Hopkins County Hospital District Board Recommends Lower Tax Rate, Reviews Finances
Hopkins County Hospital District Board of Directors in their regular meeting Thursday evening recommended a tax rate for the 2022-2023 tax year that is roughly 2.5 cents less than the current tax rate and reviewed finances.
Proposed Tax Rate
The hospital district’s tax rate was 25-cents for several years. The tax rate decreased to 22-cents per $100 property valuation. The most it could be without having to have voter approval would be $0.209947. The tax rate can be lower than the no new revenue tax rate, but not higher. Hospital District CEO/EMS Director Brent Smith said if they would like, the district administrators could figure the tax rate at 19-cents, if they’d prefer that.
Board Chair Kerry Law said he’d prefer at this juncture to utilize the $0.192461 no new revenue tax rate (the amount needed to raise exactly the same from taxes in the coming year as the current tax year).
Board member Joe Bob Burgin said the rate doesn’t need to exceed that.
At the NNR tax rate, the district anticipate $5.693 million in levied in tax revenues for the coming tax year, with $3 million in new certified values added to the tax rolls.
The board will vote on a proposed tax rate and and consider a budget during September meetings. The rate that will be advertised as the proposed tax rate will be the no new revenue rate of $0.192461, which is $5.7 cents less than in past years.
Smith said the key things driving the HCHD budget are staffing as well as cost of fuel, repairs and maintenance, which have all increased this year. The district in the 2022-2023 tax year too should receive funding from rollback taxes for the solar project just of State Highway 11 west in northwestern Hopkins County. For such projects, taxes are rollback three years and paid at the land value rate in the reinvestment zone.
Financial Matters
The HCH Board members was presented with June and July financial and income statements in a more simplified format.
Angela Waller provided an update about nursing home funding, particularly Quality Incentive Payment Program (QIPP) IGT funding. QIPP is state directed payment program (DPP) which serves as a performance-based initiative to help nursing facilities achieve transformation in the quality of their services through implementation of innovative program-wide improvement processes. Facilities may earn incentive payments for meeting or exceeding certain goals. Improvement is based upon several indices of success, including quality metrics that are collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. HCHD owns some nursing homes in other counties.
The amount for 1 month in July, which is funds for May is $60,248.19. The total will be $389,554.12. They are still working on IGT. IGT is figured at 10%.
Smith said work is still ongoing for stimulus funding awarded in 2020, getting it all documented and finish up the requirements.
The newest member of the district financial staff has been busy working on unclaimed property. Funds are from past years, typically money such as insurance money that was supposed to come to the hospital district but that for whatever reason went to the state. She anticipates HCHD will receive $289,000 in the next couple of weeks from that.
Budget Planning
Smith said in capital improvements, the new budget will include the ambulance the HCHD Board previously approved. However, he’s now being told the wait time to get new emergency vehicles has again lengthened due to supply and demand issues. He said when order bank for such items opens on Oct. 19, he’d like to have the ability to order two chassis for ambulances. He anticipates asking for approval to order a second chassis when presenting a budget draft for board consideration in September — provided he can get both orders in before the order window closes.
Additional items that will be included in the budget will be expenses for routine replacements for stretchers and other supplies, including repeaters to upgrade radio communications equipment for better communications between communications operators and paramedics. Officials are hoping for a grant which could help with that, but at this point cannot factor that in one way or the other.
Looking ahead to the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget, set to be presented for HCHD Board consideration Sept. 20, Smith said he anticipates presenting for consideration a request to add two additional personnel to allow the communications department to better meet needs in the current call volume and devote the time required due to the acuity of each call.
Smith said two dispatchers are scheduled daily, one each to work a 12 hour shift, with Heather Smith, a paramedic who also assists as an administrative assistant, providing relief to the communications operator on-duty when needed so the individual can take a restroom or small break. A lot of times, she ends up in the communications center as a second dispatcher due to the high call volume. The communications center answers more than 12,000 requests per year. The center manages calls for the four counties Hopkins County EMS currently serves, manages transfers, and communicates with emergency room staff to ensure beds are available for patients, especially during high hospital census times when some facilities in neighboring counties and areas are placed on divert.
He proposed two additional communications operators who would work a split shift, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., giving some overlap during high volume or peak hours for EMS services. This would allow the communications operators to stay on the line longer and manage calls better, at a cost of $120,000 in additional salaries and benefits expended in the communications budget. EMS dispatchers in addition to their relationships with hospitals and staff, can be very critical in providing prearrival instructions to 911 callers. He said he’s aware of at least three occasions in which dispatchers helped those on scene resuscitate the patient before EMS arrived.
He was asked if perhaps an idea broached a few years back for a combined dispatch, for all emergency services in Hopkins County, had been further explored or would be a viable option to help reduce costs.
