Archives for September 2009

This school year, an unfamiliar face has been spotted in the halls and classrooms of Clarendon High School.

This “foreign” face belongs to 16-year-old Shelia Spielhofer, an exchange student from Germany, who will reside in Clarendon with Megan and Billy Boone for the remainder of this school year until her departure back home in June.

“I thought that being a foreign exchange student would be fun, and I wanted to learn the English language better. I thought that coming here on my own would teach me more independence to help me out in life,” Shelia commented. “I also wanted to experience America’s culture. I see it all as an adventure.”

Megan and Billy Boone made the decision to get a foreign exchange student because they viewed it as a great experience and an opportunity to learn a new culture.

“We love traveling, going places and meeting new people, so even though getting a foreign exchange student was totally unexpected, we knew she would fit well in our family,” Megan said.

Shelia is the daughter of Josef and Eleonore Spielhofer. She has one older sister, and she resides in the town of Marktl, which has a population of about 3,000 people. Her home is located outside the small town in a forest surrounded by mountains, an exceedingly scenic view.

“It’s so different to me here because there are no mountains,” Shelia remarked. “In Texas, it’s so flat! I lived right by mountains in Germany, but I didn’t like it much because I had to climb the mountains with my bike.”

According to Shelia, the school system in Germany is different to the one used by Clarendon High. She attends school in Germany at Kurfürst-Maximilian, and she says that instead of students migrating to different classrooms for each subject, the teachers themselves do the walking while the students remain in the same classroom for the entire day. There are also no electives offered, so students have to participate in sports, theater, band, etc. outside of school.

“I think the school system in America is better because you have not all serious classes, and it’s more fun and is not as difficult as in Germany. I think you have a better community because you have competitions, like in athletics and theater and stuff that everyone gets together for,” Shelia said. “In Germany, when school is out everyone goes everywhere because it’s not mandatory that students do athletics, theater or anything like that.”

Shelia doesn’t draw the line at being bilingual; she also knows Spanish, Latin and a little bit of French and Italian on top of English and German.

“Spanish is by far the easiest subject in school this year since I already know it, so I really enjoy that class,” Shelia said.

Shelia’s hobbies and talents include playing the piano, acting, singing, dancing, and listening to music. Her favorite movies include Twilight, Spider-Man, School of Rock and the Simpson’s Movie. She usually spends all her time hanging out with her friends in Burghausen, a town of about 20,000 people.

“Burghausen is way bigger than Clarendon, and there is a lot more places that teenagers can go to hang out; like if we want to we can play pool, darts or even go to a disco,” Shelia said.

Since Shelia has arrived in America in August, she has had many new experiences. These include football games, pep-rallies, playing basketball and band, and seeing a tarantula for the first time. She also looks forward to prom and celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time and Christmas the American way.

“Band is so new to me and especially the costumes because they’re so funny! The first time I saw them I couldn’t stop laughing,” Shelia said. “I also like the football games. They remind me a lot of soccer, since it’s the main sport of Germany, and it’s mainly for guys too.”

After graduating from high school, Shelia is considering returning to the U.S. to continue her studies. She plans to pursue a career as a commercial designer or an actress.

As can be inferred, Germany and America have many differences and similarities to one another. For example, the weather. Even though Shelia lives in the warmer southern part of Germany, she stresses how much hotter it is in Texas. Germany also receives much more rainfall than Texas, and in the winter it snows quite often, sometimes even reaching up to two meters high, in contrast to Texas’ mild winters.

Another difference between Germany and America is the people who inhabit the countries.

“I love that the people here in America. Everybody is so friendly!” Shelia said. “In big cities in Germany, the people are real busy and unfriendly, but when we were in New York City, the people were so friendly because we were standing around with our maps looking lost and people would come up to us and ask if they could please help us. I thought this was really cool because this would never happen in Germany.”

Strong faith is also a factor of American life Shelia is experiencing that sets America apart from Germany.
“It’s amazing how you all believe so good in God. People here are much closer to God than most in Germany, like the people here pray before they eat, unlike in Germany, and not many people go to church often either, but they do here and I like it,” stated Shelia.

In Germany, the legal driving age is 18, and the drinking age is 16, which, of course, is a huge difference from America. Shelia claims that she would much rather abide by America’s laws though.

“I really like that people can drive at 16 here. It seems much more comfortable that way to me, because I hate depending on my mom to take me around everywhere,” Shelia noted.

One of Shelia’s favorite times of the year is Christmas. In Germany, St. Nicholas visits homes on December 6 and fills the empty stockings with little things. Instead of opening presents on December 25 in the mornings, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th in the evening. A huge family feast is held, and afterwards the children wait patiently outside the living room for the “little Christmas kid,” which is like an angel, to arrive and bring the presents, until a bell ring signals them that the presents have arrived. Then everyone runs in the room, opens presents and listens to Christmas songs together.

