Archives for December 2005

Clean up continues this week after a southbound Burlington Northern-Santa Fe coal train derailed in Clarendon last Thursday morning.

Twenty-seven loaded coal cars of the 121-car, three-engine train derailed north of the 200, 300, and 400 blocks of East First Street. Coal and mangled metal littered the scene around cars, which had been smashed together and some of which were jutting into the air.

BNSF Director of Public Affairs Joe Faust said the railroad is still looking into the cause of the derailment, but he did confirm that a bridge was demolished during the wreck.

Faust said no one was injured in the accident, which happened about 6 a.m.

The train crew notified the railroad dispatcher who in turn notified local authorities. But despite some citizens having heard the wreck or seen its aftermath, the Donley County Sheriff’s Department did not receive any local calls about the accident until 8 a.m. even though part of the end of the train was blocking the crossing at Kearney Street.

 Crews from Hulcher Professional Services were dispatched to Clarendon, and the BNSF railway was reopened at 4 a.m. on Friday, Faust said.

The train originated in Caballo, Wyoming, and was bound for Iola, Texas. Each coal car carries an estimated 120 tons of coal, but coal recovered from the wreckage is not salvageable, Faust said. Some wrecked cars will remain in Clarendon until railroad officials can determine their usefulness.

The Clarendon Enterprise is getting ready to send its holiday issue to Santa Claus, and the deadline to have your letter turned in is fast approaching.

All letters need to be delivered to the Enteprise office at 105 S. Kearney by 5 p.m. this Friday, December 9, in order to be in the holiday issue that Santa looks for every year.

Send your letter to Santa Claus, c/o The Clarendon Enterprise, PO Box 1110, Clarendon, TX 79226, or bring it straight to the office, and we’ll make sure the big guy gets it.

Letters to Santa will be printed in the December 22 edition of The Clarendon Enterprise and its digital companion, Enterprise-D.

Downtown Clarendon is the place to be as Late Night Shopping continues this Thursday with several merchants participating on Kearney Street until 8:30 p.m. and $200 in Christmas Cash up for grabs.

The Chamber of Commerce is supporting Late Night Shopping this year by giving away $100 in Christmas Cash each Thursday between now and Christmas. With no jackpot winner last week, the money has rolled over, and the pot now has $200.

Shoppers can register from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at any participating Christmas Cash merchant, and the drawing will be held at 8 p.m. You must be 18 years old to register. Five people will get a chance to spin the wheel for prizes from local merchants and the jackpot.

Last week’s winners were Cheryl Phillips, Scarlet Estlack, Amanda Smith, and Deana Phillips.

That jolly old elf – St. Nicholas – will be on the loose downtown this Thursday. Kids are encouraged to come tell him all their wishes, and parents are reminded to bring their cameras to get those memorable photos.

The Downtown Ministry Center will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. and will serve hot chocolate and refreshments.

Late Night Shopping will continue December 15 and December 22; and beginning next week, several merchants will be sponsoring a wagon to give free rides to kids of all ages.

Also next week, the Burton Memorial Library will hold its Open House with refreshments and caroling led by local Girl Scouts. The library will host photos with Santa on December 22.

Support your local merchants this holiday season, and watch for their Christmas specials and holiday hours in the pages of the Enterprise.

Candidates are beginning to line up for the primaries leading up to next year’s general election.

US Rep. Mac Thornberry of Clarendon announced Monday that he has filed to run for re-election in the 13th Congressional District of Texas. He will be on the Republican ticket.

County Judge Jack Hall has filed for re-election and so far is the lone local candidate running in the Democratic Primary.

Precinct 2 County Commissioner Donnie Hall has filed for re-election, and County Treasurer Wanda Smith, who was appointed to her office, is seeking a full term. And one new face has entered the political field as Landon Paul Lambert has filed to run for county attorney, a position that has been filled by appointment for the last several years.

Hall, Smith, and Lambert are all running as Republicans.

Other local positions up for election next year include county and district clerk, commissioner of Precinct 4, justice of the peace for Precincts 1 & 2, and justice of the peace for Precincts 3 & 4.

