A Call To Action: Local Farms Need COVID-19 Relief, Need Your Support
In a phone call received from Stacy Finley, Director of Winnsboro Parks and Recreation, KSST was informed of a Call to Action in support of a bill going from the House of Representatives to the US Senate within the near future. The bill, currently HR 8096, was introduced in an effort to help small and mid-scale farms, black, indigenous and persons of color producers, farmers markets and local food businesses to cope with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With enough support, the bill would become the Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act, to help provide relief funds for small farmers within the next Stimulus Package. Persons living in the NE Texas area and across the State of Texas are urged to show support for the bill by contacting the Senators which represent their area.
Part of Stacy’s job is to operate and maintain a weekly Farmer’s Market in downtown Winnsboro, and this Spring and Summer it has ballooned into a very well attended market. this As a farmer herself and a member of the small-farm community in Wood, Franklin and Hopkins Counties, her interest in helping farmers extends beyond the weekly downtown market. According to Stacy, ‘there are strides being made to look out for small farms during this pandemic, and a quick phone call from each of us could really help secure relief to be set aside for local producers. These type of calls, like our votes, can truly make a difference! The Farmers Market Coalition, a national advocate for small producers like many of us, has sent a sample message that you can leave for our Texas Senators, urging them to support small farms.” Stacy forwarded a Call to Action which might help the plight of small farms during the COVID-19 pandemic, if legislators can hear the voice of voters. The Call to Action is reproduced below, as well as a link to reach your two U.S. Senators by phone. Included also is a script to make your phone call or recorded message simple and straightforward. The script could also be used as a basis for an e-mail to your Senator’s office.
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| CALL TO ACTION: Local Farms Need COVID-19 Relief The majority of farmers selling local foods have suffered severe market disruptions due to COVID-19. U.S. Representative Alma Adams (NC-12) introduced the Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act (HR 8096) in the House of Representatives. The bill is a comprehensive approach to help small and mid-scale farms, farmers markets, and local food businesses cope with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act would:Create a COVID-19 relief payment program for farmers, who sell in local and regional markets, based on their lost revenue. Ensure Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) producers and low-income communities of color receive equitable access to COVID-19 relief programs.Provide emergency response grants for farmers markets and local food enterprises to implement public health protections and COVID-19-friendly marketing practices.Invest in the restoration and enhancement of local and value-added agriculture markets.Time is running out to get this proposal included in the COVID-19 stimulus package being negotiated in Congress right now. Your voice can make a critical difference and help keep local farms in business. Call your two U.S. senators and urge them to support local food in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill by introducing a Senate version of the Local and Regional Farms and Markets Support Act. Find your senators: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm |
Here is a script you may use (adapt as you like):
“Hello, my name is _________ and I am a constituent and a voter (tell them if you’re a farmer!).
I’m calling to urge you to support small and mid-scale local farms in the next COVID-19 relief package. Three out of four small farms are losing significant income because restaurant, farmers market, and agritourism sales have shrunk due to the pandemic. Many local farms in our community will be out of business by the end of the year if they don’t get targeted relief in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill.
Current USDA programs pay local farmers just pennies per pound on the crops they produce, which doesn’t come close to the losses local farms are suffering. The Local and Regional Farms and Markets Support Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives as House Bill 8096. Please introduce a Senate companion to House Bill 8096 so our local farms can receive the support that meets their needs in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill.
Thank you for your time.”
If your call is routed to an answering machine, please leave a message. It will make a difference!
3 Students, 1 Bus Driver At SSISD Have Tested Positive For COVID-19; Case Counts For County Schools Reported
Sulphur Springs Independent School District on Tuesday reported one additional student and a bus driver have tested positive for COVID-19. Updated information regarding cases counts of novel coronavirus 2019 for other county schools and Yantis are also being posted or sent out to parents.
Sulphur Springs ISD: 3 Student Cases
Sulphur Springs ISD sends notices via Blackboard alert system to families who have children in or work on a district campus where a positive COVID-19 case has been reported to officials.
On Tuesday, SSISD notified families and school employees that a second student from Bowie Primary has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Sulphur Springs ISD Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams. On Friday, Williams reported a student who was lab- confirmed to have COVID-19 was reportedly present on the Bowie Primary campus on Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 1-3. On Tuesday, Williams reported another Bowie student who was on campus Sept. 1, 2 and 4 has also tested positive for COVID-19
One other SSISD student, one who attends high school, had been lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 on Friday. The student was reported to have been present on the Sulphur Springs High School campus on Tuesday-Wednesday, Sept. 1-2.
Williams also Tuesday notified families that a SSISD bus driver who has been lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 was present on an SSISD bus the week of Sept. 1-4, 2020.
