News

A Southern Cross marker dedication memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., March 16, at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Bettie, in Upshur County. The service will honor two Civil War veterans.
This will be a tribute to Private James W. Carter, Co. B, 36th Regiment Alabama Infantry, and Private Calvin C. Qualls, Co. C, 43rd Regiment Alabama Infantry.  Pvt.  Qualls was in Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Private Army up until the surrender. His sister, Martha, was the wife of James Carter. Their son, W.I. Carter, owned the store in Bettie.
Members from the Walter P. Lane Camp, No. 1455, Longview, will be involved in the re-enactment.  Honor Guard, First Sergeant Paul Hamilton, will be commanding.  Archie Hass (Native American name “Otter”), Color Guard, will represent the Cherokee Nations in music and dress in honor of these two soldiers. The Upshur County Patriots of Gilmer, Red Diamond Camp of Texarkana, and other camps will also be involved in the re-enactment.

The Hughes Spring High School University Interscholastic League Math and Science Team brought home several medals from its first meet in Mount Pleasant Oct. 20.
John Willis won fourth place in Science; CJ Pruitt won third place in Science and fifth in Calculator; and Cody Williams won second place in science and sixth place in Calculator. Chase Cooper captured sixth place in Science.
Kadarian Taylor took fifth places in Number Sense and in Calculator. Austin Sandefur made fourth in Calculator and sixth in Number Sense. Caitlin Moreland placed sixth in Calculator.

Santa has a sleigh to deliver toys, what does the Easter bunny use to deliver eggs?

I think he hops.
Natalie Sanchez
Avinger (left)

I think he is on a bike or something.
Bobby Ray Sisson Jr.
Avinger (center)

He hops to deliver eggs.
Noah Young
Avinger (right)

Full name: Matt Watkins.
I have lived in: Daingerfield for 33 years until my wife and I bought a home in Lone Star.
Family: Wife, Brandi Watkins; daughter, Makayla Watkins; daughter, Makenzie Watkins; and my son, Matthew Watkins Jr.
Pets: Cocker Spaniel named Bocephus, a weiner dog named Abbi, and my Pit Bull named C.J.
Occupation: Dispatcher for American Eagle.
One of the best things about my job is: It is inside out of the weather. I hate working outside in the freezing rain or the blitzing heat.
My ideal vacation is: Taking my wife on a cruise.
My hero is: Jesus because he paid a debt for me and you, so we could all have everlasting life.
My favorite TV show is: I don’t watch T.V. unless it’s NASCAR or the NFL.
My favorite healthy snack is: Boiled cabbage and cornbread.
A cause I most believe in is: Setting examples for my kids to live on, so that they will be successful in life.

10 YEARS AGO
Hughes Springs FFA member Chad Penny showed a Simmental heifer at the San Antonio Livestock Show.
Ryan Collins of Daingerfield and Ricky Jones of Hughes Springs have earned a place on the dean’s honor roll at Texas State Technical College in Waco.
Avinger Junior High girls’ basketball team has been undefeated three years in a row with a record of 39-0.
20 YEARS AGO
John Brown of Cason treated South Elementary fifth graders to a ride in a mule-drawn wagon.
Southwestern Electric Company in Hughes Springs will close its office at the end of business day April 16.
Beckie Shelton is calling on all Hughes Springs residents to join the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Wheels for Life Bike-A-Thon to raise funds for cancer research.
30 YEARS AGO
Tele-Communications held its grand opening. The business is located on Coffey Street in Daingerfield in the Gulf Station.

Fish Fry
The Jenkins Volunteer Fire Department will host a fish fry Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. The fish fry will be held at the fire station in Jenkins.
 
Scholarship 5K Fun Run
The Doug Sibley Memorial Scholarship 5K Fun Run will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. in Omaha. For registration and further information, call 903-884-2900 or visit ww.dougsibley5K.webs.com.
 
Class Reunion
A class reunion for the Traylor High Alumni has been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 17 at the old Traylor High School on Pecan Street in Hughes Springs. The goal is to contact former students who graduated or attended Traylor School. For further information, contact Elaine Traylor Roquemore at 903-619-3505.
 
Book Study
Ladies 18-49 are studying from Stormie Omartian’s book “The Power of a Praying Woman” Sundays at 9:45 a.m. The ladies meet at Mt. Mitchell Church of Christ, 6238 FM 144 North.
 
Basketball Tournament

The Hughes Springs Junior High Math and Science Team took third place at a Texas Math and Science Coaches Association meet in Pine Tree. 
Several students placed in the top five. Sixth grader Calli Stewart won fourth place in Number Sense, first place in Calculator, and fourth place in General Math.  
Cypress Wright, a seventh grader, placed second in Number Sense, first in Calculator, fifth place in General Math, and first in Science.
Eighth grader Gabe DuBose placed fifth in Number Sense and fourth in General Math.
Other team members include sixth graders Zoe Lanier and Philip Campbell, seventh grader Hunter Brabham, and eighth graders Celeste O’Dell, Austin Sampson, Orion Stafford, Shelby Fann, and Carson Moreland.  All team members helped to contribute for the winning team total.

The following persons were booked into the Morris County Jail in December:
James Matthew Wright, 38, Naples, public intoxication and two counts of assault, physical contact, Class C.
Jasmine De’Ta Wilkerson, 22, Mount Pleasant, disorderly conduct, vulgar language.
Aquan Elliott, 25, Mount Pleasant, possession of controlled substance.
Jerome Whetstone, 22, Naples, disorderly conduct.
Jermaine Whetstone, 25, disorderly conduct.
Gregory Scott Payne, 49, Naples, driving while license invalid and failure to appear on driving while license invalid.
Curtis James Lee, 31, Daingerfield, disorderly conduct, vulgar language.
Edward Wayne Hill, 36, Mount Pleasant, driving while intoxicated and open container.
Abelardo Saldana-Martinez, 23, Naples, failure to appear on failure to identify, public intoxication, and no driver’s license.
Vickie Wilkerson, 52, Clarksville, abandon/endanger child.

Hughes Springs’ boys placed third overall in the Redwater powerlifting meet.
Individual medalists in their respective weight divisions were Tara Ellis, Papa Chism, and Kyre Lewis, all in first place. Second place winners include Kaitlyn Martin, Lacy Garamillo, Austin Calcote, and Greg Morgan. Noah Palmertree captured third place, Lakendrick Stanton fourth place, and Trevor Perry fifth place.
Other members of the boys’ team include Corky Westmoreland, Christian Smith, and Riley Tilley.
The powerlifters also competed in a meet in White Oak Feb. 23
Lewis placed second, Michael Martinez placed third, Garamillo placed fourth and Ellis placed fifth.
Regional qualifiers from the event include Ellis, Martin, Garamillo, Chism, Martinez, and Lewis.

Eight students from the Hughes Springs High School band competed in the University Interscholastic League solo & ensemble contest in Kilgore on Feb. 22.
All eight students received excellent ratings, five of which qualified for the state uil solo & ensemble contest in may.
“For five of the eight students, this was their first experience at a solo & ensemble contest,” head band director Reggie Whatley said. “We are very proud of our kids. It took a lot of extra time and effort to reach the level that each one achieved. We look forward to their future accomplishments.”
Austin Sandefur with a class 1 solo, will advance to State competition. Others in solo competition will be Raymond Casias with class 2 solo; Trent Duke with a class 2 solo, Nayla Girard with a class 2 solo; and Jake Rodgers with a class 3 solo.