First Two Days Prove Slow Start to Early Voting in City Council Election
With 169 votes cast, 94 votes cast Tuesday and 75 votes cast Monday, by city residents registered to vote, the first two days provide a slow start to early voting in the Sulphur Springs City Council election. Places 1, 2, and 3 are on the ballot and each Place has two candidates.
In Place 1, Erica Armstrong is challenging incumbent Craig Johnson. Place 2 incumbent Clay Walker chose not to seek re-election. Vying for Place two are Sara Gibson and Jimmy Lucas. This is Gibson’s first run as a candidate. She has prior experience on a city board and is the daughter of a past councilman and mayor, Bill Watts. Lucas has unsuccessfully sought election to city council before. Place 3 sees incumbent Oscar Aguilar challenged by Norman Sanders.
Early voting continues through May 1st in the second floor Conference Room at City Hall 201 North Davis Street. A handicap ramp and elevator are available to access the voting area. Thursday April 26th the voting place will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. On Wednesday the 25th, Friday the 27, Monday the 30th and Tuesday, May1, early voting times are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Election Day, Saturday May 5th, voting will be between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Although the names of two candidates, who have withdrawn from the race, remain on the ballot, any vote cast for either candidate will not be counted according to a state law passed in the last legislative session.
Nationwide “Dentistry From the Heart” Ministry Coming to Sulphur Springs
Dr. Matthew Johnson and the staff of Summit Dental in Sulphur Springs, Texas is leading a group of nine local dentists and their office staff in a free dental ministry on Friday April 27, 2018. Working in teams, they will be providing as much dental care to persons who sign up for it, as they can in one day’s time. Their work will be mainly in extractions and fillings. Persons in line for the annual free dental program will be shuttled to Summit Dental offices by van from Davis Street Baptist Church. Dozens of people are expected to be served during the 6th annual “Dentistry From the Heart” one-day charity event in Sulphur Springs.
In order to qualify for the free dental services, you must sign up. Sign-ups open at 4pm Thursday April 26 in the Family Life Center/Gym of Davis Street Baptist Church. (Be aware that a line for sign-ups may begin to form earlier in the day on Thursday). Once you complete the sign-up, you will be given an approximate time when you will be seen by a dentist on Friday. You will need to be back at the Davis Street Baptist Church gym early on Friday morning to await your time slot. While you wait, you will have access to restrooms, comfortable seating and snacks. The church family will also take this time to minister to anyone who would like to talk with them.
Dr. Johnson expressed his appreciation for Sulphur Springs, Texas, which he calls “the perfect town in which to live, work and raise a family”. He said he has been blessed since moving here a few years ago. He feels he speaks for his fellow dentists in noting a measure of satisfaction gained from donating his professional skills and services on behalf of the community during the annual Dentistry From the Heart event.
Keller Sentenced to 10 Years for Cattle Theft
Lane Wesley Keller, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for cattle theft and two (2) years state jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle Tuesday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court, according to District Attorney Will Ramsey. In October of last year, Keller, at his attorney’s office, had confessed to investigators his involvement in the theft of cattle in Hopkins County. Keller had taken investigators to the location where the cattle had been loaded into a trailer for transport to Oklahoma to be sold. The UUMV was an ATV used in the theft.
In October, Keller and another man had secretly fed cattle for a period of time and were able to load 12 head into trailers using the feed. They then sold the cattle in Oklahoma according to Southwest Cattlemen’s Association Special Ranger Tony Hurley. Hurley and Hopkins County Criminal Investigator Dennis Findley used video as a major source of information in solving the theft. Surveillance cameras with quality definition were well placed in the remote area of the northern part of the county. Cattle sale records in Oklahoma also aided in the case.
Wildcats Lose First Game at New Park as Greenville Fights for Play-off Spot
The Wildcats’ baseball team lost its first game at new Wildcat Park Tuesday night (April 24). The Greenville Lions gave up no runs, just one hit and had ten hits of their own in a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats.
The Lions scored single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Pacen Edwards deserved a better fate for the Wildcats. Edwards pitched five innings and allowed 2 runs and seven hits. Jaxon Chaney worked the last two innings allowing a run and three hits. Edwards had the Wildcats only hit, a double, in the third inning. The Wildcats also committed two errors.
The Wildcats dropped to 8-3 in district play. They are now 15-10 for the season. Also Tuesday, third place Texas High surprised Hallsville, 8-1 in Hallsville. Hallsville remains in first place with a 9-2 record. The Wildcats and Texas High are tied for second place at 8-3. Marshall is fourth at 6-6. Greenville can move into a fourth place tie with the Mavericks with a win Friday against Mount Pleasant.
The Wildcats complete district play at Wildcat Park against Hallsville Friday night on Senior Night. The Wildcats will honor eight seniors.
North Hopkins Panthers Shut Out Campbell 15-0
The North Hopkins’ baseball team got another lopsided district win Tuesday as the Panthers shut out Campbell, 15-0 at Campbell.
In the game shortened to four innings due to the ten run rule, the Panthers got of to a good start with six first inning runs. They added seven runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth.
Wyatt Wharton was dominating on the mound allowed no runs and only one hit while striking out ten.
The Panthers had twelve hits. Wharton was 2 for 2 with a run and three RBIs. Branson Thomas was 2 for 3 with two runs, three RBIs and a double. Caleb Wyatt was 2 for 4 with a run, two RBIs and two doubles. Chase Williams was 1 for 3 with a run, two RBIs and a walk. Blane Hocutt was 1 for 2 with two RBIs. Victor Rojo was 2 for 3 with two runs, a walk and two doubles. Brycen Gillespie was 1 for 2 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a double. The Panthers also swiped five bases.