Smith noted that each of the different types of emergency services dispatchers are trained to address the type of needs of callers. City and county dispatchers, for instance primarily handle law enforcement and fire department calls. Training and education levels for each type of emergency event would have to be considered. If that were considered, he’d recommend the center be a separate entity from all of the current communications centers, with one central supervisor. Although, all would still have to contribute toward that, so it would not necessarily cost any less salary-wise.
Board member Joe Bob Burgin noted that a friend of his is alive because of a dispatcher who encouraged the caller to continue CPR until EMS arrived, even though it seemed hopeless.
Personnel Matters
With the City of Sulphur Springs reactivating the Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone Board, the TIFRZ #1 has not been active since the summer of 2017, and appoints from that board have long expired. With city plans for the board to become active again, the Hospital District and Commissioners Court were asked to each appoint one member to serve on the TIFRZ as well as a resolution affirming the appointment.
Tammy Wright agreed and was appointed to represent the Hospital District on the TIFRZ Board. She joins County Judge Robert Newsom, who served on the TIFRZ #1 Board for a number of years and was reappointed by the Commissioners Court on Aug. 8, 2022; and Place 7 Councilman John Sellers and Place 5 Councilman Gary Spraggins, and Place 3 Councilman Oscar Aguilar, who were appointed by Sulphur Springs City Council Aug. 2, 2022. The City Council also elected Aguilar to serve as chairman of the TIFRZ Board during the regular council meeting.
The board also following an executive session Thursday night, Aug. 25, 2022, agreed to add a new full time personnel position for the hospital district and approved documents associated with Hopkins County Health Care Foundation.
Additional EMS Topics
HCHD Director Brent Smith spent two days in Austin, where he testified as the Texas EMS Alliance president Aug. 24 before Texas Legislature on the pandemic’s effect on the health care workforce. Senator Lois Kolkhorst commented on the state’s new $21.7 million EMS education and recruitment program.
Smith commended Paul Harvey on his team at in the local CHRISTUS emergency system with moving quickly to do their best to free up beds and space for incoming emergency patients, reducing the number of ambulances waiting outside the ER to transfer their patients to hospital staff so the ambulance and crew are available to respond to additional calls as they are called in. In July Hopkins County EMS took 461 patients to CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs, an average of 15 patients a day. As far back as staff have been able to look, that’s the most they’ve had, according to the EMS director.
That hasn’t always been the case at emergency medical facilities in other counties. Some have been on divert or at “surge capacity,” with 24-hour holds until beds were available.
Smith said the provider license renewal process is under way or soon will be.
He noted EMS has one open position and one out for FMLA. He is aware of potentially three more that could become open in the next 30 days. Smith anticipates potentially losing some paramedics to Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area fire departments, who have obtained SAFR grants, which allows fire departments only to take advantage of a program which provides funding allowing them to add personnel, with funding decreased in increments over a set period of a few years.
Smith said EMS personnel are getting into the swing of one of the agency’s busier times of year, when they are attending football games, rodeos and taking part in parades and things of that nature.
Brent Smith reported the new HCHD headquarters/EMS station is still projected to be ready for occupation in mid-October. He is slated soon to begin a final check list for the developer. Currently, work was underway to finish the new ambulance bay, among other items.
Hospital Update
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs President/CEO Paul Harvey gave a brief update on hospital and other local CHRISTUS facilities and programs.
He personally extends an invitation to everyone to the tailgate event planned at 6:30 p.m. this evening (Friday, Aug. 26, 2022) at Gerald Prim Stadium. Community members can stop by and tour the new Mobile Athletic Training Room before the Sulphur Springs Wildcat Varsity Football Team’s first home game. The trailer is anticipated to be at all home Sulphur Springs varsity football games. The team will evaluate the games weekly to determine which other facilities they might stage at.
The CHRISTUS team is now serving student athletes in 22 area high schools through the Saturday sports injury clinic, which is open to any student athlete in the service area. They receive on free x-ray and if additional testing, such as an MRI, is required, staff can authorize it right then. During the clinic last Saturday, the very first of the year, four patients were determined to need further evaluation, Harvey noted.
A new specialist will soon be joining Dr. Meltsakos and the CHRISTUS Orthopedics staff; he will specialize in hands and general ortho, while Melsakos specializes in general and sports orthopedics. That would mean not only will local residents be able to receive care for hands, the CHRSITUS clinic will have the only hand surgeon in Northeast Texas, the hospital director reported.
The athletic injury clinic will be held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., on August 27 through November 12. Student athletes in Hopkins County from 7th grade to college age will be able to get a free exam and x-ray to determine a plan of care to treat their injury. The clinic will be held at our CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Orthopedics, Medical Building 5, at 103B Medical Circle in Sulphur Springs. For more information about our Sports Medicine program, or Orthopedic services, call 903-885-6688.
