Archives for March 2002

While candidates for county offices vie for public attention and several local boards are canceling their elections due to a lack of interest, one burning question is on the minds of Donley County voters… who will be the king?

Twelve candidates have been volunteered to run for the exalted throne of King Turkey as part of the second annual Donley County Turkey Strut Festival to be held here April 19-21. Voting started last week at Duckwall’s, and controversy may already be brewing. Election officials say one unnamed candidate demanded – without success – that their jar be removed from the voting place.

As of Tuesday morning, Methodist preacher James Ivey Edwards was the early leader with $6 in his jar. Insurance salesman Bright Newhouse was in second place with $2.50, and college dean Joel Zehr was in third place with $1.58. On Zehr’s tail feathers was high school principal Larry Jeffers with $1.17.

Other candidates scratching the surface were retired café owner Mutt Graham with 52 cents, Howardwick Alderman Nancy Davis with 48 cents, and Hedley School Superintendent Bryan Hill with 23 cents.

Five candidates had yet to get off the roost. Returning candidates Mayor Tex Selvidge and Clarendon Alderman Michael Tibbets were both posting goose eggs this week as were car dealer Jim Blackerby and retired professor Zell SoRelle. Housing Authority maintenance supervisor Larry Hicks, a member of the presiding Royal Family and uncle to last year’s king, was also searching for support in the polling.

Voting continues at Duckwall’s variety store. Support your favorite turkey by putting money in their jar. The bird with the most money wins, and the proceeds will benefit the Donley County Tourism Council.

The Turkey King will be crowned at 5 p.m. April 20 as part of the grand finale of the celebration. More details of the scheduled events will be printed next week. For information about the Turkey Strut Festival, contact Dee Dee Autry at 874-3889

Early voting by personal appearance starts next Monday in Democratic and Republican primary run-off elections.

Democrats will select Ron Kirk or Victor Morales for the US Senate candidacy.

Republicans will be deciding between Elizabeth Ray and Dale Wainwright for the State Supreme Court Place 2 candidacy, Tom Price and Tim Taft for the Court of Criminal Appeals Place 1 candidacy, David Richards and Paul Womack for the Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 candidacy, and Cathy Cochran and Guy Williams for the Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 candidacy.

Early voting in the County Clerk’s office continues through April 5. The election run-off will be held Tuesday, April 9.

Clarendon College regents approved issuing $2.5 million in revenue bonds to build a new residence hall when they met last Thursday.

The 20-year notes will be paid for with fees paid by students who live on campus. No fee increases are expected in relation to the bonds. Payments will begin on the note with the 2002-03 school year.

Part of the bonds will be used to refinance an estimated $380,000 of existing debt remaining from a 1990 issuance.

CC President Myles Shelton said the college was able to receive an interest rate low enough that the existing bonds could be called in and still come out ahead.

The configuration and site of the $2.1 million dormitory has not been finalized. The new facility will provide housing for 80 students and should open in the fall of 2003.

In other action from last week’s board meeting, administrative contracts were renewed for the following people: Jewel Austin, Jackie Boyd, Tex Buckhaults, Linda Frye, Marian Giesecke, Sharon Hannon, Greg Henry, Joe Kyle Reeve, Myles Shelton, Darlene Spier, Will Thompson, and Joel Zehr.

Clarendon and Donley County are getting an assist from state and federal authorities in repairing flood damage from last spring and preventing similar damage in the future.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the US Department of Agriculture, and the state’s Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) will be providing funding for repairs and improvements to two county bridges and at several sites within the city limits.

Repairs estimated at $547,000 will be made on bridges over Mulberry and Troublesome Creeks on the JA Ranch Road. County Judge Jack Hall said the work will primarily consist of rebuilding and strengthening the embankments at the ends of the bridges.

The first of five sites in the city is located on Gorst Street south of the Fourth Street intersection. Site A, as it is referred to, will see more than 430 square yards of asphalt paving and 225’ of concrete footing in an effort to stop erosion and to assist storm waters into the city’s existing main drainage channel.

Site B is located north of McClelland Field where storm waters leave City Park and cross Sixth Street. A small section of that street will be rebuilt, repaved, and strengthened with concrete footings. Also, silt deposits will be removed from the creekbed north of Sixth Street.

Site C work consists of cleaning out the city storm channel from First Street north to Clarendon Lake. Trees and debris will be removed from 20 feet on either side of the channel until it nears the lake where 50 feet will be cleared on each side. Also a large logjam will be removed from the channel where sand, tree limbs, railroad ties, and even some city dumpsters have been washed away and piled up over successive storms. The cleanup should allow water running through the channel to run freely into the lake and prevent it from backing up into the city.

Site D is located in the alleyway between McClelland and Carhart streets. Storm water from as far south as Cooke Street (near the museum grounds) washes down through this corridor as it makes its way to the storm channel. Plans call for silt and trees to be removed from the alley, which will then be paved and curbed. A low bridge on Carhart Street will still restrict water, but officials say the improvements should carry a 5-year flood with no problem. A 10-year flood would still backup, however.

There has been some discussion about paving the streets connected to the alleyway in order to alleviate sand deposits in the alley, but that work was not in the plans presented to city officials Monday.

Site E is a reworking of Thurman Avenue near the eastern city limit from US 287 south to the end of the road. A 20-foot road would be built 1400’ long with a wide drainage ditch running down the west side of the road. At least 150’ of Thurman will be paved where waters from adjacent land drains across it. Some debris and trees will be removed from the area, and erosion protections will be put in place.

NRCS officials say they hope to let bids on these projects in May with work to start in June. Completion is expected this October. The federal government will handle all the bidding, contracts, and oversight of the projects.

