News

Local Democrats and Republicans will be going to the polls next Tuesday to select their candidates for state and national offices.

Polling for both parties will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the following locations:

Democratic Primary: Precincts 101 & 103 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center; Precinct 102 – Howardwick City Hall; Precinct 201 – Donley County Courthouse; Precincts 301, 302, & 303 – Hedley Lions Den; and Precincts 401 & 402 – Community Bank (Clarendon).

Republican Primary: Precincts 101 & 103 – Clarendon College Courson RFO Center; Precinct 102 – Howardwick Baptist Church; Precinct 201 – Episcopal Church Mission Building; Precincts 301, 401, & 402 – Burton Memorial Library; and Precincts 302 & 303 – Hedley Fire Department.

In addition to selecting candidates, the Democratic Primary ballot will include two non-binding referenda on privatizing Social Security and Medicare and regarding an amendment to the state constitution outlawing unfunded mandates on counties.

With less than two weeks left to sign up, many local governments were still looking for candidates to run for office at press time.

So far, only two boards currently face the prospect of contested elections.

In Hedley, three people have signed up to run for two at-large positions on the board of aldermen. Pamela Casteel is challenging incumbents Leon Ward and Terry Stevens. Mayor Janie Hill is running unopposed for re-election.

At the Donley County Hospital District, Linda Kay Bell is challenging incumbent Carolyn Moffett for her Place 5 seat on the Board of Directors. Incumbents Onita Thomas and Jim Douglas are running for re-election to their Place 6 and Place 7 seats. No one has signed up to run for the Place 4 seat formerly held by the late Jerry May.

The City of Clarendon has three citizens seeking three seats on the Board of Aldermen. Ron Lamberth and incumbents Janice Knorpp and Tommy Hill have filed to run.

All three incumbents on the Clarendon College Board of Regents have filed their paperwork. Ruth Robinson, Susie Shields, and Charles Deyhle, Sr., are all seeking re-election.

Incumbent Marvin Thompson is the sole candidate for three seats on the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees; and incumbent Marlee Sharp is similarly alone in the contest for three seats on the Hedley ISD Board of Trustees.

The City of Howardwick remains the lone entity with no candidates at all with three seats on the Board of Aldermen open this year.

Sign up for local offices will continue through March 15, 2004. This year’s elections will be held on May 15.

 

Voters in next Tuesday’s Democratic Primary will have an opportunity to speak out about the practice of state government forcing unfunded mandates on local taxpayers.

Following efforts by members of the Texas Association of Counties (TAC), Texas Democrats chose to place on their ballot a referendum to allow citizens to vote for or against a state constitutional amendment “protecting taxpayers by prohibiting state mandates that require local property tax increases.”

The amendment itself will be presented to the Legislature at its next session.

State Republican officials decided not to put a similar referendum on their ballot next Tuesday.

“While Democrats were voting to protect local taxpayers from any more of Rick Perry’s unfunded mandates, rank-and-file Republicans were buckling under to pressure from him to support additional assaults on counties across this state,” Democratic Chair Charles Soechting said.

But Donley County Judge Jack Hall said the issue goes beyond party lines and is something of which all local voters should be aware.

“I think [unfunded mandates] is an issue that is very important to this county and local taxpayers,” Hall said. “It is very important today, and it will be more important in the future.”

The Donley County Commissioners Court is in favor of a ban on unfunded mandates and passed a resolution in November in support of TAC’s efforts. More than two-thirds of Texas counties have passed similar resolutions.

“Our property taxpayers currently have no protection against state actions that force counties to raise taxes,” Hall said. “We believe a constitutional amendment would curtail many of the unfunded mandates. While legislators and state executives do not willingly intend to cause local tax increases, their actions too often result in tax hikes because they do not include statewide funding mechanisms to pay for the directives to counties.”

Many state mandated programs end up costing local taxpayers, particularly in the areas of indigent health services and judicial costs.

Donley County officials say indigent defense expenses, incurred when the county is required to pay attorneys’ fees for economically disadvantaged criminal defendants, are the most costly to local taxpayers. Treasurer Becky Jackson says the county spent $16,214 on indigent defense in the last fiscal year, of which less than 21 percent was reimbursed by the state.

While Tuesday’s vote is not for or against an amendment at this time, it will bring the issue to the attention of the Legislature, Hall said.

“This is just a step toward the future to not allow them to do this anymore.”

Clarendon’s Cub Scouts celebrated more than 50 years of history last Tuesday when Pack 437 held its annual Blue & Gold Banquet in the Bairfield Activity Center.