The fiscal year for CHRISTUS facilities ended on June 30. Despite a very trying year for all health care systems, the CHRISTUS-Sulphur Springs ministry did not lose as much as some other catholic ministries. Harvey said through careful use of COVID funding awarded to the facility. Christus-Sulphur Springs was able to maintain services and “hold our own,” keeping finances down as much as possible, and come pretty close to meeting budget.
“We are doing what we can her to keep things in check. We are squeezed like EMS,” Harvey said, referring to nurse openings yet to be filled.
Unlike the height of the COVID pandemic, the Sulphur Springs hospital no longer has traveling contract nurses on the campus. He said it will take time to fully adjust, but the hospital was just not able to keep paying the big price for traveling nurses. Harvey said he is proud of the work the local CHRISTUS team has done, and note CHRISTUS-Sulphur Springs has the lowest nursing turnover in all of CHRISTUS, by managing effectively in trying times.
The patient volume reported for CMFHS in July was a little low, but Harvey anticipates August likely will be a record month. He said things have been strange since COVID swept the world for those studying staffing patterns, but is proud of his team who pull together to see that the community they serve is taken care of.
Harvey noted the hospital has received another A LeapFrog Hospital Safety Grade, where competitors did not.
Welding Contractor Injured Repairing Oil Tank
Donations For Family May Be Made to GoFundMe Account Or At Courthouse
8/24/2022 – A welding contractor was injured while repairing an oil tank at a county precinct work area Tuesday morning, according to Hopkins County officials.
A welding contractor was hired to repair a leaking crude oil tank located near the Precinct 4 barn. The contractor was reported to be working above the tank around 9:30 a.m. Aug. 23, 2022. The explosion threw him from the tank, according to the precinct commissioner.
The man reportedly sustained burns to his upper torso, and what are reported to be non-life threatening and non-debilitating neck and skull injuries. The contractor should recover from the neck and head injuries. He was expected Thursday to require skin grafting for the burn, Precinct 4 officials reported Thursday.
After obtaining help for the injured contractor, officials worked to clean up debris and crude oil sprayed during explosion. Oil was blown onto a nearby tree, which caught fire. The required authorities were notified, according to Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Price. The blaze was extinguished, the scorched tree was cut down and removed as a precaution. The area was completely cleaned up.
The mother-in-law of the injured man has established a GoFundMe account to accept donations to help his family, which in addition to his wife, includes two kids. She reports Jerry Sanderson is in the Intensive Care Burn Unit at Parkland Hospital, and is expected to remain there for at least three weeks. The family said it is expected to take months of recovery time before he is able to return to work.
While his wife works, her job does not pay enough to fully support the family and his medical bills. Funds donated to the “Burn Survivor Young Father of two” GoFundMe account, according to Lisa Jones, will be used to ensure the family will have food, necessities and care when he is able to leave the hospital.
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe account or search GoFundMe.org for “Burn Survivor Young Father of two“
Donations may also be made for the Jerry Sanderson family at Hopkins County Courthouse. Contact Kelly Kaslon in the HR department or Auditor Shannah Aulsbrook.
SSFD Investigating Fire Involving Stolen Vehicle
A Jefferson Street fire involving a stolen vehicle is being investigated by Sulphur Springs Fire Department.
Officials responded between 8 and 9 p.m. Aug. 24, 2022, on Jefferson Street to the blaze. The vehicle found at the roadside with the keys still in the ignition, fire investigators reported.
A records check using vehicle identifiers showed the vehicle had recently been reported to authorities in Texarkana, Arkansas as stolen. Items found in the vehicle also matched the description of items reported stolen from another city. Based on those factors and investigators’ findings, the blaze is being considered “incendiary” and is still being investigated.
SSFD Assistant Fire Marshals Duane Sprague and Aaron Kager are overseeing the ongoing investigation.
Representative Slaton: Texas Public Medical Schools Are Teaching Child Gender-Modification
District 2 Rep Calls For An End To “Bogus And Harmful Medical Practices”
GREENVILLE, TEXAS – After a series of information requests made by the Office of Representative Bryan Slaton, it has been confirmed that child gender modification and other transgenderism practices are being taught in some Texas public medical schools. Several schools have admitted transgenderism was in-fact being taught to medical students, at the expense of the taxpayer, Slaton’s office stated in a news release Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.
Representative Slaton commented, “Repeatedly, the people of Texas have been told ‘this kind of thing isn’t going on in Texas.’ And yet, the exact opposite is true. Not only are young children being subjected to barbaric gender-modification practices like surgeries and puberty-blocking drugs on a daily basis, but these practices are being taught to the next generation of doctors in some of our public medical schools.”
