Archives for November 2001

Two computers were stolen last week when a person or persons unknown broke into the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Donley County Chief Deputy Randy Bond says authorities believe the break in occurred Saturday evening. Museum officials noticed signs of mischief Sunday and realized the computers were gone Monday.

Bond says the culprits entered the old Adair Hospital building through a window on the southeast side, rumpled the covers on a bed, and exited with the computer equipment through a back door.

A Dell computer tower and a scanner were taken from the desk in the foyer, and an entire Dell computer system – except for the speakers – was taken from the board room. A digital camera was also taken. Bond said the estimated value of the computers is $1,000 each.

The computers are the property of the Clarendon Independent School District and were purchased with grant money early this year. School officials provided authorities with serial numbers for the stolen equipment.

No damage was done to the museum itself, and the museum’s collection remains intact. Museum board members took steps Monday afternoon to enhance the security of the windows on the building.

Voters in Donley County chose Craig Estes to be their next State Senator in Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Tom Haywood.

Estes, a Republican from Wichita Falls, was leading his five other opponents across District 30 by 49.5 percent of the vote, according to reports at press time. Local voters chose him by a margin of 136 to 95 for his nearest competitor, Democrat Greg Underwood.

Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, Estes and Underwood will face each other in a runoff election to be held next month.

Turnout was low for Tuesday’s polling with only 340 people – or 13.2 percent of registered voters – casting ballots locally.

Voters also considered 19 amendments to the Texas Constitution on Tuesday, and Donley County citizens favored all but two of them. Propositions 2 and 14 failed locally.

Statewide results showed all propositions passing at press time on Tuesday night. Complete local results will be published next week.

Local results on the constitutional amendment were as follows: 

Prop. 1. To give up the state’s claim to a parcel of land in Bastrop County: 219 Yes, 94 No.

Prop. 2. To authorize bonds for road construction in border communities: 157 Yes, 166, No.

Prop. 3. To exempt raw cocoa and green coffee in Harris County from property tax: 170 Yes, 146 No.

Prop. 4. To extend the two-year term of the Fire Fighter’s Pension Commissioner to four years: 240 Yes, 85 No.

Prop. 5. To allow cities to donate outdated fire equipment to underdeveloped nations: 218 Yes, 110 No.

Prop. 6. To require the Texas governor to call a special legislative session to appoint presidential electors when an election outcome is uncertain: 174 Yes, 153 No.

Prop. 7. To authorize bonds for veterans’ housing loans and cemeteries: 230 Yes, 96 No.

Prop. 8. To authorize bonds for construction and repairs at 11 state agencies: 175 Yes, 146 No.

Prop. 9. To permit lawmakers to cancel a special election to fill a legislative vacancy when there is only one qualified candidate: 235 Yes, 92 No.

Prop. 10. To broaden exemptions on personal property used for manufacturing stored in the state temporarily: 214 Yes, 107 No.

Prop. 11. To allow teachers to be paid to serve in local government positions: 208 Yes, 117 No.

Prop. 12. To permit clean up of duplicative or obsolete language in the state constitution: 226 Yes, 99 No.

Prop. 13. To permit school districts to donate property for historic preservation: 255 Yes, 74 No.

Prop. 14. To allow property tax exemption on travel trailers to promote tourism: 151 Yes,  177 No.

Prop. 15. To create a fund to authorize grants and loans for transportation projects: 192 Yes, 141 No.

Prop. 16. To allow a home improvement lien on a manufactured home to be refinanced and rolled into a real property lien under certain conditions: 197 Yes, 122 No.

Prop. 17. To give the Legislature authority to settle land-title disputes when the question is based on inaccurate surveys relating to the Permanent School Fund: 201 Yes, 121

Prop. 18. To lock all court fees into a consolidation and standardization program created by the Legislature: 253 Yes, 70 No.

