News

A helpful tip from a citizen led to the arrests of two men after the February 12 break-in of a local business.

Daniel Curry, 20, and Andrew Winkle, 20, both of Clarendon, were arrested on February 12 and arraigned on February 13 by County Judge Jack Hall. The two were charged with burglary of a building. Bond was set at $10,000.

Winkle posted bond and was released February 13. Curry was still being held in the Donley County Jail at press time.

At 7:50 a.m. last Thursday morning, the Donley County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a burglary at Kidd’s Texaco, located at US 287 and Jefferson Street in Clarendon.

The burglary was investigated by the sheriff’s department that morning, and two subjects were arrested at 10:00 a.m. Following the arrest, all but about $27 of the stolen money was recovered.

“One reason this case was cleared up so quickly was because of citizens being observant and contacting us,” Sheriff Butch Blackburn said.

In other news, Blackburn is asking citizens for any information regarding a car stolen from 402 S. Taylor St.

The Sheriff’s Department received the report from Nancy Dunn that someone had stolen her 2001 tan Ford Explorer Sport from in front of her house February 10. The vehicle was recovered two days later on February 12, at about 6:00 a.m. on Bugbee Ave. in Clarendon.

Traveling to distant communities for dental services will soon be a thing of the past for residents of Donley County.

Dr. Richard Sheppard formally announced Friday his intention to open a practice in Clarendon in mid-March of this year.

“I think there is a pent up demand here [for dental services],” Sheppard said, noting that there isn’t currently a full time dentist between Quanah and Amarillo.

Sheppard will do general family dentistry and some orthodontic work such as braces. He does not perform orthodontic surgeries or wisdom teeth extractions.

The doctor, who currently lives in Booker, has been meeting with local civic leaders and officials with the Donley County Hospital District for the last couple of months. His practice will be open here three days a week – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; and he anticipates ultimately employing three people here on those days.

Sheppard’s practice will be located in the Community Services Building, which is located east of the Associated Ambulance Authority Building on the Medical Center Campus. A 60-month agreement, which goes into effect March 1, has been signed with the district.

“The hospital district has been excellent to work with and very supportive,” Sheppard said. “It seemed to fit with their plans to provide services here.”

The hospital district agreed to renovate office space formerly used by a physical therapist up to a cost of $2 per square foot. Sheppard is responsible for buying the equipment for the office and having it installed. The equipment is on order now.

District Administrator Alan Graham said he and the board are pleased to have Dr. Sheppard coming to town.

“It’s not only an asset to our community, but it will also hopefully bring people into town for his services and possibly other services,” Graham said. “He is making a major commitment.”

Sheppard, who grew up in Dallas, has been practicing dentistry for 26 years. He was educated at the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas and worked in Hereford and Perryton before moving to Booker in 1992.  He and his wife, Donna, have two children – a 26-year-old daughter, who lives in New York, and a 17-year-old son, who is a junior in Booker.

Sheppard has rented an apartment in Clarendon but will maintain his residence his Booker for the time being. The doctor, who has a passion for aviation, said he chose to come to Clarendon because of the presence of the municipal airport here because it makes the 120-mile commute from Booker only a 40-minute trip.

Sheppard anticipates the local practice could grow to become a full time office.

“I don’t know how I’ll manage it,” he said. “I’m just going to have to go where it leads me.”

The doctor’s working philosophy is to have commitment to preventive care to solve small problems before they become big problems, and he is encouraging local citizens to set up an appointment as soon as he opens.

“Dentistry is only fun when there is a good relationship between doctor and patient,” he said. “Come in and get your teeth cleaned, and let’s get to know each other.”

A letter from the Medical Center Nursing Home to families of its residents has caused some confusion, but MCNH officials say nothing is really changing in the way they serve those in their care.

The letter, signed by Donley County Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham, says that effective January 26, 2004, MCNH residents will be charged 36¢ per mile plus hourly labor charges for transportation to special events.

The letter fails to specify that “special events” refers to weddings, family reunions, graduations, or other private special events which are not sponsored by the nursing home. Transportation to and from events sponsored by MCNH will not be subject to extra charges.

Graham said he probably should have clarified that point in the letter, but he said the new policy is not much different from the old one, which charged a flat rate for use of the MCNH bus and relied on residents’ families to pay a gratuity to the employee accompanying the resident. 

The charges are necessary to cover the costs of fuel and maintenance on the MCNH bus and to fairly compensate any staff who were otherwise volunteering their time for residents’ private special events.

