Ben Estlack

An alleged cry for help resulted in an immigration round-up in Clarendon Saturday.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office received a call February 1 of a 19-year-old female who had come into the office of the Western Skies Motel, claiming she was being trafficked while traveling with a male and female person. She claimed their vehicle had broken down and while the other two were dealing with the vehicle, she had escaped.

Blackburn said further investigation revealed the woman was part of a group of seven, who were traveling in a vehicle that had indeed broken down. She and four others were illegal immigrants, and two people were involved in transporting the illegal immigrants.

“She just wanted out and away from them,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn’s office contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Department and ICE, which responded quickly. ICE then took all seven individuals into custody.

The sheriff said one of the people involved in the transportation of the illegal immigrants had actually been deported on January 15 and was already back in the country.

“I want to express my appreciation for how quickly ICE and CID responded to help us,” Blackburn said.

The City of Clarendon will have an election this spring, but no other local governments have attracted enough candidates to hold elections as the filing deadline approaches next week.

Five people are now running for two full terms on the Clarendon City Council with incumbents Ashlee Estlack and Eulaine McIntosh facing challengers Jeremy Jeffers, Brittney Wolfe, and Richard Dzamko. As of Tuesday afternoon, no one had signed up to run for mayor or for either of the two unexpired terms on the council.

In Hedley, all three incumbent city aldermen have filed for re-election – Larry Ely, Tonya Gibson, and Jennifer Floyd.

Howardwick also has a full slate of candidates. Mayor Pro-tem Johnny Floyd has signed up to run for the vacant mayor’s position, while Alderman Jada Murray has filed to run again, and Matt Moore has also filed for the other available alderman’s position.

The Donley County Hospital District Board of Directors has two of three incumbents up this year running so far. Rose Lemley – Place One and Cindy Shelton – Place Three are seeking re-election.

Incumbent Michael Metcalf has filed for one of two positions on the Hedley CISD Board, but no one has filed for the three positions on the Clarendon CISD Board.

All local boards are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must file for a specific place on the board. Candidate applications are available from the administrative offices of each entity.

Filing continues through Friday, February 14. Elections are scheduled to be held May 3, 2025.

Clarendon College announced this week that the Bulldog Athletics program had a tremendous academic semester after the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) released Fall 2024 all-conference selections.

All-Conference awards are designated at two levels, with the First Team recipients obtaining a 3.65-4.00 grade point average. This academic success is a testament to the college’s commitment to academic excellence. Students with a Fall GPA of 3.25-3.64 are named to the Second Team All-Conference list.

The Bulldogs had 73 student-athletes named to the First Team WJCAC All-Conference Team and 43 named to the Second Team. The 116 students represent students in the athletics program across seven sports.

Each of the seven programs at CC had at least five student-athletes who showcased impressive academic success this semester.

CC Athletic Director Mark James praised the college’s student athletes.

“I am extremely proud of not only these 116 student athletes but also each coach for making academic success a priority this semester, as each and every program had an overall team GPA above 3.0,” James said.

“I appreciate all the hard work each person puts forth toward ensuring our student-athlete’s success. I look forward to a successful Spring 2025 semester.”

The number of Clarendon College student athletes recognized in each program were Women’s Rodeo – First Team, 4; Second Team, 2; Men’s Rodeo – First Team, 6; Second Team, 10l; Volleyball – First Team, 9; Second Team, 8; Men’s Basketball – First Team, 6; Second Team, 4; Women’s Basketball – First Team, 15; Second Team, 4; Baseball – First Team, 30; Second Team, 10; and Softball – First Team, 3; Second Team, 5.

Fancy masks and fun times will be in store at the 2025 Clarendon Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet Thursday, February 27, at the Bairfield Activity Center. “Clarendon Masquerade” will be the theme, and The Martinis will provide live music during the evening.

Tickets are on sale now for the event, which will recognize several outstanding citizens in Donley County. The awards to be given will be the Saints’ Roost Award for a lifetime of service to the community and the Man and Woman of the Year, the Volunteer Organization of the Year, and Business of the Year in addition to recognitions for outstanding youth from Clarendon and Hedley.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and reception, including the annual Chamber silent auction and gift box pull. The banquet, entertainment, and awards will follow at 7 p.m.

Those attending are encouraged to dress up in masquerade, and businesses are also invited to purchase blocks of tickets by sponsoring tables at the event. Table sponsors will get to decorate their tables to reflect their business and the theme of the banquet with a prize given for the best table decoration.

Corporate sponsorships and donations to the Silent Auction are also being accepted at this time at the Clarendon Visitor Center.

Tickets are $25 each and must be purchased in advance at the Visitor Center or online at ClarendonTX.com. For more information, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.