Williams noted that district personnel and local health department have begun a case investigation and will contact any individuals determined to be in “close contact” with infected individuals. All students and staff who came into close contact with the COVID-19 positive bus driver or students will be directly notified as soon as possible. Those who were in close contact will remain off campus for up to 14 days to ensure they do not have the virus, to help prevent any further spread of the virus.
The district has had other employees who have had COVID-19 over the summer, but almost all have recovered and are able to be at work.
Sulphur Bluff ISD: 6 Student Cases
Sulphur Bluff ISD has posted four notices since school began of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students. Overall, the district has had 6 students who tested positive with COVID-19, including three with active cases and three who have recovered, according to a Sept. 8 report posted by the district. the district has had no employees test positive as of Tuesday.
One students was reported Monday, Aug. 24 to have tested positive for the virus. That student was last on campus Friday, Aug. 21.
SBISD received notification on Aug. 26 of the positive tests for a household. Students were last present on our campus Friday, Aug. 21, and Monday morning, Aug. 24.
District officials on Sept. 1 reported receiving notification Aug. 30, of the positive tests for a student who was last present on our campus Friday, Aug. 28.
On Thursday, Sept. 3, SBISD Superintendent Dustin Carr reported district officials received notification late Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 2, of positive tests for two students. One student had been in quarantine and one was last present on our campus Monday, Aug. 31.
COVID-19 updates for SBISD are available at the bottom of the district website by clicking “Full Article” under the “Notification of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus” heading.
Como-Pickton CISD: 15 Student Cases, 1 Staff Case
Como-Pickton CISD has also adopted a form which is updated as new case information is received. As Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 8, CPCISD had received reports of 16 COVID cases so far. That includes 9 students who currently have coronavirus, and 6 students and 1 staff member who have all recovered from COVID-19 since the start of the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 10, according to the school report.
Cumby ISD: 2 Student Cases
Cumby ISD has reported only 2 student cases of COVID-19, one high school student a couple of days prior to the start of classes and one high school student after.
Miller Grove ISD: 3 Student Cases
Miller Grove on Sept. 1 gave an update for August COVID-19 case counts for the district. The district had been notified of 3 MGISD students testing positive for COVID-19. One of the students was already in quarantine before diagnosis. A second student had not been at school since exposure. The third student was at school, but did not exhibit any symptoms while on campus, Superintendent Steve Johnson reported.
North Hopkins ISD: 1 Student Case
North Hopkins ISD on Sept. 5 reported a junior high student had been lab-confirmed to have COVID-19. The student was last reported to have been on campus on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Saltillo ISD: 1 Student Case, 1 Employee Case
Saltillo ISD has reported two cumulative COVID-19 cases this fall. The district superintendent on Aug. 26 reported one student was lab-confirmed to have COVID-19; the student was last on the campus on Aug. 24. Others determined to be in “close contact” with the students were notified Aug. 25.
Saltillo ISD was notified on Aug. 12, that a district employee tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked on the Saltillo ISD campus on Aug. 6.
Yantis ISD: 1 Staff Case
On Aug. 30, Yantis ISD in nearby Wood County also reported that one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19. That individual had not been on campus since Aug. 25.
Parents of any students believed to have been in “close contact” with the staff members during the individuals’ last several days of attendance before diagnosis. Any of those students were sent home to self-quarantine as a precaution, according to the notice posted Aug. 30 by Superintendent Tracey Helfferich.
Hopkins County Sept. 8 COVID-19 Case Counts: 5 Recoveries, 48 Active Cases
Hopkins County/Sulphur Springs Emergency Management officials Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 8, reported 5 Hopkins County residents have recovered from COVID-19, increasing the overall number of recoveries to 207 and leaving 48 active cases.
There were no new positive COVID-19 cases reported for Hopkins County in the last 24-hours, so the cumulative count of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases reported since March remains 255.
For the second day in a row, CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs had four patients in the COVID-19 unit.
On Sept. 7, there were 58 molecular COVID-19 tests conducted for free at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. Free testing will continue to be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9 and Sept. 11-12 at the Civic Center. Anyone can be tested, regardless of age, city or county or residence or symptoms, provided they register online at GoGetTested.com.
Texas Department of State Health Services at 4:55 p.m. Sept. 8 had not assigned any new deaths to Hopkins County on the agency’s COVID-19 case counts dashboard, so the total stands at 8 deaths from COVID-19. According to the DSHS County Case Counts report, two Hopkins County residents died Aug. 17 from COVID-19. One additional fatality was reported on each of the following days: July 17, July 23, Aug. 2, Aug. 4, Aug. 7 and Aug. 28
Texas Health and Human Services reports showed no active cases among either staff or residents at assisted living facilities in Hopkins County as of Aug. 25. All 11 previously reported cases, 4 employees and 7 residents, are recoveries, according to the Sept. 8 HHS report.