Memorabilia from the past half century of local Cub Scouting was on display, and many of the pack’s former leaders were in attendance.

Olympic gold medalist Brandon Slay of Amarillo was the guest speaker for the evening. Slay, who wrestled in the 2000 games in Australia, focused on keys to success and encouraged the boys to use their God-given talents to achieve their goals.

The highlight of the evening was when nine boys received Cub Scouting’s highest award and were welcomed into Boy Scout Troop 433.

Webelos Scouts James Allmond, Billy Ceniceros, J.T. Christopher, R.J. Floyd, Jesus Hernandez, Zack Rattan, McCullough Roach, Derrick Shelton, and Brett Strange received the Arrow of Light and were given handmade Honor Arrows to commemorate the event. Scoutmaster James Thomas also presented the boys with their Boy Scout neckerchiefs and slides.

The Arrow of Light is the only Cub Scout award that can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform.

Webelos Den Mother Kristy Christopher was recognized with a plaque for her efforts. This was Christopher’s second den that she led to the Arrow of Light.

Others recognized during the banquet were the governing committee of Pack 437 – Allen and Helen Estlack and Tommie Saye, and the pack sponsor, the First United Methodist Church and Pastor James Ivey Edwards. Also recognized were current and former leaders and former Cubs who contributed to the pack’s history and success.

Representatives from the Golden Spread Council presented Cubmaster Tom Roach with a 50-year emblem for the pack flag, a letter of recognition from US Rep. Mac Thornberry, and a letter and Texas flag from State Rep. Warren Chisum.

The banquet was sponsored by Community Bank, the Donley County State Bank, Herring National Bank, James T. Shelton – Attorney, Knorpp Insurance Agency, Mike’s Pharmacy, and Security Abstract Company. Volunteers helping make the evening a success included Karla Devin, Cheri Floyd, Polly McAfee, Annie Roach, Kelly Hill, Gwen Barker, and many others.
“The game was much closer than the score revealed,” said Coach Wade Scott.  “We gave up too many 3-pointers and then had to foul at the end to have a chance at the win.”

Scott is excited about the remaining games on their schedule. 

“We play Midland Thursday night at home.  It’ll be a big game for us, and it’s our sophomores last home game as Lady Bulldogs.”

Scoring were Justice 31, Lyttle 19, Chavez 10, Audain 4, Nidia Garcia 4, and Davis 3.

Watching the Lady Bulldogs play ball is a real treat. Make it a part of your Thursday evening to catch both the men’s and women’s games.  The Lady Bulldogs begin at 5:50 p.m.

By Tyler Lewis, FFA Chapter Reporter

With half the show season left, Clarendon FFA members are having success at the major shows.

Recently at the Fort Worth Livestock Show, Ashley Petty placed 9th in middleweight Cross barrows, and Dustin Willyard placed 16th in heavyweight Black O.P.B. barrows. These two exhibitors received premiums for their efforts.

This past week, eight Ag Mechanics students traveled to San Antonio to compete in the San Antonio Livestock Show – Ag Mechanics Project Show.

J.C. Blackburn received a blue ribbon for his Welding Trailer, and Joaenea Horn received a blue ribbon for her Farrowing Crate. Anndria Kidd, Kimberly Tolbert, and Tim Sanchez received a blue ribbon and placed 3rd in “Other Livestock Equipment” class with their A.I. Preparation Station. Dusty Martindale received a blue ribbon and placed 4th in “Other Livestock Equipment” class with his Fencing Equipment Set.

The projects that placed were awarded several tools and prizes to the exhibitors for their efforts. There were over 400 Ag Mechanics projects competing at this year’s show.

“This year the Ag Mechanics Committee really stepped up the quality of their show,” Wheelus said. “They implemented a scholarship program where they give $1000 and $2000 scholarships to class winners and division winners. They gave over $46,000 in scholarships this first year.

“This really adds to the ag mechanics program. Now, not only do these students learn skills, showmanship, and sportsmanship and build character; but now they have an opportunity to win scholarships where before their prizes were tools and small premiums, trophies, and ribbons. Those are nice to have, but the opportunity to gain extended education is priceless in today’s world.”

Clarendon FFA will have students traveling to San Angelo and Houston in the next couple of weeks. They will be competing in Market Barrows, Commercial Steers, and Judging Team competitions.

Only eleven Donley County residents showed up for a public hearing Monday night to discuss possible routes for the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor, but that’s actually a good turnout, state officials say.

The local citizens, made up mostly of Howardwick city officials and members of the Commissioners’ Court, represented the largest attendance the Texas Department of Transportation’s Childress District office has had out of ten public hearings, according to District Engineer Terry Keener.