The confusion of the January 26 letter also generated some comments around town that the nursing home had decided to abandon its Family Night activities and other special events for residents, their families, and the public. This is also incorrect.

The hospital board did discuss those activities late last year, but they decided at their November meeting to continue those events by a 6-1 vote (board member Alan Fletcher opposed).

Graham said only a few people had called him about the January 26 letter to ask for clarifications. He said he believes the hospital district is moving forward and said many good things are happening.

“I’m working closely with the board to take the district in a positive direction,” he said. “We may not all always agree, but we can agree to disagree and go on. It’s a team effort.

“Ultimately, the residents of Medical Center Nursing Home are our chief concern, and we are all responsible to the citizens of Donley County.”

Seven local governments will begin taking applications for candidates February 14 and continue through March 15, 2004.

The City of Clarendon this year will hold an election for three aldermen’s positions, which are currently held by Tommy Hill, Janice Knorpp, and Mark White. Aldermen serve two-year terms.

Howardwick also has three aldermen whose terms are expiring. They are Bobby Murdock, Donald Holladay, and Sam Grider.

Hedley citizens will elect a mayor and two aldermen. Those two-year positions are currently held by Mayor Janie Hill, Terry Stevens, and Leon Ward.

On the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees, the three-year terms of Marvin Thompson, Reneé Betts, and Jim Shelton are expiring.

The terms of Jan Farris, Jason Sargent, and Marlee Sharp are up on the Hedley ISD Board of Trustees. HISD board members also serve three-year terms.

Voters in the Clarendon College District will choose three members for the Board of Regents for six-year terms. Those seats are currently held by Susie Shields, Ruth Robinson, and Charles Deyhle, Sr.

Four members of the Donley County Hospital District Board have terms expiring this year. Those members are Place 4 – Jerry May, Place 5 – Carolyn Moffett, Place 6 – Onita Thomas, and Place 7 – Jim Douglas. Hospital board members serve two-year terms.

All local board members are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place. Prospective candidates can inquire about signing up at the administrative offices of the entity they are interested in serving.

This year’s elections will be held Saturday, May 15, 2004.

By Anna Burchell, Childress Index

The advantages of a ten-county regional organization in promoting state representation and economic opportunities were discussed during a January 28 meet at Childress’ Fair Park Auditorium.

Childress County Judge Jay Mayden and Childress Mayor Pat Steed emphasized the importance of a group to “pull in population numbers for representation in Austin and implement regional projects beneficial to the entire area.”

Officials from Clarendon, Wellington, Memphis, Paducah, Quanah, Hollis, Matador, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Crowell, and Childress were in attendance.

“It is our belief that if we want our region to prosper and grow, it is going to take all of us working together to make it happen,” Childress City Manager Jerry Cummins said. “Combining our efforts gives us a much stronger voice in expressing to others what we are trying to accomplish.”

The ten counties – Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Donley, Foard, Hall, Hardeman, and Motley in Texas and Harmon in Oklahoma – have combined population of 33,252, which is down 1.5 percent from 33,747 in 1990.

Individually, county population numbers range from 1,426 to 7,688, which shows that no one county has the numbers to impress state and national candidates but together the numbers are significant.

Only two of the ten counties – Childress and Donley – show a population increase. Childress County is at 7,688, up 29.1 percent over the 1990 census; and Donley is 3,828, up 3.6 percent.

Cummins prepared a list of state committees on which appointments are scheduled and suggested that each county or city look at its people and submit names to be forwarded to State. Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) and State Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) as potential nominations.

“This isn’t just a Childress project,” Mayden said. “We want representation from our area.”

Daily traffic counts on major highways US 287 and US 83 are “the bread and butter for our economy,” officials said. The 2002 daily count on US 287 was 12,700, which is projected to increase to 18,500 in 2023. The count on US 83 is expected to increase from 4,200 per day in 2002 to 6,100 per day in 2023.

“If something good happens in Wellington, Quanah, Clarendon, etc., it’s good for all of us,” Steed said, who called attention to the state’s new “Texas, Yes!” program. “We could, under this program, regionalize our efforts to promote the area.”

Discussions also centered on the region’s common interests: state committee appointments, recreation, hunting, fishing, bird watching, fire protection, emergency management, and business development.

Childress officials discussed use of their radio system to help the area during natural disasters, the availability of their landfill to regional communities, and opportunities provided by business incubators.

“We want to work together,” said Childress Economic Development Director Larry Norton.

