Clarendon Live

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Archives for April 2023

Norma Virginia Bruce

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Norma Virginia Bruce, 97, of Clarendon, died Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in McLean.

Norma Bruce

Cremation and arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Norma was born November 8, 1925, in Amarillo to Roy Everett and Kensey (Gold) McDowell. She was a long-time resident of Clarendon, prior to moving here, she lived in Phoenix, Ariz., and worked for Motorola. Norma enjoyed sewing and cooking and loved her family. She was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Clarendon.

She was preceded in death by her parents; eight siblings; and a son, James Bruce.

Survivors include daughters, Sharyn Morrow and Sonyia Hill both of Clarendon; daughter-in-law, Michelle Bruce of Clarendon; several grandchildren and great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Sunday accident takes life of Howardwick man

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A Howardwick man lost his life in a single-vehicle accident Sunday morning west of Claude.

Jordon Diego Chavira

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported Jordan Chavira, 26, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Armstrong County Justice of the Peace Jana Lemons.

According to the DPS, Chavira was eastbound on US-287 about ten miles west of Claude at about 6:35 a.m. when the 2001 Ford Explorer he was driving left the roadway and traveled into the center median. He over-corrected the steering, causing him to lose control. The vehicle traveled back onto the roadway, across the lanes of travel, and rolled over multiple times before coming to rest upside down in the ditch south of the roadway.

The report said Chavira was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.

Texas Highway Patrol Troopers continue to investigate the crash.

A celebration of Chavira’s life will be held at the Howardwick City Hall, 245 Rick Husband Blvd. Howardwick, TX 79226 on April 28, 2023, at 11:30 am. Read the full obituary here.

 

Play Time!

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Matthew Newhouse enjoys time on the spinner that is a part of the new playground, which opened last week at Clarendon Elementary School. The project was led by the Pony Parents, which spent the last two years raising about $109,000 to purchase and install the facility. There are still a couple of items to be installed, but the playground includes six swings, five spinners, three slides, and two climbing structures. The playground also includes inclusive features that allow children with disabilities to have fun as well.

Classroom Champions

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Clarendon High School students Jace and Britton Cottrell were chosen for the Amarillo Classroom Champions. The boys were interviewed Monday, April 17, by ABC 7 Amarillo News. Clarendon CISD Guidance Counselor Jenae Ashbrook nominated the senior twins based on academics, community service, school service, and involvement in athletics. The segment was scheduled to air Wednesday, April 19, at 10:20 p.m.

City to interview four administrator candidates

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The Clarendon City Council considered applicants for city administrator and identified four candidates for interviews during its regular meeting last week.

This is the second round of searching the city has undertaken as City Administrator David Dockery plans for retirement. A first round search and subsequent interviews were not successful earlier this year.

The four candidates this time are Steve Coles, manager of Lowe’s Family Center in Clarendon; Brian Barboza, City Administrator at Knox City; Melissa Fields-Allgeyer, Director of Human Resources at the City of Levelland; and Brent Spier, City Administrator of Clear Lake Shores, Texas.

Barboza was also a finalist in the first search.

All four candidates will be interviewed during a called meeting on May 10.

In other city business, the council considered the upcoming season for the Clarendon Aquatic Center and left the hours as 1 to 8 p.m. but changed the opening and closing dates. Instead of opening Memorial Day weekend and closing Labor Day weekend, the center will open May 26, which is the day after school closes, and it will close the day before school starts this fall.
Annette Osburn and Becky Lane were named the election judge and clerk for the upcoming city election on May 6.

The council approved hiring attorney Marvin Jones to review the city’s obligations to the Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority and also contracted with Perdue Brandon to handle delinquent utility accounts.

Resolutions were adopted to move forward with applications for a second round of downtown revitalization and another Community Development Block Grant.

An ordinance was adopted to approve the franchise agreement of G&L Utilities, dba GreenLight Gas.

Christ Kids Ministry presented a request for assistance with its summer food program, and the council approved $1,000 for that program.

Clarendon water protocols in place

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In accordance with its stage three water shortage protocols, the City of Clarendon is requesting all of its water customers practice water conservation and minimize or discontinue water use for non-essential purposes, with the goal of reducing water usage by 30 percent.

