Archives for May 2019

Clarendon High School seniors Brandalyn Ellis and Cole Franks will be traveling to Abilene, Texas, June 8-15 to compete in the Texas High School Rodeo Association State Finals.

The state finals rodeo is an annual, week-long event where high school students across Texas and surrounding states come and compete. Numerous awards, scholarships and the opportunity to represent Texas at the National High School Finals Rodeo held each July are all up for grabs.

Contestants compete in rodeos throughout the year in one of 10 regions across the state. At the last rodeo of regional level competition, the top 10 competitors in each event are announced. These contestants are then given the opportunity to represent their region on the state level at the THSRA state finals.

Brandalyn and Cole, both CHS seniors and members of the THSRA Regions 1 & 3 respectively, will be competing on the state level in the Pole Bending (Brandalyn) and Bareback and Saddle Bronc (Cole) events.

Rodeo performances, as well as, other events held throughout the week are open to the public each morning and afternoon. Shuttle services will be offered on the Taylor County Expo Center grounds, and tickets will be sold at the gates. LIVE Streaming is also available at Ridepass.com. Schedule updates will be posted to the THSRA Facebook and Twitter pages regularly throughout the week.

The Texas High School Rodeo Association is the largest, most prestigious state high school rodeo association in the nation. THSRA sponsors over 125 rodeos per year throughout 10 regions across Texas.

The rodeo year begins in August and concludes with the Texas High School Finals Rodeo in June.

It is here, at the largest rodeo in the state of Texas, where “The Elite Compete” featuring the top cowboys and cowgirls from each Region. They compete for numerous awards, scholarships as well as the coveted honor of representing the state at the National High School Finals Rodeo held each July in Wyoming.

For additional information visit www.thsra.org or contact Holly DeLaune at delaune.holly@gmail.com.

Clarendon hit a new record last week when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar distributed monthly sales tax allocations to local governments.

The city’s May allocation came in at an all-time monthly high of $56,593.42, which was up more 27.73 percent over the same period one year ago.

The figure blew past the previous monthly high, which was set just six months ago in November with a total of $45,308.43. Clarendon closed out calendar year 2018 with the highest sales tax revenue in his history, collecting $421,334.60.

After seeing declining revenues in the first months of 2019, this month’s allocation has caused excitement at City Hall and now puts the city 6.21 percent ahead for the calendar year-to-date at $181,324.46 up from $170,708.75 at this point in 2018.

May’s allocations are based on sales made in March by businesses that report tax monthly, and sales made in January, February and March by quarterly filers.

Hedley and Howardwick also posted gains this month. Hedley’s May allocation was up 157.9 percent to $2,340.71, putting that city 14.84 percent ahead for the year-to-date at $4,776.72.

Howardwick brought in 27.2 percent more at $1,220.53 and is now up 3.88 percent for the year at $5,648.26.
Statewide, Hegar sent local governments $867.7 million in local sales tax allocations for May, 0.7 percent more than in May 2018.

An Iowa Park woman was booked into the Donley County Jail Monday after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from Clarendon to Memphis.

Michelle Dehoyos, age 40, was wanted out of Iowa Park for a hit and run involving a police officer when she was spotted in Clarendon shortly before 9 a.m. Monday. A Donley County deputy gave pursuit and as Dehoyos fled east on US 287 at speeds of up to 120 mph.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Dehoyos wrecked her car in Memphis, hitting a pipe fence near the old John Deere dealership on the west side of town.

The Iowa Park Leader told the Enterprise that police in that city had been dispatched to an apartment complex where a woman was reported to be acting erratically. As officers responded, the suspect fled in a blue car. One officer managed to get her patrol car behind Dehoyos’ vehicle, but the suspect then put her car in reverse and backed into the officer’s vehicle and fled.

Dehoyos later called her children and said she was headed to Vernon.

Donley County Justice of the Peace Pam Mason arraigned Dehoyos Tuesday on charges of Driving While Intoxicated and Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle. Bond was set at $1,500 on the DWI and $10,000 on the evading charge.

The Leader reports that Dehoyos is also facing charges in Iowa Park of evading and causing an accident involving damage greater than $200.