Local representatives attending the meeting were Donley County Judge Jack Hall and Clarendon City Administrator Sean Pate.

The regional group will meet again February 18 in Childress.

WASHINGTON – Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey today announced the release of nearly $1.5 billion in funding for conservation programs on working lands this fiscal year.  The distribution of funds to states makes conservation programs administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service operational.

“These funds demonstrate the Bush Administration’s commitment to working lands and to maintaining high environmental stewardship in communities across the nation,” Rey said. “The Department of Agriculture remains committed to providing the conservation tools and resources to ensure that the land remains both healthy and productive.”

With financial and technical assistance from NRCS, farmers, ranchers, and other landowners will continue to address resource concerns on agricultural working lands, promote environmental quality, address challenges in water quality and quantity, protect prime farmland and grazing land, and protect valuable wetland ecosystems and wildlife habitat on private lands.

The FY 2004 allocations to states include $1.2 billion in financial assistance and $305 million for technical assistance for NRCS Farm Bill programs and other activities.  At least $30 million of the technical assistance funds will be used for technical service providers. 

“This funding will provide positive applications of sound conservation on the ground – at the local level – on America’s privately-owned farms and ranches,” Rey said.

Now that these funds have been allocated, NRCS state offices will begin writing contracts with farmers and ranchers nationwide.  These contracts will help ease the existing backlog in these popular programs improving soil, water, air, and at-risk habitat on working lands.

Information on conservation programs is available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/products.html.  Landowners who want specific information regarding program participation should contact their local USDA Service Center or NRCS office, located at http://offices.usda.gov or in the telephone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

By Ashlee Kidd & Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Imagine you are having a heart attack, someone calls 911 for help, but the ambulance looks for you in a completely different town. That’s exactly what can happen if you make that call from a cellular phone.

Callers using cell phones to contact 911 need to be aware that calls may not be reaching the 911 operator nearest them.

According to the sheriff’s department, cellular 911 calls go to the first available tower, not necessarily to the nearest 911 dispatcher. Calls come into the Donley County dispatcher from Canadian, Shamrock, Wheeler, and Memphis; and cellular calls made from Clarendon have been received by 911 operators as far away as Briscoe County and Hall County.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn says the problem is particularly bad when it comes to residential cellular or so-called “box phones,” which do not provide dispatchers with the same information as landline phones.

“When you call us on a landline, our computer gives us your name and address,” Blackburn said. For rural residents, the computer also produces a map pinpointing the location of your home.  The same information is not available with a residential cellular phone.

“A lot of people have these now because they are so cheap compared to landlines,” the sheriff said, “but people need to be aware there is a reason the price is so low. You don’t get the same service.”

Blackburn said not being able to locate a caller can be a big problem with kids, who are taught to call 911 but are not taught where they are.

“People need to spend 20 minutes with their kids and teach them – particularly if they have a residential cell phone. Do they know their phone number? Do they know what town they are in? Do they know their address and their parents’ names?”

“Knowing this information could save the kids’ lives or their parents’ lives,” he said.

In order to guarantee a quick response from emergency personnel, the sheriff’s department advises that a caller should always identify what town they are in and where they are.

If on the road, the caller should be aware of where on the road they are. Be aware of mile markers and road signs and know your license plate number and the color, make, and model of your car.

“It could be the difference in us getting there or not,” Blackburn said.

Clarendon Aldermen cleared the way for an assisted living center to be built here last Tuesday by changing the zoning restrictions for residential areas.

The board voted unanimously to amend Ordinance 207 to allow state licensed assisted living facilities in the R1 and R2 districts.

The change follows a request by Sue Leeper to build a 16-bed center on three lots adjacent to her home on Taylor Street. Under the previous rules, such a facility could not be built on Leeper’s property, which falls in the R1 district.

In a second public hearing on the issue last week, city officials read a letter from two citizens opposed to the zoning change, and one citizen appeared in person to speak against the amendment.

Jim and Mary Douglas wrote that they understood Clarendon’s need for an assisted living center but that they felt the R1 district should remain residential only for fear of the city losing the ability to attract new homeowners.

Alan Graham addressed the board and asked if any studies had been done with regards to the impact an assisted living center would have on traffic and utilities in Leeper’s neighborhood.

“The streets need repair,” he said. “I bet you can count 30 potholes just in front of my house.”

Graham, who is the administrator of the Donley County Hospital District, said he also understands the need for an assisted living center but recalled that Leeper was on the hospital board when it created a 5-year plan in 1999, which included having assisted living facilities on the Medical Center campus.

