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Truck stolen in Clarendon found near Dallas

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A truck stolen from a Clarendon business over the weekend was recovered Tuesday morning, November 29.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said a Ford F-550 with an auto-crane was taken from Wallace Monument Co. probably on Saturday night.

“It was there Saturday afternoon and gone on Sunday,” Blackburn said.

No arrests were made, and no suspects have been identified. The culprit was likely a transient who took it for transportation, the sheriff said. The truck was found abandoned in Lewisville, Texas, near Dallas with the keys still in it.

Chamber’s first 2022 holiday cash drawing to be Dec. 2

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The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce wants to put money in the pockets of folks who shop in local stores this holiday season.

“Shop Small Big Christmas” is the promotion from the Chamber that will put a grand total of $550 in Chamber Christmas Cash in the hands of lucky winners who shop with local merchants.

Sign-ups are now underway for drawings that will be held for $100 on December 2, 9, and 16; and the big $250 giveaway will be held December 23.

Participating merchants include Amanda’s Country Soaps, Country Bloomer’s Flowers & Gifts, Every Nook & Cranny, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Mike’s Pharmacy, Rambling Ranch Boutique, Saye’s Flying A Tack, Whistle-Stop, and Wicked Fast Attire

To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. The Chamber will gather them up each Friday morning, and hold the drawings live on the Chamber’s Facebook. Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week, so those who enter will have multiple chances to win.

According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town or online returns nothing to your local community.
Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong.

Fiber internet now available in Hedley

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Fiber internet is now available in Hedley, setting the community apart from many rural communities and giving residents and businesses there the opportunity to have the fastest service on the market.

An announcement from Windstream-owned Kinetic says more than 260 homes and businesses in the Hedley area, or nearly two-thirds of the community, are now eligible for ultrahigh-speed internet with the deployment of optical fiber by network provider Kinetic.

“Fiber in the Hedley area means you’ll have more bandwidth to stream, game and surf on every device in your house,” Kinetic state operations President Danny Ferguson said. “And your connection will stay superfast no matter how many other people are online. They can even be streaming a movie and you’ll still have the same connection.”

Kinetic’s fiber-optic network gives users equal, symmetrical upload and download speeds of 1,000 megabits a second, or 1 gigabit a second, providing what is known as “next-generation access.”

“Fiber is the technology that can meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s potential,” Ferguson said. “‘High Speed for Here’ now includes the Hedley area.”

According to the Kinetic website, Hedley residential customers can get 500 megabit service for $39.99 a month and 1.0 gigabit service for $69.99 a month.

Hedley city officials were unaware that fiber deployment had happened in Hedley, but they welcomed the news.

“This is going to be wonderful for the community,” City Secretary Kim Gossman said. “It will be wonderful for other businesses that want to come in, and people here can start using internet like they need to and not just lagging. There is so much this can help the community with.”

Gossman said the school, the senior citizens center, and current and potential businesses would all benefit from the availability of fiber internet.

The Hedley fiber project is part of a $2 billion multiyear capital investment strategy to dramatically expand gigabit internet service across Kinetic’s 18-state footprint.

It’s not clear when Kinetic will expand the fiber offering to other communities in Donley County, but Ferguson said Clarendon is “definitely in the mix.”

“We’re a year into a five-year plan,” he said. “We don’t like to put anything out until it’s planned. At this time there are no firm plans for 2023 for Clarendon.”

Ferguson also did not know of any plans for Howardwick.

Customers may visit GoKinetic.com to find out if they are eligible for a speed upgrade and how Kinetic can help meet their home or business needs.

Chamber names Holland Employee of the Month

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Chamber Employee of the Month Sarah Holland (second from left) with Chamber representatives.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce has named Sarah Holland of Country Bloomers Flowers & Gifts as the local Employee of the Month for November.

“We know that retail and service workers are the backbone of our small businesses,” Chamber President Ashlee Estlack said. “We want to give them the recognition they deserve for their hard work and dedication while providing great service to visitors and locals.”

Holland was recognized for always having a smile on her face, treating every person with kindness and compassion, and for making sure each shopping experience is pleasant.

The community at large is asked to help select future honorees. Those interested can nominate someone who is Donley County Proud, works hard, and has gone above and beyond in a retail or a service position.

Winners are chosen monthly and will receive $25 in Chamber Bucks to spend across Donley County at chamber member businesses.

