Roger Estlack

AUSTIN – American Electric Power’s (AEP) West Texas Utilities (WTU) subsidiary has filed a request with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) for permission to recover in customer bills approximately $59.5 million in under-collected costs for fuel used to generate electricity. 

A WTU press release says the filing is the result of the continuing increase in natural gas costs throughout the entire country.  These costs have exceeded significantly the amount charged to customers.

If approved as requested, the surcharge would begin with the May billing cycle and continue through December.  Residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will see an increase of $17.40 a month during this seven-month period.

WTU customers this month began seeing the impact of an interim increase in the fuel factors used to determine the fuel charge portion of the bill to more currently reflect the market price of natural gas.  However, this interim increase in fuel factors, which still must receive final approval from the PUCT, did not address the approximately $59.5 million in uncollected fuel costs for the period from July 2000 to January 2001.

Natural gas prices from July 2000 through January 2001 were up to four times higher than prices during the same period of the prior year.  Despite the fact that 43 percent of WTU’s generation is fueled by low-cost coal, the sheer magnitude of the continued increases in the price of natural gas that began last summer prompted WTU to request the fuel factor increase in January and now the surcharge.

Fuel costs are an expense of generating electricity, which WTU must pay to fuel suppliers.  WTU does not make any profit on fuel costs as the PUCT requires that these costs be passed through to customers at the price paid by WTU.

Investor-owned electric utilities in Texas, like WTU, are required by the PUCT to use fuel factors based on cost estimates to collect the projected cost of fuel used to generate electricity at their power plants.  When the actual cost of fuel is significantly more than the amount customers paid in their monthly bills, then PUCT rules require that the utility file a request for permission to recover these amounts through a surcharge.

For more information about AEP and its subsidiaries, visit their website at http://www.AEP.com.

If you missed your Social Security check last week, you’re not alone.

Officials with the Amarillo Social Security office say possibly as many as 500 people in the southeastern Panhandle area did not receive their checks on time.

“At this point we don’t really know what has happened,” said SS District Manager Ruth Wilson. “It does happen occasionally that a mail bag gets lost or a plane carrying the mail crashes.”

Wilson said she first learned of the problem Monday when a postmaster called her about the situation, which seems to be concentrated in area towns with the Zip code prefix 792. The postmaster told her it was the first time in 15 years the checks had not arrived on time. Wilson said it had never happened in an office where she was working.

“We have reported this, and things are in motion to find the missing checks,” Wilson said.

The primary towns affected were Clarendon and Memphis as well as other towns like Hedley, Silverton, Turkey, and Crowell.

A Social Security representative traveled to Clarendon and Memphis Wednesday morning to issue checks to those in the direst need of the money. Wilson said her office was also sending information to radio stations, banks, postmasters, and local housing authorities to let people know how to receive their money.

“We try to encourage people to use direct deposit to alleviate the possibility of this ever happening.”

Wilson said that people in smaller towns seem to tend not to use direct deposit, and people who do not have bank accounts must rely on the checks coming in the mail.

Anyone who missed their check can call the Amarillo office at 806/324-2241. Alternate phone numbers can be found on the Clarendon Enterprse website at www.ClarendonOnline.com. A check will be reissued and will take about 10 days to arrive.

People who need their checks immediately can go to the Amarillo office, and a check will be cut while they wait.

The Social Security office is located one block off the Canyon Expressway at 3501 W 45th St, Suite E. and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Just two weeks before the March 21 filing deadline, very few people had signed up to run for local offices around Donley County as of Tuesday morning.

Six governments in Donley County have positions opening this year. All positions are elected at-large within the respective cities or districts.

Clarendon CISD is the only government to have a candidate for each open position thus far. Incumbents Reneé Betts, Jim Shelton, and Marvin Thompson are each seeking another three-year term on the Board of Trustees.

In the City of Clarendon, Mayor Tex Selvidge has signed up to run for re-election, but no one had yet filed for the two open aldermen seats. Those positions are currently held by Aldermen Bobbie Kidd (filling the late James Owens’ term) and Michael Tibbets (filling the term of Kent Womack.)

With three seats available in Hedley, only Bruce Howard has filed for re-election to the board of aldermen. Other expiring terms are those of Shauna Monroe and Jim Roberts.

In Howardwick, Billy F. Woods has filed to run for mayor. Two seats on the board of aldermen, however, have no candidates thus far. People in those positions currently are Shirley Ariola and Mike Rowland (filling the term of Bob Hall.)

