Ashlyn Tubbs

Clarendon is more “green” than ever this year.

Thanks to the support of local citizens and businesses, Clarendon has for the first time received the traveling trophy from Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) in Amarillo for being the top recycling community in the Panhandle.

Although Clarendon has been near the top of the list for the top recycling community in the Panhandle for the last five or six years, the community just didn’t recycle the amount of material needed to surpass other cities competing, such as Canadian, who received the trophy five years in a row until this year.

City Administrator John Webb expressed his joy at this recycling achievement.

“I’m excited,” Webb said. “I think this trophy is a pat on the back to all of the citizens in Clarendon. The fact that Clarendon is very supportive of recycling is something for our community to be proud of.”

According to Joe Neal Shadle, the supervisor over the recycling and sanitation department, at the end of this year Clarendon will have recycled an estimated 800,000 pounds or more of material since 1998.

“Over the years, recycling has gone up hard,” Shadle remarks. “More citizens and businesses, in particular, have started recycling all they can, especially cardboard and paper.”

One question that many citizens have is what exactly is the benefit of recycling? Shadle says recycling is simply an act to “take away from the citizens’ and the city’s expenses.”

The city pays Memphis Landfill over $60,000 a year just to dump trash, not including the trucking or time involved. The more trash that Clarendon cuts down, the less landfill expenses there will be. Recycling also helps keep garbage out of the waste stream, an eco-friendly step towards a cleaner environment.

“If we can keep cutting the costs back and keep what recyclables we can out of the waste stream, hopefully we can go down on the expenses that the city has to pay Memphis Landfill each year,” Shadle said. “If we don’t recycle though, it’s going to cost that much more to continue hauling the trash off.”

Clarendon will be able to keep the trophy exhibiting recycling efforts until October 1, when PRPC will reassess and see which community comes out on top. In order to win this trophy again, citizens are strongly encouraged to make sure that they get their recyclables out to the proper containers throughout the city. The Recycling Center, located on Front Street, also has containers properly marked for all recyclable materials, such as newspapers, magazines, plastics, as well as used oil, which can be dropped off through an oil filter.
“These guys working at the Recycling Center have done a lot of hard work, but it’s all about the people recycling,” Shadle says. “I appreciate all the community’s support with recycling, and we appreciate PRPC for getting us into the recycling business and helping us through it. We couldn’t have achieved this award without them.”

Many departments joined together March 10 to fight a fire that threatened property southwest of Greenbelt Lake.

The fire was reported at 7:09 p.m., and the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department responded and immediately called for mutual aid from Howardwick and Hedley, according to a report from First Assistant Chief Jeremy Powell.

Soon after that, mutual aid was also summoned from Memphis,  Groom, and Claude fire departments as well as the Texas Forest Service.

The fire, which is thought to have been ignited by a tree blowing into a power line, stared near the Greenbelt Lake road that leads to the bluffs and swiftly traveled south/southwest.

Powell reported that combined efforts of the Clarendon firemen and Donley County motor graders halted the rapidly advancing head of fire from crossing County Road N and County Road 9. When mutual aid units arrived, efforts were focused on extinguishing the right and then the left flanks of the fire.

The fire was contained by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and then under control  by 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The fire burned 225.68 acres and stretched 1.6 miles long.

No injuries were reported resulting from the fire, and no structures were damaged, although several were threatened, such as the Bar H Dude Ranch.

Powell also reported that damage to landowners’ fences was kept to a minimum and that no livestock were harmed.

There were 20 units and 49 firemen involved in the extinguishing of this fire, as well as additional help from the Texas Forest Service, Donley County, the Associated Ambulance Authority, Donley County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Department of Public Safety.

Powell said local firemen greatly appreciate the departments and individuals who devoted their time and efforts to help with this fire.

The Clarendon High School Bronco and Lady Bronco baseball and softball teams aren’t the only ones on the field practicing teamwork. While the teams work on running bases and catching pop flies, members of the community have united together to help make long-time visions for the ball fields come true.

In 2005, Clarendon saw members of the community join together in a spirit of cooperation to help make dreams of community leaders, parents, and kids for the ball fields become a reality. Now four years later, this same combined effort continues as upgrades to the fields near completion.

Among the new renovations that are currently in progress are the addition of two new sets of bleachers for all three fields as well as concrete pads under them, safety railing, a new outfield fence in the Little League’s Hart-Moore Field, and safety panels. According to Clarendon ISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger, the labor will be well worth the effort so parents, fans and citizens will have access to a much better viewing area and a nice place to sit when they come to watch the ball games.

“Since I’ve been here, we have completely got two brand new parks,” Clarendon ISD Athletic Director Gary Jack says. “We just need to keep upgrading our facilities because it’s just something continual. The bleachers were a big part of what we wanted to do next.”