Filing takes place in the county clerk’s office in the Donley County Courthouse Annex and continues through 6 p.m. January 2, 2006. Those seeking public office will be required to pay a $750 filing fee or can present a petition to waive the fee.

The primary elections will be held March 7,  and Donley County Republican Chairman Tom Stauder says his party’s ballot will include names for six precinct chairpersons and the county chairman. He is reminding citizens to register to vote in the motor vehicle office in the Courthouse Annex if they have not done so.

A Clarendon family lost almost all of their possessions last Friday when a morning fire destroyed all but one bedroom of their home.

Faye Bryley said she was watching TV in her trailer house in the 200 block of W. Martindale Street when she first smelled smoke. She initially thought the smell was outside but soon discovered it coming from her daughters’ bedroom at the end of the trailer.

“It was just a small fire,” she said. “I immediately thought, ‘Fire. Water.’ But when I threw water on the flame, it got bigger and went up the curtain.”

Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department Captain Patrick Robertson said a small electric space heater was the source of the blaze, but he did not know what might have caused it to catch fire or what it might have ignited.

“Ideally if you find fire like that, you should use a dry chemical extinguisher or smother it if it’s small,” Robertson said. “A smoke detector can also help catch fires early and allow you to extinguish 95 percent of them before they do much damage.”

Bryley quickly called 911 and said the fire was already coming out of the house when she ran to her sister’s nearby home. When the fire department arrived, the blaze was already “fully involved,” Robertson said. They extinguished the fire in about 10 minutes.

“Only one bedroom with the door closed was undamaged,” Robertson said.

The Bryley family did not have insurance and are now looking for a new place to live, but they are thankful for what they do have.

“I just thank God it happened while the kids were in school and not at night,” Bryley said.

She and her husband, Kenneth, are living at her sister’s. Their daughters, 14-year-old Lumpy, 13-year-old Kia, and 9-year-old twins Glory and Lynzee, are living with Faye’s parents. Bryley works in the home health industry, and her husband works at Hedley Feedlot.

“The people of Clarendon have been real good to us. They are fantastic,” she said. “We’ve been helped by the Red Cross, friends, classmates, and the Methodist Church; and we appreciate everything so much.”

This is not the first Christmas tragedy Bryley’s family has faced. Eight years ago on Christmas Eve, she was living with her grandmother when that home was destroyed by fire. They lost everything then, too, she said.

“We hope to find another trailer house, but right now we’re just looking for a place to stay.”

According to the US Fire Administration, the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season is known for an increased number of structure fires, and “the dollar loss per fire is 34 percent greater than normal.”

In addition to encouraging the use of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, Robertson says people need to use extra caution with space heaters.

“Leave two feet of clearance in all directions around a space heater and turn it off if you leave the room,” Robertson said.

Teller Cartel, an American Quarter Horse partley owned by Walt and Janice Knorpp of Clarendon, was the fastest qualifier in the time trials for the Los Alamitos Million Futurity Friday.

According to a release on the Los Alamitos website, Teller Cartel got the better of superstar Higher Fire in a futurity trial, this time defeating the winner of the Ed Burke and Golden State Million futurities by 1 ¼ lengths when posting the fastest qualifying time of :19.535 to the Grade 1 $1.5 million Los Alamitos Million Futurity.

But this trial belonged to Teller Cartel, as he exploded from post eight and was never challenged from there. Teller Cartel had defeated Higher Fire in the Golden State Million trial but the filly came back to win the $1,100,000 final. Teller Cartel was third in that million dollar final after leading during the early going.

“(Jockey) Cody Jensen told me that’s the best Teller Cartel had run for him,” said trainer Paul Jones.

“He just kept reaching for the wire,” said Jensen, who piloted Teller Cartel to his All American triumph. “He ran huge. This was an absolutely monster race. Anytime you beat caliber of horses by daylight it’s a monster effort. He ran as good or better as when he won the All American.”

The futurity will be held on December 9.

For more information about the race, visit www.losalamitos.com.