Judgement day
City hikes trash rates in face of rising costs
Garbage rates in the City of Clarendon will be going up eight percent as the city tries to keep up with rising costs of the service, and water rates may be going up soon also.
At their regular meeting last Tuesday, the Board of Aldermen approved the trash increase, which City Hall says will amount to about $1.39 per month for most residential customers.
The city must haul its garbage to the Memphis landfill. The City of Memphis has raised its landfill rates, and local officials also point to rising costs of labor and transportation. The city hopes to at least break even with this increase.
The increase will take effect April 1, 2014. The city last increased trash rates in 2012.
City leaders also began consideration of raising and restructuring water rates last week.
Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd told aldermen that the wholesale cost the city pays for water has gone up several times since Clarendon last adjusted rates in 2009. And, Kidd said, at that point the city did not raise rates but only lowered the base usage from 5,000 gallons to 2,000 gallons.
Drought restrictions are also hurting the city because customers use less water, which impacts the city’s bottom line.
“Conservation is going to cause drastic changes in water rates,” Kidd told city leaders. “You have the same costs, but you have less product to sell.”
City Hall was going to propose an across-the-board water rate increase; but after visiting with Kidd, city leaders asked City Secretary Machiel Covey to put together a proposal for a tiered rate structure where the biggest water users would pay a greater cost.
Alderman Will Thompson said the tiered structure is common around the state, and city leaders said they wanted to avoid raising water rates on those who use very little water.
City leaders will also consider implementing some type of small commercial rate for businesses that use less than 1,000 gallons per month.
The water rate issue will be considered again on the city’s April 7 agenda.
In other city business, aldermen canceled their May election and declared the following unopposed candidates for the board as elected: John Lockhart and Aldermen Larry Jeffers and Beverly Burrow.
The board also approved making Librarian Jerri Ann Shields a part time employee with no city benefits temporarily at her request as she deals with a family health issue, and the board received an update on the bid process for a new city trash truck.
Man dies in single vehicle accident
An Arizona man lost his life east of Clarendon in a one-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon, March 29.
Department of Public Safety Trooper Kelly Hill said 28-year-old Brian Dyson was eastbound on US 287 just more than a mile from the city when the 2001 ¾-ton Chevrolet pickup he was driving went off the road. Dyson was towing a Chevy S-10 pickup at the time.
Dyson travelled into the center median and apparently steered to the left to avoid trees and then the pickup began to roll multiple times. Hill said the investigation believes Dyson was ejected from the vehicle during the first roll.
A passenger, 29-year-old Virginia Hillyer, was partially ejected and was able to climb free of the vehicle when it came to rest blocking both westbound lanes of US 287. The S-10 pickup landed north of the westbound lanes.
Moments earlier, Trooper Hill had just passed Dyson’s pickup as Hill came into Clarendon from the east. Donley County Deputy Sonny Morasco, traveling behind Hill, came up on the accident right after it occurred.
Donley County Justice of the Peace Denise Bertrand pronounced Dyson dead at the scene at 5:18 p.m.
Hillyer was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Hillyer told officers that a crosswind caused the accident. Dyson’s mother also told DPS that she had talked to him earlier and he had said he was tired of driving in the wind.
Neither Dyson nor Hillyer were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.
Health fair to be held this week at CC
The 2014 Donley County Health Fair will be Thursday, April 3, from 8:30 to 1:00 in the Bairfield Activity Center on the Clarendon College campus.
Northwest Health Care System will be paying for the processing of tests for cholesterol- LDL/HDL and triglycerides, but you must provide your mailing address. Free medical testing will be available in the following areas: blood pressure, pulse, oxygen, glucose/blood sugar, balance, glaucoma, cholesterol- LDL/HDL, and PSA’s. Additional services and information may be available at the fair.
Health fairs are excellent ways to offer screenings for some health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. Catching them early can help reduce the risks for costly complications. Both diabetes and high blood pressure can go undetected for up to ten years.
Health fairs can also raise awareness of issues like preventing heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even skin cancer. Preventing or delaying the onset of chronic health problems can produce significant savings for many insured employee groups. Thanks to all the generous sponsors, these services will be offered at no cost to the public.
