Evening Search Concludes With Missing Senior Citizen Being Located
Hopkins County officers spent a couple of hours Friday evening searching for a senior citizen, who was reported missing from his rural residence. The search concluded with the missing man being found and checked out by EMS around 7:15 p.m. Oct. 21, 2022, according to sheriff’s reports.
After searching his residence and area immediately surrounding it, the sheriff’s office put out a notice with photos and a brief description of the missing man just before 6 p.m. Friday, asking for community members to be on the look out for the elderly resident.
The senior citizen was reported to have last been seen Friday afternoon, Oct, 21, 2022, on County Road 2316 East of Sulphur Springs. The elderly man, who walks with a cane, was believed to have left from his home on foot. The search became more urgent as dusk approached, because the senior citizen “suffers from a cognitive disorder.”
Texas Department of Public Safety, law enforcement search canines and a helicopter have been requested to aid HCSO officers in the search for the missing man. A drone was reportedly being utilized to search as well. Additional officers from other departments were also assisting in covering as much of the area around CR 2316, trying to locate the man at dusk Friday.
With assistance, officials reported the man had been located around 7:15 p.m. Friday. He appeared to be OK, when located seated in the area. EMS was requested to check the man out as a precaution.
In My Closet Serves Women Of Hopkins County
Sulphur Springs, Texas – In My Closet is a project of the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation which started in 2016 under the leadership of the then Executive Director of the Foundation Meredith Caddell. The Closet is a calm room filled with free wigs, hats, and prosthetics, etc. to help women undergoing breast cancer treatment and/or a mastectomy to get items they need locally in Sulphur Springs.
Women spend decades learning about their bodies, perfecting their look, and collecting a wardrobe that works for their lifestyle. A brief sentence shared by a doctor can change a woman’s life as she knows it in a flash.
Bodies, looks, and lifestyle change in ways never imagined. That is when In My Closet becomes an invaluable resource for women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or have had a mastectomy. These Hopkins County women can make an appointment to “shop” for supplies which they never knew they would need.
When asked what inspired Caddell to start In My Closet, she said, “Cross Country Cowboy Church had been holding a fundraising event called Tough Enough to Wear Pink Ranch Rodeo and donating the proceeds to the Foundation. We worked with the Church to identify a program to benefit women with breast cancer. What developed was In My Closet. The first donation to In My Closet was from the Church for $2,500.”
Many other businesses and organizations have been generous with donations through the years. City National Bank, the Ladies’ Golf Association, and Gypsy Hair Salon have supported In My Closet financially. The Ladies’ Golf Association holds an annual fundraising golf tournament and lunch in October with proceeds going to In My Closet.
Caddell has countless stories of women who have benefitted from the offerings of In My Closet. She mentioned a client who loved to go to church and had not been able to attend since losing her hair during treatment. She wanted a wig with red hair to match the color of her own hair, so Meredith ordered one for her. The wig arrived on Good Friday, right in time for the client to wear it to church on Easter Sunday. This experience had a deep sense of satisfaction for Caddell since she was able to help the client continue doing something that was so meaningful to her.
If you or a woman you know would like to visit In My Closet, call the Foundation office at the number below to make an appointment.
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation was founded in 1997 as a means of supporting and funding health care initiatives to benefit the citizens of Hopkins County. The Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
For more information on In My Closet or to donate, contact Kayla Price at 903-438-4799.
Hopkins County, Franklin Counties Have Lowest September 2022 Unemployment Rates In WDA
Hopkins County had the lowest September 2022 unemployment rate in the 9-county Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area. Franklin County in a close second to Hopkins 3.1 unemployment rate with a 3.4 September 2022 unemployment. That makes at least the fourth consecutive month in 2022 that Hopkins County’s rate has been the lowest in the area, according to the latest Texas Labor Market Information compiled for Texas Workforce Commission released at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
Hopkins County’s unemployment rate dropped from 4% in September 2021 to 3.1%, reflecting an increase in the labor force increased from 17,978 people working in August 2022 to 18,067 in September 2022, up from 17,940 in September of 2021. Overall, 558 people in Hopkins County were unemployed in September, 28 less than in August 2022 and 154 less than in September 2021.