Just a few examples include UNT’s Pharmacy 7205 class which requires students to “learn advanced skills in the provision of pharmaceutical care to the LGBT persons.” UTMB Galveston admitted drugs such as testosterone, estrogen, spironolactone, and finasteride have been administered for gender-transition purposes within the context of an internal-medicine clerkship and endocrinology elective. UT Southwestern’s “Adolescent and Young Adult Transgender Care” course requires students to have “an in-depth educational experience working with transgender youth and adults,” including “offsite experiences,” and direct engagement with the notorious GENECIS clinic and their protocols and materials. UT Southwestern also admitted “students may have observed mastectomy or breast augmentation procedures related to gender transition,” and “students may have observed physicians prescribe and/or administer puberty suppression therapy or hormonal therapy,” and “patient counseling” all in relation to gender-modification, the news release stated.
Slaton further commented, “The revelation that some of these practices are being taught in public medical schools is abhorrent. Additional investigation into these medical schools should be done so that the people of Texas can have an even clearer idea of what their tax dollars are supporting. No one in their right mind believes that surgically removing healthy body parts and ingesting an unnatural amount of hormones and drugs is the right answer to a mental condition. I am calling for a swift end to these bogus and harmful medical practices, and look forward to my colleagues joining me in this common-sense fight.”
Judge Issues Response To Dike Incorporation Election Request
Additional Documentation Requested For Verification Of Petition Requirements
Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom this week, in a letter, responded to the petition calling for a Dike incorporation election, requested additional documentation for verification of petition requirements.
The judge indicated the letter, addressed to Kirk Reams who presented the petition Aug. 15 during Commissioners Court, was drafted and mailed based on recommendations from legal council.
In the letter, Newsom advises Reams that “additional documentation” is required to provide “satisfactory proof that the petition meets the statutory requirements” for a Type C General-Law Municipality” as proposed. He said the petition failed to provide detailed documentation establishing the number of inhabitants and territorial requirements for incorporation as outlined in Chapter 8 of Texas Local Government Code.
The letter calls for a detailed map or adequate descriptions are needed to tailor ballots for the registered voters within the proposed boundaries. The map submitted, according to Newsom’s letter to Reams, fails to provide adequate details in order for the Hopkins County Clerk to identify the registered voters within the proposed boundaries.
Once satisfied with documentation, Newsom said that would be used to research the cost of holding a special incorporation election and notify him of the cost estimate. Funds would have to be paid in advance to prepare for the election, and a draft order calling for an election would be needed as well.
Reams said while frustrating, he is not surprised that his request for the judge to call for an incorporation election was not immediately approved. He feels the documentation submitted on behalf of the Dike residents already contains the necessary information, but anticipates the community stepping up to meet the request.
Reams, who signed the petition as acting interim mayor, said when seeking signatures for the petition, Dike voters who knew their voter ID information were asked to include their voter numbers. Community members went down the list, then researched a voter database to obtain voter information for the rest of the names on the list. Reams said Dike residents anticipate submitting to the county as proof that 10% of qualified voters in Dike have signed the petition.
Residents and property owners in Dike community began researching incorporation out of a desire to control what goes on in their community after they learned the Commissioners Court had approved tax incentives for a solar project planned in the Dike community.
When speaking up in Commissioners Court and a community meeting hosted by Engie and Hopkins County failed to achieve the goal of residents seeking to stop the solar project from coming to Dike, an attempt to get an injunction and other legal action also was sought. The Dike residents opposed to the solar company leasing private land and installing a solar facility in their community organized.
Initially, the Dike residents voiced a hope to incorporate before construction of the solar project began, but were not able to do so. Michael Pickens, spokesperson for Save Dike from Solar, advised the Commissioners Court and County Judge in July that the residents in opposition to the solar facility were working on the requirements to make Dike an incorporate area, so that Dike residents have a say in decision-making that impacts their community.
During the Aug. 15, 2022, Commissioners Court meeting, Kirk Reams read a letter asking County Judge Robert Newsom to order an incorporation election, and appoint two election judges, and publish or post notice of the election as required, in accordance with Chapter 8 of Texas Government Code Chapter. Reams then presented the letter, along with what he identified as signed petition and a map of the proposed area of Dike to be incorporated to the county judge.
2022 4-H Achievement Banquet: Carroll, Reyes Receive Awards For Outstanding Leadership
Each year, an achievement banquet is held to recognize Hopkins County 4-H members and leaders for their achievements and outstanding leadership over the past year. At the 2022 Hopkins County 4-H Achievement Banquet, Rylie Carroll and Tammy Reyes were honored for outstanding leadership, while the new county 4-H council officers were recognized, and several other 4-H members received certificates for their accomplishments.
Carroll, a junior at Sulphur Springs High School this year, received the 4-H Members Leadership Award. She has been a 4-H member for 8 years, during which time she has excelled at the county, district and state levels, and has even earned national recognition.