A Sulphur Springs nursing home did report two active COVID-19 cases among employees as of the Aug. 25 report; no positive COVID-19 cases were reported among residents of the facility at that time, however. The nursing facility is the second in Sulphur Springs since March to report any cases, employee or resident, at the facility; the three employees at the first facility had all recovered from coronavirus, according to the HHS nursing home report.
Reports for nursing homes and assisted living facilities are typically 2 weeks behind the current date, due to steps in the verification and reporting process.
There were no active cases of COVID-19 reported at Hopkins County child care centers as of Sept. 7, according to the HHS report.
Wildcats Team Tennis Squad Opens 2020 Season With Forfeit Win Over Mount Pleasant
The Wildcats Team Tennis squad was supposed to open the regular season Tuesday afternoon (September 8) with a district match against Mount Pleasant at the Wildcat Tennis Center. However, prior to the match, Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez learned that Mount Pleasant has been unable to get a team together and they had to forfeit the Tuesday match. The same thing happened last season. The Wildcats are now 1-0 in district play and 1-0 for the season. Now their first on court action is scheduled to be at a non-district match in Greenville on Friday starting at 4 p.m. Then the Wildcats resume district action next Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Texarkana against always strong Texas High.
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.
Wildcats Football Offensive Coordinator Discusses Goals Before Mount Pleasant Scrimmage
Wildcats Football Offensive Coordinator Matt Young has his list of things he would like to see the offensive achieve by the time they meet Mount Pleasant in their one and only scrimmage on Thursday, September 17 at Gerald Prim Stadium. First, Coach Young says he wants to make sure the offense keeps their energy level up. He notes players have been involved in football since the first day of The Edge back on June 8. Secondly, Coach Young says he wants the execution level to remain high. He says the players have to do things the right way. Third, Coach Young wants the offense to be physical. That’s one thing players have not been able to do so far this season since there have been rules against contact. That is expected to change Saturday. Even through the Wildcats can put on pads Wednesday, the UIL does not allow hard contact for several days after that. In assessing the 2020 Wildcats’ offense, Coach Young says they have a strong leadership group and have shown they are committed. He says the participation rate since the start of The Edge has been at about 85%. He says they have shown up and it has made them better. Coach Young says he expects the offensive line to be a strong part of the leadership group due to quite a bit of experience there. He also notes the Wildcats return a three year starter at running back in senior Caden Davis. Coach Young says the key is good work up front that will allow Davis to do what he does. He says everyone’s role is important on the offense. The Wildcats also have returning starting quarterback senior Kaden Wallace. Coach Young says Wallace is so much more comfortable now than he was last year. He says the difference is night and day. Coach Young says he is excited to see what Wallace can do under the Friday Night Lights this season. Coach Young also likes the makeup of his offensive assistant coaching staff. Former Lindale Head Coach Mike Meador is quarterback coach. Former Oklahoma State offensive lineman Jeremy Offutt is offensive lineman coach. Former Wildcat wide receiver Shane McQueen works with the receivers. Coach Young calls Assistant Coach Casey Jeter an energy guy who has a complicated job coaching B-backs, since they have to learn both blocking and receiving schemes. Coach Young is the running backs coach.
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.
Paris Junior College Welcomes Students
The PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus opened Tuesday for the beginning of the fall semester. Students are required to wear masks and are screened daily prior to entering campus. Social distancing of at least six feet from other individuals is being practiced at all stations and in classrooms.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
First Day at Paris Junior College
FIRST DAY
Students and faculty wore masks and complied with social distancing requirements as the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center campus opened Tuesday to begin its fall 2020 semester. Above, campus Director Rob Stanley, standing at right, visited English Instructor Ken Haley’s class to welcome Haley and his students to campus. All classrooms have been reduced in capacity to comply with CDC requirements. Call the campus at 903-885-1232 for more information.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
Sulphur Springs Man Accused Of Choking A Female
A 42-year-old Sulphur Springs man was accused of choking a female at a residence on Sept. 6, according to arrest reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Communications Operators dispatched Deputies Drew Fisher and Justin Wilkerson, along with Sgt. Tanner Steward, at 10:19 p.m. Sept. 6 to a County Road 1174 residence, where residents were reported to be embroiled in a physical altercation.
Upon arrival, Fisher reported seeing a female crying while seated in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. A male at the residence was alleged to have assaulted her.
Fisher contacted the man standing in a residence doorway and asked him to step out and talk with him. He responded by slamming the door. Fisher approached the door and again asked the man to step out to talk to him regarding the alleged assault. The man asked if the deputies had a warrant. Fisher explained that he did not need one due to the ongoing assault.
Sgt. Steward then arrived. The man, identified in arrest reports as Matthew James Conley, opened the door and talked with Steward, while Fisher talked with the female.