The Trans-Texas Corridor is a conceptual network of roads, rails, and utility lines that will move goods, services, and information around the state faster and safer than ever before. The idea includes separate lanes for cars and trucks with travel speeds of up to 85 mph and high-speed freight and passenger rail services.

The corridor pathways would completely bypass urban centers to relieve traffic congestion and make travel times more reliable. The corridor, which could take up to 50 years to complete, would be paid for with a combination of bonds and private financing, which in turn would be recouped by the collection of tolls.

While all traffic on the corridor would be subject to tolls, TxDOT officials stressed that the state would still maintain its current highway system as it is today and that travelers would always have a “free” alternative route.

“It’s important to realize that US 287 is not going to go away,” Keener said. “It will still be here.”

The corridor concept calls for limited connections to the existing transportation network with exit ramps every 10 to 20 miles. No businesses will be permitted to be in the rights of way of the corridor.

Local officials raised concerns about the impact such a corridor would have on rural economies, and district TxDOT officials said they understood that concern.

It was also mentioned that decreased travel times might actually encourage people to move from urban areas to live in rural areas. That is a trend that is already being seen around the country.

The population of Texas is expected to double in the next 20 years, and Keener said there may come a point where the increased traffic on current highways becomes a safety issue that outweighs the economic benefit of that traffic to a local community.

Implementation of the Trans-Texas Corridor is still many years away, and the current round of hearings is being used as a starting point to determine the feasibility of, desirability of, and routes for the corridor.

While no final routes have been chosen for the corridor, a conceptual map prepared by the state shows two possible corridor pathways through the Texas Panhandle. One parallels US 287, and another parallels I-27.

Two more public hearings are scheduled later this week in the Childress District. The first will be on February 26 at the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, and the second will be February 27 at the Bura Handley Community Building in Wellington. Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Barbara Seal at  940/937-7145.

District Attorney Stuart Messer released his annual report for 2003 this week.

Messer prosecuted 330 felony cases involving 279 defendants in the 100th Judicial District, which includes Donley, Carson, Childress, Collingsworth, and Hall counties.

Judge David McCoy assessed fines in these cases totaling $666,866 and ordered court costs of $91,630.25. The DA’s office reports that McCoy also ordered restitution to be paid to a variety of victims in the total amount of $858,543,23.

In addition to the fines and restitution, 83 people – thirty percent of all defendants prosecuted in 2003 – were sent to prison for a total term of imprisonment of 834 years.

“2003 was a busy year for law enforcement in the district,” Messer said. “Without all the hard work every law enforcement official gives this district, we could not have successfully solved and prosecuted such a large number of cases.”

In Donley County, the total fines assessed against 50 defendants totaled $93,000, and restitution orders in those cases totaled $764,042.52. Sixty felony cases were resolved in Donley County in 2003, resulting in successful prosecution on all matters. Twenty-four of those cases involved drug prosecutions.

“I know Sheriff Blackburn is having a positive impact on the possession and use of illegal drugs in our community,” Messer said. “Drug use continues to be a major factor in nearly all the criminal cases I see, and it is gratifying to play a small part in the eradication of drugs in Donley County.”

2003 Saints’ Roost Award winner Susie Shields.
 
Susie Shields received the 2003 Saints’ Roost Award when the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet Saturday night in the Bairfield Activity Center.

Stan Shelton and Pat McAnear also received top honors as Man of the Year and Woman of the Year.

Shields received the chamber’s highest honor because of the quiet spirit, open heart, endless energy, and strong faith that have allowed her to give back to this community.

She grew up in Bailey County and graduated from Bula High School before moving to Donley County to play basketball for Clarendon College. She and her husband, Earl, were married in the Lelia Lake Church of Christ, and together they have raised four children and farmed for the past 47 years. She spent 25 years as a cotton buyer, trying to get the best prices for farmers and their families.

Shields has served her community tirelessly and has been active in the American Cancer Society, the Hedley Lioness Club, the Clarendon College Ex-Students Association, and the Church of Christ.

Shields has continually supported better education in Donley County. In 1982, she was the first woman elected to the Clarendon School Board, and she served there for nine years. In 1993, she became the first woman appointed to the Clarendon College Board of Regents, a position she still holds.

 
2003 Man of the Year

Stan Shelton.
 
The 2003 Man of the Year was praised for his service to the youth of Donley County. Stan Shelton has coached Peewee football for four years and has been very active in the Little Dribblers program, serving both as a coach and as a member of several committees.

