High Severe Weather Risk

Kaufman County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie forwarded this info from the National Weather Service... Be prepared and be careful, folks.

The ingredients for a significant severe weather outbreak continue to come
together this morning, and we expect severe thunderstorms to develop across
western North Texas after 3 pm and move across much of
North Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours. While the
threat of severe weather exists over most of North Texas, the area of
greatest threat exists along and north of Interstate 20. All types of
severe weather will be likely today, including tornadoes, very large hail,
and damaging downburst winds. Long-track, strong tornadoes are
possible. In addition, localized flash flooding will be possible. A
multimedia web briefing will be available shortly on our web page, and a
graphic is attached depicting the threat areas today and tonight.

OVERVIEW/TIMING...An intensifying surface low pressure system over the
northern Texas Panhandle will move northeast as a powerful upper level storm
system moves across the southern and central plains states later today. The
atmosphere over North Texas is already very unstable and with daytime
heating the instability will only increase. The dryline, located over West
Texas this morning, will move east and serve as the focusing mechanism for
thunderstorm development by mid to late afternoon. This is expected to
occur roughly near or just west of a line from Olney to Eastland, Comanche
and Goldthwaite. Thunderstorms should become severe quickly and move
northeast at 35 to 40 mph, posing a challenge for mobile storm spotters. As
often occurs with supercell storms, the initial storm will split into two
storms, one that slows and turns to the right (east), and a left-moving
storm that then accelerates to the north-northeast and poses a very large
hail threat. Conditions today will favor a few splitting storms, and
spotters and emergency managers should be prepared for possible complex
storm evolutions for local warning purposes.

With time, initially isolated thunderstorms should merge into one or more
lines of storms while continuing to move northeast tonight. The primary
severe weather threat will then become damaging straight-line winds, with
tornadoes and large hail still possible. Rainfall may locally exceed 1 to 2
inches and will pose a risk of flash flooding.

On Wednesday, thunderstorms will be possible across eastern North Texas,
mainly to the east of I-35. There will be some threat for severe storms,
although the details are still uncertain and will be influenced by storms
today.

CONFIDENCE...Confidence in severe storm development today is high, and
moderate on the location of initial storm development. We will refine this
forecast throughout the day.

We will launch a special balloon sounding at 1230 pm to sample the pre-storm
environment. The Storm Prediction Center will upgrade northern portions of
North Texas to a High Risk later this morning and extend the moderate risk
area a bit farther south.

USEFUL WEBSITES

National Weather Service Fort Worth
http://www.weather.gov/fortworth

National Weather Service Fort Worth Hazard Pages
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/hazard/haz.php?loc=nort&dow=TODAY

Emergency Management Weather Briefing Page
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=embriefing

National Weather Service Fort Worth Radar
http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=fws&product=N0R&overlay=1110111
1&loop=no


National Weather Service Granger Radar
http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=grk&product=N0R&overlay=1110111
1&loop=no

Thunderstorms starting in Terrell, severe weather expected by 12:10 p.m.

7-on-7 Football Schedule Released

Terrell will have two teams a summer 7-on-7 football league being hosted at Kaufman High School.

Games will get under way June 7 with each team playing two contests each scheduled game night. All games will be played in Kaufman with some at Lions Field and others on practice fields.

Terrell's No. 1 team is set to kick off the season at 6 p.m. June 7 against Scurry-Rosser while their second game of that evening will begin at 7 p.m. against Terrell team No. 2.

The Terrell team No. 2 is slated to open against Mabank at 6 p.m. June 7. Their second game of that evening will begin at 7 p.m. against Terrell team No. 1.

Teams playing in the league include two from Terrell, two from Kaufman, Scurry-Rosser, Mabank, Palmer and Eustace.

Below is a schedule for the season:

Also, the Terrell 2011 football season schedule has been announced.

A Beautiful Week

What do you do when Texas weather blesses you with temperatures in May like what we are seeing so far this week?

You get outdoors as often as you can.

