News

Activities are lining up for the 127th anniversary Saints’ Roost Celebration and Ranch Rodeo to be held July 1, 2, and 4 in Clarendon.

Activities begin Friday, July 1, with the Donley County Horse Club Stick Horse Rodeo at 9 a.m.across from the Post Office. Youngsters will ride stick horses in several events.  Registration begins June 24 at Saye’s.  Cost is $5 per child. 

Also on Friday, the annual Depression Lunch at the Downtown Ministries building will begin at 11 a.m. and will consist of beans, cornbread, dessert, and a drink. 

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association will start the 10-team ranch rodeo at 7:30 p.m.  Friday. Team events for the night include Bronco Riding, Wild Cow Milking, Team Branding, and Team Doctoring/Sorting. Kids are invited to participate in the Open Junior Calf Ride (ages 0-8), the Steer Ride (age 9-12), and the Donkey Ride (age 0-12).  Entry fee is $20 for each event. The Open Calf Scramble, sponsored by Donley County State Bank, is open to age 0-12 and is free. 

The rodeo will also feature the Open Wild Mare Race.  There is a $90 entry fee with $150 added money. 

A $200 beef certificate will be drawn each night at the Rodeo.

You can dance the night away Friday to the sounds of the Brant Moore Band at the rodeo grounds from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

COEA will start the fun early Saturday morning with the RHAA Ranch Horse Competition at 8 a.m.

The Arts and Crafts Fair will begin at City Park at 9 a.m. Booths selling food and craft items will be open until 3 p.m. The Donley County Extension Office is renting booth space for the fair for $25.  For an entry form or information, contact the Donley County Extension Office at 874-2141.  All entries must be received by June 27.

A big change to this year’s celebration is the Bicycle Parade and Western Parade.  The two parades will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.  The bikes will go first, follwed directly by the Western Parade.  The Chamber of Commerce is accepting entry forms for both parades.  The deadline to enter is June 24.  Entry forms are available in this issue, at the Chamber office, or at Burton Memorial Library.

Line up for the Western Parade begins at 8:30 a.m. two blocks west of the City Park. Bicycle Parade participants can fill out the entry form in this issue or register 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning at the park. 

The Old Settlers Reunion will be held at the City Park Pavilion beginning at 11:00 a.m. along with the Shriner’s Barbecue.  Tickets for the barbecue are available from any Shriner or at Henson’s.  Tickets will also be sold Saturday.

The Turtle Race will be held Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at the intersection by Henson’s.  Youngsters are encouraged to sign up now at Henson’s. 

The ranch rodeo begins its second night at 7:30 Saturday.  All events will be the same with ten new teams competing. You can dance with the Lonesome Goat band on Saturday night at 10 p.m.

Monday night COEA hosts an Open Ranch Bronc Ride.  Competitors will ride 30 head of stock that evening.  They will also have the Open Junior Calf Ride, Steer Ride, and Donkey Ride for the youngsters along with the Open Calf Scramble.

If your organization is planning an event during the celebration, call the Enterprise at 874-2259.

The Donley County Hospital District Board accepted two budget proposals to help it deal with a projected shortfall during a called meeting May 31.

Administrator in-training Vicky Robertson submitted revenue projections for Medical Center Nursing Home based on occupancy of 51 residents with no increase in Medicaid funding and no change in employee benefits. The board considered three MCNH budget proposals and approved one that increases LVN salaries by $1 per hour and CNA salaries by 50¢ per hour and gives all other MCNH staff a three percent raise.

Interim administrator Ron Wetzel told the board it was necessary to increase nurses’ salaries to stay competitive.

“It will just be more expensive if you don’t retain your LVNs,” he said.

Following a closed session, the board also voted to increase the salary of the assistant administrator by three percent and raise the salary of the Director of Nurses by $3,090.

Associated Ambulance Authority Directory Anita Aaron submitted four budget proposals for the ambulance service, each of which called for reducing the subsidy the ambulance service receives from the hospital district.

After a closed session concerning Aaron’s salary, the board approved a blended proposal that preserves all employee benefits, reduces the annual subsidy from the hospital district by $16,380, and increases the director’s salary by three percent.

The ambulance service plans to make up for its subsidy reduction through cuts in other areas and improved collections.

Work on the 2005-2006 budget continues this week, according to district officials. Hospital board members on the budget committee said last month that the district has been operating at a loss for several years and has depleted its cash reserves. The district’s fiscal year ends on June 30, and MCNH is facing a projected budget shortfall that could be $80,000.

