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Archives for March 2024
County okays city contract for sheriff; Council to vote March 14
Donley County Commissioners approved new law enforcement agreement with the City of Clarendon during their regular meeting Monday, March 11.
Under the terms of the proposal, the city would pay the county $170,000 for law enforcement services beginning in fiscal year 2025, which starts in October. The five-year contract would go up two percent each year.
County Judge John Howard said the proposal was brought to the county by the city and drafted by the city’s attorney but also said the city council will not vote on the agreement until its regular meeting this Thursday, March 14.
In another matter regarding county law enforcement, commissioners approved an amendment to the current county budget and approved a supplemental budget related to a state grant to bolster the sheriff’s department. The $250,000 grant would provide about $127,000 for raises in the department – bringing deputies salaries up to $50,000 per year and dispatcher/jailer salaries up to $45,000 per year – with the remainder of the grant funds going to help purchase new patrol vehicles.
The commissioners’ court also approved trainings for Judge Pat White and Tax Assessor Kristy Christopher, authorized Judges White and Sarah Hatley to sign an interlocal agreement with the Texas DPS to deal with Failure to Appear cases; and voted to get prices to upgrade the lighting in the Courthouse Annex.
A rental lease on county-owned property at 301 W. Third was discussed. The tenant is finding a new place, and then the county will proceed to consider plans for that property.
The court approved purchasing two filter feeders for the Courthouse heating and cooling system.
Chriss Clifford elaborated on design ideas to give a facelift to county-owned buildings in the 300 block of Sully facing the Courthouse, and commissioners also discussed changing the color of the Annex building. Those improvements were all tabled until May, Howard said.
Clarendon sales tax up in March report
Clarendon’s sales tax revenues rose on January sales when Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar distributed monthly allocations to local governments last week.
The city saw its March sales tax revenue increase 13.47 percent from $33,018.04 one year ago to $37,467.05 this month. The city’s calendar year-to-date total is now up 3.48 percent at $127,694.33 compared to $123,270.08 at this point in 2023.
Sales tax revenues in Hedley were up 23.28 percent at $888.40 compared to $720.58 last March. Hedley’s year-to-date figure is now up 1.77 percent with collections of $3,441.56, up from $3,381.55 a year ago.
Howardwick’s sales tax revenue fell 19.20 percent, dropping from $1,890.87 last March to $1,527.64 this year. Howardwick is now down 21.26 percent on the year. Howardwick’s declining revenue can be attributed in large part to that city opting not to renew its street maintenance sales tax, which lowered its overall local sales tax rate from 1.25 percent to 1.0 percent effective October 1, 2023.
Statewide, Hegar delivered $980.9 million in local sales tax allocations for March, 2.2 percent less than in March 2023.
March sales tax allocations are based on sales made in January by businesses that report tax monthly.
Essary wins Precinct 1 race; Koetting, Wootten headed to runoff
One Donley County precinct will be getting a new commissioner, and another commissioner’s seat is headed to a runoff election following last week’s party primary elections.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Mark White lost his reelection bid to challenger Del Essary in the Republican Primary, 104-76. Essary, a current Howardwick alderman and former mayor of that city, faces no opposition in the November general election and will take office next January.
In Precinct 3, Commissioner Neil Koetting came in second in a three-person race for the Republican nomination. Greg Wootten received 86 votes, Koetting had 68, and Sis Bond had 45.
Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates – Wootten and Koetting – will face each other in a runoff election May 28.
In the race for the GOP nomination for the State House District 88 seat, incumbent Rep. Ken King of Canadian vended off a challenge by Karen Post of Plainview, winning 498-130 in Donley County and also by a wide margin throughout the district.
King had been targeted to be “primaried” by some state Republicans who have labeled him as a RINO for not following some of the governor’s priorities.
Donley County Republicans followed suit with GOP voters across the state in backing former president Donald Trump. Locally, Trump received 599 votes; Nikki Haley received 66; Ryan Brinkley, Chris Christie, and Asa Hutchinson received two each; and Ron Desantis got six.
Local Republicans also voted in favor of all 13 non-binding resolutions on the Republican ballot.
On the Republican ballot with no opposition but of local interest were US Rep. Ronny Jackson, District Judge Dale Rabe, Jr., District Attorney Luke Inman, County Attorney Landon Lambert, Sheriff Butch Blackburn, and County Tax Assessor/Collector Kristy Christopher.
Bill Word was also unopposed for the county GOP chairman’s position.
In the local Democratic Primary, President Joe Biden received 25 votes and Dean Phillips and Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato each had two.