Many members of the community have volunteered their time and labor to accomplish this common goal, and many dads have also helped including Stan Shelton, Randy White and Casey Cobb. Local contractors have been hired to help, including Kelly Hill, who is overseeing bleacher and fence construction, and Roy Williams, who is in charge of pouring concrete pads for bleachers and handicap ramps.

“All the work down there has been a joint effort from the school, the Little League, and quite a few volunteers, along with all the donations that have been made. We have some of the nicest facilities in district, and I’m pretty excited about that,” Stan Shelton said.

Local donations have drastically decreased the cost of this renovation. Clarendon College generously donated the new bleachers, since they had some left over from their Equine Center. Greenbelt Water Authority donated sand to help with the concrete. Some labor has been provided by inmates from Childress, under the supervision of Tommy Leeper. Gary Jack drives the bus provided by CISD for the transportation of the inmates to and from Childress.

According to Hysinger, this project could have easily cost $120,000; but with the help of community donations, it should cost only around $40,000.

“It’s a great thing what we’re doing,” Roy Williams says. “There’s a lot of people coming together. A lot of the fathers are doing different things to help out.  It’s a community effort. The superintendent of the schools is the head of it, but it’s just different people joining together and doing things to help make this possible. It’s going to be a nice facility when we finish it.”

Senior Devin Noble expresses his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the community to benefit the baseball program and McClellan Field.
“I remember playing in the field in Little League, and it was horrible,” Noble says. “There were stickers everywhere, and the fence and dugouts were bad. But now we have one of the best fields in the Panhandle. Come out, enjoy the new facilities, and support us because we’re really good this year and have a great chance of going to state.”

A historic transition of power occurred Tuesday, January 20, as Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first black president in the history of the United States.

Many believe that America has entered a new era as the 44th president promises to take the nation in a new direction as he faces many challenges.

President Obama began his career as a community organizer in Chicago from 1985 until 1988. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, where he served for eight years. In 2005, he was sworn into office for the US Senate. In 2007, he started his presidential campaign as an unlikely candidate.

Obama prevailed in a tough fight for the Democratic nomination; and on November 4, 2008, he won the popular vote in the presidential election, an historic moment that will be well remembered in years to come.

Donley County citizens were largely in favor of Obama’s Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, in the November election. Obama received only 291 votes while McCain led with a total of 1,370 votes.

Project Vote results at Clarendon High School showed even stronger support for McCain, with 96 percent in favor of McCain and only 4 percent for Obama. In contrast, state-wide Project Vote results overwhelmingly supported the new president with 81 percent choosing Obama over McCain.

Even though the majority of Donley County citizens did not support Obama, he does have some strong supporters locally. One is Roy Williams who serves as pastor of the Panhandle’s first African-American church, St. Stephen’s Baptist Church in Clarendon.

“When I was sick last year, I had a lot of time to sit and watch the presidential debates,” Williams said. “I didn’t make my mind up for a long time, I was a middle-of-the-roader.

“But the more I listened to Obama, the more I knew that he was God-sent to heal this country. When he won the election, I felt like a great curtain had been torn down. The last part of segregation was the White House.”

Sammie Doering, founder of “Sam Hill” BBQ in 1997, is also proud to be on Obama’s side.

“I feel like it was divine intervention that Obama was elected,” Doering said. “He is just what God ordered.  Everyone can come together now and be neighbors without so much hate and prejudice. I am looking forward to the future with a change.”

Another Obama supporter is Louisa King, mother of the late Gwendolyn Jean King, who was the first black student at Clarendon College.

“I never thought I would live to see a black man as President of the United States,” King said. “We have come a long ways since my children attended North Ward, a segregated school in Clarendon.  Obama was elected President; but, as Gwendolyn found out, it’s not going to be easy to have success.  His work has just begun.”

Bobbie Lewis, a Clarendon resident for 62 years, thinks it is wonderful that Obama was elected.

“He can’t do no worse than the other presidents,” Lewis said. “It don’t make no difference what the color of his skin is. I think he will do just fine.”

One person who can relate to President Obama is McKinley “Mac” Smith, who in 1990 became the first and only African-American to serve on the Board of Aldermen in Clarendon.

“My time as a city councilor was a good experience,” Smith said, who served two terms on the board. “The people were always good to me. I think it is great that Obama was elected. It will be nice to have a change and see what he can do to make this nation better.”

Although the majority of Donley County citizens weren’t for Obama at first, many, such as Lyndal Gillen, are learning to put aside their differences and support their new president. Gillen teaches government at Clarendon High School.
“The inauguration was an historical event,” Gillen said. “I hope my students all stopped and enjoyed the moment. Then on (January) 21st, I hope we’ll all set aside our differences whether we’re Republican or Democrat and support our new president.”