Franklin County’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.4% from August to September 2022, with three fewer people in the labor force and two fewer seeking work from month to month. That’s an unemployment dip of 0.7% from one year ago, when the labor force was 28 people fewer but 34 more people were seeking jobs.
In fact, Hopkins and Franklin Counties are the only two in the 9-county WDA that had unemployment ratees below the state average of 3.8% in September 2022. Texas’ unemployment rate has continued to dip from 5.1% in September 2021 and from 4.2% in August 2022.
“More people in Texas are working today than ever before. In fact, more people in Texas are working than the entire population of the state of Pennsylvania,” Texas Workforce Commission Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez was quoted in a release about the state’s monthly job reports. “TWC offers an array of free services to Texans to ensure their success – everything from free online learning courses to occupational training and hiring events. We’re here to help.”
Hopkins County’s jobless rate hasn’t quite reached pre-pandemic figures for September, when at least a 20-year low of 2.9% was set in 2019, but is still lower than any other September since at least 2000. The next lowest during that time was 3.3%, recorded in September 2017 and repeated in September 2018, according to TWC and TLMI reports.
The jobless average across the country has continued to drop, from 4.6% in September 2021, when almost 7.4 million of the 161 million civilian labor force were without jobs, to 3.3% last month, when approximately 5.5 million out of the 164.5 labor force in the United States were still seeking jobs, according to the TLMI information, complied in cooperation with the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Statistics., reported Friday morning, Oct. 21, 2022.
The unemployment average for Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area in September 2022 was 4.2%, with 52 more working and 405 fewer still seeking jobs than in August 2022, when the area unemployment rate was 4.6%. That’s still better than in September 2021, when the unemployment rate was 5.2% across Northeast Texas WDA, although there were 314 more people working in NET in September 2021 than the 124,590 reported last month, when 405 fewer were seeking employment than the month before and 1,225 less than in September 2021, according to the TLMI data.
The only other county with a September 2022 unemployment rate lower than that of the Northeast Texas Workforce Development Area average was Delta County. Hopkins’ neighbor to the Northwest had a September 2022 unemployment rate of 4.1%, with 100 out of possible workforce of 2,448 still seeking employment. While the labor force grew by 8 workers from August to September of 2022, there continued to be 100 looking for jobs. Delta County had one more worker in September 2021 than last month, but had 115 who were seeking employment in September 2021, which made the unemployment rate slightly higher at 4.7% one year ago.
Unemployment declined in both Lamar and Titus Counties to 4.2% in September, the same as the NETWDAA average, with unemployment rates in thee four other counties in the workforce area exceeding the area average.
Lamar County’s jobless rate has dipped from 5.2% in September 2021, when 1,284 of 24,462 were seeking unemployment, and from the 4.4% posted in August 2022, when 49 more people were jobless and the labor force had 88 fewer people to pull from.
Titus County’s unemployment rate is down from 4.9% in September 2021, when 667 of the 13,523 labor force were unemployed, to 4.5% in August 2022, with the labor force falling to 13,604 and the number of unemployed down to 608. In September 2022, only 582 of the 13,697 people in the labor force were still unemployed, causing the jobless rate to dip to 4.2% last month.
Ranking sixth in the WDA based on September 2022 unemployment rates was Bowie County. In Bowie, 1,736 out of the 39,053 work force were reported to still be unemployed in September 2022, giving the county an unemployment rate of 4.4% last month. That’s down from 5.2% in September 2021, when 2,041 of the potential 38,951 workforce were unemployed, and a 0.4% drop from August 2022, when 1,890 of 39,132 were unemployed.
Cass County was ranked seventh in the WDA last month. A total of 545 were jobless in September 2022, down from 611 jobless the month before and 730 jobless in Cass County in September 2022. However, it should also be noted that Cass County’s labor force has shrunk over the last year, declining from 12,351 in September 2021, to 12,186 in August 2022 and 12,148 in September 2022. That has resulted in a dip in the overall unemployment rate in Cass County from 5.9% in September 2021, to 5% in August 2022 and 4.5% in September 2022.
Red River County’s September 2022 unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, down from 5.5% in September 2021, when 293 out of 5,372 potential workers were jobless, and even from the 5.3% of August 2022, when 290 of 5,432 were jobless. Last month 246 of the potential 5,388 labor force were without jobs in Red River County.