He is probably best known for his work with spring sports. He was instrumental in getting baseball and softball programs added to the curriculum at Clarendon High School. With the help of the City of Clarendon, he has managed to have the grass at Hart-Moore Field and McClelland Field mowed, marked, and ready for Saturday morning games. He has umpired when needed and coached more teams than can be counted. He has operated the Little League concession stand and cooked probably thousands of hamburgers for local sports programs.

Those parents whose children have been on his teams know that it is never too hot or too cold or too late to play ball. They know a little rain never hurt anyone and practice will always be 30 minutes longer than scheduled.

 
2003 Woman of the Year 

Pat McAnear.
 
The 2003 Woman of the Year was described as a servant. She serves all those around her with much love and caring. Pat McAnear’s entire life has been one of giving and sharing to those around her.

Since the day Pat married her husband almost 44 years ago, she has been a devoted and faithful wife. In the same manner, this woman has cared for and loved her five children and 16 grandchildren.

For many years, Pat worked at the Medical Center Nursing Home giving love and care to the many residents there. Never would she neglect or halfway take care of a resident.

After working at the nursing home, she went into home health care for the elderly. Each day you can find Pat calling or going by to check on friends, buying groceries for someone, ordering or picking up medicine, taking a favorite food to someone, cleaning house for or providing health needs to someone. Pat has even set aside every Tuesday in her schedule for the purpose of taking others to Amarillo for shopping or doctors’ appointments.

Pat and her husband are charter members at the Community Fellowship church, where she sings in the choir and serves on the kitchen committee.

Other awards presented at Saturday’s banquet included the Pioneer Man and Woman of the Year and the Young Men and Women of the Year.

Lloyd Benson was named the Pioneer Man of the Year. Most of Lloyd’s life has been spent in the Donley County area. Lloyd and his brother C.L. operated Benson Brothers Farming in Hall County for several years. Later, he and his son Bernie became partners in land leasing and the cattle business. Hunting, fishing, horses, cattle and working the land occupied Lloyd’s time throughout the years, in addition to football, of which he is still a knowledgeable, avid fan. He currently continues another of his pastimes…reading. Lloyd remains active doing his own yard work and still, occasionally, checks and supervises his farm areas in Donley, Hall, and Armstrong.

The Pioneer Woman of the Year was Gladys Sawyer. Gladys spent most of her “growing up” years in Tucson with her father and mother and two older brothers. At the age of 19, she met and married Ernest Metcalf from Pampa. She and Ernest lived in Hereford and then moved to Raton, New Mexico. After they returned to Hereford, Ernest died in an accident in 1951. In 1956, Gladys married Forrest Sawyer who farmed, ranched, and had lived his complete life in Donley County. They were happily married until his death in 1994. Gladys was always active in the Methodist Church and participated in Clarendon’s civic clubs. She also enjoyed cooking, especially baking, and a lot of her pleasure in this area was sharing her goodies with others. She loved gardening and still worked in her yard until a few years before she took up residence in Clarendon’s Medical Center Nursing Home where she currently resides.

The Young Woman of the Year from Clarendon High School was Sandra Ramirez. Sandra has been in the Untied States of America since October 2, 2000. She was enrolled in Clarendon CISD with little understanding of the English language. Sandra is a member of the National Honor Society and has been selected to the President’s Education Awards Program for Academic Excellence for two years, and received the Recognition of Academic Accomplishment in English II. Sandra also attended the At Larenzo de Zavala summer camp, where she was selected as a Senate member. Sandra wants to pursue a career in nursing and will be attending West Texas A&M University. She also aspires to learn and speak the English language correctly and wants to be a person who helps her family and community.

Drew Sell was named to Young Man of the Year from Clarendon High School. Drew is a well-rounded individual. He is involved in several service programs including clothing drives, paper recycling, and the Adopt a Highway program and has received numerous awards. Drew is a member of the National Honor Society, Who’s Who among American High School students, was elected to the Student Council and has received the honor of being an All-District Receiver. Drew plans to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University.

The Young Woman of the Year from Hedley High School is Treva Rowland. She has been involved in many aspects of her school and community. Treva has received many honors including the Teachers Honor Effort Award for two years, Girl Scouts Gold Award, FFA Greenhand Award, Pantex Excellence in Mathematics, and also is a State Qualifier Honorable Mention recipient. Treva is also a member of the National Honor Society. She has been very involved in her community helping to paint and fix up the Howardwick Community Cellar, the National Honor Society food and Christmas drive, cake walk for Rowe Cemetery, and the One Day Daycamp for Girl Scouts. Treva’s aspiration is to major in Sports Medicine at either Texas Tech or College of the Ozarks and become a therapist.