The Donley County Hospital District has three seats up for election on the Board of Directors. The positions of Place 1 – Don Thornberry, Place 2 – Nelson Christie, and Place 3 – David Strange all expire this year. Thornberry and Christie have both filed to run.

Hedley CISD has the distinction of being the only government with no candidates at all so far. The terms of Mike Wallendorff, Jan Farris, and Carole Ward are expiring.

Citizens can apply to run for these positions through March 21, 2001. Elections will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2001. Interested individuals should go by or call the business offices of the board they are interested in for more information. The Clarendon CISD office will be closed March 12 – 16, 2001, for spring break.

By David Stevens, PanhandleNews.com

MEMPHIS – Jack Martin is worried about the preservation of rural America.

The Memphis man is particularly concerned about the future of small hospitals. If quality health care is not available, he reasons, small-town residents will have one more reason to move to the cities.

And so the former schoolteacher has put together a non-profit foundation aimed at maintaining health care, education, and quality of life in the southeastern Texas Panhandle, especially Hall and Donley counties.

And he’s enlisted the memory of a rural-American hero to help stir interest.

The Audie L. Murphy Rural Preservation Foundation is hoping to secure its first funds on March 1, Martin said. That’s when it raffles an Audie Murphy commemorative rifle with 24-karat gold engraving. Martin said the limited edition collector’s item is valued at $1,900.

Martin, 47, said he has long admired Murphy, who died in an airplane crash in 1971.

“Way back in the early ‘80s I took a group of students to Arlington National Cemetery, and I saw Audie’s grave,” he said. “I knew who he was, but that really brought it home.”

In 1995, Martin said he tracked down some of Murphy’s relatives and asked them to participate in promoting patriotism at a school in Gilmer where he was principal. Martin stayed in contact with family members and gained a greater respect for the soldier.

“I thought he was an important American that the students needed to know about,” Martin said. “He was from Texas, he was from rural America like our school was, and I wanted to tell the students how a person can achieve great things even if they’re not from a rich family. He grew up in humble surroundings and became one of our greatest Americans. He inspired me personally.”

Gene Murphy, 71, of Jacksonville, is a younger brother of Audie. He said the family worked on farms in the Greenville area in east Texas, raising cotton and corn among other crops.

Gene Murphy not only allowed Martin to use the family name for the rural foundation, he agreed to sit on the board of directors. He said his brother would have endorsed Martin’s project, and he hopes the name will help inspire success.

“I’m surprised at the number of people I’ve been around, people a lot younger than me, who remember him,” Gene Murphy said.

Audie Murphy is believed to be the nation’s most decorated combat soldier during World War II. He received 33 citations for bravery, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Many generations of Americans will remember him for another reason – he became an actor following his military career, appearing in more than 25 films. One of his co-stars was Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart.

Martin hopes Murphy’s name will enable the foundation to help rural causes.

“Rural hospitals are closing ,and we have many needs,” Martin said. “I am a kidney transplant patient myself, and I’m not the only one out here. I want to be able to live here in my hometown.”

Valerie Taylor, Clarendon High School

The CHS Junior Historians held their annual Valentine’s Raffle on February 13. 

Tickets sold for $1 a piece or $5 for ten at the boy’s basketball games.  Michael McFarland, Derek Gourley, Valerie Taylor, and Tamara Bidone sold the raffle tickets. 

Items raffled included a teddy bear donated by K-Mart, a box of candy given by the Clarendon Outpost, and a dinner for two from Renee’s Diner.  During halftime of the varsity boys’ game, the prizes were drawn for.  Paul Goetze won the candy, Lauren Shelton won the teddy bear, and Ronnie Edwards won the dinner from Renee’s Diner. 

A group of fifteen Junior Historians attended the Regional History Day Contest n Canyon at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum on February 17.  Of the nine projects entered, seven will be going to the state contest which is in Austin at the Renaissance Hotel on May 11-12.

Those going to Austin include Ashlee Kidd and Brandi Betts – first place Senior Group Display; Michael McFarland and Shanon Martin – second place Senior Group Display; Carrie Helms – first place Senior Individual Display; Tamara Bidone – second place Senior Individual Display; Valerie Taylor, Melissa McAnear, Emily Sparks, Nathan Fobbs, and Taylor Shelton – second place Senior Group Performance; Austin Sears – second place Senior Individual Media; and Nickless Devin – second place Senior Individual Paper.

Others who went include Claire Rodriguez and Kelley Lemley – third place Senior Group Display; and Bryan McFarland – third place Senior Individual Display.