A couple of area schools adhered to that advice this week.

On Monday, First Presbyterian Kindergarten students released butterflies.


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Then on Tuesday Methodist Day School had its field day.


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Enjoy the weather!

Time to buy into the Mavericks?

By Stephen Beam

Dallas- Walking into American Airlines Center before last Sunday's Western Conference 2nd Round Series between the Mavericks and Lakers, you got two unmistakable feelings.

The first one was that undeniable end of line feeling for the Lakers. They were not winning in Game 4 much less coming back to win the series as some people thought.

The second feeling was one of a city buying back into to a team after years of frusteration and heartbreak. Quite frankly, the Mavericks gave them a reason to jump off with their early Spring flameouts the last four years but also gave them a reason to buy back in with their play over the first two rounds of this Spring.

Once a trendy first round upset pick, your Dallas Mavs are now the favorite to get out of the West after the dismantling the two time defending champions. And who is to argue they cannot be playing the first few weeks of June especially when Dallas drills a franchise record 20 three pointers as they did on Sunday.

There is something different about this Dallas team that you saw back in the regular season but you needed to see it again the playoffs just to make sure your eyes were not seeing a mirage again.

It was a commitment to defense and new found resiliency and toughness that has been lacking in the playoffs in recent years.

He also credits the turnaround to "embracing defense" which is what determines advancing in the playoffs or going home. The acquisition of eraser Tyson Chandler reinforced this this commitment last summer.

Chandler has brought a mean streak and nastiness to The Metroplex which the Mavs or their fans have never seen. He is simply not aftra

In the four games against Los Angeles, Dallas held the vaunted Lakers attack to 94, 81, 92 and 86 points in the four games. That is a far cry from the days of trying to outscore the opponent.

It also says something that some teams were trying to avoid the Lakers in the playoffs while the Mavs were winning games trying not to avoid them.

Carlisle said as much after the game that his team wanted the Lakers.

"They were multiple teams who were trying to avoid the possibility of LA in the second round and we were not one of them," Carlisle said. "We thought we were better off playing them in the second round than in the Western Conference Finals. We wanted the momentum of winning games."

Now, the Mavs have their best shot to win a World Championship since 2006 and it is the the three D's that are going to take them there. Defense, Dirk and determination.

The 32 year old Nowitzki has raised his game to another level if that was even possible. He not only is getting himself shots but he is getting his teammates open shots as well. It also helps when Jason Terry is playing the best basketball of his career.

The Mavs are a veteran bunch with playoff experience and past failures, which may have made them tougher for this current run.

This run is not bad for a team many thought would not even make it out of the first round.

The ride is only beginning Mavs fans and it promises to get a lot more entertaining. It is time to buy back in.

Forney holding strong in softball

While North Forney fell this weekend in an epic three game series against defending 3A champion Paris North Lamar, Forney defeated Royse City to advance to the 4A Regional Semi-Finals.

Forney will now face Frisco Wakeland in a best of three format that will take place at Plano West High School. Game 1 will be 7:30 p.m., Thursday while Game 2 will be 7:30 p.m., Friday. The if necessary Game 3 would be Noon Saturday.

15-4A baseball playoffs taking shape

Two District 15 baseball playoffs remain in the playoffs after two more teams fell last weekend.

Waxahachie continued their hot streak with a series victory over Sherman last weekend. They will face Hallsville in a best of three format starting on most likely Thursday.

This is the second district team Hallsville will be facing after they disposed of Forney last weekend in a best of three series.

District champion Mesquite Poteet marched on with a series win over Whitehouse last weekend. They will face Texas High, who defeated Red Oak last weekend in a best of three series.

Game 1 will be 7:30 p.m., Thursday while Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Game 3 would 2 p.m., Saturday. All three games are set to be played at Longview High School.

NFHS softball season ends in playoffs

The magical ride of the North Forney softball season came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Paris North Lamar in the do or die game Game 3 of the series.

The Lady Falcons managed only four hits as Shelby Hedrick took the tough luck on the mound.