Morris County’s unemployment rate was 6.9%, the highest in the NETWDA, with 303 of a potential 4,370 workforce who were still jobless in September 2022. That’s still considerably lower than in September 2021, when 9.5% (440 of the 4,613 labor force) was unemployed and even than in August 2022, when 343 out of a potential 4,089 workforce of 4,432 were still unemployed.
4 Arrested On Felony Controlled Substance Charges
At least four people were arrested during the past three days on felony controlled substance and related charges, according to arrest reports.
Welfare Check
A welfare check on what was reported to be an unresponsive person in a vehicle at Walmart resulted in a Sulphur Springs woman’s arrest on seven Gregg County warrants.
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Francisco Castro was dispatched to Walmart parking lot, where a man was reported to be unresponsive; there was also a small child in the vehicle. SSPD Officer Tyler Francis also responded. Francis was talking to the man in question, who indicated he’d fallen asleep while his wife was in the store, according to arrest reports.
Store employees reported they’d attempted to locate and contact the woman, calling for her over the intercom but had no luck. Castro located a woman fitting that description given by the husband. After she identified herself as the woman sought, a records check was conducted using her information.
Castro then told her why he sought her out, then took her to the car to check on her husband and child. The woman was found to have several Gregg County warrants for her arrest. Police asked dispatchers to check the status of the warrants, A short time later, the seven warrants were confirmed as active. The woman was taken into custody at 11:43 a.m. Oct. 18, 2022. The man and child appeared to officers to be in good health and released, free to leave, officers noted in arrest reports.
Castro transported 43-year-old Sara Beth Baird to Hopkins County jail, where she was booked in on three possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance, possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, having a prohibited substance or item in a correctional, civic or community facility, possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana and possession of a dangerous drug. She was denied bond on all of the felony charges; bond on the Class A misdemeanor dangerous drug charge was recommended at $1,5000, according to jail recordss
NOTE: HCSO currently is unable to post on the jail’s public site new images, due to issues switching to a different computer system. Thus, only photos of individuals who were arrested and whose photos were posted prior to the start of the system conversion process were available.
Connally Street Traffic Stop
Hopkins County Sheriff‘s Sgt. Tanner Steward stopped a Hyundai Elantra at 5:32 a.m. Oct. 17, 2022, because the car had an expired registration. While talking to the driver, he noted the man to have his hands down by the floorboard between his legs. The man also wouldn’t make eye contact with Sgt. Steward while talking to him.
When asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, the man told the deputy he had a pistol. Believing the man’s hands had been in the area of the pistol, he had the man and the passenger in the car step out. He then asked the driver again if there was anything illegal in the car, and the driver denied it, Steward alleged in arrest reports.
When the driver, identified in reports as Kevin Neal Benson, refused Steward’s request to search the car, Steward called for Deputy Drew Fisher to respond with his canine partner. Fisher deployed the canine, who Fisher reported gave a positive alert on the vehicle, giving the deputies probable cause to search the car, Steward noted in arrest reports.
Steward reported finding a purple and black 9mm pistol and a black zipper pouch containing a baggy with a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine in it; other drug paraphernalia was also located in the pouch, the deputy alleged in arrest reports. The 54-year-old Como man claimed the substance, which later field-tested positive as meth and weighed 1.9 grams including packaging, as well as the firearm.
Benson was arrested at 5:50 a.m. Oct. 17, 2022, on a possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1/1-B controlled substance charge and an unlawful carrying of a weapon charge. The traffic stop occurred at the intersection of Connally and League Streets, which was not only within 1,000 feet of a park and a church, resulting in a drug-free zone enhancement to the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
Gilmer Street Traffic Stop
HCSO Deputies Drew Fisher and Isaac Foley stopped a GMC Sierra at 4:58 a.m. Oct. 17, 2022, on Gilmer Street at Church Street for failing to signal 100 feet prior to a turn.
After a positive K-9 alert, the vehicle was searched. Deputies reported finding a glass pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke methamphetamine. Neither the driver nor the passenger claimed the pipe so both the 55-year-old Sulphur Springs passenger and 40-year-old Sulphur Springs man driving were taken into custody at 5:22 a.m. Monday for possession of a drug paraphernalia.