Deputies determined, based on information gleaned, that Conley choked the woman. Conley allegedly became very argumentative and physically resisted deputies, after being detained at 10:44 p.m. for assault. Deputies reported forcing Conley to a patrol vehicle and into the backseat. Steward transported Conley to jail, where he was booked for family violence assault impeding breathing or circulation.
Conley remained in Hopkins County jail Tuesday morning, Sept. 8. Bond on the felony charge was set at $20,000.
Sunday, Sept. 6, was not the first time time Conley has been jailed in Hopkins County on assault charges, according to jail reports. He was also jailed in Hopkins County for assault causing bodily injury on Oct. 27, 1995 and Jan. 30, 1996; injury to a child on July 3, 1996; family violence assault causing bodily injury on Nov. 1, 2004, and Nov. 1, 2013, according to jail records.
Sunday was the second time in the last month that Conley has been booked into Hopkins County jail; he was also arrested Aug. 16, 2020, for driving while license invalid.
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.
Firearms, Suspected Black Tar Heroin, Cocaine Found During Interstate 30 Traffic Stop
Sep 8, 2020 – Firearms and suspected black tar heroin and cocaine were allegedly found during an Interstate 30 traffic stop early Tuesday morning, resulting in a Dallas man’s arrest on three felony charges, according to arrest reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Scott Davis at 1:21 a.m. Sept. 8 spotted a tan Chevrolet Tahoe, which fit the description of a vehicle called in to 911 dispatchers as possibly being driven by a drunk driver on I-30 east near mile marker 120. Davis reported the sport utility vehicle was not being driven in a single lane when he noticed it. The SUV drifted onto the shoulder, then was driven halfway between both lanes of travel, so he stopped it at mile marker 121.
Upon contact with the driver, Davis reported the man appeared to be “highly nervous,” to the point his hands trembled. He also spoke as if rambling, Davis wrote in arrest reports. The driver, identified in reports as 28-year-old Charles Edwin Brooks II of Dallas, reportedly admitted to being a convicted felon and that he had firearms in the vehicle. When asked if he had any illegal narcotics in the vehicle, the Dallas man denied having any, and claimed to be nervous because of firearms in the SUV. He also had a dog and cat in the vehicle with him.
Davis had Brooks step out of the vehicle with the cat while he searched the SUV. Davis reported seeing an open prescription bottle with no label that contained what appeared to be xanax pills.
HCSO Deputy Colt Patterson arrived to assist Davis with the vehicle search. Found in the passenger’s seat were a black bank bag and hard glasses case alleged to contain multiple used syringes, a black tar-like substance believed to be heroin and a small bag containing a white, powdery substance suspected to be cocaine, a belt of the kind used as a tourniquet and multiple other items containing residue of suspected black tar heroin. A rifle and pistol were reportedly found on the back floorboard. A large amount of jewelry was also allegedly strewn throughout the vehicle.
Due to the circumstances and Brooks’ criminal history, the vehicle was taken to the sheriff’s office sally port, awaiting contact with the man’s sister to confirm the items were not stolen. Brooks was taken into custody at 1:36 a.m. and booked into Hopkins County jail just before 4 a.m. Sept. 8 on an unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon charge and two possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charges, according to arrest reports. The dog and cat were turned over to Sulphur Springs Animal Rescue.
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.
3 New Cases, 53 Active Cases Of COVID-19 As Of Sept. 7 For Hopkins County
Hopkins County Emergency Management officials reported three additional Hopkins County residents received positive COVID-19 test results, which bumps the number of active cases to 53 and cumulative cases since March to 255, as of Labor Day.
COVID-19 updates are no longer being provided on weekends, just Monday-Friday. Thus, any new case or recovery reported on Mondays are the total of any reports received since the Friday afternoon report.
Sept. 7 was the sixth consecutive day officials reported no recoveries. That leaves the overall number of Hopkins County resident who have recovered from novel coronavirus 2019 from midMarch through Sept. 7 at 202. HCEM officials reported.
There were four patients in the COVID-19 unit at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs on Labor Day, the same as on Sept. 2 but one more than was reported on Sept. 4 by the HCEM officials.
The local emergency management officials Monday also announced that free COVID-19 testing had resumed at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center Monday. The free testing will continue to be offered from 9 to 5 p.m. daily through Wednesday, then, will be offered again Sept. 11-12. There are no requirements for testing, but those who plan to be tested should register online at GoGetTested.com.
Also, Texas Department of State Health Services had assigned no new COVID-19 deaths to Hopkins County as of the agency’s last report at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7. So the Hopkins county COVID-19 fatality total is still 8.
All 7 of the residents at Wesley House who tested positive for COVID-19 had recovered as of Aug. 21, as had the 4 employees who tested positive, according to Texas Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 Self Reported Case Count report for Assisted Living Facilities.
There were no active COVID-19 cases reported by HHS for Sulphur Springs nursing homes on Aug. 21 nor for child care centers as of Sept. 3, the most current reports for each.
