Archives for May 2008

Hedley ISD has announced the 2008 graduating valedictorian and salutatorian are Kristen Dwight and Danielle Smith.

Kristen Nicole Dwight will be graduating with a 95.36 grade point average. She is the daughter of Kirk and Linda Dwight. She has been active the past four years in Basketball, Cross Country, FFA, OAP, National Honor Society, UIL Science, and National Honor Society.  She has been a UIL state qualifier and named to the Who’s Who Among American Students and the United States Achievement Academy.

Dwight was a basketball captain, Miss Hedley High School, and the 2008 Homecoming Queen; and she received Academic All-District honors. She is the Senior Class President, FFA President, and National Honor Society Treasurer.

Dwight is active with various charitable endeavors, such as Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, Christmas Angels, and helping with a food drive every year to benefit families in need during the holidays.

Dwight’s future plans are to attend Texas A&M University where she will either study to become a veterinarian or pursue a career as a pharmacist.

The 2008 Salutatorian is Danielle Rose Smith, the daughter of Sonia Switzer. Danielle is part of the Business Professionals of America, One Act Play crew, National Honor Society, and UIL Math.

Smith currently holds the office of President for the National Honor Society, and she is Donley County 4-H president. She has qualified for state and nationals in BPA her senior year, and she has qualified all four years of her high school career in UIL Number Sense. Danielle was named the Young Woman of the Year this year in Donley County.

Through her participation in the National Honor Society, Danielle has volunteered her time and help to her community by cleaning lots, doing a Thanksgiving food drive, and helping with the Christmas Angel project.

After graduating with a 92.04 grade point average, Danielle plans to attend Clarendon College and then transfer to a larger university to pursue a career in the math field.

HHS graduation will be Friday, May 30, at 7 p.m. in the Owl Gym.

The Donley County Hospital District still owns the Medical Center Nursing Home more than a month and a half after it was scheduled to be sold into private hands.

A called meeting of the hospital board will be held tonight (May 15) at 6 p.m. to update the board on events that have delayed the closing of the sale.

Board Chairman Alan Fletcher said Tuesday that some legal questions are one reason the sale is not yet closed.

“It’s a typical deal,” he said. “There are too many attorneys involved.”

The sale should have closed April 1 with Community Care Management Services of Denton under the name of Clarendon Realty, LTD, buying MCNH for $1.25 million. The hospital district, which only wanted $1.06 million for the property, was then going to refund $190,000 to the buyer for use as operating money.

But construction of an eight-bed expansion to the facility and state certification of those beds took longer than expected, Fletcher said; and the successful completion of both tasks were a requirement of the contract.

In the meantime, Fletcher said the $190,000 refund to the buyer was mentioned in passing to a third party attorney, who thought that action might not be legal.

Fletcher said attorneys for the district and attorneys for the district’s bond company had okayed the refund, but he did not feel comfortable going ahead if there was even the possibility of it being legally questionable.

“I’m not going to jail over this deal,” Fletcher said.

Now the two parties are in agreement to change the contract to reflect a purchase price of $1.06 million and forget the refund altogether.

Fletcher said that tonight’s meeting is informational because he wants everything to be public and that the board will consider approving the revised contract at its regular meeting next Tuesday.

A new closing date for the sale will probably be July 1, Fletcher said.

The board will also discuss tonight two vacancies on the board and who might be willing to serve in those positions.

The Donley County Hospital District still owns the Medical Center Nursing Home more than a month and a half after it was scheduled to be sold into private hands.

A called meeting of the hospital board will be held tonight (May 15) at 6 p.m. to update the board on events that have delayed the closing of the sale.

Board Chairman Alan Fletcher said Tuesday that some legal questions are one reason the sale is not yet closed.

“It’s a typical deal,” he said. “There are too many attorneys involved.”

The sale should have closed April 1 with Community Care Management Services of Denton under the name of Clarendon Realty, LTD, buying MCNH for $1.25 million. The hospital district, which only wanted $1.06 million for the property, was then going to refund $190,000 to the buyer for use as operating money.

But construction of an eight-bed expansion to the facility and state certification of those beds took longer than expected, Fletcher said; and the successful completion of both tasks were a requirement of the contract.

In the meantime, Fletcher said the $190,000 refund to the buyer was mentioned in passing to a third party attorney, who thought that action might not be legal.

Fletcher said attorneys for the district and attorneys for the district’s bond company had okayed the refund, but he did not feel comfortable going ahead if there was even the possibility of it being legally questionable.

“I’m not going to jail over this deal,” Fletcher said.

Now the two parties are in agreement to change the contract to reflect a purchase price of $1.06 million and forget the refund altogether.

Fletcher said that tonight’s meeting is informational because he wants everything to be public and that the board will consider approving the revised contract at its regular meeting next Tuesday.

A new closing date for the sale will probably be July 1, Fletcher said.

The board will also discuss tonight two vacancies on the board and who might be willing to serve in those positions.

A three-vehicle accident at Ashtola last week left two people in an Amarillo hospital.

Kenneth and Linda Trosper of Childress were both stable in the ICU at Northwest Texas Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Monday afternoon, according to DPS Trooper Chris Ward.

Mr. Trosper was southbound on US 287 in his Chevrolet Blazer Friday afternoon when he rear-ended a pickup truck driven by Jody Rowland, who was in the inside lane turning left onto County Road 3. The impact caused the Trospers’ vehicle to go into the outside lane of the highway and in front of a southbound semi-truck driven by Edward Griffin of New Mexico.

That impact sent the Blazer into the ditch where it rolled at least twice Ward said before coming to rest in the front yard of a trailer house at US 287 and FM 2362.

“It was spinning in the air, so there is really no way to know how many times it really turned over,” Ward said.

Emergency personnel from the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department and the Associated Ambulance Authority extracted the Trospers from the vehicle.

Mr. Trosper was airlifted to NWTH, and Mrs. Trosper was transported by ambulance.

“At this point the investigation is rather inconclusive,” Ward said. “The truck driver confirmed that Rowland had slowed down and had his turning signal on. We really don’t know why Mr. Trosper ran into Mr. Rowland.”

No citations have yet been issued in the case, and Ward said Rowland and Griffin did not suffer any serious injuries.

Voters will head to the polls this Saturday, May 10, to cast ballots in elections for Clarendon and Hedley school boards and the Clarendon Board of Aldermen.

Early voting closed Tuesday; and at 2:15 that day, 82 people had cast early ballots in the Clarendon school district, 75 had voted in the city, and 17 had voted in the Hedley school district.

This Saturday voters in the City of Clarendon and the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District will vote at the Donley County Courthouse Annex between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Incumbent City Aldermen Tommy Hill and Chris Ford are joined on the ballot by Jim R. Philley, Billy Ray Johnston, and Kyle Davis in an election for three positions.

Two positions are up for election this year on the Clarendon school board. Incumbents Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry are challenged by Travis Wilson.

Voters in the Hedley Consolidated Independent School District will cast ballots at the HISD Business Office.

Incumbents Kelly Patton, Blain Burton, and Rex Morris will be joined on the ballot by challengers James Potts, Bonnie Walsh, and Tonja Ruthardt. Three positions are available this year.

HISD candidates were interviewed by members of the HHS senior class. Their responses are on page ten.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and results will be published next week.