Archives for May 2016

Mother nature has made her presence known in Donley County this week in the form of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

Sunday and Monday evenings both were marked by harsh weather, but fortunately tornadic activity missed populated areas.

The Howardwick community had a near miss Sunday with a large tornado going north of the city, and then on Monday night, sirens blared as it appeared that Clarendon might get hit with one coming from the west.

Precipitation totals varied across the county, but National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Lori Howard recorded a total of 2.12″ officially for Clarendon for Sunday and Monday while Greenbelt Water Authority reported 2.32″ for the same period.

ABC7’s SchoolNet weather stations measured 1.66″ at Clarendon High School for Sunday and Monday and 2.51″ at the High Card Ranch southwest of the city.

Greenbelt Lake has benefited from the heavy rains over its watershed, coming up nearly two feet in the last ten days for a depth of 52.08 feet as of Tuesday afternoon with water still running into the reservoir.

Hail for the most part has not been significantly large, but some near tennis ball size was reported Sunday between Ashtola and Goodnight.

The county was under a tornado watch for the third night in a row as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday. The forecast calls for warmer, dryer weather the rest of the week before rain chances return on Sunday.

 

The fourth annual Mulkey Block Party will be rocking downtown Clarendon this Saturday, May 28, from 6 to 10 p.m., and for the first time in the event’s history, there is no rain in the forecast.

The 100 block of Kearney Street will be closed starting Saturday morning as work begins to set up the stage and other amenities for the party.

The evening will be a night of dancing, kids’ games, and food and vendor booths in a fun-filled atmosphere to help support continued renovations of the 1946 Mulkey Theater.

EDF Renewable Energy is this year’s Entertainment Sponsor, and the party begins at 6 p.m. as local singer/song-writer Rev. Black Flowers takes the stage to provide the opening live music before Amarillo’s most highly rated band, “Insufficient Funds,” comes on at 7 p.m.

Wristbands will be sold at the theatre door good for popcorn and drinks and allow folks to come-and-go throughout the evening.

Cartoons will be showing inside the Mulkey with a temporary screen and projector. Party organizers are also bringing in a large bounce house for kids to enjoy.

Food booths run the gamut of everything from baked goods to sliders, and local vendors will also have items for sale.

The Herring Bank car and motorcycle show will be held again on the bank’s parking lot, and all year models are welcome.

Also at this year’s block party, the Donley County Community Fund will announce the recipients of two $1,000 grants after several local organizations applied for those funds last month

Officials will also announce news about the next phase of development for the Bring Back the Mulkey project.

For more information, contact the Clarendon Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.

 

The sign-up period for Clarendon’s 11th annual “Trash To Treasures” garage sale event closes this Friday, May 27, at 5 p.m.

A wide participation is expected again for this year’s sale, which is slated for Saturday, June 4. Garage sales in Hedley, Howardwick, and the surrounding area are also welcome to sign up for the big day.

“This event has been a success the last several years, and we’re hoping it will be equally successful this year,” said Roger Estlack, publisher of The Clarendon Enterprise, which sponsors the event. “People realize that it makes sense to have these garage sales on the same day to draw a bigger crowd.”

Residents who wish to participate in this year’s “Trash To Treasures” are asked to come by the Enterprise before 5 p.m. on Friday, May 27, to sign up for the promotion.

For just $25, each household will get a 50-word advertisement in the Big-E Classifieds and the exclusive “Trash To Treasures” garage sale signs.

“The sign-up fee covers the cost of area advertising, so we can reach more people and have better attendance if we have a larger number of sales.”

For more information, call 874-2259 or come by the Enterprise.

 

WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives last week passed the annual defense policy bill that authorizes spending for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs, and foreign military operations by a vote of 277 to 147.

This is the second National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be passed under local US Congressman Mac Thornberry’s (R-Clarendon) chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee.

“This bill stops cuts to our Armed Forces, provides a pay raise for our troops, and makes major reforms in several critical areas including military health care, the commissary system, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the acquisition system,” Thornberry said.

“The legislation seeks to ensure that we do not deploy troops who are not fully trained, whose equipment is worn out, and who did not get the resources they needed back home to be ready to face our enemies overseas.”

