unControlled burn
James “Jimmy” Whitmarsh
James “Jimmy” Whitmarsh, 79, of Howardwick, formerly of Pampa, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2020 in Amarillo.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday May 19, 2020, at Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel with Rev. Jim Fox, pastor at First Baptist Church of Howardwick, officiating. Burial will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors. Jimmy’s service will be live streamed at https://www.carmichael-whatley.com/page/live-streaming.
Mr. Whitmarsh was born on August 13, 1940 in Shattuck, Oklahoma to Byron and Lucile Whitmarsh and graduated from Vici High School in 1958. After high school, Jimmy moved to Pampa to work in the oilfield. He married Lynda Boyd on March 5, 1960 in Kingsmill. In 1961 Jimmy joined the U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier. He retired after 38 years of service. While working for the Postal Service, Jimmy was also the Treasurer of Page Federal Credit Union. He attended First Baptist Church in Howardwick and was a band booster and officer with the Pride of Pampa Band. Jimmy loved to garden, play bingo, and spend time on the road in his travel trailer. He was fascinated by trains and never passed up an opportunity to ride one. Jimmy even built a train track in his game room, over the pool table. His pride and joy were his family.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Katrina Bradford on November 12, 2013 and infant grandson, David Allen Bradford.
He is survived by his wife, Lynda of the home; two daughters, Cheryl Levens and husband John of North Richland Hills, and Cynthia Whitmarsh and husband Andrei Kiiachko of Rockville, Maryland; a son-in-law, Steve Bradford of Frisco; seven grandchildren, Michael Levens and wife Brooke, Christian Levens, Dmitri Kiiachko, Vanessa Kiiachko, Theodore Kiiachko, Matthew Bradford and wife Michelle, and Chelsea Bardwell and husband Joseph; three great grandchildren, Adeline Bardwell, Levi Bardwell and Philip Bradford; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law Phyllis and Dean LaRue of Pampa and a brother-in-law, Danny Boyd.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Howardwick, 235 Rick Husband Blvd, Howardwick, TX 79226 or the American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601.
Sign the online guest register at www.carmichael-whatley.com
City sales tax revenues tumble in March
Clarendon’s sales tax revenue plummeted when Texas Comptroller distributed May allocations to local government’s last week.
The city’s revenue fell 25.97 percent to $41,893.01 compared to $56,593.42 for the same period last year. Local officials point out, however, that the 2019 May allocation was unusually high, setting an all-time record for monthly sales tax revenue.
This month’s allocation is just 5.44 percent lower than 2018’s May allocation of $44,303.94 and is higher than 2017’s May allocation of $37,304.42.
Clarendon’s calendar year-to-date total is now down 5.82 percent at $170,762.12.
Hedley’s May allocation fell 41.92 percent to $1,359.44, and that city’s year-to-date figure is down 5.94 percent at $4,492.94.
Howardwick was also down 1.84 percent for the month at $1,197.96, but the lakeside city remains up 22.14 percent for the year at $6,899.08.
Statewide, Hegar sent $824.1 million in local sales tax allocations for May, 5 percent less than in May 2019. These allocations are based on sales made in March by businesses that report tax monthly, and sales made in January, February and March by quarterly filers.
Widespread social distancing requirements were not in place across much of the state until late March, meaning the impact of those measures affected only a portion of allocations for this month.
The comptroller’s office expects next month’s allocations, based on April sales, will show steeper declines compared to a year ago.
2020 Saints’ Roost Celebration in limbo
The schedule of the 143rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration is largely unknown at this time as the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a cloud of uncertainty on July Fourth and other summer activities.
The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association two weeks ago opened its sign-up period for the junior rodeo and ranch rodeo for the celebration, which is supposed to take place July 2, 3, and 4 this year. At the May 5 meeting of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, COEA officials said their events filled up in one night and that they have a waiting list of other teams wanting to participate.
Last Thursday, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce board voted to proceed with plans for the annual Herring Bank Parade on July 4 with a theme of “Texas Strong: United We Stand.”
Both the Chamber and COEA officials say they understand things could change between now and July, which could cause the cancelation of these events, and it’s not clear what social distancing requirements may be in place by that time. Rodeo and parade awards will be ordered with no date inscribed on them in case they have to be held over for next year.
County Agent Leonard Haynes said Tuesday that no decision has been made on the annual Craft Fair scheduled for July 4 on the courthouse lawn. Haynes said he wants to wait another week or until Gov. Greg Abbott releases more information about changes to the pandemic response and social distancing requirements.
State officials are working to reopen the Texas economy, but many events planned for the coming months have already been canceled. Last week, the Clarendon Little League canceled its 2020 season and the Junior Rodeo Cowboys Association announced that it had also canceled its 2020 events, which would have included the JRCA annual rodeo in Clarendon in June.
No new COVID-19 cases locally since May 1
No new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Donley County since May 1, and 80 people have now tested negative for the virus at the Clarendon Family Medical Center.