Cost-cutting measures and last week’s adopted proposals should put the new budget in the black. The district tentatively plans to hold a public hearing on June 20 and to approve the new budget during a board meeting following that hearing.

The Clarendon Enterprise has launched a new digital version of the newspaper in celebration of its 127th anniversary this week.

Enterprise-D has every feature of the print edition and also introduces new benefits to readers, according to publisher Roger Estlack.

“The D stands for digital, and that brings new aspects to the experience of reading the Enterprise,” Estlack said. “Readers can search the entire text of each issue for names or topics at the push of a button, they can zoom in and read small type easily, and they can save each edition indefinitely without cluttering up their home or office with old copies of the paper.”

But the biggest benefit of Enterprise-D will likely be to out of county subscribers who will be able to get their hometown paper much sooner than before.

“We’ve got subscribers on the east and west coasts who report delays of three or four weeks in receiving the paper. Even in the Dallas area, a subscriber can sometimes wait five to ten days for their paper,” Estlack said. “With Enterprise-D a digital paper is delivered to their e-mail box the same day the print edition hits the press. There is no waiting.”

A 12-month subscription to Enterprise-D costs just $9.95, and readers can place their order online or over the telephone. To try out the paper, readers can purchase a single copy from the Enterprise’s Web site for just $1.

Print subscribers can add Enterprise-D to their subscriptions for just $5 and enjoy both versions of the paper.

“This digital concept is something we’ve discussed for about three years, but it has really been spurred on lately by the frustrations our subscribers have experienced with the US Postal Service,” Estlack said. “While we get great service from our local postal carriers, on a national scale, the USPS places newspapers on a low priority when it comes to delivery; and we don’t foresee that getting any better.”

Accompanying the introduction of Enterprise-D, are rate increases for all out-of-county subscriptions and the introduction of a new out-of-state subscription rate. Texas readers outside of Donley County will pay $30 for annual subscriptions. Continental US subscribers outside of Texas will pay $35.

“We don’t want to raise these rates, but the high cost of postage has forced our hand,” Estlack said. “We hope subscribers will at least try Enterprise-D and avoid paying more for the same old snail mail.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was established as The Clarendon News on June 1, 1878 and was the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper. Enterprise-D is the first weekly newspaper in a digital format in the Panhandle.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen accepted the low bid on the 2005 street paving project Tuesday night, but directed city engineers to negotiate with the contractor to scale back the job to meet the funds available.

In a called meeting, aldermen voted 3-2 to accept the low bid of Jordan Paving for $1.38 million. Aldermen Mark White, Bobbie Kidd, and Janice Knorpp voted in favor, and Aldermen Michael Tibbets and Tommy Hill opposed the measure.

The only other contractor to turn in a bid by last Thursday’s deadline was J. Lee Milligan, who put in a figure of $1.73 million.

Mayor Tex Selvidge informed the board that slightly more than $1 million is available to the city for the project, but he reminded aldermen that more than $133,000 would be needed for the first tax note payment in February and $45,800 is still owed to the engineers. He said he figured the city has $833,759 available to actually pave streets.

“If we use our improvement fund now and don’t have it to make the first payment, we’re going to be scratching at the end of the year,” Selvidge said.

City engineer Michael Adams said Jordan Paving is willing to work with the city and also said the reason the bids were so far off from the money available was that the engineers had not understood that only about $800,000 would be available for the job.

“We were looking at $1.2 to $1.1 million and that’s the project we put together,” Adams said.

Alderman Tibbets asked if the city needed to have gone out earlier for bids, but Adams said he didn’t think it would have mattered.

“Everybody’s busy; you can see that from just having two bidders,” he said. “I don’t see a change because of the way TxDOT is letting work out and Amarillo is adding subdivisions. If we re-bid, I don’t think we’ll have any bidders at all.”

The board discussed how to scale back what had been touted as a 60-block project. Adams said, in order for the curb system to work, the city needs to start at the top of the hill and work its way down. He suggested cutting proposed blocks east of Koogle Street and then cutting a few additional blocks west of Koogle. He pointed to Third Street between Collinson and McLean and McLean Street between Clarendon Avenue and Fifth Street as being the least critical on that side of town.

The board voted 3-2 (Tibbets and Hill opposed) to give Adams the authority to negotiate with Jordan and cut the streets as discussed. Adams said he would try to have an answer for the board at their next meeting on June 14.