She earned the Texas 4-H Capitol Experience, designated for the top 10 Healthy Texas Youth Ambassadors who have accumulated the most volunteer hours. She also serves on the State 4-H Council and will continue as a Healthy Texas Youth Ambassador for the 2022-2023 4-H year.
“Public speaking, fashion and interior design, food show, and food challenge events have allowed her to experience competition on the county, district and state levels. But, it is her leadership and community service involvement that garnered attention on all levels. With young people like Rylie, our future is bright. Congratulations, Rylie, on a job well done!” Hopkins County Family and Community Health Agent Johanna Hicks said, when presenting Carroll with a gift bag and hug.
Hicks also announced Patty Reyes as the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding 4-H Leader of the Year award.
“Every year, we have such a difficult time selecting the Outstanding 4-H leader of the year , because we have so many parents and volunteers who go above and beyond to make our 4-H program stronger,” Hicks said.
Hicks noted Reyes to be extremely supportive of the county-wide 4-H events such as the Christmas party, promoting the Multi-County 4-H Camp, community service projects, and attending parent meetings in conjunction with the County 4-H Council.
Hicks also presented Mrs. Reyes with a gift bag to show appreciation for her hard work for 4-H and Extension.
Students too receive junior, intermediate and senior recognition, record book recognition, first year members, Clover Star recognition and Cover Price recognition at Saturday’s 2022 Achievement Banquet.
Installed as 2022-2023 Hopkins County 4-H Council officers were President Rylie Carroll, Vice President of Programs Alexis Villarino, Vice President of Recreation Lena Reyes, Secretary RJ Duffey, Treasurer Diego Childs, Parliamentarian Ethan George; Reporter Jaqlynn Chapman was unable to attend the meeting. Carroll, Reyes and Blaine Allen were also recognized as Council Delegates.
Several members and supporters were unable to attend the banquet held Saturday at League Street Church of Christ, including the planned speaker. So, as is often the case with 4-H, those present accepted the invitation from Hicks and Agriculture/Natural Resources Agent Mario Villarino to share their experiences with and the impact 4-H has had in their lives and that of their family.
Hicks noted that 4-H is the largest youth organization in the country, and offered opportunities for youth to earn scholarships. Villarino explained he got his start in Extension thanks to the veterinary science program. He was involved with dairy showing while working with USDA. At a Dallas center event, he saw the potential for kids to become 4-H agents.
Carroll is a third generation 4-H’er. She jokes she was practically forced into it, but has found it to be a great experience. She’s grown through public speaking as well as in social skills through various involvement in the program. She said 4-H has given her some great friends and leadership opportunities she would never have imagined possible including Texas 4-H Council.
She said her experiences so far have been great and can’t wait to see what new ventures are yet to come.
One grandmother noted 4-H provides a safe, positive place for her grandson, Diego Childs, to grow and flourish, exploring areas he might not have otherwise explored. Some have include archery, speech writing and photography. She said it reinforces something they emphasize, giving not receiving. 4-H has been especially effective in instilling in him the need and desire to perform community service.
Diego Childs extended thanks to Hicks and Villarino, and believes every youth age 10-18 should become involved with 4-H. It’s a life-changing organization. Leadership and public speaking are two areas in participation has changed him, not only helping them learn to speak but also how to conduct himself.
Lena Reyes has become good at cooking, which allows her to be creative with spices. She currently does about half of the cooking at home. She also become involved in speaking events.
Ethan George’s mom said not only is she a third generation 4-H, but is proud Ethan continues the family tradition. In fact, she said it is because of 4-H trip that she has him. In her youth, met his dad while on an out-of-state 4-H trip for a dairy show. They corresponded by mail, sending letter during high school. (There were no portable cell phones and easy internet access in those days). Then, later got to see each other again at a couple of other 4-H shows. They later got married, had two daughter and their son, Ethan.
George said his experiences with 4-H have included learning to sew and speaking events. He says he enjoys dairy, as cattle is his area of interest. 4-H has garnered introduction to a lot of people, including the county judge.
Chamber Connection – Aug. 24: Upcoming Events, Activities For All Tastes
Autumnal Offerings Include Stew Festival, Fall Softball Sign-Up, Photo Contest, Ribeye Roundup, CASA Zoom, Quilt Show
By Butch Burney
Registration for the 53rd Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival, presented by Alliance Bank, is still going on. We already have almost 70 entries with about a month to go before the deadline. To register, go online to the Chamber’s website at HopkinsChamber.org/stewcooks, email [email protected] or call 903-885-6515. The cost to enter is $100 per stew pot, with $150 coming from the sponsor to pay for ingredients. Register now to reserve your spot from last year.
This year, stew cooks can also pre-order a T-shirt with “Stew Cook” on the back for $15.
We also are taking applications for our vendor market at the stew. Cost is $75 for Chamber members, $100 for nonmembers. Go to our website at HopkinsChamber.org or call Amanda at 903-885-6515 to register.