He asked why she didn’t consider a location near the Medical Center, which is already zoned for assisted living facilities. Leeper replied that she needed it to be near her home.

Other questions raised during the public hearing focused on the appearance and construction of Leeper’s proposed building, which is still in the design stages. City Administrator Sean Pate said these issues would be addressed when Leeper applies for a building permit.

When constructed, Leeper said her Country Cottage Assisted Living Center will employ six to eight full time employees.

In other city business, aldermen heard from Willard Skelton, who addressed lighting needs for the Saints’ Roost Museum’s annual gun show at the Clarendon Community Center. Aldermen agreed to use $200 from the motel bed tax fund for this purpose.

Audit reports for the City of Clarendon and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation were presented by Gordon Maddox and approved by the board. Alderman Michael Tibbets asked CEDC representatives to explain the expenditure of $65,548 for special projects at the next meeting.

The board voted 3-1 to purchase a pickup from Greenbelt Water Authority for use by the street department. Alderman Tommy Hill opposed, and Alderman Bobbie Kidd was absent.

The board discussed authorizing the city administrator as one of two signatures on city checks, but Pate said he did not want to do this. The board instead agreed to have Alderman Janice Knorpp as an authorized co-signer in the case of the unavailability of Mayor Tex Selvidge or Mayor Pro-tem Mark White.

In his administrative report, Pate said the city’s application for a solid waste grant through the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission was successful. The city will receive full funding in the amount of $8,000 to construct a 16’x30’ metal building near the recycling center.

Pate also said that RCI Technologies had completed the inventory of city property for the new GASB-34 accounting requirements with the exception of dating the city’s radio tower on the west side of town. It was believed to have been built in the late 1960s, but no evidence of it could be found in records from that time. City officials will now look at later records after Alderman White recalled putting his handprints in the wet concrete at the tower as a kid in about 1973.

Fifteen CHS students competed in the West Texas UIL Academic Invitational on January 17.

Students who placed include Carmen Hamilton, sixth in Spelling; Shanna Shelton, fifth in Literary Criticism; Stephanie Fowler, second in News writing; Jamie Simmons, eighth in Social Studies; Joaenea Horn, fourth in Ready Writing, and Tim Sears, sixth in Ready Writing.

This meet was the first practice for these academic competitors. They will travel to Canadian on February 14 for another invitational.

Donley County’s new agriculture agent has settled in and is encouraging local residents to call on his office to take advantage of the services of the Texas Cooperative Extension.

Leonard Haynes started work January 1 in the Cooperative Extension’s new office, which is located on Kearney Street behind the Post Office next to Panhandle Community Services.

The new agent says he stands ready to help local producers with their crop questions, and he also is urging people to call his office if they have any lawn or garden questions.

Haynes has already been busy working with the Donley County Junior Livestock Show and Auction last month and says he hopes to build more interest in the 4-H and youth development programs.

“I want to build that program back to where it should be,” Haynes said. “I’d like to see about 100 kids in there, whether its in livestock projects or consumer science programs.”

Haynes transferred from Liberty County, where he served three years as the 4-H and youth development agent.  He served a year as assistant agent before being promoted into the 4-H position. 

Haynes earned the New Agents Award presented by his peers in the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association in 2002. 

He was a member of the team recognized with the TCAAA Excellence in 4-H Club Support earlier this year.

 “Leonard will be a great asset to our district, where he will be leading educational programming with clientele throughout the county,” said Donna Brauchi, regional program administrator in the Panhandle.

In Liberty County, Haynes conducted innovative education programs involving 4-H, developing new materials and resources for youth and volunteer training emphasis. His service included contributions in youth education and skills development efforts and in the activities involving club management, judging contests, and newsletters for members and managers.

In addition to getting ready for stock shows in San Antonio and Houston, Haynes is busy making plans for two events in March – the Texas Community Future Forum and the Northwest Texas Ag Conference, the latter of which will offer seven CEUs for pesticide applicators licenses.

The agent holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science education from Texas A&M University.  Haynes is a member of the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association and Texas Association of Extension 4-H Agents.   

Haynes is a native of Johnson City.  He is married to Ronda, a Spearman native and registered nurse.  

Donley County still has a vacancy in its family consumer agent’s position, which Haynes said the Extension hopes to fill soon.

The local Extension office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed for lunch. Sue Howard serves the office part time, and Haynes is asking folks to just leave a message if no one is there.