Upon arrival at the jail, officers discovered a hypodermic syringe containing 20 units of a blood-red substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine on the passenger. As a result, Branon Nicholas Carrell was also charged with possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance; the offense occurred within a drug-free zone, due to the stop’s proximity to a day care facility, according to arrest reports. Bond was set at $25,000 on the charge, according to jail reports.
KSST does not publish the names or photos of people charged with misdemeanor crimes in staff-generated reports, only those accused of felony offenses.
Warrant Service
Kevin Charles Jones was transferred from Hunt County jail to Hopkins County jail Oct. 17, 2022.
HCSO Deputy Elijah Fite escorted the 37-year-old Wills Point man into the county jail, where he was booked in for bond revocation on a July 30, 2021 possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone charge, according to arrest reports.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
SSISD Police Department Updating District Emergency Operations Plan, Seeking Grants
Sulphur Springs ISD Police Department’s new emergency operations coordinator has updated the school district’s emergency operations plan and is seeking grants to better protect and equip campus officers to do their jobs.
SSISD Police Officer Pat Leber, emergency operations coordinator for the district who is assigned to Barbara Bush Primary, noted that the Governor now requires schools to have an audit of their basic emergency operations plan, including section designated to active threat and an active shooter training and plans.
The SSISD emergency operations plan had to be submitted by Oct. 12 to Region 8 Education Service Center. Leber submitted the district’s operations plan, which he updated, adding the requirements coming from the Governor and recent legislative sessions. It will be checked to make sure all criteria are met. The district will receive feedback from the ESC, for any suggestions or things that need improvement. If the audit comes back good, without any major changes, Leber anticipates presenting the emergency operations plan to the school board for final approval.
Leber also asked for the school trustees to consider approving a resolution giving the go ahead so a grant can be sought from the Office of the Governor for protective equipment for ISD police. The state had $50 million allocated for equipment for law enforcement for bullet resistant shields and ALERT training.
The district does qualify to apply for funding, but must first pass a resolution approving submission of the application and intended use.
With the approval of the resolution, Leber explained, the district can be reimbursed for those who receive the ALERT training, which they could teach to others at school as an instructor. Leber said SSISD currently has four more instructors in that area.
SSISD Police Department plans to request $37,890 in grant funding, roughly 4,210 per unit for personnel on all 9 campuses, from the bullet resistant shield program.
SSISD Board of Trustees Vice President Jason Dietze, who conducted Wednesday’s meeting in Craig Roberts’ absence, asked if the grant is a competitive grant
Leber noted that with over 1200 school district across the state, so getting the application in as soon as possible is time sensitive. The application is currently on hold pending the board’s approval of the resolution.
He explained that he had reached out to other agencies to find out the kinds of bullet resistant shields they are equipping their officers and consulted with experts. The bullet equipment he recommended comes with a warranty and selected after weighing protection versus weight of the equipment.
The Office of the Governor approved GT distributors to provide equipment for this part of the program, Leber noted, and asked the board to consider approving the resolution so the grant application can be considered for funding.
Board member Leesa Toliver, during the Oct. 19, 2022 meeting, said the officers need to be protected and made a motion to approving submission of the grant application to Governor’s Office for the Bullet Resistant Shield Program. The motion was seconded by Board member John Prickette, and approved unanimously by the five trustees at the meeting.
Superintendent Lamb said Leber, who retired from Sulphur Springs Police Department recently, and Chief Glynda Chester have done an amazing job and bring valuable experience to the job.
Chester added that the school district is indeed lucky to have Leber, who hasn’t been with the district very long, but jumped right in and has already dedicated quite a bit of time working on emergency management. She expressed appreciation to him for that, and the equipment grant is the second grant proposal Leber has compiled seeking funding to help better equip and protect officers. SSISD Police Department also applied for a grant from the NRA for ammunition for SSISD PD officers.
“We are excited to have him on board,” Chester said.
Hopkins-Rains Soil and Water District Announce Annual Hay Show and Auction
The Hopkins-Rains Soil and Water District is pleased to announce their annual Hay Show and Auction. The goal of the Hay Show is to provide agricultural producers an opportunity to test the quality of their forages, raise scholarship funds for area youth who want to study agriculture, and support area FFA and 4-H chapters with natural resources education.