Hedley’s 57th annual Cotton Festival was a hit this year. Many visitors enjoyed the various activities and entertainment that took place last Friday and Saturday.

The Lioness Club started the festival with their Purrfect Chili and Stew Supper on Friday night. They served over 150 people bowls of chili and stew that was prepared by Louise Steward.

“We were very pleased by how many people we served,” Lioness Bonnie Walsh said. “We didn’t even have any chili left over.”

The Lioness Club also held a quilt giveaway, and Shauna Herbert won the quilt made by Billie Golden. Six hundred tickets were sold through this fundraiser.

Both the Tractor and Car Shows were held on Saturday morning. Best of show in the Tractor Show went to Blackie Johnson for his 1948 8-N Ford. Mary Ruth White won Best of Show in the Car Show with a 1965 Mustang.

Other winners of the Tractor Show included: P.J. White – first place of the 1930s with a 1939 Model B; Blackie Johnson – first place in the 1940s with a 1948 AC “G”; Blackie Johnson – second place with a 1943 J.D.LA; Blackie Johnson – first place in the 1950s with a Farmall Cub 1952; and there was a second place tie between Leon Ward with a Case 351 1958 and P.J. White with a AC Model “C” 1953.

Winners in the Car show also included: Grady Milton – first place in the 1930s with a 1930 Model A Ford; Grady Milton – first place in the 1940s with a 1946 Ford Coupe; Ken Carden – second place in the 1940s with a 1949 Hudson Commodore; Carl Carden – first place in the 1970s with a 1076 Lincoln Mark IV.

The Lions Club served about 200 plates of barbeque for lunch this year. They were assisted by Lions Sweetheart Shandy Koetting, and Katie Adams won the Bale of Cotton.

The Class of 1953 had a high school reunion during the Cotton Festival. Eight were present; Tippie Reeves/Jones of Amarillo, Mary Ruth Sargent of Hedley, Peggy Spear/Stevens of Tulia, Alma Ruth Holland/Smith of Riddle, Oregon, Johnny Brumley of Groom, Jack Quisenberry of Winoma, Jack Moreman of Clarendon and Jerry Jones of Eldorado. Joel Messer, Ag teacher for the Class of ’53, was also present. Friday night they ate chili at the Lioness Club together and then on Saturday they rode the Class of 1953 float. After the parade, they went to the schoolhouse for their reunion, and later on that night Mary Ruth Sargent hosted a hamburger supper for the reunited classmates. According to Mary Ruth, they all had a wonderful time getting reacquainted with each other.

The Parade was held Saturday afternoon with M.O. and Sue Weatherly as Parade Marshals, and winners were as follows:

Floats – First, Class of 1953; Second, Lioness Club; and Third, Lions Club Queen Float.

Cars: First, 1955 Chevy BelAir, driven by Raymond Sweeney; Second, 1956 T-Bird, driven by Nancy Sweeney; Third, 1949 Hudson, driven by Carl Carden.

Tractors: First went to Leon Ward with a Case 351. 

Other winners for the day included the raffle winners; Gail Hill for the Hedley Fire Department Auxiliary drawing for a Thomas Kinkade Print; Jennifer Sargent for the Junior Class 100 bales of hay; Ronny Hill for the FFA Trailer and Jessie Murdock for the Senior Citizens Quilt.

The teen curfew that has been in action since June is going “so far, just great,” according to Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn.

No citations have been issued since the curfew has been in effect, but several warnings have been given. Many problems that existed before the curfew have been cut down, and enforcing teens to follow the curfew hasn’t caused any trouble.

“We’ve gotten some negative comments concerning the curfew, but I’d say about 90 percent of the comments that we get are positive,” said Blackburn when asked about the city’s reaction to the curfew.

Clarendon High School Student Council President Audrey Jones said she believes the curfew has been good.

“I think the curfew keeps some kids from getting into trouble,” Jones said.

Not everyone agrees with this curfew though. Many teens disagree with it, such as CHS sophomore Bradley Watson.

“I don’t really like it because we have to be in at a certain time. We’re being punished for the mistakes that other kids have made,” Watson said. “I think the cops should patrol and do their job instead of everybody having to be in at a certain time. Our parents should decide what time we need to be in.”

If a citation is issued, depending on the age of the minor the consequence will be as follows; ages 14 or above the teen will have to see the city judge and pay a fine; if under the age of 14, the parents of the offender will suffer the consequences of a fine.

Clarendon CISD has announced its distribution dates for its 1-to-1 laptop initiative.

The dates are as follows: Saturday, September 6, 9-11 a.m. for Seniors and Juniors; Monday, September 8, 7-9 p.m. for Sophomores and Freshman; Tuesday, September 9, 7-9 p.m. for 8th and 7th graders, and Monday September 15, 7-9 p.m. for 6th and 5th graders.

