Morgan Wheatly

Hedley High School has announced that Kenlee Lambert and Bailey Downing are the top students for the Class of 2017.

Lambert is the Valedictorian, and Downing is the Salutatorian. Both will be recognized during graduation ceremonies at the Hedley Gymnasium on

Saturday, May 20, at 10 a.m.

With an average grade of 96.571, Lambert is the daughter of Ronnie and Cindy Lambert and the sister to Jayden, Emma, and Cara Lambert.  She has attended Hedley High School for three years.

Throughout high school she has been very involved in basketball, cross country, track, tennis, golf, and cheerleading.  She has received All District and Academic Honors and the Fighting Heart Award in basketball.

Lambert was voted MVP in track.  She has also advanced to Regionals in golf, track, and cross country.  She competed in Academic UIL and has been a member of FFA, One Act Play, and National Honor Society.  She is president of her class and of the Hedley NHS chapter. She was award Young

Woman of the Year by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.  She plans to attend Clarendon College in the fall and pursue a career in Sonography.

Downing has an average grade of 94.829 and is the daughter of Tracie and the late Richard Downing.  Bailey has attended Hedley ISD for three years.  Throughout these three years, she has been involved in many extracurricular activities such as cross country, basketball, track, golf, tennis, One Act Play, FFA horse judging, Rodeo, Team Sorting, and has also been a member of the National Honor Society.

Downing received Academic and All-District Honors in basketball and cross country, and also advanced to Regionals in golf, track, tennis, and cross country.  She will be attending Clarendon College in the fall of 2017 to begin her path of pursuing a career as a veterinarian.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association held its second annual Saints’ Roost Rough Stock Challenge last Saturday, May 6, with bronc riding and bull riding entertainment.

COEA estimates about 200 people attended the event with 24 participants.

Chase Pope and Tanner Hart tied-split first and second places in the bronc riding. Mike Crump placed third.

Tucker Parker was first in the bull riding and was the only rider out of ten bull rides to stay on for a full eight seconds.

The team of Luke White and Jason Howard placed first in the washer tournament that preceded the rodeo. Steve Nail and Bob Evenson were second.

Entertainment following the rodeo was provided by the Buster Bledsoe Band.

An observant neighbor led to the quick arrest of two local men who broke into a local liquor store Sunday morning.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Adam Harl Vorheis and Bradley Scott Jones are both facing charges of Burglary of a Building for the crime.

The sheriff said a resident living near the Broken Road Jr. Liquor Store observed two men in a gold colored Chevy Suburban loading items from the store at about 3 a.m. The citizen quickly called 911 and gave the dispatcher a good description of the men, the vehicle, and also let authorities know that the suspects left westbound on US 287.

Deputy Ryan Hill intercepted a vehicle matching the description on SH 70 on its way to Greenbelt Lake. He pulled the car over and could see beer boxes in the back seat. Several bottles of liquor were also found in the vehicle.

Vorheis, age 20, and Jones, age 27, were wearing clothes that also matched the description given by the caller. Both men were arrested at that time and were later arraigned by Justice of the Peace Denise Bertrand with bond set at $10,000.  Vorheis posted bond Monday afternoon, and Jones was still in custody at that time.

Blackburn expressed his appreciation to the attentive citizen in this case.

“The neighbor did just exactly what they should have,” Blackburn said. “That fast action and good description helped solve this case very quickly, and I thank them for that.”

The Clarendon City Council approved a three-year plan to bring City Hall into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it met in regular session last Thursday, April 27.

City Administrator David Dockery presented the plan by Pioneer General Contractors, which is estimated to cost $61,650.

Dockery outlined the changes required for City Hall, noting that he exterior ramp will have to be changed because it is too steep, the outdoor payment box will have to be moved because it extends into the walkway, handrails will have to be replaced, and the exterior steps at the building’s west entrance will have be replaced because they are uneven. The main entrance to City Hall will have a push button door opener added.

Inside the building, light switches will have to be lowered, changes will be made to the service counter to accommodate customers in wheelchairs, and the bathroom will have to be reconfigured.

The building’s compliance with ADA requirements is necessary because of federal funding the city will be receiving to undertake a $3.9 million water infrastructure project.

In his administrator’s report, Dockery said projected costs on the water infrastructure project are now at $4.3 million and the city is working to “value engineer everywhere we can” in order keep the project on budget.

“It is the staff’s intention to do the whole project even if we have to do some of the work ourselves,” Dockery said.

Also last week, aldermen discussed the city’s rules on paying utility bills after Alderman John Lockhart received several complaints from customers who received late fees after Easter. City Hall was closed on Good Friday, April 14, and payments were due April 15.

Customers who did not come in the office April 13, did not leave a payment in the city’s drop box over the weekend, or make other arrangements – such as pay online or pay by bank draft – were subject to a late fee on Monday, April 17.

Lockhart asked for the item to be considered, but after meeting with city personnel and studying the situation he believed no changes needed to be made to the city’s rules.

Dockery said extending the time for late fees would impact when late notices would go out and could result in people being cut off before being notified.

Alderman Doug Kidd sympathized with those who received late fees.

“I would have assumed I had to Monday to pay,” Alderman Kidd said. “I feel for these people because we’re the ones who chose to close on Friday.”

The council also discussed a possible exemption from distance requirements for businesses wanting sell alcohol near a school or church.

A variance request is still expected soon for one property, and the city administrator is hoping to get away from dealing with variance requests on this issue. More information is still being gathered on the idea of an exemption for the council’s future consideration.

Dockery presented a bill to the council for a new septic system installed by a couple in the northeast part of the city. Donna Barnes reportedly told the administrator that her parents had been promised city sewer service some 40 years ago and the family had again been promised service eight years ago.

Dockery said there is no sewer line in that section of town, affecting over a dozen households, because of the expense of laying a line across Clarendon Creek and the necessity for a lift station in that area. Such a project would likely cost between $1.5 and $2 million, Dockery said. Barnes and other residents without sewer service do not pay a sewer fee. The council took no action.