Candidates for two local boards came out of the woodwork last Wednesday, bringing the total number of local entities with contested races this May to three.

The City of Clarendon now has five candidates for three positions on the Board of Aldermen. Janice Knorpp and incumbent alderman Mark White joined Tommy Hill and incumbent Mac Stavenhagen on Wednesday. Incumbent Billy Jack Land later filed as a write-in candidate.

At Clarendon College, five people are vying for three positions on the Board of Regents. Incumbents Jack A. Moreman and Bill Sansing will face Jim Blackerby, Mary Douglas, and Sherol Johnston on the ballot.

In Howardwick, Sam Grider, Donald Holladay, Bobby Murdock, and incumbent Vernon Byars are running for three positions on the Board of Aldermen.

Four other local governments did not draw enough candidates to have contested races. The City of Hedley, the Donley County Hospital District, the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District, and the Hedley Consolidated Independent School District will all likely cancel their election this year.

Election day is set for Saturday, May 4, 2002. Early voting will begin April 17.

Everyone was a winner when the results of local primary balloting were totaled last Tuesday night… but then no one had an opponent either.

Turnout was light as 260 Donley County citizens voted in the Democratic Primary and 190 voted in the Republican Primary. The combined total represented less than 18 percent of local registered voters.

In Democratic polling, incumbent County Judge Jack Hall captured 226 votes or 86.9 percent of the votes cast, incumbent County/District Clerk Fay Vargas received 218 votes or 83.8 percent, and county treasurer candidate Vicki L. Sloan received 162 votes or 62.3 percent. Incumbent Precinct 4 Commissioner Bobby G. “Bob” Trout received 42 votes, and incumbent Precinct 3&4 Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy got 114.

Jean Taylor was handily re-elected as Democratic County Chair with 202 votes. Trey Chamberlain, Wanda Seap, Jimmy Swinney, and Willard Skelton each received one write-in vote.

On the GOP ticket, county judge candidate Jimmy Thompson received 101 votes or 53.2 percent of votes cast, county/district clerk candidate Vicki Knowles got 130 votes or 68.4 percent, and incumbent County Treasurer Becky Jackson received 146 votes or 76.8 percent. Incumbent Precinct 2 Commissioner Donnie Hall received 58 votes, and Precinct 4 commissioner candidate Wayne I. Riggs received 25 votes. Incumbent Precinct 1&2 Justice of the Peace Jimmy B. Johnson received 79 votes.

Rogers Hester will serve as Republican County Chair again, getting 135 votes. Helen Land, Mary Douglas, Barbara Helms, Democratic County Commissioner Buster Shields, and “Someone Else” each received one write-in vote.

Local Republicans approved of the non-binding ballot question calling for protecting the right to pray in public by a margin of 113 to 44.

Winning candidates of local primaries will face off this fall in the November General Election.

Democrats across the state will return to the polls April 9 to decide a runoff election between Ron Kirk and Victor Morales for the US Senate candidacy. Early voting will be held April 1-5.

Of seven local governments set to hold elections this year, the City of Howardwick was the only one to have a contested race as of Tuesday morning.

With only one day left to sign up, the remaining six governments were reporting very little interest from local citizens.

Filing for candidacy closed Wednesday, March 20.

In Howardwick, four people had thrown their hats into the ring to run for three positions on the Board of Aldermen. Sam Grider, Donald Holladay, Bobby Murdock, and incumbent Vernon Byars had filed to run.

The three vacant positions on the Clarendon Board of Aldermen have drawn two candidates – Tommy Hill and incumbent Mac Stavenhagen.

In the City of Hedley, incumbent Mayor Janie Hill and incumbent Aldermen James Lee Potts and Leon Ward had signed up for re-election but had drawn no opponents.

Incumbent board members at the Donley County Hospital District had signed up for re-election. The candidates are as follows: Place 4, Jerry May; Place 5, Carolyn Moffett; Place 6, Onita Thomas; and Place 7, Jim Douglas.

Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District had two trustees running for re-election this year. Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry are unopposed.

The Clarendon College District had one person signed up for one of three open seats on the Board of Regents. Mary Douglas in the only candidate so far.

Incumbents Rhonda Shaw and Anthony Knowles were the sole candidates for two trustee positions in the Hedley Consolidated Independent School District.

A filing listing of candidates will appear on our website www. ClarendonOnline.com later this week and will also be included in next week’s Enterprise.

Election day is set for Saturday, May 4, 2002.

Community organizers met last Tuesday to begin making plans for the annual Saints’ Roost Celebration on July 4, 5, and 6.

For the first time in several years, the main activities will be held on July Fourth, which falls on Thursday this year. The Craft Fair, the Old Settlers Reunion, and the Parade will all be held on July Fourth.

Official word was not available at press time, but members of the Al Morrah Shrine said they would probably hold their annual barbecue the same day as the parade.

A change for this year calls for merging the kiddie parade back into the regular parade instead of holding it on a different day.

Details are still being worked out, but the plan calls for the kids to join the lead of the parade for approximately one block downtown then pull off to the side where they can watch the rest of the parade. This prevents Kearney Street from being blocked off for two days and hopefully will provide a larger crowd to see the kids on their bikes and tricycles.

On Friday, July 5, the Downtown Ministry Center will host a Depression Luncheon, and a stick horse rodeo is also being discussed for that day.

Henson’s annual Turtle Race will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, July 6.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association is planning to hold a 30-man bull riding contest, a wild mare race, and a calf scramble on July 4th. The Ranch Rodeo will be held Friday and Saturday nights with dances to follow both nights.