Prop. 19. To authorize bonds for loans to repair, expand, and improve water facilities: 202 Yes, 123 No.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen met in called session Friday morning at City Hall to consider new personnel policies.

Board consultant Colby Waters presented a draft of the new guidelines to the aldermen and addressed their importance to the city.

“These procedures are important to the city to have an equitable employment area,” Waters said. “It gives both the city and the employees guidelines and limitations.”

The new policy manual would outline the responsibilities of each city employee and provide them with a job description. It also places limitations on employees as far as what is acceptable in the workplace.

“If people are being asked to do things that aren’t in the guidelines, it gives them protection,” Waters said.

The manual also addresses uses of city property, employee safety, discipline, employee compensation and advancement, as well as firing of employees among other things.

Most of Friday’s meeting was devoted to issues of sick leave and holidays. The aldermen discussed how much of each an employee will be allowed to accumulate over his career and how to be fair to employees who have already devoted many years of service to the city.

No action was taken Friday, and the board will take up the matter again at a future meeting as they continue to seek a solution that is equitable to employees and protects the interests of the city and its taxpayers.

Waters urged the board not to do anything to unnecessarily “rock the boat.”

Mayor Tex Selvidge said he was against making any changes in the city’s polices just for the sake of change.

“If it’s going to make things better though, it’s worth it,” Selvidge said.

As an internal city policy, the board of aldermen can adopt and revise the employee guidelines at any time.

Waters is an employee of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission. Clarendon aldermen contracted with the PRPC in August to revise the city’s personnel and procedures manual. Under another PRPC contract, Waters provides support services and advice to the board.

Waters is also working under a third contract which calls for the codification of city ordinances. That job would review and organize city laws dating back to 1901 – some of which are outdated, nullified, or inapplicable today.

Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to more than 2,634,000 residents of Texas will increase 2.6 percent next year, according to Amarillo SS office manager Ruth Wilson.

“Today’s news tells us that inflation continues to be low, which is certainly good news for the elderly and disabled,” said Ms. Wilson. “Inflation is one of the biggest challenges for people living on a fixed income.”

The 2.6 percent increase will begin with benefits that Social Security beneficiaries will receive in January 2002, a press release said. Increased payments for SSI recipients will begin on December 31, 2001.

Wilson said the increase will be important for the area economy.

Average monthly benefits for retirees will rise from $852 to $874, and the maximum federal SSI monthly payment to an individual will rise from $531 to $545. For a couple, the maximum SSI payment will rise from $796 to $817.

“The annual cost of living adjustment is one of the most critically important features of the Social Security program. For the elderly, it guarantees that their foundation of retirement income will remain strong for as long as they live.”

A total of 969 people received Social Security benefits in Donley County in December 2000. Eighty-two others received SSI funds. Benefits to local people totaled $711,000 that month.

Currently, monthly benefits paid to Texas residents amount to over $2 billion annually.

The change also affects the payroll tax rates. Effective next January, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax will increase from $80,400 to $84,900.  The maximum yearly Social Security tax paid by employees and employers will increase by $279 each. For the self-employed, it will rise by $558.

AUSTIN – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander last week said the September 11 terrorist attacks reduced sales tax collections by a total $42 million, a rebound from the initial $100 million-plus dip.

“The state took an initial body blow of $113 million immediately after the attacks, but we bounced back,” Rylander said. “Texans are a defiant, confident, and resilient bunch. I continue to believe it is highly unlikely that there will be a recession in Texas.”

Rylander said consumer confidence, which was slipping before the September 11 tragedy, continued to slide nationally and in Texas; but the local slip was not as steep. Between August and October nationally, consumer confidence slid 25 percent; but during the same time in Texas, consumer confidence slipped 21 percent.

The Comptroller said she does not believe the September economic snapshot will affect her biennial revenue estimate.

“One month is not a trend,” she said. “I fully expect our economy to recover in the latter months of next year.”

State sales tax collections for September of this year totaled $1.15 billion, down just one percent from the same time last year.