Cowgirls from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado will compete in Amarillo’s inaugural Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo on Saturday, June 4, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.

Four-woman teams representing area ranches will compete in sorting, branding, doctoring, team tying, and Ranch Horse Competition.  The winning team will perform at the evening performance of the Coors Ranch Rodeo on Saturday night.

Local teams and their members competing include: Calvary Cowgirls – JR Hall Partnership – members Linda Crump of Clarendon, Pam McCleskey and Loretta Hall both of Hedley, and Lana Ritchie of Prairie Hill; Shields Ranch – members Audra Shields-Lujan of Hereford, Stephanie Spillar of Clarendon, Kristin Rice of Friona, and Tammy Valdez of Dimmitt; High Card Ranch in Clarendon – members Nancy Peirce of Clovis, Amanda Deerman of La Mesa, Patty Moberly of Melrose, and Missy Holmes of Elida.

Linda Crump of Clarendon is the team captain of the Calvary Cowgirls. She is a ranch day worker along with her husband, Morris. She is the mother to seven grown children – Ray, Randy, James, Willie, Elwyn, and Wyman.  Linda was born on the Matador Ranch in Motley County and has lived and worked at several ranches including the League Ranch, Pitchfork, Salt Fork, and High Card. She currently day works for TL Roach Ranch, Allen Creek Division in Donley County.  Linda has competed in several ranch rodeos including the All-Girls Ranch Rodeo in Shattuck, Oklahoma, where she was a member of the winning team in 2002 and 2003.  She also competes in team penning, placing fourth at the 1995 AQHA World Championship Show.  Her hobbies include photography, and she also sings at church functions.

Pam McCleskey of Hedley is a day worker on the TL Roach Ranch. Her husband, Elwyn, also is a day worker and farrier. They are parents of Casey, 6 and Cooper, 1. Pam was born and raised on ranches in Colorado and New Mexico. She has competed in the 2004 Clayton Women’s Ranch Rodeo, placing fourth, and was a member of the winning team in the 2002 All-Girls Ranch Rodeo in Shattuck, Oklahoma. Pam likes to rope whenever she has the opportunity.

Lana Ritchie of Prairie Hill is a ranch hand along with her husband, Wes. The couple was married in December 2004. Lana grew up on the Cash & Rowe Ranch where she helped work cattle. She has competed in junior ranch rodeos and also was the valedictorian of her senior class and played basketball. She enjoys riding horses and working cattle.

Loretta Hall of Hedley is a rancher and farmer with her husband, John. They raise Braunvieh and Gelbvieh cattle. They are parents of grown children, Justin and Jason. Loretta likes the fun and competition of ranch rodeo but considers her greatest honor is being “Gram” to her grandsons. She is very active in church activities.

Stephanie Spillar of Clarendon is involved in sales. Her husband, Bob, is a ranch foreman for Halls Creek Ranch and they the parents of Tyler, 13, and Sam, 7. She grew up on a feedyard operation and competes in barrel racing. Stephanie enjoys team roping, camping and hunting.

“Cowboy Roundup USA has a remarkable18-year history of celebrating the cowboy spirit,” said CRR chair Phyllis Payne. “The Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo recognizes the tremendous contributions of women to our ranching heritage.

“These competitors are real cowgirls from some of the region’s most celebrated working ranches,” Payne said and added that there will be no charge for admission to the Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo.

In conjunction with the event, attendees have the opportunity to win a Coolhorse saddle, with proceeds to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The saddle will be on display at the Amarillo National Center, and tickets for the opportunity to win are $5 each.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to raise the Motel Bed Tax rate during their regular meeting on May 24.

An amendment to Ordinance 270 would increase the tax rate from four percent to seven percent of the cost of a hotel room. A second reading and a final vote on the increase will be held at the board’s next meeting on June 14.

If approved, the tax on an $80 motel room would increase from $3.20 to $5.60, a difference of $2.40.

The city will contact local motels to advise them of the increase.

In other city business, Tom Stauder addressed the board on behalf of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which has been working to improve land across the street from the church that was originally occupied by St. Mary’s Academy. The church has sown that block with grass, and Stauder asked the board to consider donating or reducing the charges for water needed to get the grass established, the cost of which was estimated to be about $800 for the summer.

Mayor Tex Selvidge and the board said the city was depending on income from its water utility to help pay for this year’s street project, and they expressed concerns over setting a precedent for discounting water rates.