The bill authorizes nearly $610 billion in spending for national defense. Regionally, the bill also includes about $2.8 billion total for Bell’s V-22 Osprey and helicopter programs, including the procurement of 18 new Ospreys and 26 new AH-1Z / UH-1Y helicopters for the Marine Corps. Much of the work for those aircraft will be performed in Amarillo.

It also provides $9.6 billion in funding for nuclear weapons activities – including those performed at Pantex – which is a $316 million increase to the budget request. To help address the severe backlog of maintenance on physical infrastructure across the National Nuclear Security Administration, the bill provides $120 million specifically for recapitalization projects and an additional $30 million for preventative maintenance.

The bill also includes $717 million for defense nuclear security, an increase of $60 million to the budget request, to recapitalize aging physical security equipment located at Pantex and Y-12.

The NDAA improves access to quality care for service members, retirees, and their families, while enhancing medical readiness. Reforms ensure that the generous benefit our troops deserve and have earned is sustainable for generations to come. These reforms make no changes for the current force or retirees.

Other Highlights

• Military Personnel and Pay: The bill supports a 2.1 percent pay raise for service members, which is higher than the President’s proposal of 1.6 percent.

• Strengthens Military: Reverses cuts to troop strength; increases investments in training and maintenance programs; and rebuilds crumbling facilities like barracks, hangars, and airfields.

• Readiness: Makes vital investments in maintenance by including an increase of $597 million for the Navy and Marine Corps, $312 million for the Army, and $430 million more for the Air Force to ensure next-to-deploy units are mission capable.

• Deterring Russia: Provides funds for more troops and equipment in Europe to deter Russia, as well as additional funds to assist Ukraine.

• Fighting ISIS: Provides funds to train and equip Syrian fighters and assist Iraqis in re-taking Mosul, and adds funds to make sure that Kurdish and Sunni allies are able to stay in the fight

 

A two-vehicle accident on US 287 near Hedley Saturday resulted in the death of Weatherford man, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

At approximately 9:35 a.m., Mary Sean, 50, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was driving a 2014 Volvo truck tractor towing a 2011 Great Dane semi-trailer westbound in the right lane on US-287 approximately two miles southeast of Hedley. Sean pulled the truck tractor and semi-trailer onto the improved shoulder of the right lane and stopped.

Carroll Ham, 79, of Weatherford, was driving a 2014 Ford F-250 pickup truck towing a homemade boat trailer westbound in the right lane on US 287. Sean did not see anyone behind her due to the heavy fog conditions and pulled the truck tractor and semi-trailer back onto the highway in the right lane.

Ham was traveling at a speed unsafe for the conditions of the roadway and was unable to see the truck tractor semi-trailer pull into the same lane of travel that he was in. When Ham finally saw the truck tractor semi-trailer in front of him, he swerved to the left to try and avoid the collision but was unable to avoid it. The Ford pickup truck crashed into the back left rear of the semi-trailer causing the boat to come unsecured from the boat trailer and collide into the rear of the Ford pickup truck.

Ham was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. Ham was pronounced dead by Dr. Charles Todd at Northwest Texas Hospital.

Sean did not suffer any injuries.

DPS says Ham and Sean were both wearing seat belts. The road conditions were dry and no other vehicles were involved.

 

All first graders at Clarendon Elementary School and Hedley Elementary School were recently given free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. Members of Clarendon Masonic Lodge, led by Secretary Grett Betts, assembled and delivered more than 50 dental hygiene kits to the schools.

The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas (MHS), strives to prevent suffering from toothaches, reduce missed school days due to dental problems, and cut costs for dental treatment.

Prevent tooth decay kits contain: a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-minute timer (optimal brushing time), Tips for Healthy Teeth educational info for parents in both Spanish and English, and a summary of MHS services.

According to Oral Health In America: A Report of the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Poor children are affected by this epidemic more frequently than other children, with nearly 12 times more restricted-activity days due to dental issues than children from higher-income families. With more than 1.5 million Texas children living in poverty, there is a great need for preventive dental care.

Dental problems also directly affect success for children, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year to dental-related illness. Teachers have judged both classroom performance and classroom behavior to be significantly poorer among children in need of dental care. Pain and suffering due to untreated dental disease can also lead to problems in eating and speaking.

Masonic Home and School of Texas is a non-profit organization with a history of helping children across Texas for more than 100 years. Contact MHS by calling toll-free 1.877.203.9111; sending an email to info@mhstx.org; or by visiting the website, www.mhstx.org.