Softball Registration
Hopkins County Girls Softball Association’s Fall Season is about to kick off! Sign-ups are going on now and will end Sunday, Sept. 4. Sign-up forms and drop-off boxes are located at Field House Sports and Hibbett’s in Sulphur Springs.
Anyone with questions or concerns can email [email protected].
Lake Country CASA
Don’t miss the opportunity to find out what Lake Country CASA is all about with a zoom call on Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m. Learn how they help the vulnerable children in our community who have been removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse.
RSVP at: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSemroVFR4wTii…/viewform
Photography Contest
It’s time once again for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual photography contest!
The photography contest is open to anyone who resides in Hopkins County. We have seven categories: Natural World, Travel, Family and People, The Hopkins County Experience, Altered Images, Mobile, and Children (for photographers up to 18 years of age).
Photographs must have been taken in Hopkins County no earlier than Jan. 1, 2021.
See the rules on our website, HopkinsChamber.org. You can also upload your photos to our website to enter. The deadline to enter is Aug. 31.
Ribeye Roundup
If you’re looking for a great steak, you don’t want to miss the Cattleman’s Classic and Ribeye Roundup on Saturday, Oct. 1, on the downtown plaza. The event features a steak cook-off which will include an expected 40-plus cook teams, educational trade show, free Bobby Irwin concert and more.
Cooks have until Sept. 1 to get their entry forms in, and this year there will be a junior cook classification for youth ages 7-17. Go to the Facebook page to learn more.
You can also get a blue Ribeye Roundup T-shirt for just $14 at the Chamber of Commerce, 110 Main St. Come by to pick one up!
Quilt Show
The 21st Annual Quilt Show, presented by the Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild, is set for Sept. 23-24 at First Baptist Church’s The ROC. Admission is $5 per person (under 12 are free). It will last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Lisa Erlandson, AQS certified appraiser of Quilted Textiles and historian, will be the special speaker. There will be more than 100 quilts along with door prizes and vendors. For more information, go to SulphurSpringsTxQuilts.com.
Planting Summer Annual Grasses Can Help Farmers Overcome Forage Shortages
By Mario Villarino, Hopkins County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources, [email protected]
The recent dry period followed by torrential rain lately has put many ranchers and farmers needing to make hard decisions quickly. Planting summer annual grasses can help you overcome summer forage shortages.
According to Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas AgriLife Extension in Overton, summer grasses can be very useful because they grow rapidly, tolerate drought, respond well to fertilizer and water, and are more nutritious than perennial warm season forages. They are, however, not a permanent solution for meeting summer forage needs. They can be expensive to produce, are difficult to manage, and could poison livestock with nitrates and/or prussic acid. Despite these inherent drawbacks, summer annuals can be an excellent option in dry years.
Summer annual grasses that can be grown in Texas include: Pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) Forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Sorghum sudangrass hybrids, Sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor) and Crabgrass (Digitaria sanuinalis). These forages can be valuable in an overall forage system. Each of these grasses has unique growth characteristics and must be managed appropriately for optimum production.
Pearl millet is adapted to sandy, acidic soils. It can be planted in the spring by broadcasting or by drilling seed ½ to 1 inch deep into a prepared seedbed. The shorter varieties such as Tifleaf I, II, and III are leafier and have fewer stems. Under grazing, these shorter grasses can be easier to manage than the taller types. The taller varieties may produce more dry matter per acre than the dwarf types. Avoid grazing or mowing pearl millet too short, as that can kill the stand. If you leave 4 to 6 inches of plant stubble after harvest, pearl millet will regrow. The stand can be harvested again in about 4 to 6 weeks. You can graze livestock on Tifleaf cultivars until frost because pearl millet does not contain harmful levels of prussic acid. However, it can cause nitrate poisoning.
Grain sorghums grow 3 to 5 feet tall and are not normally considered for forage because they yield relatively little dry matter. However, several types of forage sorghum have been developed. Forage sorghums can grow 8 to 13 feet tall and produce a substantial amount of dry matter. Forage sorghums grow best in fertile, well-drained soils that have Good water-holding capacity. It is the most drought tolerant of the warm-season annuals listed here. Forage sorghums are best used in a single hay cutting when plants are in bloom or early dough stage. These sorghums have large stems; crushing them with a mower/conditioner will make them dry faster.
Sorghum-sudan hybrids grow 4 to 7 feet tall, have smaller stems, and dry faster than the forage sorghums. Sorghum-sudan hybrids can yield more than any other summer annuals. These hybrids can be used for grazing or silage, but they are difficult to dry for hay. If used for grazing, allow sorghum sudans to regrow to 24 inches tall before reintroducing livestock. Do not allow horses to graze sorghum-sudans because they contain an unidentified toxin that can cause spinal cord degeneration and even paralysis. Some sorghum-sudan hybrids and forage sorghum cultivars are sensitive to day light duration. These photosensitive varieties can sustain more consistent growth over a longer growing season because they remain vegetative into September—until day length is less than 12 hours.
