Archives for September 2023

School officials and the Donley County Sheriff’s Office are reviewing what worked well and what needs improvement after a false alarm caused Clarendon CISD campuses to go on lockdown for about half an hour last Thursday, September 15.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the school acted appropriately even though ultimately it was determined there was no threat to the school or the students.

“In my opinion, they did exactly what that should have done with the information they had to start with,” Blackburn said.

CCISD administration was made aware of a perceived threat by a student at about 8:50 a.m. According to a statement by the school, the student had left campus, and all campuses were put on lockdown until law enforcement could arrive and ascertain the whereabouts of the student. Sheriff Blackburn found the student off campus, and the lockdown was lifted at 9:24.

Both the sheriff and Superintendent Jarod Bellar said that at no time was there ever a threat to the school, but the school acted on the side of caution to be sure. The sheriff’s investigation, which involved multiple witnesses and school security camera footage, revealed there was never a threat of any kind from the student.

“It was good in a way to have a real lockdown instead of a practice,” Blackburn said. “We can learn from mistakes.”

Bellar agreed and said the lockdown went well but that there are areas to be improved upon. The app used to implement the lockdown was triggered with a default “intruder” message, which Bellar said was not an accurate description of the reason for the lockdown but was the best of the default choices at the time.

The school is working to improve and customize the app, which is used to communicate on campus, and is also exploring other ways to communicate with the parents.

CCISD’s new safety officer had not started officially but responded Thursday with the sheriff’s office. The officer’s first day on the job was Monday of this week.

Both Bellar and Blackburn ask parents to remember that in the event of the lockdown to please not come to the campus. No one will be allowed in or out of the buildings, and the presence of more people will add to congestion and potentially present more safety issues.

The Clarendon City Council approved its tax rate and budget for the coming fiscal year during its regular meeting last Thursday, September 15.

Aldermen adopted a tax rate of $0.610083, which is expected to bring in 3.56 percent more revenue to the city. The city budget was also unanimously passed by the council.

The council also considered the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation’s EDC budget and Hotel Occupancy Tax budget and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce’s Hotel Occupancy Tax budget. Both were approved.

Publicity and Tourism Agreements with the Chamber and CEDC were considered and renewed for a two-year period. The Chamber receives 25 percent of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue and the CEDC administers the other 75 percent.

An agreement for consultation services with David Dockery was approved. Dockery is retiring as City Administrator at the end of September but will stay on part time for a limited time as a consultant to help manage projects that are already underway.

The council considered upgrading handrails scheduled for the Downtown Revitalization Project. It’s possible that excess grant funds may be allowed to be used for the handrails. In the event that’s not approved, the city agreed to split the cost of the upgrades with the CEDC.

Paving bids were considered for work being done on the east side of town. Bryers Paving had the low big at just over $87,000. The next lowest bid was close to $113,000.

In public comments, Cindy Cockerham address the board about the health and safety hazard of an abandoned house on the southwest corner of Sims and Third street across from Bronco Stadium.

The Saints’ Roost Museum will hold its 29th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff this Saturday, September 23, and its first Shindig Under The Stars on Friday, September 22.

Friday night’s Shindig will feature a dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by DJ music and dancing at 8:30. Funds raised from this event will benefit the museum’s new Wheels of History building now under construction. The cost of the Shindig is $25. Call 806-874-2746 for information.

On Saturday a dozen chuckwagon teams will compete for top prizes and bragging rights. Tickets for the cookoff are still available at the Donley County State Bank and Every Nook & Cranny. Although admission is free, a $25 meal ticket is required to enjoy the authentic chuckwagon chicken fried steak dinner.

The tradeshow Saturday starts at 10 a.m. Local and area entertainers will also be performing. The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities will include a hay auction and the Goodnight family reunion.

Ten outstanding teams were recognized during award celebrations at the Pantex Plant and the Y-12 National Security Complex for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Defense Programs (DP) Awards of Excellence.

The winning teams met or exceeded criteria that directly contribute to the sites’ national security mission.

More than 250 Consolidated Nuclear Security employees were involved in the projects that were recognized in the 2021 awards.

At a ceremony to recognize the 2021 winners, Pantex Site Manger Colby Yeary said, “We celebrate the hard work of the men and women who ensure America’s nuclear deterrent provides security to our nation and a warning to our adversaries. We continue to lead by example in our commitment to excellence, and the results we’re seeing in improved performance, deliverables, and innovation speak to the excitement I observe in my colleagues every day.”

At a similar ceremony in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Y-12 Site Manager Gene Sievers said, “Representatives from Defense Programs select Award of Excellence winners from a large number of applications across the Nuclear Security Enterprise. These folks know the positive impacts of your work, and the awards you’re receiving today are a clear recognition that you are making a difference for our nation.”

Teresa Robbins, NNSA Production Office manager, noted, “Recipients of this award have made notable and significant achievements in providing increased quality, productivity, cost savings, and innovations, that enhance the agility and reliability of our nuclear deterrent.

The Defense Programs Awards of Excellence were established in 1982 to recognize significant individual and team accomplishments in support of NNSA’s nuclear weapons program. An executive review panel meets annually to select the winners.

Marvin Adams, NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs told recipients, “I am simply amazed at the accomplishments our workforce and the wider enterprise makes each year. Our government leadership, American citizens, the warfighters we support, and our allies can rest confident because of your valuable contributions.”

At Pantex, the winning projects for 2021 were: Completion of the B61-12 LEP First Production Unit ahead of schedule; Implementation of Lightning Detection and Warning System Upgrades that will improve the ability to ensure the safety of production operations; Utilization of Interim Quality Release that saved 64 days of potential production delays; and culmination of a 10-year effort that produced the W88 ALT 370 First Production Unit ahead of schedule.

A multi-site project for which both Y-12 and Pantex received 2021 awards was Gas Mass Spectrometry Coordination that certified the machine to serve as a backup for Y-12 while a commonly used gas mass spectrometer was repaired.