Nominees must be currently employed at the business they are representing in the nomination. Nominations not selected are carried forward to the next month.

Nominations can be made online at ClarendonTx.com/employeeofthemonth.

Lions to give toys to local kids Friday

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The Clarendon Lions Club will begin distributing toys to local elementary students this Friday, December 2.

The new “Toys for Joy” drive will give one toy to every elementary school aged student in Clarendon and Hedley elementary schools.

The response from the public has been amazing, and the Lions are looking foward to distributing the toys. The project has seen great support also from local businesses, which set up toy tables at their stores.

Distribution will start in Clarendon Elementary this Friday in cooperation with the Pony Parents. Distribution in Hedley will be held on Monday, December 12.

If you’d like to make a monetary donation, call Lion Roger Estlack at 806-662-4689 or stop by the Enterprise.

Jackson calls for relief for producers

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Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) recently sent a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, calling on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide transparency on its plan to implement Phase 2 of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP), both of which will provide critical relief for the agriculture industry throughout the United States.

US Rep. Ronny Jackson

“Americans continue to face historic inflation and supply chain issues, which has led to rising costs in nearly every aspect of life,” Jackson said.

“Our farmers and ranchers are no exception to these struggles. Last year, Texas farmers and ranchers saw significant agriculture losses of over $600 million due to Winter Storm Uri. The damage from storms and natural disasters in 2020 and 2021, combined with soaring input costs and devastating labor shortages, have left many farmers and ranchers helpless,” the congressman said.

“These hard-working individuals, many of whom I represent in TX-13, deserve answers from the USDA on its plan to distribute the remaining disaster funds through Phase 2,” Jackson said. “The Biden Administration must ensure America’s farmers and ranchers get the resources and support they need to continue to feed, fuel, and clothe the world.”

In September 2021, Congress authorized emergency relief funding for production losses endured during the 2020 and 2021 calendar years.

This disaster relief package, which included language Jackson authored, is meant to provide critical resources to Texas ag producers.

In January 2022, Rep. Jackson led his colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack calling on the ag department to administer the disaster relief payments authorized by Congress without delay.

Since then, the USDA established two multi-phase systems—ERP and ELRP.

The USDA used existing producer data to expediate emergency payments through Phase 1. However, to date, Congress has received no information from the Administration about its plan, or timeline, to distribute the remaining funds through Phase 2.

Family fun, savings set for holiday weekend

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Family fun and local savings abound as Donley County gets ready to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend with the Chamber of Commerce promoting Small Business Saturday, the ninth annual lighting of the Donley County Courthouse, and the annual Polar Express event at the Mulkey Theatre.

“Shop Small Big Christmas” is the promotion from the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce this holiday season that will put a grand total of $550 in Chamber Christmas Cash in the hands of lucky winners who shop with local merchants.

Sign-ups begin Saturday for drawings that will be held for $100 on December 2, 9, and 16; and the big $250 giveaway will be held December 23.

Participating merchants include Amanda’s Country Soaps, Country Bloomer’s Flowers & Gifts, Every Nook & Cranny, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Mike’s Pharmacy, Rambling Ranch Boutique, Saye’s Flying A Tack, Whistle-Stop, and Wicked Fast Attire

To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. The Chamber will gather them up each Friday morning, and hold the drawings live on the Chamber’s Facebook. Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week, so those who enter will have multiple chances to win.

See the Chamber ad below this article to see which merchants have special events planned for this Saturday.

A Donley County Craft Show will also be held at the EDC Building at 118 S. Kearney on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fun continues Saturday evening at the Donley County Courthouse at 5 p.m. The official Courthouse Lighting includes visits with Santa Claus, music, hot cocoa from the Lions Club, and the lighting of the courthouse square.

The Christmas celebration continues Sunday evening with a special showing of The Polar Express at the Mulkey Theatre.
Admission will be a donation to the Donley County Community Fund, and attendees are encouraged to get into the spirit of the movie by wearing their pajamas to the show, which starts at 6 p.m.

Local merchants are ready to help you find something for everyone on your Christmas list with specials this holiday season. Details on local sales are printed in the Holiday Gift Guide included in this week’s Clarendon Enterprise and also available at ClarendonLive.com.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 when it was founded by American Express to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town or online returns nothing to your local community.

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State looking at new way to fund community colleges

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Texas must develop an innovative new model to fund community colleges that rewards colleges for awarding degrees, certificates, and other “credentials of value” that will soon be required in more than 60 percent of the state’s jobs.