The defending state 3A softball champion, North Lamar rallied to win back to back games with their season on the line after dropping a 7-4 decision in Forney on Thursday night.

The Lady Falcons finish the season at 30-9 and return every starter from this year's team for next season.

Forney's Hodge needs to stay within self

There will be five athletes representing Kaufman County this weekend at the State Track Meet in Austin this weekend.

Two are from Forney High School and three are from Kaufman High School.

Representing Forney will be Kris Hodge and Kara Hyde. Hodge will be running the 110 meter hurdles and Hyde will be running the 100 meter hurdles.

The fact that Hodge advanced to Austin is not a surpries in the eyes of Forney boys track coach Kent Smtih.

"I thought Kris had the ability to be a state meet caliber athlete since his junior year," Smith said. "He just so happened to run in a region that two kids from Lancaster who ran the two fastest times in the nation."

Smith said Hodge "took advantage of the situation" when the two Lancaster runners graduated last year.

Hodge's top performance this year in the 110 meter hurdles has been 14.21 seconds. Smith feels if Hodge duplicates that time "he should bring back the gold."

Smith said the two keys for Hodge will be to "get out of the blocks" and to "stay sound in his technique" throughout the race.

Represneting Kaufman will be Edwin Munoz is a four seed in the mile run for Kaufman. Jade Jacquez is the number two seed in the 800 meter run. Christina Harris will be seeded fifth in the Discus.

The State Track Meets will be Friday and Saturday at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.

Powder Puff Cancelled

The Powder Puff football game between junior/senior girls has been cancelled for Friday night.

The event was set to benefit Athletics Secretary Lucy Hessel and to help her get back on her feet.

The game was set to begin 5 p.m., Friday at the football practice field at Terrell High School.

There are other fundraisers in the works that will be announced at a later date, Powder Puff Chairman Katrina Christeson said.

Powder Puff Football set for Friday

The annual Powder Puff Football game will be 5 p.m. Friday at the Terrell High School football practice field. It will benefit Athletics Assistant Lucy Hessel in helping her get back on her feet.

The girls from the junior and senior glass will face each other in a flag football game. The senior football players will be coaching the respective squads.

The boys from both classes will be on The Drill Teams. The event is primarily student run.

The admission will $2-3 at the door on Friday night.

Kaufman County to be represented at State Track

There will be five athletes representing Kaufman County this weekend at the State Track Meet in Austin this weekend.

Two are from Forney High School and three are from Kaufman High School.

Representing Forney will be Kris Hodge and Kara Hyde. Hodge will be running the 110 meter hurdles and Hyde will be running the 100 meter hurdles.

Represneting Kaufman will be Edwin Munoz is a four seed in the mile run for Kaufman. Jade Jacquez is the number two seed in the 800 meter run. Christina Harris will be seeded fifth in the Discus.

The State Track Meets will be Friday and Saturday at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.

15-4A Baseball playoffs rolling on

Three District 15 baseball teams remain alive in the Class 4A playoffs as they continue on this weekend.

District champion Mesquite Poteet defeated Pflugerville Connally 3-0 in a one game playoff on Thursday.

The Pirates will play Whitehouse in the 3rd Round this weekend.

Forney will play Hallsville in a best of three format this weekend. Game 1 will be 7 p.m., Thursday in Forney.

Game 2 will be 1 p.m., Saturday at Hallsville with the if necessary Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2.

The district's hottest team is Waxahachie and they will face Sherman this weekend. The Indians defeated Poteet on the last night of the regular season just to reach the playoffs. The win snapped Poteet's 59 game district win streak.

Former THS Star Smith named ASC All Conference

Former Terrell baseball star Logan Smith has been named to the American Southwest Conference East Division First Team.

Smith, last season's ASC East Freshman of the Year, is making his second consecutive appearance on the East Division First Team as an outfielder.

Smith was the ASC leader with 20 stolen bases. It was also his second consecutive season with at least 20 steals. His 28 runs scored were also third on the team.