All laptop distribution will take place in the Cafeteria. A parent must be in attendance to hear and understand all rules and policies; $40 maintenance fee must be paid; and all forms and agreements must be signed before the laptop will be issued to the student.

As a part of Clarendon CISD’s ongoing efforts to provide all the tools necessary to prepare our students for excelling in the 21st century, a 1-to-1 laptop initiative is being initiated. Students in grades 5-12 will be issued a laptop computer. Students in grades Pre-K-4 will have access to laptops via a mobile laptop cart. Teachers received their laptops in January inservice training, and students will receive their laptops in the fall semester of 2008.

In order to facilitate the imaging, repairs, and training on so many computers, a new technology building is in the process of construction just west of the Administration Building. This building will house all of our servers, the videoconference room, technology staff offices, a workroom, and two technology classrooms. In addition, a wireless network has been installed throughout the campuses to allow students and teachers to connect to our school network wirelessly while on campus.

Teacher training is a major component of this initiative. Teachers have already completed two separate two-day training sessions from Apple trainers.

For more information, please refer to the Clarendon CISD website at www.clarendon.k12.tx.us. This website will be used to help keep the community, parents, and students informed about this initiative.

The Clarendon Independent School District has maintained its level as Academically Acceptable in the state’s accountability system this year.

Clarendon Elementary was rated Recognized for the fifth year in a row.  Clarendon Junior High went down from Recognized last year to Academically Acceptable this year, and Clarendon High was rated Academically Acceptable for the second year in a row.

The ratings are partly based on Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills (TAKS) scores.

“The TAKS scores from the elementary campus reflect the great job done by our teachers and hard work of our students,” said Elementary Principal Mike Word. “The overall scores were very good.  The elementary campus missed the top Texas Education Agency (TEA) rating in one subcategory by 0.1 of a percent.”

On the TAKS across the district, Clarendon had 97 percent of students pass the reading/English language arts portion of the test, up from 93 last year; 95 percent in writing, the same as last year; 92 percent in social studies, same as last year; 82 percent in math, same as last year; and 81 percent in science, up from 77 percent.

“Overall, we were pleased with the scores. There’s definitely some areas we need to improve, especially in the areas of mathematics,” Superintendent Monty Hysinger said. “Our teachers are very good at recognizing the areas in need of improvement and designing curriculum to achieve the desired results.”

Results of each test section is examined by the state based on the school’s performance as a whole and is based on results of different population categories, such as African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged.

For each subpopulation, test scores must be at or above 75 percent to achieve TEA’s Recognized status. As a district, CISD fell short of that score in one subpopulation group in mathematics.

Standards for the TAKS continue to get higher and the tests themselves keep getting tougher.

“Our students worked really hard and the standards are going up,” CHS Principal Larry Jeffers said. “Our students have responded well to the challenge, and we expect better results next year.”

Clarendon TAKS results are as follows: Clarendon Elementary – reading 100 percent, writing 94 percent, mathematics 92 percent, science 100 percent; Clarendon Jr. High – reading/English language arts 95 percent, writing 95 percent, social studies 85 percent, mathematics 84 percent, science 69 percent; Clarendon High School – reading/English language arts 95 percent, social studies 94 percent, mathematics 70 percent, and science 81 percent.

Hedley Independent School District raised their level from Academically Acceptable in 2007 to Recognized this year.

On the TAKS across the district, Hedley had 94 percent of students pass the reading/English language arts portion of the test, down from 98 last year; 99 percent in writing, same as last year; 91 percent in social studies, up from 83 percent; 83 percent in mathematics, up from 79 percent; and 75 percent in science, up from 72 percent last year.

Hedley ISD principal Sharon Wood said the school was proud of its scores.

“Hedley ISD students, teachers, and staff put their heart and soul into reaching our TAKS goals,” Wood said. “Last year ‘Owl Pride’ soared to the ‘Recognized’ level, and this year we’ll move even higher.  We are proud of our achievements and look forward to many future successes.”

The first wreck occurred around 1:49 p.m. when Garrett Carlton, age 33, from Wilvburton, Okla., was driving a pickup eastbound on US 287, towing a camping trailer.

DPS Trooper Chad Simpson said high winds blew Carlton’s light weight trailer to the north, and it started whipping back and forth. Carlton lost control of the vehicle, and it slid sideways into the south ditch and rolled over along with the camper trailer.

No citations were issued, and Carlton experienced no injuries.

The second wreck happened around 3:56 just over the Armstrong County line. Richard Keesee, age 54, of Bushland, was driving a truck/tractor semi trailer westbound on US 287, pulling an empty trailer.

Simpson said strong winds blew the trailer to the north, and Keesee lost control and jackknifed his vehicle. The jackknifed vehicle slid into the center median, where it came to rest.

Keesee also was not injured, and did not receive a citation.