There are a lot of foods in America that Shelia has been missing out on for some time now. According to Shelia, Germany has no such thing as Dr Pepper, nachos, popcorn chicken, cobbler, oatmeal, Pop Tarts, Dairy Queens, or Sonic Drive-Ins, and the candy in America is way brighter in colors and sweeter than the candy in Germany.

“If I could take one thing home from America with me, it would definitely be Pop Tarts. I love them so much,” said Shelia.

Although Shelia misses singing in her choir, dancing with her dance crew, her art class, her family and friends, she is overall enjoying her stay in America rather well.

“I really love living with the Boones. They are very good to me, fun and nice,”

When asked if she would encourage other families to get a foreign exchange student, Megan said “absolutely.”
“I think that having a foreign exchange student can teach you a lot and show you how people can be a lot alike, even though they’re a world apart,” Megan said. “We get along great and just because we’re from two completely different cultures doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from each other. I strongly encourage people to get out of their box and do it.”

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to be sure no child is left unbuckled this fall, and with good reason: motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages two to 14.

This year, Texas passed a new law intended to make sure the state’s youngest travelers stay safe on the road. The law requires that children younger than eight years of age, unless taller than four feet, nine inches, ride in a child passenger safety system used according to manufacturer’s instructions.

The new child passenger safety law went into effect September 1, 2009. Officers will be handing out warnings to drivers who don’t properly secure children that fall under the new law until June 1, 2010, at which time citations will be issued.

“Booster seats protect children who’ve outgrown child safety seats but are still too small for a seat belt alone. A child placed in a seat belt too soon is at risk for severe head, spinal and abdominal injuries. This new law matches with national best-practice standards for transporting children safely and will make Texas roads a safer place for children,” said Terry Pence, TxDOT’s traffic safety director. TxDOT is taking advantage of National Child Passenger Safety Week, September 12-18, 2009 as a chance to spread the word about the new law, as well as other tips for protecting young passengers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), children age 12 and under are safest when buckled in the back seat of a vehicle. It’s also vital to carefully follow manufacturers’ instructions for child safety seats, otherwise serious injury could occur.
Seat Check Saturday will kick off National Child

Passenger Safety Week on September 12. Free safety seat check-ups are being held throughout Texas, offering a chance for parents and caregivers to learn about the proper safety seat for their child and the correct way to install it. Call Safe Riders at the Texas Department of State Health Services at 1-800-252-8255 for details or visit www.dshs.state.tx.us/saferiders for a list of statewide car seat check opportunities. There is also a link on this website to the full text of Texas’ child occupant protection laws.

The following 4-step guidelines can help determine which restraint system is best suited to protect children based on their age and size:

1. Keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds.

2. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).

3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until they are age eight or taller than 4’9”.

4. At age eight or taller than 4’9”, children can use the adult seat belts in the back seat. The lap belt should fit low and snug, across the hips/upper thighs.
Violations can result in a fine of up to $250.
For more information, call contact Penny Mason at TxDOT at (512) 463-2406.

This year’s 15 annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff will be held this weekend on the grounds of the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Before ten wagons will participate in the traditional cookoff on Saturday, junior contestants will compete in the junior cookoff Friday afternoon.

The Junior Cookoff, which is partially funded by the American Chuckwagon Association, will pair kids, ages 8-17, with mentors on participating wagon teams to learn the ropes of cooking over an open fire.

Junior cooks will be preparing a dish for Friday’s Chuckwagon cooks’ dinner. The recipe will be left to the discretion of the cooks and their mentors, and cash prizes of $30, $20, and $10 will be given to the first, second, and third place winners that night.

The big day for the cookoff will be Saturday when the ten wagons square off to battle for top prizes.

The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours by the CHS Junior Historians will be available throughout the day.

Local and area entertainers will also be performing, and relatives of Col. Charles Goodnight will also gather at the former Adair Hospital for their annual reunion.

The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities include a raffle for a pair of James Owens Handmade Boots and a hay auction.

Admission to the all-day event is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon meal are $15 each and can be purchased in advance at Henson’s.

Boot tickets are also available at Henson’s or from any museum board member.

Proceeds from the cookoff benefit the Museum’s continuing efforts to preserve the history of Donley County.

District Judge Stuart Messer addressed a crowd of area high school students, college students, and community members last Thursday, September 17, in the Clarendon College Harned Sisters Fine Arts Center to discuss the importance of the United States Constitution.

The lecture was part of CC’s observance of Constitution Day and focused on the rights preserved by the nation’s founding document.