Under threat of penalty for violation, the following water use restrictions shall apply to all persons. Customers are asked to limit outside watering to twice-a-week, and then before 10:00 am and after 7:00 pm. Residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Residential customers with even-numbered street addresses water on Thursdays and Sundays. Commercial customers water on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Also limit washing of motor vehicles, motorbikes, boats, and other vehicles at home to before 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm on your designated watering day, and then use a bucket and/or a hand-held hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle. Commercial car washes are excepted.

Urgency of preventing child abuse

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One of the most important responsibilities that all of us have – as individuals, families and communities – is to ensure the safety of the children in our lives and throughout our community. As we recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, we must also recognize the urgency of strengthening families and equipping communities with the services needed to prevent abuse from ever occurring.

In 2022, there were 56,944 victims of abuse or neglect in Texas. This harrowing number highlights the need to not only provide care and treatment for those children who have suffered the trauma of maltreatment, but also to deploy services that can keep children safe in their families by preventing abuse from happening in the first place.

Nationally, there has been a recent bipartisan move toward prevention programs that aim to keep families together. Those of us who work in the child welfare space go about this mission with a variety of programs and services that have been proven to work, such as:

• Providing free counseling to families and children that need it, including in the school setting.

• Inviting parents to participate in classes and workshops that teach them strategies for managing children’s behaviors and help them parent in positive and constructive ways.

• Treating substance abuse and other conditions that can disrupt families.

• Supporting extended families as they navigate their way through various support systems.

The need for these types of services always outpaces the funding available to provide them. In fact, the demand for in-home services is increasing in Texas because recent legislation has dramatically decreased the number of children being removed from their homes. This is why it’s important for federal and state legislators to continue to make funding available for prevention services. Helping families manage and overcome their struggles causes far less trauma – and is far less expensive for taxpayers – than removing children from their homes and placing them into the foster care system.

That said, there are times when removal from the birth family is necessary for the safety of the child, which is why another key component of keeping children safe is maintaining a strong network of well-vetted, well-trained foster families who can provide temporary care and, when reunification with the birth family is not possible, can create forever families through adoption. However, stepping forward to provide foster care is one way that individuals and couples can help ensure that children can have safe and loving homes.

Becoming a foster family is a major commitment, but there are other ways that we can help contribute to children’s safety and the prevention of maltreatment. For starters, we can raise awareness of child abuse and neglect this month by displaying blue ribbons to honor victims. We can contribute to programs and causes that help struggling families meet their basic needs, from food to paying the rent.

Texans should also remember that it is not only the job of teachers, health care professionals or social workers to report abuse. If you know, for example, that a child is exposed to domestic violence or children sustain suspicious injuries or injuries that are not getting the medical attention they need, do not hesitate to call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.

Those of us in the fields of child safety and welfare continue seeking the most effective possible programs and services to prevent the maltreatment of children. We understand that positive parenting comes more naturally to some than it does to others, which is why we approach prevention from a place of support rather than judgment. In April and throughout the year, we are committed to preventing the abuse and neglect of children — and we are heartened to know that we are not alone.

Lions district meeting to be this Saturday

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Local and area Lions Clubs members will be in Clarendon this Saturday for a day of service and fellowship during the annual District 2-T1 Convention.

The day will start with registration at the Bairfield Activity Center at Clarendon College. Lions will then join the Texas Ramp Project in building wheelchair ramps at two Clarendon residences during the morning. Several Lions Clubs in the district have active partnerships with Texas Ramp and the local club is considering such a partnership also.

Lunch will be served back at the Bairfield Center with the Lions Alert trailer providing the food. The new trailer is the district’s disaster response unit and is ready and available to feed first responders and victims in times of disaster.

A business meeting led by District Governor Roger Estlack of Clarendon will be held during lunch.

Lions training workshops are also planned during the day.

A tree planting will be held at the Lions Hall that afternoon, which will be followed by Bingo games and cornhole at the the Lions Hall. A hospitality hour will begin at 5 p.m. along with voting on district and state Lions ballots.

The awards banquet will be held at 6 p.m. at the Bairfield Center with Past International Director Justin Faber on hand for keynote remarks. Several district Lions will be recognized with awards during the evening, which will showcase service projects around the district during the past year.

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