Hay can be entered from October 24, 2022, through October 28, 2022. The Hopkins County drop-off location is at the Hopkins-Rains Soil and Water Conservation District which is located at 530 N. Hillcrest, Suite 2 in Sulphur Springs. The Rains County drop-off is at the Agrilife Extension Service which is located at 410 Tawakoni Drive in Emory.
The Soil and Water Conservation District will host a BBQ lunch at 11:30 at the Civic Center in Sulphur Springs on Wednesday, November 16th. The top 10 lots will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. All proceeds and donations to the show are tax deductible per IRS code, section 17(c)(1).
For more information, please contact the Hopkins-Rains Soil and Water Conservation District at 903-885-4433 ext.3
Paris Junior College Announces 2022 Distinguished Alumni
Paris Junior College
Public Information Services
PJC announces 2022 Distinguished Alumni
Paris Junior College will celebrate its 98th Homecoming Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 3-5, and a major weekend highlight is the Distinguished Alumni Award Luncheon planned for Saturday, Nov. 5.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed on alumni and friends by the College, and Paris native Dr. J. Craig Stephens and PJC alumnus Dr. Charles M. Cook will be recognized.
“This year PJC will recognize and celebrate two men who have had remarkable careers and are very deserving to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award,” said Dr. Pam Anglin, PJC President.
Stephens was born April 18, 1936 in Paris to the late Dr. John A. Stephens and Charlotte Crook Stephens. After attending schools in Paris, he graduated from Texas A & M University. He studied medicine at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, interned at Marion County General Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind., and did his radiology residency at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.
While heading the Department of Radiology at McCuistion Regional Medical Center in Paris for 30 years, Stephens also served as Radiology Instructor at PJC. He retired from medicine in 1997 and became a semi-professional photographer. Growing to love and explore the West, he authored the book, “When Too Old to Hunt, Try Drive by Shooting.” Stephens’ favorite retirement activity is participating in the Plaza Art Gallery. One of his prized possessions is the Athletic Hall of Fame certificate awarded to his uncle, George Stephens, who was a member of the PJC football team when he passed away.
A member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Paris, Stephens taught religious education for over 35 years. He was a past president of several organizations including the Lamar Delta Medical Society, Lamar County Chamber of Commerce, Lamar County A&M Club, the Artist Guild of Lamar County, and McCuistion Hospital Medical Staff. He was on the Texas A&M Lamar Delta Scholarship Board and was an Eagle Scout. During the Vietnam War, he served as a medical officer in the U.S. Air Force based in Omaha, Neb.
Stephens spends his summers in Estes Park, Colorado, where he continues to pursue hiking and photography. Travel has slowed since losing the love of his life, Jean, in February, 2021, but his life now revolves around friends and family in Paris and in Colorado. The continued success of all things in Paris are important to him and much of that revolves around the long-term success of Paris Junior College, truly a historic treasure to him.
Much like Stephens, Cook grew up less than two blocks from Paris Junior College, a campus where he says he learned to ride his bike, roller skate, play tennis and basketball, and ultimately started his college career. PJC prepared him for the University of Texas where he graduated with highest honors and membership in Phi Beta Kappa in 1972.
After UT, Cook went to the University of Houston for a teaching fellowship in History. He received his master’s degree and teaching certificate from UH and began teaching economics and government for Houston Independent School District in 1975. In 1978, he was hired to teach History at Houston Community College and returned to UH to get his doctorate in Administration of Higher Education.
From 1994 to 1999, Cook worked at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as Director of Instruction for the Community and Technical Colleges Division. There he was able to visit and work with two-year colleges across the state, including PJC.
In 1999, he returned to Houston Community College (HCC) as the Vice Chancellor for Instruction, a post he held until 2014. Cook then served as the Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Austin Community College until his retirement from higher education in 2021. He has served many years helping to make Texas community colleges thrive.
PJC Homecoming activities kick off with the parade on Thursday, Nov. 3. It leaves campus at 4 p.m., circles the downtown Paris square, then returns and is followed by pep rally in the Hunt Center.
On Friday evening, Nov. 4, the President’s Reception will be held in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. All alumni, supporters and retired faculty and staff of the college are invited to take attend.
