News

For the third year in a row The Clarendon Enterprise has won the right to the title of the best small weekly newspaper in West Texas, following the results of the West Texas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

The Sweepstakes Award was presented to the Enterprise during the WTPA’s 73rd annual convention in Lubbock last Saturday. The local paper received two first place plaques, one second place certificate, one third place certificate, and two fourth place certificates in Division D (weeklies with circulations of 1,800 and below).

The Enterprise received first place in the General Excellence competition with judges from the Gulf Coast Press Association calling the Clarendon paper “easily the best in the division.” The paper also received first place in News Writing with judges ranking local stories as “excellent” in terms of reader impact and reader interest.

Second place honors were awarded to the Enterprise for Photography, Christi Ross’ “On The Mark” column garnered third place, and Editor Roger Estlack received fourth place for his editorials. Ads produced by the Enterprise staff also received fourth place.

Honorable Mention was given to the Enterprise in Sports Writing for its wide coverage of sub-varsity teams.

Sweepstakes is awarded based on an accumulation of points for each first, second, and third place win. The Enterprise won the award last year and tied with the Albany News for Sweepstakes in 2001. The local paper will not compete in the WTPA contest next year since Estlack and his staff will be responsible for conducting the competition.

As a member of the WTPA Board, Estlack helped with the presentation of awards in Lubbock. Copy Editor Helen Estlack accepted the plaques on the Enterprise’s behalf.  Allen Estlack also attended the convention and represented the local paper.

The City of Clarendon’s intention to fund a comprehensive paving plan was stalled Monday when a petition was delivered to City Hall.

The petition, bearing the valid signatures of 122 citizens and delivered by Don Smith, effectively halts the issuance of $2.5 million in certificates of obligation until an election can be held on the matter.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark White said he thinks the streets must be a priority despite the petition.

“The number one complaint I get is about the streets, and I’m right there with them,” White said. “I still feel like the plan is necessary. We’re using a professional engineer to design this plan, we intended to have paving professionals do the work, and we’re looking to the future with respect to maintenance.”

According to Vince Viaille with First Southwest Company, a financial advisor for the city, an election must be held during the state’s General Election, which this year will be on September 13.

City officials must approve an order calling the election no later than 40 days before the election. A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen will be held next Monday at 7 p.m. for the purpose of accepting the petition and issuing an order to hold an election.

At stake is a plan that would pave and curb an estimated 152 blocks in an effort to improve streets throughout town and get storm water runoff under control.

At press time, city officials were expected to finalize which streets would be included in the plan during Tuesday night’s regular city meeting. When the plan is adopted, The Clarendon Enterprise will publish the entire master plan.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen decided to issue certificates of obligation during a June 25 called meeting. The board voted 4-1 to seek a maximum of $2.5 million.

Alderman Michael Tibbets said at the time that he wanted a lower figure, specifically $2 million, and voted against the measure. His name is one of those appearing on the petition this week.

Viaille said the petition does not keep the city from making plans. City officials can still work on the map of proposed paving, figure the plan’s cost, and determine what level of fees and taxes would need to be set to pay for it.

“This will decide it,” White said of the possibility of an election. “I would like for people to know the facts so we can proceed to improve our town. Then I would encourage every voter to get out and express their view so we know how everyone feels.”

There are 1,237 registered voters in the city. The number of signatures on the petition represents less than 10 percent of that number, but more than the five percent needed to force an election.

For nearly three decades, sessions of the Donley County Commissioners’ Court have been held in the Courthouse Annex, but come next Monday that will all change.

A called session of the court will be held July 21 in the Commissioners Courtroom of the newly renovated 1890 Courthouse, and it will mark the first return of official functions to the building since it was vacated in 2000.

The commissioners’ court has met in the Courthouse Annex since February 9, 1976.

During the court’s regular session this week, commissioners adopted a resolution to move county and district court proceedings from Clarendon College’s Bairfield Activity Center to the courthouse. The action also moves the civil and criminal proceedings of the Justice of the Peace Court of Precinct 1&2 from an office at 416 S. Kearney to the courthouse.