Alderman Michael Tibbets offered to donate a rifle to the church, which could then be raffled off to raise money for the project. Stauder accepted Tibbets’ offer and thanked him on behalf of the church.

City Administrator Sean Pate reported that Clarendon ranked 31st in its application for a Community Development Block Grant to fund improvements to the water pressure system on the west side of town. The city will, therefore, not receive this grant; and Pate said that there likely will not be any more CDBG grants if the Bush administration has its way.

Pate recommended the city look at a 40-year, low interest loan/grant program through the US Department of Agriculture to fund the water pressure project. The board asked him to get more information.

Pate also reported citizens’ complaints about semi-trucks that are being left running all night in residential areas. An amendment to the nuisance ordinance was discussed, and the board also expressed concerns about what effect the weight of tractor-trailer rigs would have on the new paving when its completed.

Bids for that paving project will be opened during a called session of the board on June 2 at 2 p.m.

The Clarendon Enterprise has launched a new digital version of the newspaper in celebration of its 127th anniversary this week.

Enterprise-D has every feature of the print edition and also introduces new benefits to readers, according to publisher Roger Estlack.

“The D stands for digital, and that brings new aspects to the experience of reading the Enterprise,” Estlack said. “Readers can search the entire text of each issue for names or topics at the push of a button, they can zoom in and read small type easily, and they can save each edition indefinitely without cluttering up their home or office with old copies of the paper.”

But the biggest benefit of Enterprise-D will likely be to out of county subscribers who will be able to get their hometown paper much sooner than before.

“We’ve got subscribers on the east and west coasts who report delays of three or four weeks in receiving the paper. Even in the Dallas area, a subscriber can sometimes wait five to ten days for their paper,” Estlack said. “With Enterprise-D a digital paper is delivered to their e-mail box the same day the print edition hits the press. There is no waiting.”

A 12-month subscription to Enterprise-D costs just $9.95, and readers can place their order online or over the telephone. To try out the paper, readers can purchase a single copy from the Enterprise’s Web site for just $1.

Print subscribers can add Enterprise-D to their subscriptions for just $5 and enjoy both versions of the paper.

“This digital concept is something we’ve discussed for about three years, but it has really been spurred on lately by the frustrations our subscribers have experienced with the US Postal Service,” Estlack said. “While we get great service from our local postal carriers, on a national scale, the USPS places newspapers on a low priority when it comes to delivery; and we don’t foresee that getting any better.”

Accompanying the introduction of Enterprise-D, are rate increases for all out-of-county subscriptions and the introduction of a new out-of-state subscription rate. Texas readers outside of Donley County will pay $30 for annual subscriptions. Continental US subscribers outside of Texas will pay $35.

“We don’t want to raise these rates, but the high cost of postage has forced our hand,” Estlack said. “We hope subscribers will at least try Enterprise-D and avoid paying more for the same old snail mail.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was established as The Clarendon News on June 1, 1878 and was the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper. Enterprise-D is the first weekly newspaper in a digital format in the Panhandle.

The American Legion and VFW have announced the times for the Memorial Day Services that will be held in Donley County

The American Legion will hold a service on Saturday, May 28, at 10:00 a.m. at Rowe Cemetery. The Clarendon Girl Scouts will raise the flag at Citizens Cemetery on Monday, May 30, at 10:00 a.m. Following at 11:00 a.m., the American Legion and Donley County VFW will hold a service at the Donley County War Memorial, located at the courthouse square.

Everyone is invited to attend.  Those attending are asked to bring their own chairs.

The main road into Howardwick will get a lot smoother this summer when at least half a mile of Rick Husband Boulevard is repaved.

Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority will pay for and oversee the improvements.

“The road is on property owned by Greenbelt,” said water authority manager Bobbie Kidd. “It’s a city street, but Greenbelt owns a 100-foot right of way from the highway to Clarendon Point.”

Kidd said the water authority will tear out the old pavement and reshape the road using its own labor and equipment. A contractor will then lay down two courses of seal coat to make a new 30-foot roadway into the lakeside city.

The work will begin sometime in June and should be finished before July Fourth.

Kidd said how far the new paving goes will depend on the price the contractor sets, but he said the Greenbelt Board of Directors wants to see the road repaved from SH 70 to the main turnoffs to the Clarendon Country Club at Lowe Drive and Porter Drive.

Howardwick Mayor Nancy Davis said the city plans to pick up where Greenbelt’s new paving ends and use labor from the Department of Criminal Justice to patch more of Rick Husband Boulevard.