The fair is being sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Clarendon Family Medical Center, Northwest Health Care System, Mike’s Pharmacy, Pilgrim Bank, Clarendon College, Donley County Memorial VFW Post #7782 Ladies Auxiliary, and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.
Donations are still being accepted at the Extension Office to help with the expense and keeping it a free event for the attendees.
For more information about the 2014 Health Fair please contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at 874-2141.
Opinion: The continuing art of being happy
Well, last week’s column was well received, and even a few folks reported that they would like to hear more about the art of being happy. Granted, we in the Texas Panhandle region have a big advantage when it comes to being happy. The big blue sky, pristine air (except when New Mexico or Oklahoma is passing overhead during a windstorm), and our lack of traffic snafus present us with a very high quality life. Additionally, the Western values of our friends and neighbors make for mostly pleasant conversation and social intercourse.
So, without further ado, here we go. Quick thinking is associated with positive feelings. Those of us who pride ourselves on being fast readers and quick witted usually have a more positive mood. In a recent study, published in Psychological Science, it was reported that happiness is more commonly associated with faster cognitive thoughts. While many folks in the Texas panhandle may not be well educated, we are very adept when it comes to adapting to external problems and circumstances. Folks in this area are sharp even though we may talk a little funny.
Job satisfaction can impact our happiness. Several recent studies, including an examination published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology linked happiness with work to overall happiness and life satisfaction. Yet another study conducted by the University of Aberdeen revealed that job fulfillment was ranked as one of the most critical factors to overall well-being and happiness.
Amazingly, there are allegedly over 18 different types of smiles, according to “those who know these things.” These very same scientists have classified expressions that range from an amused smile to an embarrassed smile (which yours truly is good at). Anyway, it doesn’t really matter which smile we see, just seeing smiles makes us happy. So, we need to smile more.
Foods can also make us happier. One of the keys to a quick boost of happiness may lie in our diets. Foods like nuts, chicken, and milk contain higher levels of tryptophan, which can lead to elevated production of serotonin, a chemical that helps induce calm and happiness.
During adulthood, marriage protects against declines in happiness. However, all family structures bring their own joy: Although childless married couples ranked as the happiest in a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom, the survey’s results also revealed that mothers are the most content with life overall – as compared to any other group. So, if you know any single mothers whose children have left home, give me a call? Romance could be in my near future.
On a more positive note (which is the whole point of this column) getting some extra shuteye can help us retain more positive thoughts. In an observation of sleep-deprived college students, one experiment found that the students remembered fewer positive words from a list of words they had previously memorized. It works the other way, too, as a 2013 Cornell study found that a happy outlook on life will get you a better night’s sleep.
Why is the happiest country in Europe? For the second year in a row, Denmark was crowned the earth’s happiest country, according to the United Nation’s World Happiness Report. The U.S., on the other hand, ranked 17th, falling six places from last year’s spot. How can this be? Do we need more guns? Or, do we need to invade some of these happier countries. That will dampen their spirits! Personally, I suspect that our inept Congress must accept some of the blame for this despicable state of affairs. Of course, some of the fault should go to the tea party types, who seem to think they are misunderstood and unfairly maligned.
Practicing gratitude can help us lead a happier life. When we are thankful, we are more likely to be a happier person, according to researchers the University of California, Berkley. Expressing gratitude has also been proven to generate a more optimistic outlook on life, and can even help lower stress.
Pets can make us happier. When we pet our furry friends, oxytocin (better known as the “snuggle hormone”) releases in our brains, making us instantly happier. Oxytocin also helps to reduce stress levels and lower our blood pressure. If our spouses are on the furrier side, petting them can also have the same benefits.
We are happier in the mornings. When the sun rises, so does our mood. A Cornell study found that the brightest periods of the day are when we first get out of bed. Researchers analyzed the tweets of 2.4 million people around the world, and found peaks in positive messages at the start of the day, then the tones grew more negative as the day passed.