Commissioners also approved relocating the polling place of ballot box 201 from the Lions Hall to the Courthouse. The first voting in the restored courthouse will take place during a state constitutional amendments election this September.

Other county offices will be moved to the courthouse in the near future.

In other county business this week, the court approved a proposal from Computer Headquarters to relocate computers from the annex to the courthouse.

Voting boxes for the September 13 election were consolidated as follows: Precinct 1 – Bairfield Activity Center, Precinct 2 – Donley County Courthouse, Precinct 3 – Hedley Lions Club, and Precinct 4 – Community Bank.

The court approved receipt of a homeland security grant of $18,459 and a TDH preparedness enhancement grant of $10,500. The TDH grant will connect the county to a Health Alert Network via computers.

Bids were opened for dirtwork to be completed on the approaches to the bridges of Troublesome Creek and Mulberry Creek. No action was taken. The bids will be further considered next week.

The court set July 21 as the date for reviewing budget worksheets.

The director of the Burton Memorial Library announced her resignation this week following a denial from the Clarendon Board of Aldermen to raise her salary and that of her assistant.

Librarian Carolyn Blackerby addressed her concerns with city officials during their regular meeting last Tuesday. The discussion was held in open session at her request.

“Am I worth more than I’m getting?” she asked. “I feel like I am. I feel like I have brought the library up to a standard not met by many libraries in the area.”

Blackerby submitted a comparison of other area library director salaries. Clarendon pays $16,640 per year; Dimmitt pays $19,380; Friona pays $24,000; Stratford pay $21,200; and Tulia pays $19,976.

The aldermen all complimented Blackerby and her staff on the work they do and agreed they are underpaid. But Mayor Tex Selvidge and other board members said salary increases should be addressed in three months when the next city budget is prepared.

Blackerby said she had worked at the city for several years and felt she had waited long enough. She also said that she had known she was underpaid but had only recently become aware of what she saw as the discrepancy in her salary compared to that of other city employees.

Blackerby said the city could use money from the library’s savings account to supplement the salary of her and her assistant until the next budget goes into effect, but Selvidge said he did not think savings should be used for salaries.

Blackerby said she had another job offer and would resign if she did not get a raise.

Alderman Bobbie Kidd moved to raise Blackerby’s salary by $1 per hour and that of her assistant by 25½ cents per hour. The other half of the salary increases would have to be approved by the county commissioners since the library is operated jointly by the city and county. Alderman Tommy Hill seconded the motion. Aldermen Knorpp and Mark White voted “no”, and Selvidge broke the tie with a “no” vote. (Alderman Michael Tibbets was absent.)

The board urged Blackerby to stay on until the new budget was prepared. She said she would consider it, but in a letter dated July 14, 2003, she tendered her resignation.

“I feel the Mayor and the City Council broke the trust I placed in the belief that as a city employee I was to be treated fairly,” she wrote.

Blackerby’s resignation becomes effective July 30.

Donley County Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham pled no contest to a charge of Driving While Intoxicated last Thursday, according to documents filed in the county clerk’s office.

County Judge Jack Hall found Graham guilty, issued a $750 fine, and ordered him to pay $226 in court costs. Hall also handed down a sentence of three days in jail and gave the defendant credit for time served.

Graham was arrested for DWI on March 2 after he responded to an accident as a volunteer driver for the local ambulance service. He has since resigned as a volunteer. A subsequent investigation by the Texas Department of Health, which regulates the ambulance service, took no action against the local service.

County officials declined to comment on the case.

Donley County and the City of Clarendon will receive funds totaling $45,111 as part of the national effort to improve homeland security and emergency preparedness during the War on Terror.

Gov. Rick Perry announced recently that more than 700 local governments will be receiving $84.2 million for anti-terrorism equipment and homeland security planning. Donley County will get $18,459; and the City of Clarendon will be awarded $26,652.