AgriLife Extension network helps with wildfire recovery
Hanna Conner types a quick message and swipes her cell phone to take a call; it’s a donated piece of equipment headed to the wrong location. Before she can complete the call, there’s another one – a semi-load of hay is coming in – and it’s going directly to either a ranch or the animal supply point.
Conner is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Hutchinson County. She oversees the Animal Supply Point, which was established after the Smokehouse Creek fire – the largest wildfire ever in Texas – swept through the region.
Her phone has been going off nonstop since that time, as she does what AgriLife Extension is known for – offering a helping hand and working alongside her community members to teach best practices for this wildfire disaster response.
Conner’s co-worker Megan Eikner, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Potter County who has been helping at the animal supply point, explained that as an agriculture and natural resources county agent, she is there to ultimately help producers “take care of their livestock and their livelihoods.”
The Animal Supply Points were established on Feb. 28 in three locations, serving the east, north and west locations hit hardest by the multiple fires that ravaged the pastureland in six counties. Almost immediately, the donations began rolling in.
“AgriLife Extension is uniquely positioned because we serve all communities of this state, with county offices serving all 254 counties. Our local agents are there; they are a part of the community, so when a disaster like these wildfires happens, we are already embedded and a part of those communities,” said Rick Avery, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension director, Bryan-College Station.
“Most importantly, as the communities recover from this incident, we are still going to be there providing services and helping communities heal, both agriculturally and comprehensively as a community,” Avery said. “That’s what makes us different from all other state agencies. Not only are we relied upon as a legitimate, timely source of information, but we are also a part of the community, and that is how we make a difference in the lives of Texans.”
The supply points are rapidly filling with feed, hay, fencing materials and other animal-related supplies. When asked why the AgriLife Extension sites were chosen as the destination of donations and supplies traveling from across the country, Conner and Eikner said, almost simultaneously, “We work for the Texas A&M System, a trusted place,” and “We are trusted to provide that oversight.”
Sean Semko, who has been on the job for two months as an AgriLife Extension Disaster Assessment and Response, DAR, agent in San Angelo, said some of these ranchers have been building their herds for five generations and others for five months.
However, they all need subject matter experts who can advise them on the next steps to take during the disaster. He explained how they need someone to help them find a safe place for their animals in addition to finding feed to help sustain the livestock until they can get back on their feet.
Semko, like other DAR agents from across the state, was deployed to the Texas Panhandle to help coordinate and organize the supply point, load and unload hay and supplies, and manage inventory in support of the local county agent.
Richie Griffin, DAR area chief for the East Region, said the network is what makes AgriLife Extension great – no individual has to be an expert in everything.
“If I need an economist or a beef cattle nutritionist, we have that network of experts, and they can help us better understand the needs and wants of the people we are here to serve,” Griffin said.
The direct contact each county agent can provide to those affected in their area is unique, and their connections with local and regional businesses allow them to respond quickly. And not just within their individual counties but as a team.
Marcus Preuninger, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Gray County, is a part of that team. Being fairly new to his county, he relied on his mentors to help him learn how best to serve his community and meet their needs.
Gray County was affected by both the Smokehouse Creek fire on the north side and the Grape Creek fire to the south. He said because many ranchers are still assessing their damages and needs, they cannot always come to the supply points, so they have been shipping supplies straight to the ranches.
“We all have communities of people who want to help, and we can mobilize them quickly,” Eikner said.
Conner, who is going through her first disaster as an agent, said the teamwork and camaraderie between the neighboring county agents made this disaster response possible. Working as a network, they can combine resources to address needs across the affected areas.
“People know who we are, and they trust us to give out their donations to those in need,” she said. “We have people who can find the people who need feed and hay, even if they are not able to come to our supply point, or people who can search for what they need if it is not here.”
Agents not only have duties related to their jobs when it comes to wildfire disaster response, but they also volunteer wherever they are needed because they are members of the communities.
For Conner, it was one of those connections that made her walk away from her phone after spending 15 hours a day for nine days in a row at the supply point. On March 5, Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith died in the line of duty.
Tears flowed as she relayed how Smith was more than just a community member – he was a friend, even serving as the president of her livestock show board. He was someone “I could call for anything I needed.”
Being relatively new to her position, she worried when the disaster struck that she didn’t know the ranchers well enough to help those in need, so she called Smith for advice. Smith worked on the ranches, so he knew the needs. On that particular day, after the fire had passed, a rancher needed people on horseback, so she reached out and got some Clarendon College students to work on the ranch.