Clarendon College president Tex Buckhaults says the proposal could lead to beneficial legislation for small community colleges.

“We put a lot of effort into these recommendations,” Buckhaults said, “and there’s the potential to greatly improve funding for Clarendon College and other community colleges.”

There are currently 11 community colleges with enrollments of less than 5,000 students, Buckhaults said, which could benefit from the new funding mechanism.

The Texas Commission on Community College Finance (TxCCCF) recommended these changes in a report submitted to state leaders in advance of the 88th legislative session, which commences Jan. 10. The commission – made up of 12 lawmakers, business leaders, and community college officials – was established by the Legislature last year through Senate Bill 1230 to help the state update its decades-old community college funding model to meet the changing needs of employers and the Texas economy.

TxCCCF offers three sets of recommendations for a new model that support the goals of Building a Talent Strong Texas, the state’s strategic plan for higher education: Reward community colleges for positive student outcomes; Increase affordability and financial aid, including for low-income students; and Increase capacity at colleges to meet changing workforce needs.

“We need a funding model for our 50 community college districts that is bold, strategic, and fully aligned with our emerging workforce needs,” said Woody Hunt, TxCCCF chairman. “Colleges must have the resources to help more Texas students enroll and earn credentials that will create new opportunities for their families and for the entire state.”

The TxCCCF recommendations tie funding to measurable student-focused outcomes. These include: The number of credentials of value awarded, including badges, certificates, and degrees, that position graduates for well-paying jobs. Credentials of value awarded in high-demand fields where employers are looking for skilled employees. Successful student transfers from community colleges to four-year universities. Completion of a sequence of dual credit courses, which are offered to high school students and can set them on early pathways to success.

Buckhaults said his only hesitation is language that “encourages” colleges to develop a system of shared services. He said Clarendon and other small colleges will be watching to make sure that remains a voluntary option and not a mandate so that small schools don’t have to worry about losing jobs.

“The accelerating pace of change in our economy requires bold new approaches to support our community colleges,” said Texas Higher Education Commissioner Harrison Keller. “The new funding model must empower community colleges across the state – from the largest urban colleges to small, rural-serving colleges – to educate many more students from all backgrounds so they can earn credentials of value in the Texas workforce of today and tomorrow.”

In addition to the focus on rewarding community colleges for positive outcomes, the TxCCCF recommends that the state make community colleges more affordable by increasing financial aid through Texas Educational Opportunity Grants (TEOG); providing more aid for dual credit courses for economically disadvantaged students; and supporting apprenticeships, work-study, internships, and other work-based learning opportunities.

If implemented, the recommendations would also increase capacity in community colleges by providing seed grants for programs in high-demand fields; supporting shared services and partnerships for colleges to become more efficient; and helping them provide high-quality, noncredit credentials that are convertible and stackable with credit-bearing programs.

Under Texas’s current community college funding model, most revenue is generated by tuition and property taxes, which are set and collected locally. Over the past decade, local property tax collections have increased significantly. The state also contributes funding through a formula that considers how colleges perform in relation to one another.

The system was developed to meet the needs of colleges when they were established in the early 20th century. It does not fully recognize the role community colleges play today.

Members of the TxCCCF will be available throughout the legislative session to provide guidance and support to lawmakers as they consider the recommended changes.

Franks ready for return to Vegas for NFR

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Cole Franks riding at the 2021 NFR. Courtesy Photo / Robby Freeman

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

Cole Franks made an impressive statement in 2021 during his inaugural season in ProRodeo: He’d claimed the collegiate all-around and bareback riding titles. He was named the Bareback Riding Resistol Rookie of the Year. He qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo and finished third in the world standings.

It was a remarkable beginning for the second-generation cowboy from Clarendon, and he bounded into his sophomore campaign during the 2022 season with plenty of confidence and talent. With that, he’ll make his return to the sport’s biggest stage, the NFR, set for December 1-10 in Las Vegas.

“This year was a little more challenging in a way,” said Franks, 21, who won the intercollegiate title while competing for Clarendon Colleges. “It was a lot different. They changed the rule to where we couldn’t double up on rodeos on the same day. It was easier in that sense, because we didn’t have to decide between two rodeos, but it made it a little harder.