The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), based in College Station at Texas A&M University, sent notices to 733 cities and counties announcing their share of the federal homeland security funding allocated to Texas.

City Administrator Sean Pate said no decision has been made yet on how Clarendon’s grant money will be spent, and County Judge Jack Hall said the county has likewise not made that decision.

“Local leaders and state officials in Texas have developed a regional approach to homeland security that allows us to maximize coordination and resources,” Perry said. “These grants will help our communities purchase decontamination equipment, hazmat suits and other equipment to support their response plans.”

The governor noted that the state’s comprehensive and regional approach to homeland security planning resulted in this federal funding being more widely distributed than previous funding for emergency and first responder services.

“The local governments receiving these grants represent more than 90 percent of the population of Texas,” Perry said. “Our communities have done an excellent job working together to develop comprehensive plans to protect both rural and metropolitan areas.”

In order to qualify for the funding, local jurisdictions had to complete an assessment of risks and needs. The assessments also were used by TEEX and the regional councils of government to help determine the distribution of grant funds.

Local governments will be receiving instructions on allowable purchases under the grant program. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Domestic Preparedness sets guidelines for the program and must approve all equipment purchases made with the grants.

Both Pate and Hall have received notice of a July 30 meeting in Amarillo that will outline proper use of the funds.

An Amarillo girl’s life was cut short last Friday, July 4, when she drowned at Lake Greenbelt.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office received a call at 12:34 p.m. from the Lake Patrol that 4-year-old Brooklyn Allen was missing from where her family was camping on the north side of the dam.

Emergency personnel responded from the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Associated Ambulance Authority, and the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department (CFVD) Rescue Team.

A foot search of the area was conducted, and the girl’s arm floaties and flotation device similar to an inner tube were found washed up on the shore.

Members of the CFVD Dive Team recovered the body of the girl at 1:40 p.m. She was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo where she was pronounced dead at 2:43.

Preliminary results of an autopsy conducted Saturday listed drowning as the cause of death.

It is believed the girl waded into the lake where the bottom falls off sharply.

“You go from a depth of two feet to twelve feet in very short distance,” Blackburn said.

Allen had come to the lake with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, another couple, and a few other children.

No charges have been filed following the accident, but an investigation is ongoing pending final autopsy results.

The 125th anniversary Saints’ Roost Celebration is generally being considered a great success by those organizations who helped put on this year’s festivities.

Typical July weather in the upper 90s was a great difference from last year’s celebration when some two inches of rain fell on the event.

With the courthouse renovation still being wrapped up, City Park was the site of the activities. The Old Settlers Reunion got things started, and Douglas Allee of Waynesboro, VA, received the award for having traveled the greatest distance to be there. Viola Graham and Coy Stevens were the oldest Woman and Man. Stevens also received the award for having lived in Donley County the longest – since 1914.

The Al Morrah Shrine Club served more than 1,000 plates of barbecue. Funds from the barbecue are used in conjunction with the Khiva Temple of the Shrine in Amarillo to help pay for transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals, both of which are Masonic charities operated free of charge.

The Kids Parade saw a total of 36 entries. In the 4-year-old and under division, Raylyn Shelton was first, Hannah Floyd was second, and Richee Tiedeman was third. Evan Jones took first place in the 5- to 8-year-old division, followed by Taylor Perryman and Payge Petrie. And first place in the 9- to 12-year-old division went to Nicholas Tiedeman, Andrew Tiedeman was second, and Cassandra Trevino was third.

The annual July Fourth Parade boasted 58 entries in four divisions this year. The Clarendon High School Cheerleaders’ float won first place in the Float division for the third year in a row. The Hedley Lioness Club was second, and the Shamrock American Legion was third. In the Antique Car division, Henry Like was first with his 1941 Plymouth truck, Ken Carden was second in a 1949 Hudson Commodore, and honorable mention went to Otis Ferris with his 1938 A Model John Deere. The Riding Unit division was won by Boys Ranch with the Khiva Shrine Temple Mule Skinners second and the Donley County Horse Club honorable mention. The Hard Core Ministries’ motorcyclists received first place in the Miscellaneous division. Hinton’s Hay Baling was second, and the Fultons were honorable mention.