Saturday, the Distinguished Alumni Award Luncheon will be held at the Love Civic Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. to honor the two special friends of the college. Tickets for the luncheon are $25. Basketball games at the Hunt Center, 4:00 p.m. for the women and 6 p.m. for the men, as well as the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen, cap the weekend. For tickets or more details about homecoming festivities, contact PJC Institutional Advancement/Alumni Affairs Director Baleigh McCoin, Director at (903) 782-0276 or [email protected].
Dr. J. Craig Stephens, longtime PJC friend and supporter, is shown with the Hall of Honor certificate awarded his uncle, George Stephens. He will be honored on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Dr. Charles M. Cook, class of 1969, will receive his award at the PJC Distinguished Alumni Luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 5.
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.
Lady Cat Golf Narrowly Misses First Place Finish in Home Invitational
Lady Cat golf picked up a second straight 2nd place finish Monday at their own invitational.
“It’s very nice,” Coach Whitney Spigener said Tuesday following her team’s outing. “We keep working hard, showing improvement, and it’s showing out on the course.”
Last time around, in Mount Pleasant at the district course come springtime, Coach Whitney Spigener’s squad shot a team best in a long time of 359. Monday, at Sulphur Springs Country Club, the Lady Cats shot 352.
“We ended up beating Mount Pleasant at this tournament. We lost to them by two strokes at their home course, but we ended up beating them by five strokes [Monday in Sulphur Springs],” the Lady Cat golf coach said.
Beating the Lady Tigers came in spite of a Mount Pleasant golfer shooting two under par. Unfortunately for the women’s team, they finished two strokes out of first place for the second straight competition, getting beaten out by Canton Monday.
Coach Spigener said falling to a Canton team that qualified for state last year is huge because it shows Lady Cat golf can hang with the best of them. Canton shot 350, with Sulphur Springs just two strokes behind the state-qualifying Lady Eagles at 352. Mount Pleasant came in five strokes after that with 357.
The golf coach said Monday’s invitational in Sulphur Springs showcased stout competition. Coach Spigener said three golfers finished under par. One player from All-Saints shot 67. Even so, Lady Cat golf had themselves a solid day.
Four golfers shot sub-90, something Coach Spigener said that has not happened in over a decade for the women’s team.
No. 3 golfer McKenna Meskimen led the Lady Cats Monday shooting 86, tying for a fifth place finish in Sulphur Springs. The sophomore won the scorecard playoff to take fifth.
The Lady Cats compiled similar scores at their home competition. From there, MyKylie Meador came in two strokes behind Meskimen at 88, good enough for eighth. Alyson Thomas and freshman Evey Birdsong both shot 89 Monday, tying for 9th place.
Rounding out the first team for Sulphur Springs is Kenzie Posey, who finished with 93. The varsity Sulphur Springs team cumulated 352 points Monday, just two strokes behind first place. It’s the second competition (and second straight) that Lady Cat golf finished two strokes out of first.
“It’s exciting to see that we’re right there with some of our Regional competition,” Coach Spigener said, “and beating some of our teams that we’ve competed against; Longview, T-High, Mt Pleasant, some of those that were in our old district, and then some of our district competitors Pittsburg, Paris, and Pleasant Grove… so we’re excited for what the spring season has to offer.”
Moving over to JV, Brylee Brock led the team, shooting 93. Autumn Allen was next up for Sulphur Springs with an even 100.
The final three golfers for Lady Cat golf all shot together:
- Alli Crump (117)
- Kaylee Schumacher (118)
- Mattye Schmidt (119)
The second golf team on the women’s side shot 428 at the Wildcat Invitational. A sixth place finish for the JV women’s team, filled with nine tough competitors, brought a lot of joy to the women’s golf coach.
Lady Cat golf wraps up their season Monday, Oct. 24 in Frisco for a fundraiser with proceeds going towards Breast Cancer Awareness. With that, next Monday’s fall season-closing competition is a pink out. The fall closer begins Monday at Frisco Lakes at 9 A.M.
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.
Junior Racer Andrew Vo Ends Season At Jetski World Finals
It was been quite a season for Andrew Vo, a 13-year-old junior Jetski racer from Sulphur Springs, Texas, recently relocated from Southern California. This year, Andrew finished the Jettribe Mid America series with a impressive first overall in the Junior 13-15 lites 2-stroke class and a second in the 4-stroke class.