Joe Patterson was named the Young Man of the Year from Hedley High School. He not only has an impressive list of accomplishments, but also family values. He plans to attend college in Weatherford, Oklahoma, where he wants to study to become a veterinarian. Joe has received numerous honors in High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society, class vice-president for four years, FFA Greenhand Award, and the FFA Starhand Award. Joe is also very busy with his community endeavors. He has helped with food drives, the Christmas angels, cake walk for Rowe Cemetery, collected prizes for the Senior Citizens Banquet, and built pens for the stock show.

The featured speaker for the evening was Seth Davidson, who spoke on how “tourism follows toilets,” referring to ways the new Safety Rest Areas in Donley County can provide a tool to pull more visitors and dollars into the local economy.

Gary Alan Bruce provided musical entertainment.

Greg Henry will serve the chamber again as president. Terry Askew, Bobbie Thornberry, Vickie Robertson, and Jim Blackerby are retiring from the board. Incoming chamber directors are Jim Shadle, Tessie Robinson, Teresa Dronzek, and Rhonda Shaw.

An estimated 180 people attended the banquet, down from 215 last year.  This year’s banquet was sponsored by B&R Thriftway, Clarendon College, Greenbelt Electric Cooperative, Robertson Funeral Directors, Suna AutoMall, Crow Hollow Feed Yard, Dairy Queen, Don Stone Signs, Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems, and GreenLight Gas.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District will limit the annual decline in the Ogallala Aquifer to 1.25 percent of 1998 levels to enforce its 50/50 Depletion Rule, according to the final draft of new operating rules released for public comment by the District this week.

The 1.25 percent allowable decline will serve as a trigger mechanism for the 50/50 Rule implementation, which says at least 50 percent of the aquifer’s saturated thickness must be left in 50 years, starting in 1998.

For the first time the District plans to require a drilling permit on land tracts smaller than 10 acres. This permit gives the District an opportunity to inform the public of the estimated available water in their area.

The District invites written comments and telephone calls on the Final Draft Rules for 30 days ending March 16, when they are expected to be adopted by the Board.

A public hearing to consider adoption of the rules will be held the morning of March 24, 2004. The new rules will take effect upon final adoption by the Board.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen last Tuesday narrowly approved the final engineering report for renovations to be done at the municipal airport.

Dwight Brandt of Brandt Engineering presented the report for the project, 90 percent of which will be paid for with a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.

Brandt’s initial estimate for the work was $831,000; but he said with the city doing some of the work and by eliminating certain items from the project, he believed the job could be done within the $795,000 budget set by TxDOT.

Alderman Janice Knorpp moved, seconded by Alderman Bobbie Kidd, to approve the report.

Alderman Michael Tibbets restated his opposition to the project, but said he would vote for approval of the report if doing otherwise would make the city look bad in the eyes of potential bidders. Brandt said this particular vote would have no impact on the bidders.

Tibbets and Alderman Tommy Hill voted “no,” and Mayor Tex Selvidge broke the tie by voting for the measure. (Alderman Mark White was absent.)

The board also considered a budget amendment for the city portion of the airport grant. Knorpp and Kidd voted in favor, Tibbets and Hill voted against, and Mayor Selvidge again broke the tie, voting in favor of the amendment.

In other city business, the board voted to order an election to be held on May 15, 2004, for the purpose of electing three aldermen. The terms of Aldermen Hill, Knorpp, and White are expiring.

A resolution was adopted calling for the City of Clarendon to comply with the GASB Statement 34 accounting rules. GASB 34 requires the city to include the original cost of fixed assets in the statement of net assets as part of the government wide financial statements for the 2003-2004 fiscal year. The city administrator will serve as the team leader for implementing this change with the city secretary, municipal judge, and city superintendent as team members.

Implementing GASB 34 is not mandatory, but it will be necessary if the city is to successfully apply for future government grants.

Aldermen voted in favor of allowing HOWCO to prepare the city’s 2005-2006 Texas Community Development Program Application.

Clarendon Economic Development Corporation President Will Thompson gave a brief report on the activities of the CEDC over the last year and discussed the CEDC’s new goal of trying to help as many businesses as possible through infrastructure improvements.

Alderman Tibbets told Thompson the CEDC appeared to be doing a good job and expressed the support of the board for the CEDC’s goal.

“I can say that every one of us on this council is in favor of growth for Clarendon,” Tibbets said. “If that were not the case, we would not be on this board.”