Morgan Wheatly

A two-vehicle accident caused a third vehicle to be flipped upside down and blocked traffic on US 287 in Clarendon late Monday afternoon.

Donley County Deputy Sonny Morasco said Brian Frasier of Tennessee was driving a 2003 Kenworth tractor-trailer and had pulled out of the Clarendon Outpost parking lot and into the left lane of eastbound US 287.

Morasco said Fraiser was attempt to immediately make a wide turn into the Dairy Queen parking lot, but did not see a 2001 Chevy Avalanche that was passing beside him in the right hand lane.

The Avalanche, driven by Robert Michael McNiece of Arlington, was pulling a trailer with a Jeep on it and was struck in the left rear panel of the Chevrolet.

The pickup and trailer spun counter clockwise, and then the trailer became airborne when it hit the curb. The Avalanche and trailer ended up facing westbound with the Jeep on its top.

Neither McNiece nor his passenger, Geri McNiece, were injured in the accident. Frasier was issued a citation for Changing Lanes When Unsafe.

The wreck was witnessed by emergency personnel from the Associated Ambulance Authority who were eastbound to respond to a one-vehicle accident which happened a few minutes earlier near the east city limits.

Morasco and some of the Clarendon Volunteer Firemen responding to the first accident immediately responded to the second wreck.

Details of the first accident were not available from the Department of Public Safety at press time.

A Clarendon couple is facing felony charges after their child was found playing in the street about a block from their home.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the child, appearing to be two-years old, was spotted playing at Third and Goodnight before 11 a.m. the morning of July 27. A deputy attempted to locate the child’s parents and found a second pre-school aged child inside a locked vehicle.

The parents were found asleep inside a house in the 200 block of S. Carhart Street, and an infant was in the house.

Brandon David Goodwin III, age 24, and Anna Christine Johnson, age 19, were arrested July 31 and charged with two counts each of Abandon Endanger Criminal Child Neglect, which is a state jail felony. Bond was set at $20,000 for each charge, which is $40,000 per person.

Blackburn said Friday that the three children were placed in the care of grandparents. As of Tuesday afternoon, Johnson remained in custody in the Donley County Jail, and Goodwin had been freed on bond.

Clarendon College Regents last week approved contractor proposals totaling $129,337 as work continues on an Amarillo cosmetology center that is expected to open this fall.

During a called meeting August 1, the CC board approved bids from One Way Electric, 1-800-Plumbers, and a cabinet contractor to prepare the facility, which is being lease-purchased by the college.

CC Vice President Ray Jaramillo also reported that the building’s owner had filed an insurance claim from hail damage. That claim has resulted in an unexpected $70,000 worth of improvements to the building including replacing air-conditioning units as well as doing roof and exterior repairs.

Regents asked several questions about the cost of the facility compared to what was originally projected and asked college officials to keep careful tabulation of all the expenses – including employee salaries – related to the preparation of the Amarillo cosmetology center.

Jaramillo said he fully expects to have 70 students enrolled in the center when it opens in November.

In other college business, regents received an update on planned upgrades to the Livestock & Equine Center for which CC received an anonymous $275,000 gift. CC President Phil Shirley said this week that the college expects to have final drawings on the improvements this week and will know for sure what the project will cost after bids come in hopefully next month.

Also at last week’s meeting, it was reported that the college had received five completed applications for the job of president and the webpage with job information had received 283 unique visitors.

Regents again considered moving the college’s golf program from Division II to Division III in order to attract more international students. Regent Tex Selvidge said he didn’t see how this would help and noted that all the other athletic teams at CC operate in Division I of the NJCAA. Regent Jerry Woodard also asked that college officials keep careful oversight of the athletic program to make sure everything is done correctly. The board approved moving golf from DII to DIII on a 7-1 vote with Selvidge voting nay.

Regents were also brought up to date on several summer improvement projects and approved the hiring of Dr. Russell Killingsworth to teach chemistry, Scott Mills as director of the Childress Center, and Bonnie Burgoyne as financial aid director.

A budget workshop followed the public meeting last Thursday, and Shirley said this week that the workshop went very well with regents asking several questions and a focus on operating in a fiscally conservative manner and yet keeping an eye on student growth. Regents will hold a public hearing on the budget August 15.

Clarendon CISD has announced its policy for providing free and reduced-price meals for children served under the attached current income eligibility guidelines. Each school campus office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by anyone on request.

Application forms are being distributed to all households with a letter informing households of the availability of free and reduced-price meals for their children. Application forms will be available during registration on August 12 and 13 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the School Cafeteria (new students on August 14 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the respective campuses). Applications also are available at the principal’s office in each school. To apply for free and reduced-price meals, households must fill out the application and return it to the school.

The following criteria will be used to determine a child’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meal benefits:

Income – 1. Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels; Categorical or Automatic Eligibility – 2. Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR); Program Participant – 3. Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster; and 4. Child’s enrollment in Head Start or Even Start.

For those households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income, an adult in the household must fill out free and reduced-price meal application and return it to Mike Word, Elementary Principal, PO Box 610, Clarendon, TX 79226, 806-874-3855. Those individuals filling out the application will need to provide the following information: Names of all household members; Amount, frequency, and source of current income for each household member; Last 4 digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application or, if the adult does not have a social security number, check the box for “I do not have a Social Security number;” and Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct.

Clarendon CISD is working with local agencies to identify all children who are categorically and program eligible. Clarendon CISD will notify the households of these children that they do not need to complete an application. Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should have should contact Mike Word, Elementary Principal, PO Box 610, Clarendon, TX, 806-874-3855.

Applications may be submitted anytime during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may also be verified by the school officials at any time during the school year.

Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, Mr. Word will review applications and determine eligibility. Households or guardians dissatisfied with the Reviewing Official’s eligibility determination may wish to discuss the decision with the Reviewing Official on an informal basis. Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Mr. Monty Hysinger, Superintendent, P.O. Box 610, Clarendon, TX 79226, 806-874-2062.If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school.

 Donley County Commissioners approved changes to employee health benefits last week as the county prepares to begin budget negotiations for fiscal year 2014.

In a called meeting last Wednesday, July 24, the commissioners’ court listed to a proposal from Julie Hulsey, a Blue Cross / Blue Shield representative for the Texas Association of Counties, the insurance pool for Donley County.

County Judge Jack Hall said the court was faced with premium increases of 7.7 percent and a per employee cost of $740 per month. Commissioners instead opted to accept a $200 increase from $1,000 to $1,200 in order to save the county about $7,800 over 12 months.

The per employee premium for the insurance will cost the county $676 per month. That reflects a savings on the health insurance portion of the benefit, but slight increases in the dental and vision benefits means the county will pay $500 per employee more than the current year.

Budget worksheets from county offices have been turned in, and Hall says the court will begin working on the new budget at their regular meeting on August 12. Called meetings are planned for August 13, 14, and 15, but the judge said he doesn’t think commissioners will need that much time.

“I’m not expecting but a day or two of budget work,” he said. “We’re in better shape than last year.”