With confidence, we headed to the Jetski World Finals In Lake Havasu City, AZ, knowing that he will race against the best of the best junior racers from all over the world and in the older junior class (13-15) year old. It was truly an international competition with over 40 countries who participated: kids from Finland, France, Thailand, Middle East, and the more local Lake Havasu junior racers, who were all really fast. Their skills are all on another level.
It was the toughest race Andrew had ever participated in, with the rough water conditions Lake Havasu is known for, and the competitors are all fast, strong, aggressive, and experienced. Andrew fought hard and rode hard all week. After some motos, some frustrations and defeats, he said, “I tried my best.” That’s in spite of being hit from behind, run over and forced into a buoy, and finally hit from the side in which both racers went flying off their skis! Thankfully, both kids were unharmed. Unfortunately, Andrew’s ski will need some fiberglass repair this winter.
After, a week of racing 6 motos over two classes, the emotional challenges, Andrew was able to earn a 7th place trophy in the Junior 13-15 years old 4-stroke class and a 14th in the two-stroke class.
Andrew’s dad expressed pride in his son’s efforts, improving after each moto. The youth was methodical, did not miss any buoys, stayed on his ski, would finish his laps or run an additional lap just in case if there were any missed lap counts. Plus, he further noted in a press release, every time Andrew crossed the finish line, no matter how much his body hurt and was spent, he would always ride on his feet, not his knees.
“One thing as a dad, I always stress to Andrew in this sport it is not always about winning on the track or being the fastest, but the relationships he needs to earn along the way. Between each moto, he would walk into vendor alley, with a handful of resumes that he typed up. There he would face his biggest fear, more than racing itself. He approached each vendor and introduced himself and asked for support for next year,” Andrews dad stated in a press release.
He offered “a huge shout out to Andrew’s support team. Darren and Jon were a tremendous help as the pit crew: from launching and retrieving Andrew’s race ski for each race moto, as well as tracking race schedules, fueling, and walking Andrew down to the starting line. Thank you, Terry and Justin for setting up the team pit for all of the Texas/Kansas NautiWater team riders to have a home base. Word up to Ryan for holding at the starting line and protecting Andrew on the line when other dads were getting too excited. John C. for volunteering to stay and hold for Andrew on the last day, even though John had a 20 hour drive back to Texas. Lastly, big hug to Kylie for talking and coaching Andrew through some of his lowest points after some of the worst races. Plus, Tim for building a bullet proof race ski that performed all week and Peter’s team for fine-tuning Andrew’s ski.”
Andrew’s dad noted the most heartwarming thing they witnessed was “Andrew’s Junior teammates who offered comfort and encouragement after each of the race motos. Such close friendships and bonds we can never forget.”
Some say it takes a whole village to raise a kid, but it takes a whole race team to put a kid on the water to race Jetskis, he concluded.
2 Sulphur Springs Men Arrested On Warrants For Crimes Against Children
Two Sulphur Springs men have been arrested on warrants for sex crimes against children, according to arrest reports.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office deputies were made aware of an active warrant for Justin Jerome Tyler’s arrest. They located the 31-year-old at his California Street address at 3 a.m. and took him into custody. Tyler was booked into the county jail at 3:39 a.m. Oct. 19, 2022, on an aggravated sexual assault of a child charge, Deputies Bobby Osornio and Josh Davis, and Sgt. Scott Davis noted in arrest reports. Bond was recommended at $250,000. The offense is alleged in arrest reports to have occurred on Aug. 16, 2022.
On Tuesday, HCSO was contacted by the US Marshals Service with a request to try to locate a wanted person reported to be in the county. Deputies reported locating Paul Henry Reyes at 2:31 p.m. Oct. 18 on Main Street. The 22-year-old Sulphur Springs man was taken into custody and transported to the county jail, where he was booked in at 3:18 p.m. Tuesday on three Grand Prairie warrants for aggravated sexual assault of a child. Bond was recommended at $50,000 per charge, Greer alleged in arrest reports.
HCSO is transitioning to a new computer system and is currently unable to post any new images on the jail’s public site new images.
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.
