Archives for February 2006

A Donley County man went to the Courthouse seeking satisfaction Monday morning but found none from county commissioners.

Doyle Littlefield addressed the regular session of the commissioners’ court and complained about a ticket he received for running a roadblock during the New Year’s Day wildfire that destroyed 21,000 acres in the northern part of the county.

The fire started near Littlefield’s residence on CR I; and as the fire raced to the east toward State Highway 70, he left his property to open gates for the firefighters. But when he tried to return to his home, he found a roadblock on the highway and a Donley County deputy refused to let him pass.

Littlefield’s home was safe, but he said he had no way of knowing that because of all the smoke.

“It’s a terrible thing to watch, as far as you know, everything you own burn down,” he told commissioners.

Littlefield said he went past the roadblock on foot once to close a gate to keep his cattle penned. He then drove around the roadblock to return to his home. Afterwards, acting on instructions from Sheriff Butch Blackburn, Littlefield was issued a citation for Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of Peace Officer and fined $121.

The fine has since been paid, but Littlefield asked the commissioners to take action against the sheriff.

“Is it your rule that the sheriff has that power to keep a landowner from his property?” Littlefield asked the court. “I don’t think that’s right, and I think the rule ought to be changed.”

County Judge Jack Hall said there was nothing the commissioners’ court could do.

“We don’t make rules for the sheriff,” Hall said. “The Constitution of the State of Texas is what governs his office and where his power derives.”

Littlefield responded that he still felt he received “the most unjust ticket [the sheriff] had ever given,” but Hall maintained that the sheriff was within his authority.

“I had earlier authorized the burn ban with the Texas Department of Transportation and the DPS,” Hall said. “TxDOT, the DPS, and the sheriff had control of this situation. It’s unfortunate, but it’s over and done, and we just need to move on.”

Commissioner Bob Trout also supported the sheriff’s actions.

“In a situation like this, the first thing is to save people’s lives and the second is to protect property,” Trout said.

Speaking to the Enterprise outside the meeting, Blackburn said the smoke that day was very thick and said that roadblocks were set up on both sides of the smoke. Littlefield ran the roadblock, and Blackburn personally told the deputy to issue the citation.

“If I’ve got a deputy on the highway with red and blue lights going and someone drives around them, we’re going to file on them. This is for their safety as well as the safety of the firemen,” Blackburn said. “I’m sorry he’s upset, but rules are rules.”

Donley County’s unemployment rate remained at a four-year low in December, dropping back to October’s 3.5 percent after ticking up to 3.7 percent in November.

The seasonally non-adjusted data from the Texas Workforce Commission shows 1,809 employed locally out of a potential work force of 1,875.

That’s down from unemployment rates of 4.7 percent in August and 3.9 percent in September. The rate for December 2004 was 4.8 percent when 1,795 people were employed out of a work force of 1,885.

The statewide December unemployment rate of 5.1 percent represented a two-tenths of a percentage point decrease from the November rate of 5.3 percent. Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Employment in Texas rose by 13,400 jobs in December, which marked sixteen straight months of over-the-month employment increases. Annual growth for Total Nonagricultural Employment ended December at 153,500 jobs, for an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent.

“The brightest news for the year is significant job growth across every industry sector,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chair Diane Rath. “When employers add jobs as they did throughout 2005, more opportunities are available for Texans in the workforce.”

The annual growth rate in Construction rose to 3.2 percent in December and has remained in positive territory since March 2005.

“As the economy expands, Texas employers continue to add jobs to meet the demands of the marketplace,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ron Lehman. “A 1.6 percent annual job growth rate spread across all industries is an encouraging economic indicator.”

“The lower unemployment rate is directly tied to the availability of jobs,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “The Texas labor force is 11.3 million strong, and with job growth, opportunities are available for all.”

Initial claims for unemployment compensation in December were 63,436, down 30.6 percent from December 2004 and down 19.2 percent from December 2003.