Game Day: Wildcats Host Greenville
The Wildcats’ baseball team plays the Greenville Lions in a district game at Wildcat Park at 7 p.m. on this Tuesday game day. There will also be a JV game at 4 p.m. This game was originally on the schedule at Greenville but during the first half of district play, the teams decided to play in Greenville when Wildcat Park was too wet. The Wildcats fell behind 2-0 in that game before they rallied to take an 8-2 win.
The Wildcats come into the game in second place with a 8-2 district mark. They are 15-9 for the season. Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack talked about pesky Greenville on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show. He called the Lions scrappy. Coach Hammack said they have quite a few three year starters so they have gone through some hard times. He said the Greenville coach is doing a good job there. Coach Hammack said he will pitch either Pacen Edwards or Jaxon Chaney or perhaps both of them. He said he refuses to overlook anyone, especially Greenville. Coach Hammack remembers that the Lions pinned the only district loss so far on Hallsville in Greenville.
There is another district game going on Tuesday night that is of interest to Coach Hammack. Third place Texas High plays at first place Hallsville.
We will bring you Wildcats Baseball Tuesday at 7 p.m. live on KSST Radio. We will videotape the game for replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
Wildcat Spring Football Begins Monday; Ends With May 18th Spring Game
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens put out some more information on spring football this week. It begins next Monday (April 30) and will run Monday through Friday for three weeks. It ends with the spring game tentatively set for Friday, May 18. Coach Owens says all the dates for spring ball are tentative due to other events and activities. He says the Wildcats will have two opportunities to work out each day: during the school day fifth period, the athletic period, and then after school from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Coach Owens says most days the players will be doing fundamental work during the athletic period and full pads after school for scrimmaging and situational work. He says there are about 120 kids going through spring workouts. Coach Owens says the spring workouts have been beneficial for the Wildcats in the past and have allowed coaches to evaluate talent and teach fundamentals daily. He says retention levels have been good in the fall. Coach Owens adds players need to be in shape on the first day of fall practice which means going through The Edge with Michael Johnson Performance during the summer. Coach Owens says with our new nine team district, the Wildcats will only have one scrimmage and two non-district games before district play begins.
Tentative Spring Football Dates
April 30, May 1-4
May 7-11
May 14-18
North Hopkins Stew and Auction
The annual North Hopkins Stew and Auction is to be held on April 26th in the NH Cafeteria. Complementary stew will be served starting at 6 pm followed by the live auction. The auction will feature items built by students throughout the year as well as items that were donated by local businesses in support of the schools FFA program. Over the course of the year the students have worked diligently to complete many projects and are excited to show case their hard work.
The North Hopkins FFA Chapter attends numerous competitions and events during the year. Such as Career Development Events, Ag. mech. Shows, Leadership Development Events, and livestock shows. They are able to attend these events due to the support and generosity of their community and their support at the Stew and Auction.
The North Hopkins FFA implores you to come out and enjoy free chicken or beef stew and support their growing chapter.
HC Master Gardeners Present A Basic Home Vegetable Gardening Workshop through the Extension Service
Gardening is for everyone. Learning to do it right gives high yields in produce and in satisfaction! Hopkins County Extension Agent Mario Villareno and Master Gardener Robert Suson will be on hand as Master Gardener Susie Faltachek presents the program to interested persons assembled at the Extension office on April 24, 2018 at 7pm. Cost of the workshop is $10.
The most seasoned gardeners are usually the ones who consistently use smart, simple skills that work, like selecting the right site for your garden placement. Vegetables need a lot of sun! Veteran Northeast Texas gardeners know already that weather can be very unpredictable here, and often a garden planted too early can get “bitten” by a late-Spring frost. What should you plant in your garden? That depends…on the size of your plot, type of soil, amount of shade and many other factors. How much should you water? You can learn the answers to these and other frequently asked questions during the workshop. And if you miss the workshop, you can get your answers from the Hopkins County Extension office any time of year, including other topics like container gardening, raised-bed and “lasagna” gardening.
As a Master Gardener, Susie Faltachek had an opportunity to expand her area of expertise and she selected Vegetable Gardening as her project. She gathered a group of nine Master Gardeners to act as volunteers in the community training project. Upon completion, she will have earned a Certified Vegetable Gardener rating. These types of opportunities and more are available through the Hopkins County Extension office as part of the Texas Agri-Life Extension Program.
Robert Suson is a Master Gardener who believes in butterflies. On his property, he leaves space for milkweed to flourish so that it cans serve as a host plant for Monarch butterflies, and he encourages others to do so. Sulphur Springs is on the edge of the migration path of Monarchs heading to Mexico. We can passively assist in this miracle of nature by not robbing them of their required habitat for a few short weeks during the Spring. Other types of butterflies require other types of vegetation. Find out more about these and join the Master Gardeners in their efforts.
On the morning of Saturday April 28, the Master Gardeners will perform community service with the annual Plant Swap, to be held on the parking lot of Bright Star Vet Clinic at 744 Gilmer Street, across from Brookshire’s. Bring any seedlings or cuttings you’d like to swap, or just come and get healthy plants, cuttings and seedlings grown by these seasoned gardeners. A small donation toward the chapter’s work in the community is appreciated. For more information, contact the Extension office at 903-885-3443.
Robert Suson and Mario Villarino