The star attraction in the Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo was in no hurry to declare a winner. Instead of getting right with it at 1 p.m., the critter stood around in the hot sun way past 3 p.m. before selecting Markeeta Howard of Clarendon, Teresa Dronzek of Clarendon, and Susan Bratton of Dallas as the winners.

The COEA Ranch Horse Competition was held July 3. Bill Smith won the Open Division, followed by Todd Adams and Bill Smith in second and third. Riley Abbott was first in the Cowboy Division, Steve Lewis was second, and Jim Richardson was third. In the Bronc Riding, Casey Stegall was first, R.D. Horn was second, and Tim Stout and Cody Lewis tied for third.

The COEA Ranch Rodeo was held July 4 and 5 and was very well attended. On Friday, the Parks Ranch team won the Bronc Ride, Matthews/Dorsey won Sorting & Doctoring, the JA’s was first in Cow Milking, and the Upper 6666’s won Team Branding. On Saturday, the Barnes Land & Cattle Co. was first in Bronc Ride, Bar W Ranch was first in Sorting & Doctoring, Rafter S topped the Cow Milking competition, and Jones Ranch won the Team Roping.

The Jones Ranch was first overall, Barnes Land & Cattle Co. was second, the Upper 6666’s was third, and Bar W was fourth. Roady Wilson of the LX Ranch was the Top Hand, and Monty Jones of the Jones Ranch had the Top Horse.

Winners in the Calf Ride were Laxton Lamberson (Thursday), Dustin Crump (Friday), and Tate Stavenhagen (Saturday). Dustin Camp was the overall winner.

Winners in the Steer Ride were Bradley Watson (Thursday), Cody Holowell (Friday), and Matthew Key (Friday). The overall winner was Matthew Key.

The winner of the Saturday Donkey Ride was Kayla Hall, but the name of the winner of the Friday ride was not available. Winners’ names from the Calf Scramble were also not available, but the COEA appreciates all the kids who participated, and the Donley County State Bank for the cash awards and Walco International for the prizes.

Lee Bo Tolbert, Dale Robinson, and Bob Trout were the winners of the COEA’s beef drawings.

Paul Bell won the Shriners’ drawing for a new pair of handmade James Owens boots.

Jennifer Tubbs won the Chamber of Commerce’s drawing for the tickets to the National Finals Rodeo.

The Stick Horse Rodeo sponsored by the Donley County Horse Club on Saturday morning was reportedly very well attended with over 20 kids participating.

Henson’s turtle race had 230 entrants Saturday afternoon, and the top winners were MaRae Hall, Sami Lindsey, Brayden Hawkins, and Jessica Tabor.

An investigation of the Associated Ambulance Authority by the Texas Department of Health (TDH) following the March arrest of ambulance driver for Driving While Intoxicated has resulted in no action by the state.

Officials with the ambulance service, which is operated by the Donley County Hospital District, have received official word from Austin late last week that the case has been closed with no action taken.

“We’re very pleased with their decision,” said authority director Anita Aaron. “We’re looking forward to continuing to provide Donley County with the quality service they have come to expect. We’ve got an outstanding group of people here.”

The TDH investigation was triggered when volunteer ambulance driver Alan Graham was arrested for DWI on March 2 after he responded to an accident. Graham, who is also the administrator of the hospital district, resigned from the volunteer ambulance service. Legal action is still pending against him at press time.

“I’m pleased with the outcome of this investigation,” Graham said Tuesday, “and we are now looking to move forward.”

For more than 100 years the Donley County Courthouse has stood as a sentinel of justice and freedom; and on Friday, July 4, it was rededicated to the service of the people of this county and the Panhandle.

A crowd estimated to number more than 400 assembled on the east side of the courthouse square on the hot July morning as dignitaries from the local, state, and federal governments delivered several speeches on the occasion of the rebirth of the oldest operating courthouse in the Texas Panhandle.

