Advancing
Evelyn Guy
Evelyn Guy, 88, of Memphis died Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Childress.
Services will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at First Baptist Church Chapel in Memphis. Burial will follow at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Memphis.
Visitation will be held on Monday, March 25, 2018 at Robertson Funeral Directors in Memphis from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Evelyn was born April 23, 1929 in Carnegie, Oklahoma to Vernon Monroe and Jewel Scales Gordon. She married James Bryan “Jim” Guy on July 21, 1952 in Clovis, New Mexico. She was a teacher for 40 years prior to her retirement. She taught at Clarendon for 10 years, Pampa for 6 years, The Petrified Forest, Arizona for 2 years, and 22 years at Holbrook, Arizona. She had been a resident of Memphis since 1993 and was a member of the Delphian Club, Preservation Foundation, Atalantean Club, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and Texas Retired Teachers Association. She was also a member of the First Baptist Church in Memphis where she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and helped with the children’s choir.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband on November 13, 1996.
Survivors include her nephews, Ricky Guy of Amarillo, Rodney Guy of Memphis, and Jerry McCarty and wife Kay of Memphis; her sister in law, Hazel Guy of Clarendon; and her dear friend and caretaker, Orvilla Evans of Memphis.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorials be sent to the First Baptist Church in Memphis.
Frankie Henson
Frankie Henson, 92, of Clarendon died March 20, 2018, in Clarendon.
Services were held on Thursday, March 22, 2018, in the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Kirk Watson, officiating. Burial will be in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Frankie was born July 15, 1925, in Clarendon to Frank and Gladys Johnson Hommel. She married A.R. Henson on November 13, 1944, in Hollis, Oklahoma. She had been a lifetime resident of Clarendon. Frankie and A.R. opened Henson’s in 1946 where it continues today to be family owned and operated. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She served as past worthy Grand Matron of the Clarendon chapter more than once. She also served in several capacities in the Grand Chapter of Texas Order of the Eastern Star. She was active in Shriner’s with her husband and was one of the first charter board members of Saints’ Roost Museum in Clarendon. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 2007; her brother, Chauncey Hommel; her sister, Geraldine Robertson; and a great grandson.
Survivors include a son, Wes Henson and wife Susan of Clarendon; a daughter, Sharon Winfrey of Clarendon; a sister, Lois Marie Moore of Santa Barbara, California; 4 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren; 2 great great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The family suggest memorials be sent to the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.
Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com
Peanut leaders hold annual meeting
State and national officials were present Tuesday when local producers gathered at Bertie Fannie’s in Memphis for the annual meeting of the Panhandle Peanut Growers Association.
Coinciding with National Peanut Month and National Agriculture Week this week, PPGA members learned about current trends in the peanut industry and also received updates on broader agriculture issues.
PPGA President Michael Newhouse of Clarendon urged local producers to be active in their association, stressing the importance of letting policy makers know their stories and the importance of their industry.
Marshall Lamb of the National Peanut Research Laboratory in Dawson, Geo., gave producers an overview of market and production trends.
After low yields and poor quality from the 2016 crop, Lamb said the 2017 crop was the second best yields since 2012 and came from 1.829 million acres, which was the highest since 1991. The result, Lamb said, was the largest peanut crop production in history.
“I researched that all the way back to 1909 and then figured I could quit at that point,” Lamb said.
Lamb said a record drought in Argentina right now is affecting the world market for peanuts, and officials are also keeping an eye on a large surplus supply in the United States resulting from the 2017 crop. He urged producers to be patient for the next three to four weeks to see how Argentina, where harvest is getting underway, will impact supply.
Bob Parker, the CEO of the National Peanut Board, also spoke at Tuesday’s meeting with praise for Panhandle producers.
“This area has a history of sending great leadership to the national board,” Parker said, noting the contributions of the late Donley County producer Bob White and recognizing the new regional and state leadership of Newhouse, Jeff Roper, and others.
Parker focused his remarks mostly on the research and marketing led by the national board, particularly the group’s work on peanut allergies.
New research has shown that peanut allergies can actually be prevented, Parker said, if infants are exposed to peanuts as early as four to six months, a finding which up ends a generation of parenting advice and is a huge discovery.