Our happiness minimally depends upon external circumstances like owning a house or car. Our happiness rarely depends upon our bank accounts or our physical attractiveness (which is a good thing since I resemble the south end of a north-bound mule), primarily because we adapt to most situations rather quickly. “Ultimately, whether we drive a battered truck or a Lexus to work; whether we have hypertension or asthma, our ability to be happier doesn’t vary much,” according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life you Want.
The older we get, the happier we are with ordinary moments. Researchers at Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania surveyed participants on how extraordinary and ordinary experiences contributed to our overall happiness and discovered as we get older, it is the little things that make a difference. No matter the age, extraordinary moments always created a spike in happiness, but older adults were much more satisfied with the simple experiences. Older folks saw these tiny moments as more self-defining than younger folks.
So, don’t worry, be happy.
CC to host NASA Engineer Jerry Woodfill
By Ashlee Estlack
Clarendon College will be hosting NASA Engineer Jerry Woodfill on Monday, April 14, for the motivational program “Failure is Not An Option.”
Woodfill has been employed with NASA in Houston for more than 48 years, and at the onset of the lunar landing program, he managed the spacecraft warning systems and was monitoring spacecraft Eagle’s descent when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon.
On April 13, 1970, Woodfill was monitoring Apollo 13’s warning system when the vehicle exploded. His system was the first alert of the life-threatening malfunction depicted in the Tom Hanks-Ron Howard movie “Apollo 13.”
For his role in the rescue of Apollo 13, Woodfill shared the Presidential Medal of Freedom as a member of the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team. Presently, Woodfill is the Technical Managers’ Representative for NASA JSC’s Software, Robotics and Simulation Division.
“We’re expecting that our students and the community will really benefit from this,” CC Dean of Students Tex Buckhaults said.
Mr. Woodfill’s auto-biographical program emphasizes his NASA experience and highlights his personal accounts of overcoming fear, frustration, and failure. He will demonstrate the ultimate good that comes from perseverance.
Students and community members will have two opportunities to hear Mr. Woodfill speak on April 14. He will first speak at 9 AM and then again at 10:30 AM in the Harned Sisters Auditorium on the Clarendon College campus in Clarendon.
Hedley science team takes second at UIL
Hedley High School’s science team scored second when UIL academic teams competed at the district level in Borger last Saturday.
Oscar Felan got the top score in Chemistry; and in the Science competition, Felan got fourth, Raul Carrillo was eighth, and Gilbert Hjelmar was 11th.
In the Social Studies competition, Hedley placed first as a school. Individually Wyatt Wheatly placed fourth, Kristen Liner was sixth, Michaela Smith was tenth, and Kyle Lindsey was 13th.
Both teams qualified for the regional UIL meet, which will be held May 2 in Levelland.
Hedley students honored for One Act Play performances
Four Hedley High School students were honored for their skills on stage during the South Zone UIL One-Act Play competition Tuesday, March 25, at Clarendon College.
Clay King and Michaela Smith were named to the All-Star Cast; and Perry Allen and Irene Marinelli were named to the Honorable Mention All-Star Cast.
The complete list of students who won awards at the Zone competition includes:
Advancing School 1: Groom – “Antic Spring”; Advancing School 2: McLean – “The Girl in the Mirror”; Alternate School: Silverton – “Chamber Music”; Best Actor: Zach Holloway of Groom; Best Actress: Kaitlyn Ruthardt of Groom; and Best Crew: Groom.
Conference 1A South Zone All-Star Cast members were: Cari Weinheimer of Groom; Brandtley Swires of Lefors; Maison Fuston of Silverton; Clay King of Hedley; Michaela Smith of Hedley; Kierston Newton of McLean; Gabriel Sierra of Kress; and Destiney Perez of Silverton.
Conference 1A South Zone Honorable Mention All-Star Cast members were: Perry Allen of Hedley; Harlee Cogdell of Silverton; Savanna Casas of Kress; Lizzy Walker of Kress; Mason Reynolds of McLean; Travis Zeek of Lefors; Mekinna Ford of McLean; and Irene Marinelli of Hedley.
Eye on the ball
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