Morgan Wheatly

The Clarendon College Meats Judging Team once again ended their season at the top of the competition.

They competed at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo last week and ended the season with a clean sweep for this semester, winning this final meats contest.

The winning team members were Jessica Humphrey, 1st high individual; Hailey Dimintroff, 2nd high individual; Kiersten Scott, 5th high individual; and Lane Harrington, 6th high individual. Team members who competed included Hailey Dimintroff, Jessica Humphrey, Kiersten Scott, Lane Harrington, Sabra Barnett, Mitch Garvin, Shelby Lee, Derick Shurr, and Gus Holbien.

 The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation last week expanded its Façade Grant Program to include businesses on the US 287 corridor in the city.

Sixteen recipients have received a total of more than $19,000 since the program began in 2008. Those improvements were made to fourteen properties in Clarendon’s Central Business District, and CEDC board members said last week it was time to open the program up to the main highway through town.

CEDC board members emphasized that businesses interested in funds from the Façade Grant Program must have their grant application before the project begins. Funding will be considered on a case by case basis and first come, first served as long as budgeted funds will allow.

The CEDC Façade Grant Program provides fifty-fifty matching grants up to a maximum of $2,000 per project for properties within the Central Business District and along US 287 inside the city.

If the total of a project costs $1,500, the CEDC would contribute $750. A $4,000 project would be eligible for the maximum of $2,000, and any projects costing more than $4,000 would also only be eligible for the maximum of $2,000.

Projects eligible for consideration could be anything from a simple coat of paint to a complete rehabilitation of a storefront. The CEDC board will consider the project’s overall impact and other factors when considering an application. The funds will be paid to successful applicants when invoices are submitted for the completed project.

CEDC funds cannot be used for labor costs if the owner, the tenant, or the applicant’s employees do the work. In that case, the grant would cover supplies and materials only.

For more information, contact Chandra Eggemeyer at the Clarendon Visitor Center inside the Mulkey Theatre or call 874-2421.

The district court heard two pleas resulting in convictions when it met in Clarendon on March 6.

District Attorney Luke Inman, assisted by Greg Buckley, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

A total of $5,500 in fines were assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on March 6. In addition to the fines, the defendants were required to pay a total of $1,065 in court costs and $140 in restitution.

Larry Mario Jaramillo, a 39-year-old resident of Lelia Lake, pleaded true to allegations listed in the State’s Motion to Adjudicate and was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

On September 20, 2012, Jaramillo originally pleaded guilty to the first degree felony offense of aggravated sexual assault of a child that occurred on April 1, 2012, in Donley County.

The State filed the motion to adjudicate on December 12, 2013, alleging two violations of community supervision.

Jaramillo is also required to pay $689 in court costs to Donley County and a $5,000 fine.

Colten Michael Bradham, a 21-year-old resident of Wellington, pleaded true to allegations listed in the State’s Motion to Adjudicate and was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in the State Jail Division of the TDCJ.

On June 17, 2013, Bradham originally pleaded guilty to the state jail felony offense of possession of a controlled substance that occurred on December 29, 2012, in Collingsworth County.

The State filed the motion to adjudicate on November 4, 2013, alleging nine violations of community supervision.

Bradham is also required to pay $376 in court costs to Collingsworth County, and a $500 fine, and $140 restitution.

Donley County was declared as a primary natural disaster area on February 12, 2014, and is eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster emergency loans.

Generally, that means that farmers who have lost at least 30 percent of their production due to the damages and losses caused by drought, that occurred from December 17, 2013 and continuing may be eligible for FSA loans. Proceeds from crop insurance are taken into consideration when determining eligibility.

Armstrong, Collingsworth, and Hall counties are named contiguous counties where eligible family farmers may qualify for FSA EM loan assistance, pursuant to section 321 (a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rual Development Act.

FSA Farm Loan Manager Tonya R. Watson and Farm Loan Officer Debbie Roberts Hillis is urging farmers who are interested in receiving an emergency loan to submit their applications into FSA as soon as possible.

Mrs. Watson said, “We hope farmers will get their applications in early rather than waiting until near the deadline, which is October 14, 2014, for production and physical losses. The longer they wait, the more chance there is for long delays. If the applications come in early, we can avoid backlogs and speed up the process.”

The FSA office is located at 305 Ave B, NW in Childress or the Donley County office located at 321 S. Sully St. in Clarendon. The telephone number is in Childress is 940-937-8624 and in Clarendon is 806-874-3561.