FORT WORTH – From the close of the Civil War until shortly after the turn of the 20th century, a number of artists traveled throughout the United States to create maplike scenes of each state’s burgeoning settlements, towns, and cities – including Clarendon, Texas.

These highly detailed and oversized lithographic prints, created by the artists as if seen from high above, came to be known as “bird’s-eye views.” Today, the ones that have survived over the years are remarkable objects for all of the information they contain, and the Texas views offer a fascinating chronicle of one of the greatest periods of urban growth in the state’s history.

From February 18 to May 28, 2006, the Amon Carter Museum presents “Patterns of Progress: Bird’s-Eye Views of Texas,” an exhibition of more than 60 views of cities ranging from Austin, Childress, Denison and El Paso to Sherman, Texarkana, Victoria, and Wichita Falls. In many cases the prints are at least three feet wide, and their detail is surprisingly accurate.

The maps will be displayed in alphabetical order so that visitors can easily find the view of a particular city. The cities of Austin, Dallas, Denison, Fort Worth, Gainesville, Galveston, Greenville, Houston, New Braunfels, San Antonio and Waco each have as many as three or four views published on different dates.

The image of Clarendon comes just three years after the town moved from its original location along the Salt Fork of the Red River to its new site along the Ft. Worth & Denver rail line.

Thaddeus M. Fowler, a native of Pennsylvania who drew the Clarendon map, made 16 views in Texas and more than 400 nationally, making him the most prolific of the city-view artists.

Looking from the north, slight changes in elevation as the land rises to the south and west are apparent on the map, and well-defined gullies twist and turn through town. The Donley County Courthouse dominates the area, with the Methodist Episcopal Church, the M. E. Church, South, and the public school all nearby.

The courthouse, with its turrets and a corner tower, might not have been complete when Fowler was here, but it would have been far enough along that he would have had a good idea of its appearance. Architects even examined Fowler’s work prior to the restoration of the courthouse in 2003.

The bank building on Kearney Street seems to dominate downtown, just as the FW&DC roundhouse does on the east side of town. Both landmarks have long since disappeared.

The cluster of small homes along Front Street near the roundhouse probably housed railroad workers, and the large two-story frame structure at the corner of Kearney Street directly across from the railroad depot was probably the Windsor Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1892.

The Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Exhibition admission is free for museum members, $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and college students. Youths age 18 and under get in free.

Citizens wishing to serve on any one of seven local boards can sign up for a place on the ballot next Monday.

The City of Clarendon will hold an election to choose three aldermen for two-year terms. Those positions are currently held by Aldermen Tommy Hill, Janice Knorpp, and Mark White.

The City of Howardwick will elect three aldermen and choose a replacement for former Mayor Nancy Davis, who left her post last spring due to family commitments. The terms of Aldermen Bobby Murdock, Sam Grider, and Lee Ann Cook are up for election this year. These officers each serve two-year terms.

Hedley’s election will select a mayor and two members of the board of aldermen for two-year terms. Those seats are now held by Mayor Janie Hill and Aldermen Ricki Baker and Leon Ward.

Two positions on the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees are up this year. Those seats are currently held by Joe Lemley and Wayne Hardin and are three-year terms.

Hedley ISD has three trustee positions open this year. The three-year terms of Cary Don Neeley and Troy Monroe are expiring, and voters will also fill Anthony Knowles’ unexpired term, which is currently held by Blane Burton.

The Clarendon College District will choose four members for the Board of Regents. Three full six-year terms expiring this year are currently held by Delbert Robertson, Mike Butts, and Doug Lowe. Voters will also select a replacement for Jimmy Blackerby, who moved out of the district and whose term expires in 2008.

The Donley County Hospital District will select four two year positions on its board, now held by Gene Hommel (Place 4), Carolyn Moffett (Place 5), Onita Thomas (Place 6), and Bright Newhouse (Place 7).

Local offices are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place.

Sign up continues through March 13, 2005; and the elections will be held May 13.