Sudangrass is a fast-growing warm-season annual that can produce good forage, though usually not as much as the sorghum-sudangrass hybrids. True sudangrass has fine stems and regrows rapidly after being grazed. Sudangrass needs fertile soil that drains well. Two plantings 4 to 6 weeks apart will provide forage throughout the summer. Brown midrib varieties are preferable because they have less lignin and are more digestible than other varieties. In general, sorghums have total digestible nutrients values from 53 to 60 percent and crude protein concentrations of 9 to 15 percent.
Silage or hay is easiest to cure when the plants are in the boot stage (have not produced a seed head); however, yield and the sugar content that ferments silage rapidly are greater at the soft dough stage (when the seed is soft). Use a conditioner to crush the stems to ensure that the hay dries quickly.
Crabgrass is commonly considered a weed, but it can be a high-quality summer forage. Crabgrass grows best in well-drained soils and, if allowed to reach seed stage, can reseed itself year after year. Crabgrass forage has excellent quality and palatability, but the yield varies according to soil fertility and rainfall. Crabgrass hay normally cures more slowly than bermudagrass but more quickly than sorghum-sudan hybrids or pearl millet. It is best to use this forage in a rotational grazing system.
Summer annuals need appropriate fertilizers to produce well. Add lime, phosphorus, and potassium according to soil test recommendations. Nitrogen is also important; apply at 60 to 100 pounds per acre at green up. If you plan additional harvests, you may apply 40 to 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre after each harvest. Warm-season annuals require that you prepare the soil, plant seed, and fertilize each year. Given the price of diesel, seed, fertilizer, and irrigation, it might not be economical to plant and manage annuals. If there is not enough rain during the summer to produce sufficient hay, winter annuals may be an option. Warm-season annual forages work well in open land situations when you want to plant winter annual forages for grazing. The growing periods for cool- and warm-season annuals are complementary and allow for slight overlap in seasonal production.
Both millet and sorghum-sudan plants can accumulate nitrates during drought. When conditions are dry, test the grass before allowing livestock to graze. Millet and sorghum-sudan plants can be harvested as green chop, silage, or hay; nitrates will persist in forages cut for hay. As with grazing, you must test green chop to prevent prussic acid and/or nitrate poisoning. If you suspect that hay has high nitrate levels, have samples tested. Recent experiences with Johnson Grass as forage grown under severe dry conditions this year has also raised concerns about its toxicity. It is always recommended to test it before using it or allowing cattle to graze it.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic, please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443.
City Of Sulphur Springs Reaches Land Sale Agreement With Ashoka Steel Mill LLC
A land sale agreement was struck between the city and Ashoka Steel Mills LLC for development of 250-acres out of the total 4,857-acre former Thermo/Luminant mine property Tuesday. The deal marks commitment of Ashoka to invest a minimum of $300 million into business and creation of 315 additional jobs in Sulphur Springs.
According to Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Roger Feagley, this is the same program utilized when Lowe’s opened in Sulphur Springs; it simply opens up additional incentives which may be offered to the nominated entity, in this case Ashoka Steel Mills.
The zone is the first of two legal steps needed for Ashoka Steel Mills LLC to build a facility in the old Thermo mine property. The second step is agreement to terms of a Chapter 312 agreement for a tax abatement on all or part of the property.
Sulphur Springs City Manager said Tuesday’s actions are notable for three reasons: this will be the largest single industry recruited to the community, it is the first development in the Thermo property and has the potential to attract other companies it serves to the area as well.
Ashoka Steel Mills LLC is being developed in collaboration with Melwa group and Ashoka Capital Group. Melwa, headquartered in Sri Lanka, is an international conglomerate that operates 3 steel mills in Asia and Africa. Ashoka Capital Group, which is headquartered in the United States, will be working with Melwa group to establish steel mills across the United States.
Sulphur Springs and Tulsa, Oklahoma were in competition to be among Ashoka’s first US plants. Sulphur Springs officials signed the deal Tuesday, with the agreement for the tax incentive pending. Three others are planned in the US, according to the EDC official.
Ashoka plans to to invest an initial $300 million into 250 acres on the old Thermo mine property, providing 315 jobs at an average salary of $75,000.
The proposed electric arc furnace steel mill would produce approximately 350,000 tons of rebar annually. The Ashoka Steel Mills, Inc., facility, according to documentation in a Chapter 313 application submitted in April 2022 to Sulphur Springs ISD, would use an electric arc to heat metals instead of a blast furnace. In That means no smoke stack emitting into the air. The mill estimates 402,500 tons of scrap metal from local areas would be used to produce the rebar; the steel recycling, according to the application, would reduce carbon emissions, further making it a clean green manufacturer. The scrap metal would be brought in mainly by rail, amounting to an estimated 8,000 railcars a year, and about 40 trucks.