“When we started this research, a lot of people thought it was a waste,” Parker said of the millions of dollars the industry has invested. “But thank goodness we had people of vision in place. Now we’re the poster child of food allergy research.”
Parker also discussed the development and marketing of new “milked peanut,” which is higher in protein that almond milk and is now available in stores on the eastern seaboard and online nationally through Amazon.
“This is the first new peanut product category to be launched since the development of peanut butter over 100 years ago,” Parker said.
Other speakers Tuesday included Caleb Pool with Congressman Mac Thornberry’s office, who gave a legislative update; insurance agent Kathy Fowler, who spoke on issues of crop insurance and subsidies; and Shelly Nutt, the Executive Director of the Texas Peanut Producers.
Court gives local man six years
A Clarendon man was sentenced to six years in prison when the district court met here last Tuesday, March 13.
District Attorney Luke Inman, along with Assistant District Harley Caudle, prosecuted the case for the State of Texas, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.
Alan Dwayne Harper was convicted for the third degree felony offense of unlawful restraint and was sentenced to six years in the Institutional Division of TDCJ.
Harper, 61 from Clarendon, was arrested in Donley County by Deputy Mike Spier on February 10, 2017.
Harper was originally placed on community supervision on June 19, 2017, receiving four years deferred adjudication. The State filed its motion to adjudicate on November 13, 2017, alleging five violations of his community supervision.
Harper pleaded not true to the State’s allegations and a contested hearing was heard by Messer. After all the evidence was presented, Messer found two violations of Harper’s community supervision and finally convicted and sentenced him for the felony offense.
Harper is also required to pay a $1,000 fine and $488 in court costs.
The District Court also issued sentences when it heard five pleas, including one local case, when it met in Clarendon February 27.
Monica Anne Cook pled guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for a period of six years for the second degree felony offense of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.
Cook, 37 from Pampa, was arrested in Donley County by DPS Trooper Kelly Hill on November 25, 2017. Cook pleaded guilty to an information filed on February 26, 2018.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Cook is required to pay $458 in court costs, $180 drug lab restitution, a $6,000 fine, and successfully complete 300 hours of community service. If Cook violates probation, she could face up to 20 years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.
Federico Caracoza of Oklahoma City pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for a period of four years for the second degree felony offense of possession of marijuana.
Krystal Brittna Miller of Estelline pleaded guilty and was placed on probation for a period of two years for the misdemeanor offense of assault family violence.
Raul Albreu Wagner of Miami, Fla., pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for four years for the third degree felony offense of possession of marijuana.
Veronica Chavez Leyva of Oklahoma City pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for a period of four years for the second degree felony offense of possession of marijuana.
Sandell to feature local couple in free event
Free admission and family fun are in store this Saturday at the Sandell Drive-In where a Texas-sized double feature at will include Howardwick’s Dusty and Nikki Green up on the big screen.
The first showing will be the world premiere of a special episode of the Green’s PBS series Two for the Road, focusing on their adventures in the Big Bend country.
“We just can’t tell you how proud and excited we are to premiere our first ever Texas episode right here at home, and especially on the big screen at the Sandell,” Dusty Green said. “The episode itself features our first-ever trip down to the Big Bend area, and it all just came together beautifully. It’s going to look amazing up on that screen. And we really think folks will enjoy it.”
Gates will open at 6:00 p.m., and admission is free. Upon entry, each person will receive a ticket, which will be for special door prizes and giveaways featuring items from the Sandell, Two for the Road, Panhandle PBS, and Create TV.
Before the sun goes down, those attending can enjoy live music by local perfomer Jesse Lincycomb, and a dance floor will be available for anybody who feels like cuttin’ a rug. Other activities include an inflatable bounce house/slide for the kids and washer pitching.
The concession stand will be open selling food and drink, including the famous Sandell burgers and homemade chili, and Big Bend Brewing Company is providing a limited amount of their beer for grownups to sample.
The show itself will begin just after sundown (about 8:00 p.m.) with “Two for the Road: Texas,” and will be followed soon after by “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
“We’re so thankful for the opportunity, and for the incredible amount of support and interest we’ve received from folks around the Panhandle – but especially here in Clarendon and Howardwick and Donley County,: Nikki Green said. “Everyone’s been wonderful! And we sure hope to have a big turnout Saturday night. It’s going to be a great night and a lot of fun for the whole family.”