Texas communities will learn the effects of the terrorist attacks on their local revenue next week, when the Comptroller makes regular monthly sales tax allocations on November 9.

Rylander also said she will be transferring $686 million from the natural gas severance tax into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing that balance up to $882 million.

Wall Street cited the growing Rainy Day Fund in giving the state a high financial rating. That, in turn, will save Texans $55 million this year.

A single-engine airplane crashed in rural Donley County last Friday evening, and both people on board escaped injury.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said David Lee Williams flew the Bellanca 17-30A to Clarendon from Plainview with his passenger Tami Campbell to visit her sister here. Williams circled Broncho Stadium during Friday night’s game and also flew over Clarendon College and Greenbelt Lake hoping attract the sister’s attention.

Later, the plane had just taken off from Clarendon Municipal Airport for a return to Plainview when the engine died and could not be restarted. Williams sent out a distress signal to an American Airlines plane overhead, then crash-landed his plane on Mark Allen’s place near Sandy Camp.

The American Airlines flight signaled Amarillo International Airport which contacted the local sheriff’s office at 8:55 p.m.

Blackburn said another plane also picked up Williams’ distress call and circled the crash site to help rescuers. Local pilots Andy Wheatly and George Self also assisted in locating the plane. The wreck was found about an hour later, and DPS Trooper Chris Ward was the first to reach the site with the assistance of a nearby resident who had a four-wheel drive truck.

The pilot told authorities he believed the fuel pump might have failed but was not certain. FAA officials were scheduled to investigate the wreckage this week.

The plane is owned by Jim Lofton of Pecos, Texas. Williams is a friend of the owner and was listed on the insurance papers, Blackburn said.

The CHS Bronco Band finished sixth in Area Marching Competition last Saturday in the band’s third consecutive appearance at the contest.

CHS band director Todd Baker said the performance in Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium was top notch.

“It was by far the best they had done,” Baker said. “It was a good, clean performance. I was especially proud of the way the kids overcame academic hurdles and physical injuries. We also had good student leadership.”

The band competed against 11 other bands before a five-judge panel. Their highest ranking from a judge was third, and their lowest ranking was eighth.

Baker said judges were impressed with Clarendon’s marching, drill design, and overall impression. They were critical of what Baker called “the lack of balance” in the band, meaning the group could use some more low brass instruments.

The band is composed of 65 members and is under the field direction of Carrie Helms, Meghan Roberts, and Chuck Robertson. Ashlee Kidd captains the Flag Corps, and Jessie Anderberg is the feature twirler.

Baker said he and assistant band director Jennifer Willison appreciate the kids’ attitude and how hard they worked on their performance.

High school bands are qualified to advance every two years based on their UIL classification. Class 2A schools won’t be able to advance again until 2003.

The Bronco Band also advanced to area competition in 1997 and 1999.

Early voting for the general election continues through Friday in the Donley County Clerk’s office with regular balloting to be held next Tuesday.

Voters across the state will decide 19 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Residents of Senate District 30, which includes Donley County, will also fill the vacant seat of the late Sen. Tom Haywood.

Polling begins at 7 a.m. Tuesday and ends at 7 p.m. Polling places are as follows: Box 101 & 103 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center, Box 102 – Howardwick City Hall, Box 201 – Clarendon Lions Club, Box 301 – Clarendon Community Center, Box 302 & 303 – Hedley Lions Club, Box 401 – Community Bank, and Box 402 – McClellan Home.

Check the precinct number on your voter registration card to determine at which box you should vote.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn is asking citizens of Donley County to watch out for an ongoing scam.

An individual is calling local people and telling them that his car is broken down or that his children are ill. The individual then asks for money to be wired to him via Western Union.

Do not give money to anyone calling in this manner. If you receive such a call, get the person’s name and contact the Donley County Sheriff’s Office at 874-3533 at once. Several people have already been scammed in this manner.