“He was always there for me.” So, that one afternoon, she walked away and drove through the burned-out country to take time for herself but was right back at it the next day.
Even Eikner, who worked for seven years in Canadian, found herself back in her hometown volunteering over the weekend.
“Something in my soul told me to go, and I walked smack into my long-time friend who lost 25 head of her herd,” she said. “After hugging and crying, we got down to business.”
Eikner immediately went to work determining the needs of the ranch, finding those needs at the Animal Supply Point, and arranging for them to be delivered to the ranch amid the blowing dirt and smoke rising from the burned pastures. She also connected with the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team and got them out there.
“It was the perfect Texas A&M System response. Their whole life was upended, and we could be there to help. I’ll never forget it because I know God put me in the right place at the right time,” Eikner said.
Griffin said, without fail, everyone has always been grateful for the AgriLife Extension supply points.
“The genuine thankfulness, the hugs, the chaplain coming by each morning to pray with us, the tightknit communities that are all so appreciative of everything we are trying to do here – those are the memories I will keep forever,” he said.
He explained how the AgriLife Extension office and the county agents are staples in those communities, so they already knew where they could get help, whether in the form of supplies or education.
“The communities know we are here for the long-term recovery process,” Griffin said. “Right now, some producers still have fire on their places. But they will come in eventually for help recovering.”
Preuninger agreed.
“We are here for them. They trust us with their education, and they trust us with their kids, so when it comes to a disaster, they trust us to be here for them through that.”
Rep. King to chair new wildfire committee
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced Tuesday the creation of an Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires.
Representative Ken King of Canadian will serve as the Chair of this committee, which will include Representatives Burrows and Hunter, as well as community members Jason Abraham and Ashley Cash.
“The wildfires that swept across the panhandle have devastated communities and I thank Speaker Phelan for creating this committee to look into our states response to these disasters,” said King. “I look forward to working with the committee to develop suggestions for legislation that will aide the local communities in fighting these fires, increase state response efforts and ensure that when these events occur, we have the resources in place to stop them from turning into the disasters we faced this year.”
The Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires has been tasked with investigating factors that contribute to wildfires, allocation of resources to and effectiveness of wildfire disaster preparedness and response, and coordination between local, state and federal governmental entities in regard to wildfire prevention, disaster preparedness and response.
“With increasing drought conditions, this matter is more important now than ever,” King stated. “It is my sincere belief that through the work of this committee, the 89th Legislature can put tools in place to help our communities prepare and fight against these wildfires.”
Lady Broncos rack up wins at tournament
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Bronco softball team had a busy two weeks as they played several games in the Childress and Randall tournaments.
On March 1, the ladies defeated Caprock JV 13-3, clobbered Hereford JV 20-1, and put away Palo Duro JV 20-0. On the second, they won 15-0 over River Road JV and breezed by Amarillo JV at 13-1. They suffered a close loss to Sunray on the fifth at 4-5 and defeated Amarillo JV 9-3 on March 7. Also on the seventh, the ladies shut out Bowie JV 23-0.
Kennadie Cummins went the distance on the mound and allowed only four hits, three runs, and had 10 strikeouts to get the win. The team had 17 hits in the game with Bayleigh Bruce, Elliot Frausto, and K. Cummins adding three hits apiece. Frausto slammed a homerun and nabbed six stolen bases.
The Lady Broncos annihilated Hereford JV in their next game with a huge third inning where they put 12 runs on the board to end the game in three. Tandie Cummins went start to finish on the mound throwing 29 strikes out of 41 pitches. She only allowed three hits and one run in the game and connected with the ball for a grand-slam homerun to center field in the top of the third scoring Laney Rummel, K. Cummins, and Gracie Wilkins. The Lady Broncos made good use of their bats at the plate and finished with 13 RBIs.
Four innings is all it took for the ladies to shut out the Palo Duro JV on Friday. They had 13 hits and zero errors in the win. Shelbi Coles took over the duties on the mound and earned the win. Coles was on her game and threw 36 strikes in her 45 pitches and made good on seven strikeouts.
Offensively, their bats were hot with T. Cummins hitting a single and two doubles and Maloree Wann with two singles. Shelby Christopher had a single and a double and Cambree Smith had singles in the game. Wann and Riley Jantz had one stolen base each.
The River Road game was almost identical to the Palo Duro game with the ladies scoring five runs in each of the three innings. T. Cummins and Coles shared the duties on the mound with nine total strikeouts. T. Cummins earned another homerun along with a triple and three RBIs and Elyza Rodriguez and Coles added a triple and two RBIs each in the win.