A spur would be built off of the current shoreline rail that runs through the old Thermo mine property, now owned by the City of Sulphur Springs.
This is Phase 1 of the Ashoka Steel Mill LLC development. Business officials will have the option to expand an additional 150 acres if they so choose within 5 years of the agreement, which starts Aug. 23, 2022, which would be Phase 2 for Ashoka. The agreement stipulates that the business will get the 250 acres with strings: there will be a $6 million lien on the property until the plant is complete and productions begins. If that does not occur, the property would go back to the city.
The section of land in particular is on the main east haul road. Part of the terms of the agreement are for the city to build the road. The City of Sulphur Springs has applied for grant funding, which local officials anticipate they should be receiving notification regarding the status of that grant in the very near future. The City of Sulphur Springs will also have to replace a water line. There’s an 8-inch line to the site, but it needs help, possibly replacement with a larger line.
Feagley said the SS-HCEDC office has been working with Ashoka and the company consultant for more than a year. He described the company as the least polluting due tot he process that is used to heat and shape the metal rebar. The metal is heated with a gas and moved to a kiln to be shaped from liquid form. All the process in the units will be robotic, to reduce the potential hazard for workers, who will still oversee robotics and other operations. He said it’s anticipated 30-40 engineers would be needed, which Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County is not believed to be able to fully staff, requiring some engineers to move from other areas.
Ashoka Steel Mills LLC would establish headquarters or at least corporate facilities in Sulphur Springs with the facility, officials said.
Sulphur Springs ISD Board of Trustees in April did agree to review an application from Ashoka Steel Mills LLC for an appraised value limitation on qualified property for completion, then to send it to the state for review for Chapter 313 compliance, then, if approved, to consider the request from business considering establishing a Sulphur Springs facility.
According to the Comptroller’s website, Deputy Comptroller Lisa Craven composed in a certification packet a letter to SSISD Superintendent Michael Lamb on Aug. 5, notifying the school district that based on the office’s review of the application, assuming the accuracy and completeness of statements contained within it, the Comptroller was issuing a certificate for a certification for a limitation on appraised value . The certificate, whoever, is contingent on SSISD’s receipt and acceptance of TEA’s determination. If the Chapter 313 agreement is granted by SSISD by Dec. 31, 2022, Ashoka would be required to follow the Texas Economic Development Act Agreement provisions.
The Chapter 313 agreement submitted to the Comptroller shows Ashoka plans to request abatements from the county, city, school and hospital district from 2025-2034.
Sulphur Springs City Council during their June and July meetings agreed to establish a reinvestment zone for Ashoka Steel Mills. A reinvestment zone is required for a business to apply to certain taxing entities for tax incentives. For instance, Ashoka Steel Mills wouldn’t be able to apply for a tax abatement from the hospital district without a reinvestment zone being established. The business also indicated plans to ask for a tax incentive from Hopkins County as well, according to Feagley.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report — August 15-21, 2022
Winnsboro Police Department each week provides a media report with information about department activity. WPD activity for the week Aug. 15-21, 2022, included:
Arrests
- Garrett Amason, 27 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Au. 15, 2022, on a Wood County Warrant – Release Violation Motion to Adjudicate.
- Ana Dominguez, 38 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Aug. 15, 2022, on a Winnsboro Municipal Court Warrant for Driving While License Invalid and Defective Head Lamp.
- Miranda Collins, 36 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Aug. 15, 2022, on a Wood County Warrant for Criminal Trespass and evading arrest with previous convictions.
- Christopher Tilson, 33 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Aug. 18, 2022 for Assault-Family Violence, Impede Breath/Circulation.
- Rachael Hamberg, 37 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Aug. 18, 2022, for Driving While Intoxicated.
- Slade Whitson, 22 years of age, of Pittsburg, was arrested on Aug. 19, 2022, for Driving While License Invalid with Previous Convictions.
- Kyle Owens, 21 years of age, of Winnsboro, was arrested on Aug. 20, 2022, for Possession of less than 2 ounces of Marijuana.
- Neal Brown, 37 years of age, of Henderson, was arrested on Aug. 20, 2022, for Possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1/1-B Controlled Substance.
- Brandan Hollis, 49 years of age, of Lindale, was arrested on Aug. 21, 2022, for Possession of less than 2 ounces of Marijuana .
- Brandan Escobar Salas, 22 years of age, of Mount Pleasant was arrested on Aug. 21, 2022, for Theft of a Firearm.
Calls for Service
The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 120 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations
The Winnsboro Police Department issued 37 citations and 49 warnings during this reporting period.