“When we were rodeoing, because of that rule, everyone else was in the same places we were. It made it to where sometimes it was so crammed full of people that it was a lot harder to win.”

He found his way to the winner’s circle anyway, proving talent and a powerful mindset can go a long way. Through the course of the campaign, he picked up 10 victories and earned $116,426; he heads to Las Vegas No. 10 in the world standings and will have a chance to battle for the coveted world championship.

“I honestly think the key was staying at it, making every horse count,” said Franks, who credits much of his success to his sponsors, Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, Cinch, Western Legacy Co. and 287 Ag. “You want to do the best you can with what horse you’ve drawn. If you don’t have one you can typically win on, then you’ve got to flash it up and do what you can.”

It takes a combination of key victories and making the most of one’s rides count in order to qualify for the NFR. He is $45,500 behind the leader, Wyoming cowboy Cole Reiner, but that deficit can be surpassed in just two rounds in Vegas, where go-round winners pocket just shy of $29,000 each night.

Just a few years ago, round winners were making $10,000 less. It’s a good trend in a sport where there are no guarantees. Unlike other professional sports where athletes have surefire contracts that pay them whether they’re in the game or not, rodeo cowboys make their livings eight seconds at a time. They don’t get paid unless they score better than most others in the field.

The rise in payouts is a boon for the men and women who are part of the rodeo trail as a business.

“We do this because we love it, but it does make it a lot more fun to have a shot at that much more money every day,” he said. “Every rodeo I went to this past year, they just keep raising the stakes. That’s what keeps you wanting to go more.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been ready to go home; I like staying out on the road. You may get worn out a little bit, but you know there’s all that money out there you can get.”

Money is vital in rodeo. It’s not only how the contestants pay their bills, but it’s also how points are tallied. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event advance to the NFR. The contestants in each event who conclude the season with the most earnings will be crowned world champions.

Last year, Franks earned more than $150,000 over 10 December nights in the Nevada desert, finishing the season with more than $225,000. He’ll need a similar showing this season if he hopes to earn the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle.

“I’d say I improved quite a bit,” said Franks, whose father, Bret, was a three-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding and whose brother, Clint, is a PRCA bronc rider. “Mainly, I’d say, I’ve gotten better at being able to handle those big, strong bucking horses, the ones that everybody wants and the ones you can win on.

“Last year, I dropped the ball sometimes on those kinds of horses. I feel like I’ve gotten better at keeping the ball in my court on those horses while being able to flash up on the weaker end of horses and making them look better.”

It’s a formula that has worked quite well. He made his second straight NFR even though a broken wrist in May and a damaged finger on free hand in July put him on injured reserve for nearly two months. The latter injury was actually scarier and happened at one of the largest regular-season rodeos in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

“One thing I realized was that you don’t take your good draw as a sure sign you’ll win,” he said. “At Cheyenne, I knew I had it in the bag based on paper. That went out the window a bit during the short round. The horse flipped all the way upside down on top of me, and I was laying in the bottom of the chute. I don’t know for sure what happened, but it ripped my finger open.”

He rebounded well, built up some style points and closed out his campaign in fine fashion by winning his last rodeo of the regular season in Stephenville, Texas. A week later, he won the first rodeo of the 2023 season in Hempstead, Texas.
He’s been doing the things he needs to stay in shape. He’s been riding some practice horses to prepare his body for the rigorous week and a half in Las Vegas, which will pit the best 15 bareback riders of the year against 100 of the greatest bucking horses in 2022.

“This is why I do this,” Franks said. “I love it, and to have a chance to compete at that level just makes it that much better.”

Local cities receive higher sales tax revenues

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All three Donley County municipalities showed gains for sales tax revenues when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar distributed monthly allocations for November.

Clarendon received $51,628.89 for the month, up 1.9 percent from the same period one year ago. The city’s calendar year-to-date total is now up 4.47 percent at $466,997.49.

Hedley saw a gain of 17.06 percent with an allocation of $1,877.60, but that city is still down 5.71 percent for the year-to-date at $11,600.66.

Howardwick’s November allocation was $2,389.92, up 18.59 percent compared to one year ago. The lakeside city is now 10.07 percent ahead for 2022 with sales tax revenues of $20,507.37.

Statewide, Hegar sent $1.1 billion in local sales tax allocations for November, 7.1 percent more than in November 2021.

These allocations are based on sales made in September by businesses that report tax monthly, and on sales made in July, August and September by quarterly filers.

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