Graci Smith went three for three from the plate in the win over Amarillo JV, posting two doubles, one homerun, and five RBIs. T. Cummins and K. Cummins had a homerun apiece and accounted for three more RBIs and five runs.
The Lady Broncos held a one-run lead over the Sunray Lady Cats going into the fourth but struggled to connect with the ball until the seventh inning. Errors also plagued the team as they finished with seven mistakes in the game. K. Cummins took the loss on the mound, allowing five runs on six hits, while striking out 13 batters.
Offensively, the ladies had two singles, two doubles, and three triples in the game, but left too many runners on the bases.
The ladies were able to rebound nicely in the win over Amarillo High JV with T. Cummins on the mound for six innings. Cummins allowed six hits and three runs and had 11 strikeouts in the win.
The Cummins duo posted a homerun each and accounted for five hits, four RBIs, and five runs. Fausto had two hits, and two RBIs and Wilkins had two hits, one run, and two RBIs. Rodriguez had two hits, one RBI, and two runs. Overall, the Lady Broncos posted four stolen bases.
Solid hitting was the name of the game in the shut out over Bowie JV with 12 total hits, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs in the game. Wilkins had a single, double, and triple, accounting for two RBIs and three runs. Bruce’s bat was strong with a double and triple and five RBIs with five runs. Rodriguez had four RBIs and three runs and Wann finished with two runs and a base on balls. K. Cummins and Coles split time on the mound and together three 26 strikes in 31 pitches with six strikeouts.
The Lady Broncos will play Gruver at home on Friday, March 15 at 1:00 and travel to Randall on the 16th also beginning at 1:00. On Tuesday, March 19, the ladies will play at Stinnett against West Texas with the first pitch at 4:00.
Broncos play strong in baseball tournaments
By Sandy Anderberg
Bronco baseball is midway through their 2024 season with some great wins under their belt. They went up against good teams in the West Texas tournament in Borger last week.
The Broncos opened up against a tough Friona team and finished the game in a seven-seven tie. Senior Jared Musick was on the mound allowing eight hits, seven runs and posting six strikeouts.
The Broncos started out slowly but were only down one run after the first two innings. Down by three after three innings, the Broncos crawled back in the top of the fourth to close the gap to one when Harrison Howard singled and scored Easton Frausto and Levi Gates popped out allowing Musick to cross the plate for a run.
The Bronco defense came alive in Friona’s next at bat to go three up, three down and then the offense took over to end the fifth at 7-6 when Mason Sims finds home plate and Easton Frausto takes it home on a Gates ground ball. A couple of errors in the final inning allowed the Chieftains to gain one more run to tie the game at seven all.
Howard had two hits, one run, stole two bases and Gates collected one hit, two RBIs and one stolen base. Grant Haynes posted one double and a stolen base and Musick, Sims, and Hagood all recorded one extra base.
The Broncos played another game on Thursday against Borger and stomped the Bulldogs 12-2. Sims got the call on the mound and allowed one run and two strike-outs. Braylon Rice came is as relief and allowed one run and two strike-outs as well.
The Broncos scored once in the first inning when Musick singled to allow Frausto to score the Broncos’ first run. The Bronco defense held Borger scoreless in their first time at the plate.
A huge second inning ensued for the Broncos as they scored four runs in the inning. After Sims scored one, Howard doubled up on a fly ball to center that score Haynes and Frausto. Musick then stole home and Howard came in to score during Gates’ turn at the plate.
Defensively, the highlight of the game was a double play in the bottom of the third. Musick grabbed the ball at third base and threw to Gates at first to get the first out. Gates then threw it right back to Musick to nab the runner to turn the double play.
Overall, the Broncos had nine hits in the game. Howard slammed two doubles, added one run, and four RBIs, while Frausto posted two hits, a run, two stolen bases, and one RBI. Haynes added one run and hit, and one RBI, while Frausto posted three runs, two hits and an RBI. Musick, Gates, and Hagood all had one run and one hit with Musick and Hagood adding an RBI. Mason Allred, Sims, Parker Haynes, and Heston Seay all added one hit in the game.
The third matchup for the Broncos was Fritch on Friday. The Broncos fought hard and won 3-0. Frausto earned the win in the two-inning game allowing one hit and posting four strikeouts. The Broncos were able to get their bats moving and scored all three runs in the first inning of play. They were able to end the game in the second inning only seeing four batters to end the game with the win.
The Broncos will play Tues., March at Shamrock at 4:30 and then travel to Kress on Sat. March 23, to play at noon. Thurs. March 26, the Broncos will travel to Wellington.