“We picked this day [July 4] because of the freedoms that are housed in this courthouse,” County Judge Jack Hall said in his welcoming remarks. He stressed the important role the 1890 courthouse has played in the lives of local citizens, and that was a theme repeated throughout the morning.

Following the invocation by Commissioner Don Hall and the posting of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 433, State Rep. Warren Chisum led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Dan Hall performed “God Bless the USA” and led the national anthem.

Donley County Historical Commission Chairman Jean Stavenhagen gave a history of the courthouse and spoke of its tie to local citizens.

“Our courthouse is more than steel, stone, and rock,” Stavenhagen said. “It is where life unfolds; it is the essence of all the people who have walked down its halls and worked in its rooms.”

She spoke of the historic cases that were tried within the courthouse walls and of the early records housed there that detail the lives of such legendary figures as Alfred Rowe and Charles Goodnight. And she praised the renovated courthouse.

“Let us pay homage to our wonderful “old lady” of Donley County,” Stavenhagen said. “She has had her arteries of pipes and wires unclogged, the bats taken out of her hair, and a ‘facelift’ of newly painted walls and floors. She is now the “Queen of the Panhandle” – all spruced up, sitting in her courtyard like royalty, waiting for her people.”

Clarendon’s own US Rep. Mac Thornberry followed Stavenhagen and focused on what the courthouse means to the people of Donley County.

“Polishing bricks, mortar, and wood isn’t what this project is about,” Thornberry said. “This is about the people of Donley County. This building helps us to remember all the pioneers who built this county.”

And the Congressman also echoed Judge Hall’s comments about freedom.

“Let us remember that we can’t just coast on the sacrifices of prior generations. Liberty must be earned anew each day.”

State Rep. Chisum addressed the crowd and mentioned that that day was also his birthday, and the crowd burst into spontaneous song to wish him a happy birthday.

“The older I get, the more I’m glad we take care of our old stuff,” Chisum quipped, before addressing the larger significance of the day.

Larry Oaks, the executive director of the Texas Historical Commission (THC), next spoke of the immense project and praised the people of Donley County.

“You are to be commended on the job you’ve done here,” he said. “It’s people at the local level that make this country great, and the heart and soul of Texas is in its small towns.”

Oaks also referred to those who worked on the Donley County project as being “the super team” and offered accolades to the architects at Volz & Associates and the people at Phoenix I Restoration & Construction.

John Kiehl of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, who served as the project administrator, offered thanks to the various county officials who had helped with the project. 

General contractor Dale Sellers of Phoenix I spoke of his company’s role in the project and mentioned that some 30 local people had worked on the courthouse and that several hundred thousand dollars had been spent with local merchants.

Project architect Chris Hutson spoke of the 1890 courthouse as a survivor, detailing some of its prior problems and then addressing the character of our local people.

“I was thinking of 1887 when the citizens decided to move the entire town and what a gut-wrenching decision that must have been,” Hutson said. “I’ve never before seen the spirit of vitality that I’ve seen in Clarendon.”

THC Director of Architecture Stan Graves and THC Preservation Program Architect Lyman Labry presented a plaque on behalf of the State of Texas to the county to be hung in the courthouse.

Ruth Robinson of the Donley County Historical Commission conducted the drawing for the original painting of the courthouse done by James Ivey Edwards. Nova Mooring was the winner, and she donated it back to the courthouse.

Members of the commissioners’ court – Ernest Johnston, Don Hall, Buster Shields, and Bob Trout – cut the ribbon to the front door of the courthouse, and Rev. Jim Aveni closed the ceremony with a prayer.

A total of 388 guests signed the registry before touring the courthouse on Friday. Another 121 visitors came by on Saturday.

Inside the courthouse were arranged various artifacts from the building that were found during the project. One display also recognized those donors to the project who had given $1,000 or more. Another display listed everyone who had given any money no matter what amount.