Smth, who started all 40 games this season, hit .310 on the season with six doubles and 12 RBI's.

Former THS baseball players Chuck Daugherty, Barrett Calverly and Jeremy Ringo also play at LeTourneau.

North Forney Softball Schedule Set

The North Forney Lady Falcons will play Paris North Lamar in a best of three series beginning Thursday night in the 3rd Round of the Region II 3A Playoffs.

Game 1 will be 7:30 p.m., Thursday at North Forney.

Game 2 will be 7:30 p.m., Friday at Paris North Lamar.

Game 3, if necessary, would be Saturday in McKinney.

The Lady Falcons reached the 3rd round with a 2-0 series win over Longview Spring Hill last weekend.

We Messed Up

An early voting breakdown listed in the Thursday print edition of The Terrell Tribune is incorrect.

Through Wednesday, 397 ballots had been cast in the joint City of Terrell and Terrell ISD election. Of that number, 16 had been cast by Terrell ISD voters who live outside the city limits all others were cast by voters within the city limits. It had been previously reported that through Tuesday only 9 voters had cast ballots in the TISD election. That number is an error. TISD votes and city rental integrity ordinance votes within the city limits are included in the combined number (397).

The Tribune regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused.

Early voting is being held in council chambers of Terrell City Hall, 201 East Nash St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. Early voting also will be held at city hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 5 and 10.

On the city ballot will be a decision as to whether or not to approve Ordinance No. 2457, better known as the Rental Integrity Ordinance.

The Terrell ISD ballot features a race between incumbent Ann Kines McDonald and challenger Carol Keto.

Friends Rally For Lucy

Friends of Lucy Hessel, a popular Terrell High School staff member who lost all her belongings in a home fire on April 4, will be sponsoring a couple of events to help her get back on her feet.

Up first, a Terrell Can 4 Lucy Garage sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7 in the covered parking area the main branch of ANB on Moore Avenue. If you have anything to donate for this sale, email 4lucyh@gmail.com or call Abbie, 972-551-2455, or Mary, 214-801-4717.

Then on May 10 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., friends of Lucy will hold a "Tips at Carmona's" fundraiser. Please ask for the "4Lucy" tables. Friends of Lucy will be your server, and all tips will be appreciated and given to Lucy.

NFHS Softball Playoff Schedule Set

The North Forney Girls Softball team will play Longview Spring Hill in a best of three format in the Area round of the playoffs.

The first game will take place 7 p.m. Thursday at North Forney. The second game will take place 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Hill High School.

The "if necessary" game will take place 2 p.m. Saturday at Van High School.

District 15 baseball seedings set

Despite playing 16 district games during the regular season, a one game playoff was needed to determine seedings for the District 15 baseball playoffs.

First, Waxahachie made the three-team playoff with Forney and Red Oak by virtue of an improbable 4-3 victory over district champion Mesquite Poteet on Friday night. The victory also snapped the 59 game district winning streak for the Pirates.

The victory also meant the Indians were tied with Forney and Red Oak at 11-5 in the district. The three team playoff took place Saturday with Forney defeating Red Oak 4-3. Red Oak then defeated Waxahachie to secure the three seed.

Forney will be the number two seed while Waxahachie will be the four seed.

New Regional Track Meet Schedule

By Stephen Beam

The Regional Track Meet schedule has been revised because of the wet weather expected to continue throughout Monday.

The Triple Jump, originally slated for 12 p.m. today, has been pushed back to 2 p.m. Monday. Tiara Hill will be competing for Terrell in that event.

The 400m Prelims featuring Carnell Horn will go off 7:25 p.m. Monday. The Finals are still scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.

The Discus, Long Jump and Shot Put have all been rescheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. Lauren Randolph will compete for Terrell in the Discus and Shot Put. Tiara Hill will compete in the Long Jump for Terrell.

The Regional Track Meet or the Clayton Jones Relays are taking place at the University of North Texas in Denton.