James Frederick (Fred) Clifford
James Frederick (Fred) Clifford of Clarendon, passed from this Earth on March 10, 2024, at the age of 87 in his home with his daughters by his side.
Services will be held Friday, March 15, at 11:00 at the First Baptist Church of Clarendon with Reverend Lance Wood officiating. Graveside service will follow in Citizens Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, March 14th from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Fred was born in Clarendon, in 1936, to Walter and Dewey Clifford. He graduated from Clarendon High School in 1954, and then went on to attend Clarendon College, Panhandle State, where he played football, Texas Tech University, and West Texas State University. In 1959, he was drafted into the United States Army and served three years as Artillery Fire Control. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Oregon, and Ft. Polk, Louisiana. On November 10, 1961, Fred married the love of his life, Connie Ruth Thurk, his wife of 60 years.
As a young man, Fred and his brother Jack worked at Clifford’s Grocery Store delivering groceries to just about every elderly widowed lady in town. Not only did Fred deliver groceries, but he would also help the ladies on his route by doing small chores for them. He would help anyone in need. Jack and Fred sold Clifford Grocery in 1979. In 1980, Fred began selling cars for Chamberlain Motor Company. He also was head of Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon for 26 years. He spent countless hours making sure the cemetery was well maintained. He worked as a realtor for Joe Lovell Real Estate until his retirement.
In 2010, Fred received the coveted Saints’ Roost Award given by the Chamber of Commerce for his lifetime of service to the community. He also served on the CISD school board. Fred was a lifetime member First Baptist Church, Clarendon.
Fred was respected by all who knew him. His warm, endearing smile and hearty laughter will be missed by many. He was a true servant, always doing for others.
Fred was preceded in death by his parents, wife Connie in 2021, brothers and sister in laws, Jack, Shirley, Bob and Wilma.
He is survived by two loving daughters, Gayla (Chris) Reynolds of Pleasanton, Texas, and Trish Clifford (Lorena) of Pflugerville, Texas. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Megan Pope, Shelby Pope (Mavrick Jewell), Ruthie Bell, James Reynolds and Will Reynolds, and two great-grandchildren, Rowan and Lana Ruth Jewell. He is survived by his niece Virginia (Brit) Patten, his niece, Cathy Clifford, nephews John Clifford and Ben Clifford, great nieces Abby (Cole)Llewellyn and Annie (Barrett) Coon, great nephews John Ray Clifford and Robert James Clifford, great-great nephews Brecken and Bray Coon, great-nieces Whitley Coon and Alaina Llewellyn; cousins, William & Walt Thompson.
A special thanks to caretakers, Nancy Owens, Danielle Sandefur, Paulette Kidd Arnold and special little helper, Oakleigh Douglass; and dear friends, Mary Neal Risley and Elmonette Bivens.
Flowers or donations are requested to be sent to the church of your choice, the Clarendon Senior Citizens (PO Drawer B), or Citizens Cemetery (P O Box 983) in Clarendon, Texas.
Sterling Jeffery (Jeff) Keen
Sterling Jeffery (Jeff) Keen, 60, of Clarendon passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at his home.
Memorial services are scheduled for Friday March 22, 2024, 1:00 p.m. at Crosier-Pearson Cleburne funeral home. 512 N Ridgeway Dr Cleburne, Texas 76033
Cremation is under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Jeff was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 4, 1963, to Robert Keen and Laverne (Grant) West-Cozine. He grew up in Fort Worth until his teenage years when his family moved to Amarillo. Jeff attended High School in Amarillo and later moved to Cleburne, where he owned and operated his own automotive shop, Auto Body Repair, for many years. He met and married the love of his life, Zandria Edwards, in October of 1982.
Jeff loved spending time outdoors and was an avid fisherman. He enjoyed boating, camping, and could be found poolside all summer long. His favorite place was the Texas coast. He also enjoyed throwing horseshoes and shooting pool. He frequently participated in pool tournaments. Jeff loved everyone and they were always welcome at his home. He enjoyed having his family and friends over to spend time with them.
He is preceded in death by his father, Robert Keen and brother James Keen
He is survived by his wife, Zandria Keen of Clarendon; mother, Laverne West-Cozine of Midlothian, TX; two sons, Andrew Keen of Clarendon, and Joseph Keen of Cleburne, TX; three daughters, Krisgina Keen of Cleburne, Deedra Sparks of Clarendon, and Tiffany Morrow of Ennis, TX; several brothers and sisters; numerous grandchildren; a couple great-grandchildren; and multiple nieces and nephews.
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