral or molecular COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. Since the state began tracking the data, 1,482 antigen tests and 1,751 antibody tests have been conducted in Hopkins County. That makes 16,386 total COVID-19 tests performed in Hopkins County and reported to DSHS.
What Do You Think Of Solar Farms In Hopkins County?
There has been much discussion of the four potential solar farms planned for Hopkins County, but mostly during School Board meetings and at the County level. KSST News would like to know what you think of these projects, by having you vote in our poll below.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Although land owners leasing their land to these huge projects are certainly in favor of the projects, their neighbors are concerned about the projects taking a toll on wildlife, the environment, and our county roads.
Tax implications are not yet known, as each company proposing a project has asked for huge tax breaks on their projects. All of the requests have been granted, but it is still unclear how much additional taxes could be realized if and when any of these projects are built.
Update: Michigan Man Reportedly Struck, Killed By Cumby Police Vehicle On I-30 Service Road
Jan 20, 2021 – A 45 year old Michigan man was struck and killed by a Cumby Police vehicle early this morning near the 114 mile marker on the south Interstate 30 service road.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were notified of the vehicle-pedestrian crash on the south I-30 service road, about 5 miles east of Cumby, at approximately 12:32 a.m. Jan. 20, 2021, according to DPS Sgt. Gregg Williams, Texas Highway Patrol Media Communications.
The tractor trailer the man was driving had broken down on Interstate 30 while it was being worked on. The man, who said to have been dressed in all black clothing, reportedly entered the south service road, walking, He was reported to have stepped out right in front of a Cumby Police vehicle. The officer was reported to be unable to avoid striking the man with his vehicle.
“Preliminary investigation indicates a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was westbound on the service road and struck a pedestrian. The driver of the Chevrolet did not see the pedestrian who was standing in the roadway,” Williams stated in a release about the crash.
The man, identified as 45-year-old Donald Hollan of Westland, Michigan, died at the scene, Williams reported. Local authorities pronounced the man dead at 12:45 a.m. Jan. 20, 2021. The body was sent to the Dallas medical examiner’s office for autopsy, as is standard procedure in fatal crashes.
The driver of the Chevrolet was identified by Williams as 34-year-old Jonathan Painter of Commerce. The Cumby Police officer was reportedly shaken, local authorities reported. The officer was not injured, according to DPS and local officials.
“This crash remains under investigation and no additional information is currently available,” Sgt. Williams reported around 10:15 a.m. Jan. 20.
Annual Chamber Golf Tournament Planned For April 9
By Lezley Brown, President/CEO, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
We’ve been busy here at the Chamber to start the 2021 year! I have a Save the Date for you! Please save the date for our annual Chamber Golf Tournament on Friday, April 9.
Let’s hope for beautiful weather and so much fun!
Ribbon Cuttings
Rythmic Productions Music Studio hosted a ribbon cutting
Rythmic Productions Music Studio hosted a ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, January 12, at noon. The
studio is located at 817 Fisher Street here in Sulphur Springs. Calvin welcomed Chamber guests with a drum
performance and started the 2021 year off right!
Business Highlight
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting a member of the Chamber each week.
Please join me in congratulating our Business of the Week for January 21, iTech Restoration. You can read biographical stories at the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and Instagram page
Wildcats Basketball Team Gets Solid Home District Win Against Marshall, 56-40 Tuesday
The Wildcats Basketball Team outscored the game Marshall Mavericks in every quarter to continue to build a lead in a 56-40 home district win Tuesday night, January 19, in the Main Gym at Sulphur Springs High School.
The Wildcats only led 13-12 after one quarter but were up at the half 26-18 and 38-27 after three quarters. The Wildcats outscored Marshall 18-13 in a fourth quarter that saw Wildcats Coach Clark Cipoletta empty his bench. The Wildcats held Marshall below ten points in both the second and third quarter. Wildcats senior point guard Lamodrick Johnson had a big night scoring 22 points. Senior guard Boo Wilkerson scored 10 points. Sophomore post Kordrick Turner scored 9 points. Junior post Justin Haire had 6 points along with several blocks. Parker Whisenhunt added 5 points and Justin Darrow scored 4 points. Maverick senior point guard Jayson Tuck II led Marshall with 17 points.
The Wildcats are now 5-2 in district play and 12-8 for the season. The Wildcats travel to Pine Tree Friday night for a district game.
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.
Lady Cats Basketball Team Wins Big District Road Game Tuesday At Marshall To Enhance Playoff Chances
When the evening began in District 15-5A on Tuesday, January 19, four different teams were tied with three district losses as they are battling for just three playoff slots. Like musical chairs, one of those teams will have no place to sit when the music stops. The Lady Cats Basketball Team enhanced their playoff chances with a solid 45-27 victory over Marshall on the road Tuesday evening. The Lady Cats jumped out to a 16-7 start after one quarter. The lead grew to 13 points as the Lady Cats were up 24-11 at halftime. After three quarters, the Lady Cats went ahead 37-16. The Lady Cats held on to get the 18 point win at the end. Senior forward Nylah Lindley led the Lady Cats with 21 points. Sophomore Kenzie Willis had 11 points. Senior guard Bre’Asia Ivery scored 9 points, Sophomore guard Addisyn Wall had 3 points. Junior guard Addyson Lamb scored 1 point.
The Lady Cats have been quite impressive of late and they have won six of their last 7 games and 8 of their last 10. The Lady Cats improve to 6-3 in district play and 12-7 for the season. They have three district games to go and two of them are on their home court. The Lady Cats will be back at home on Friday as they play host to Pine Tree.
Saltillo Lions Basketball Team Uses Strong Start To Top Sulphur Bluff, 69-45 Tuesday
The Saltillo Lions Basketball Team, ranked #11 in Class 1A, remained unbeaten in district play as they were strong from the start in a 69-45 win over Sulphur Bluff Tuesday, January 19. The Lions charged out to a 20-14 first quarter advantage, led 42-26 at the half and 57-32 after three quarters. The Bears outscored the Lions 13-12 in the fourth quarter but that was not nearly enough.
The Lions are now 6-0 in district play and 11-7 for the season. Chris Boekhorst led the Lions with 25 points. Andrew Redburn had 21 points. Gunner Tarver scored 12 points. David Whitworth added 9 points. Coy Collins had 2 points. The Lions were an impressive 8 of 9 from the free throw line in the game. The Lions take on Bloomburg Friday.
Wildcats Soccer Team Is Edged 1-0 By Highland Park on the Road Tuesday Night
Wildcats Soccer Coach Alexi Upton said his team lost a tough, hard fought match, 1-0 at Highland Park Tuesday night, January 19. Coach Upton said the Wildcats had a lot of chances but could not finish. He said the Scots got a goal in the second half and the Wildcats could not get one back.
The Wildcats season record is now 5-3-1. The Wildcats play next in the three day Terrell Tiger Winter Classic. On Thursday the Wildcats play Kilgore, on Friday they take on Paris and on Saturday they will meet Sunnyvale. If they take first in their group, the Wildcats would play in a tournament championship game Saturday night.
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.