Sunday accident claims one life
A one-vehicle accident resulted in the death of a child Sunday near Hedley on US 287.
Texas Department of Public Safety representative Cindy Barkley said the accident occurred at approximately 2:44 p.m. when Amanda Moore, 35 of Amarillo, was driving a 2007 GMC Yukon, towing a 1996 Komfort travel trailer west on US 287, approximately two miles east of Hedley.
The travel trailer began to sway back and forth behind the Tahoe; and when Moore applied the brakes, she lost control.
The Tahoe and the travel trailer rolled over multiple times, ejecting an unrestrained 11-year-old-male child, who died on scene.
Moore and two other passengers – a 16-year-old-female and a 12-year-old-male – all received minor injuries. They were wearing seatbelts.
Barkley said the road conditions were dry and there were no other vehicles involved. The crash is still under investigation.
Competing in bi-district
Editorial: Keeping the sun shining on officials
“Open government is good government” is the message of Sunshine Week, March 11-17; and while it is proper to pause to r
eflect on that concept annually, the fight for transparency is not one that is limited to seven days each year.
If you asked the average citizen, he or she would probably agree that open government is a good thing and that people should have a right to know what their government is doing. Unfortunately, a shadow is being cast on openness at all levels as those in power now find it fashionable to demonize the people whose job it is to keep government accountable.
This can be seen starting at the highest levels of our government where the president and his administration have taken the traditionally adversarial relationship with the media to new levels and routinely dismiss any unfavorable reporting as “fake news.”
Whether by design or as an unintentional consequence, the United States government is becoming increasingly less open about its business. According to an Associated Press analysis released just this week, “The federal government censored, withheld, or said it couldn’t find records sought by citizens, journalists and others more often last [fiscal] year than at any point in the past decade.”
Closer to home just last month, a representative of the Texas Attorney General’s Office made it seem okay to delay releasing information as a way to punish reporters. The Dalllas Morning News reported that the AG’s communications director, Marc Rylander, said during an open meetings/open records training session, “Communications guys love it when reporters make a request and you all wait until the 23rd hour of the 10th day to send it back to them.” A moderator at the training tried to pull Rylander back in line saying, “Don’t do that. Right? Right?” To which Rylander responded, “Depends on who the reporter is,” and later said, “It’s gotten so bad in newspapers especially that I almost got to the point that I avoid the newspaper people at all costs because newspapers have fired or had to let go all of their good journalists. … They peddle their rags on Groupon. … I mean, it’s a joke.”
It is bad enough that our state and federal officials have such a negative personal view of the press that they let it influence how they conduct their public duties. But the attitude is also becoming more prevalent at the local level as well. Just less than a year ago, one local board member, who was being grilled on open meetings issues by your editor, retorted, “What business is it of yours anyway?”
And sometimes citizens themselves don’t value the job “the media” does when reporting the news. Such was the case last month when the Enterprise came under attack after an illegal meeting was shut down by the sheriff and a small group of attendees began accusing the paper of not printing “the truth” – or at least their version of it.
There is, of course, an adversarial relationship between the press and those in positions of authority. Your editor has at times been at odds with different local officials to the point of even being lectured or ridiculed in public meetings by county commissioners, city aldermen, and school board members.
It happened again just last month when a public official took the opportunity to use the “other business” agenda item to critique our reporting on a previous meeting. It’s not always fun being in the reporter’s shoes, but it typically means you’re doing your job when a public official squeals for having been called out for his actions.
This newspaper, like so many others across Texas and across America, will not back down in the face of bullying, whether it comes from the White House, the state capitol, or a local official or citizen.
You have a right to know what’s going on with your government, and we’re here to champion that right. That’s what Sunshine Week is about. As we have stated before, the biggest defender of that right is not breitbart.com or World Net Daily. It is the traditional media – the often vilified “press” – that people love to hate. The big boys will hold the president’s feet to the fire – and even help bring him down if necessary, while the Enterprise and thousands of other hometown newspapers across this land will continue to shine the light on city councils, school boards, college boards, and county commissions.
Together we’ll fight in state legislatures and in Congress to keep government practices open so that you can see what your elected representatives are doing and find out what they are up to… even when they don’t want you to know.
Taking flight
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