“What is the Constitution?” the judge asked those in attendance. “Why is it important?”

Various answers were given, but it was a senior from Childress High School, Kasia Kessler, who gave the correct response.

“It gets its power from the People and prevents the government from overpowering the People,” Kessler said, noting that she has recently enlisted in the Marines.

Messer said fundamental differences arise over interpretations of what is written in the Constitution when they come under review by the Supreme Court.
“Does it mean what it says or is it a document that is adaptable to our times and circumstances?” Messer asked.

He illustrated his point by selecting a few amendments from the Bill of Rights and discussing how people can have different views what constitutes Freedom of Speech and whether it should be banned, how far the Press can go in the exercise of its freedom, the original meaning of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and protections from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Messer also said it is not always clear which member of the Supreme Court will vote either liberally or conservatively.

“Take the newest justice – Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” Messer said. “Everyone says how liberal she is, and she is an activist judge. But if you look at her record, she has what some might consider a conservative record.
“Antonin Scalia, on the other hand is someone hailed as the most conservative member of the court,” Messer said and then illustrated cases where Scalia voted in a liberal manner.

Memphis – “I shot him out of meanness.” “I shot him for getting into my beer.”

These statements resonated through the Hall County Courthouse last Thursday, September 11, when District Attorney Luke Inman began his closing during the guilt/innocence phase of the Harold “Bud” Ham murder trial.

Shortly thereafter, the Hall County jury convicted and sentenced Ham to 99 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, along with a $5,000 fine.

“The Hall County jury got this one 100 percent correct.” said Inman. “I know our office, local law enforcement agencies, and especially the victim’s family were pleased with the verdict and sentencing of the defendant.”

The murder of Darrell Randall took place on August 15, 2008, in Turkey. Randall’s cause of death was three gunshot wounds to the head, two of which were nonfatal.
Ham was arrested that night for the first degree felony offense and was later indicted by the Hall County Grand Jury on November 17, 2008. The trial was continued twice due to pending lab results, which were completed at the end of June.

“We could not have obtained such a good result without the great investigative work that was conducted on this case.” said Inman. “Ex-Sheriff Earnest Neil and Chief Deputy Tom Heck did a fantastic job in securing the crime scene, with Texas Ranger Marshall Thomas providing experienced assistance as the crime scene investigator.”

Inman prosecuted the case, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

In other district court news, two cases with Donley County ties were recently heard.

The court heard a plea from Rickey Lewis Row on September 3 in Memphis, which resulted in a conviction.
Row was placed on probation for a period of ten years for the second degree felony offense of possession of controlled substance. Row was convicted and sentenced to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, but the sentence was probated for a period of ten years.

Row was arrested in Donley County on July 29, 2009. Row pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Row is required to pay a $6,000 fine to Donley County, pay $140 in restitution and $465 in court costs.

The court met in Childress on August 19 and heard a plea from Kyle Davis Murray, who pleaded guilty to two offenses, receiving deferred adjudication on both second degree felony offenses for burglary of a habitation.

Murray was arrested for burglary of a habitation on June 8, 2009, for the offenses that took place May 27, 2009 and June 3, 2009. Murray was indicted for both offenses by a Donley County Grand Jury on June 22, 2009.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Murray is required to pay a $4,000 fine to Donley County, pay $22,000 in restitution and $780 in court costs. If Murray violates probation, he could face up to 20 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The City of Howardwick stood out among cities in Donley County when Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced the August sales tax allocations last Friday.

The city’s rebate was just $38.07, a sharp decline of more than 98 percent from the $2,055.23 Howardwick received for the same period in 2008.
Comptroller spokesman R.J. DeSilva said the information was accurate and that Howardwick is receiving just $38.07 this month.

“But that is not truly reflective of sales taxes collected in that city,” DeSilva said. “It appears an adjustment has been made from earlier tax allocations, but I’m not sure what might have caused that.”

DeSilva said it’s possible that earlier allocations were too high for some reason.

Howardwick City Secretary Dianna Knight said Tuesday that she had been contacted by the comptroller’s office and was told that the low allocation could be due to a taxpayer paying too much in preceding months or possibly a taxpayer who missed the filing deadline for the last period.

Last month, the comptroller’s office reported that Howardwick was running 10.56 percent ahead for its year-to-date sales tax revenue. This month’s data has pulled that figure into the negative with a drop of 10.22 percent

The year-to-date total for Howardwick, however, has increased to $10,748.41, which is up $2,055.23 from $8,693.18 last month.

The City of Clarendon, meanwhile, posted a gain of 4.39 percent with an August allocation of $23,622.95 compared to $22,628.61 for the same month one year ago. That puts the city’s year-to-date figure at nearly dead even with growth of only 0.07 percent.