Donley County Judge John Howard, MD, says his clinic has conducted 100 tests local residents, and, as of Tuesday afternoon, all of those test results had been received. Twenty local tests have come back positive, and five other local residents have tested positive at facilities outside the county.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting 26 confirmed cases in Donley County. Howard said he is trying to get that number corrected because one patient is being counted twice, having tested positive at the local clinic and then again in an Amarillo hospital.
Of the positive cases, 21 have been listed as “recovered.” Howard says it’s possible that as many as three of the remaining four positive cases may also be recovered, but those are not under the care of the local clinic.
Howard still urges everyone to continue to follow social distancing guidelines.
Hedley HS announces top grads
Hedley High School has announced Perla Carreon and Mica Delos Reyes are its top students for the Class of 2020.
Carreon is the Valedictorian and has a grade average of 96.67. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and Victor Carreon and has attended Hedley ISD for six years.
Throughout high school, Carreon has been involved in many extracurricular activities such as basketball for four years, One Act Play for three years, UIL for four years, and the National Honors Society for two years. She has completed 31 hours of dual credit courses. She was nominated for homecoming court her senior year and was crowned queen.
After high school, Carreon plans to attend Clarendon College to complete her basics. After that, she plans to transfer to West Texas A&M University to pursue her career in nursing or teaching.
The Salutatorian is Mica Delos Reyes with an average of 92.03. She is the daughter of Bhel and J.B. Alvey and moved from the Philippines, transferring to Hedley ISD during her sophomore year in 2017.
Throughout her high school career, Delos Reyes has received academic honors and was extremely involved in many extracurricular activities and clubs. She was involved with writing and was an editor of the Journalism Club and has been a member of the School Newspaper club. She was also a member of One-Act Play, Arbor Society, National Honor Society, Band, and other different clubs in the Philippines, such as Environmental Club, High School Theater Group, Art, Drama, Life Sciences, Economics, History, and Language Clubs. She has a great interest in arts.
In the Philippines, she was also one of the co-directors and the prop master in her school’s plays, El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere that both won first place. She also participated in UIL and other competitive organizations and has played volleyball and basketball. She was also heavily involved in volunteer works in the churches in the Philippines, where she met new people and made many cherished memories.
After high school, Mica is heading towards Clarendon College then West Texas A&M University to get a degree in Nursing, which she will eventually use to pursue a career in the medical field in neurosurgery.
Carreon and Delos Reyes will be recognized with the rest of the Hedley Class of 2020 during graduation exercises on May 23 at 8:30 p.m. at the Sandell Drive-In.
All of the Hedley and Clarendon seniors will be featured in our graduation edition published on May 21, 2020.
End of school
Extension helping answer CARES Act questions
AgriLife Extension Agent Leonard Haynes told Donley County Commissioners Monday that his office can serve as a liaison for information as local governments and businesses try to take advantage of the CARES Act.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, approved by the federal government in March, provides a wide range of relief measures, and Haynes said the state has tasked the AgriLife Extension Service to help implement those programs for local governments.
Speaking at the county’s regular meeting, Haynes said he has sent information to city and school officials in the county and said he would be contacting the hospital district as well.
According to Gov. Greg Abbott, the CARES Act provides $5.06 billion in funding available to local governments in Texas. The US Department of Treasury sent more than $3.2 billion of those funds to six cities and 12 counties with a population greater than 500,000. The balance of $1.85 billion will be available to other cities and counties throughout the state for reimbursement of direct expenses incurred by cities and counties due to COVID-19.
“It looks like most of this will go to emergency management, such as our sheriff’s office and EMS,” Haynes said.
The extension agent said he had already been through a training on an overview of the CARES Act and that now AgriLife was beginning to focus on the details of the act. Haynes was scheduled Monday to be trained on the parts of the act that would affect ag producers. He said the act is a something that won’t be understood overnight and that more trainings would be coming in the future.
“I want to you to feel comfortable, if you have questions, to contact me as a liaison,” Haynes told county officials. “We have a team at Texas A&M that will get us answers. I probably won’t know the answer, but our team will get answers within 72 hours.”
Haynes encouraged local officials to sign up for updates and online educational resources. He also said that in addition to help for local governments and ag producers, there are resources in the act that help small businesses as well.
For more information about the Extension service’s CARES Act resources, contact the extension office at 874-2141.
In other matters before the commissioners court Monday, the county approved purchasing a new motor grader for Precinct 3 at a cost of $307,318 to be financed over five years; took no action on purchasing a new lawnmower for the courthouse lawn; approved 14 tax deeds for properties at Howardwick; extended for 90 days the disaster declaration related to the COVID-19 outbreak; tour the former Hall Bookkeeping office and discussed possible renovations to use the building for the adult probation office; and directed the county attorney to draft a policy for landowners who want to work on county roads.
Donley County Social Hour 5
The Final Packet
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