Hedley’s rebate fell 3.15 percent to $262.71, and the year-to-date figure was pulled down 12.66 percent to $4,679.87.

Statewide, Combs’ office statewide collected $1.75 billion in sales tax in August, down 12.5 percent compared to a year ago.

“Monthly sales tax collections continue to decline as most major sectors of the economy, including oil and gas, construction and retail trade, continue to struggle,” Combs said.

Local governments will receive $428.3 million in monthly sales tax allocations on Monday, a 12.9 percent decrease compared to a year ago. So far this calendar year, local sales tax allocations are down 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

Combs will send monthly sales tax allocations of $290.3 million to Texas cities, down 12.2 percent compared to last year.

The sales tax figures represent sales that occurred in July.

A public hearing on the city budget last Tuesday drew sharp criticism from one citizen about the contract between the City of Clarendon and the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

The citizen, who signed in only as “Paul,” opened his questioning by inquiring why the law enforcement line item was $131,500 and asked what the city gets for that money.

Mayor Chris Ford explained that $1,500 pays for the city’s share of the electricity at the city-county radio tower and that $130,000 goes to the sheriff’s department.
Mr. Paul asked again what the city gets for its money, and Mayor Ford said 24-hour police protection.
Mr. Paul then asked if city taxes go for the police protection and noted that county taxes already pay for that. He also inquired about speed control through the city.

The mayor said the question about traffic control would have to be directed to the sheriff.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn told Mr. Paul that the city’s funds help him provide 24-hour coverage to the city and also noted that the contract shifts all law enforcement liability from the city to the county.

Mr. Paul asked if the city is part of the county, which the mayor said he took as a rhetorical question.

“Isn’t the sheriff obligated to respond to calls in the city?” Paul asked.

“Yes,” the mayor responded, “but how he allocates his resources are solely at his discretion.”

Alderman Will Thompson said the contract is in the best interest of both the city and the county and said the sheriff would be forced to cut positions without it.
After the public hearing was closed, the Board of Aldermen moved into its regular meeting with the sheriff’s contract up for discussion first; and Mr. Paul spoke up on the topic again, this time inquiring why the new contract allows Class C tickets to be filed in the county court system.

Sheriff Blackburn explained that he has asked for an increase in his contract this year; but since the city couldn’t not come up with the $10,000 extra, this would help make up that revenue. The money would go to the county’s general fund.

Mr. Paul restated that he thought the money should go to the city if the city is paying the sheriff. He asked how much money this amounted to, and city officials said about $4,000.

“You’re not writing enough tickets then,” Paul told the sheriff.

“If you don’t like the way it is, you can run for sheriff,” Blackburn responded.

Aldermen later approved the contract as part of the motion to approve the city budget for FY 2010.
The board also voted to set the city’s ad valorem tax rate at 65¢ per $100 valuation; approved a bid for health insurance; and approved the budget for the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation.

Clarendon College has set a new enrollment record for the second year in a row, according to information released after the 12th class day of the fall semester.
The headcount this fall is 1,431, which is up from 1,347 last year.

CC President Bill Auvenshine said economic conditions and hard work by the college’s student services staff are the reasons for the higher enrollment.
“When the economy is bad, people out of work go to school to get re-trained,” Auvenshine said. “Our economy has held up, but I think people see new jobs coming in the future.”

Auvenshine said Clarendon College is offering more vocational programs to meet demand and has more than 50 students majoring in the wind energy field, which has classes available in Clarendon, Childress, and Pampa.
“We also have had a concerted effort to recruit by our student services staff,” he said. “We’ve added a full time public relations position and an enrollment services counselor, and we’re working well with all our public schools.”

CC reported growth across its service area with 431 students on the home campus up from 407, 289 at the CC Pampa Center up from 207, and 45 at the Childress Center up from 39.

Growth on the home campus continues to be limited by the lack of available affordable housing in Clarendon, Auvenshine said.

Other enrollment numbers come from dual credit students in area high schools, online students, and other off-campus classes. CC reported growth in each of those areas.

CC also has more inmates taking classes at prisons in Childress and Pampa. The state pays for “youthful offenders” to take classes and recently raised the “youthful offender” age from 25 to 35.

“The state pays for this program because they can show that a prisoner who gets a degree will not return to prison,” Auvenshine said.

One key number college officials look at is Full Time Equivalents or FTE, a measurement derived from the total semester hours being taken at the college and dividing by 12. A full time student takes at least 12 hours in a long semester. CC saw its FTE increase by 89 this year.

Contact hours, which are the basis for state funding, grew by 21,472 to a total of 312,144.