News

Candidates for local offices came out of the woodwork before the filing deadline passed last Wednesday.

The City of Clarendon now has seven citizens running for two positions on the Board of Aldermen. Incumbents Bob Watson and Michael Tibbets will face Carl Draper, Allen Estlack, Bobbie Kidd, Ricky Rattan, and Jimmy Swinney. Mayor Tex Selvidge drew no opponent in his re-election bid.

In Howardwick where no candidates at all had signed up earlier last week, former alderman Nancy Davis filed to run for mayor, and Alderman Bobby Murdock resigned his current position to run against her. Aldermen Dewey Linley and Mike Rowland also signed up to run for re-election.

Contested races have also developed for two positions on the Hedley School Board where incumbents Troy Monroe and Cary Don Neely will face LeAnn Marcum and Dan Bolin.

Don Thornberry drew no opposition in his re-election bid for Place One on the Donley County Hospital Board, but incumbent Nelson Christie at Place Two and incumbent Andy Wheatley at Place Three face challenges from Alan Fletcher and Bill Holden respectively.

Pending any write-in candidacies, the City of Hedley and the Clarendon Independent School District will not have competitive elections this year. All incumbents filed for re-election on those boards.

The election for local offices will be held Saturday, May 3, 2003.

Clarendon resident Darrell Thomas was sentenced to ten years in the state penitentiary by District Judge David McCoy last week after pleading guilty to a felony charge.

Thomas was indicted January 24, 2003, by the Donley County Grand Jury on the allegation that he and others had agreed to deliver methamphetamine to an inmate in the county jail. He was charged with the first degree felony of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity.

“Swift justice is hard to come by with the number of cases on the docket,” said Sheriff Butch Blackburn. “The public was well served getting a criminal off the streets this quickly without the cost of a trial.”

District Attorney Stuart Messer said the case shows the system works.

 “When we can indict someone in January and have that person sent to prison within six weeks, the justice system is working,” Messer said. “The Sheriff’s Office is to be complimented. The sheriff recognized an opportunity to go after criminal activity, and he took it. As a result of the sheriff being willing to be a little unorthodox in his approach, several criminals, including Darrell Thomas, will be brought to justice.

 “I would also like the community to know this prosecution could not have taken place without the assistance of inmate Randy Tolbert, whose cooperation was essential.”

Cases are still pending against four other men and one female. David Ray Tolbert, Timothy Don Lockeby, and Joshua Lamar Allred were arrested at the same time as Thomas and faced similar charges. A 17-year-old female was also arrested but was charged as a juvenile since she was 16 at the time of the offense.

Thomas and the other suspects allegedly engaged in organized criminal activity between October 1, 2002, and January 9, 2003, during which time seven deliveries of methamphetamine were made to an inmate in the Donley County Jail.

“This is just another step in our fight against drugs,” Blackburn said, “and we’re not through yet.”

The Donley County Hospital Board took no action last Friday night regarding the position of District Administrator Alan Graham.

The administrator was arrested March 2 and charged with Driving While Intoxicated while he was driving one of the district’s ambulances in response to an accident.

The hospital board met for 2½ hours in closed session, speaking one at a time to Graham, department heads, and district employees about the situation.

After the closed session, board president Don Thornberry said the board will await an evaluation of the incident by the Texas Department of Health and said the legal charge must be given time to work through the judicial system. He also stated the board will be reviewing all board policies and will implement any warranted changes.

The health department’s investigation is expected to take about two weeks.

Graham resigned as a volunteer driver for the ambulance authority following the incident and has said he doesn’t want the incident to cast a bad light on the service given by the local paramedics and EMTs.

Meanwhile, several employees of the Medical Center Nursing Home, while not condoning the incident, have expressed a desire for Graham to be kept on as administrator of the hospital district.

The Clarendon PTA and Cub Scout Pack 437 will sponsor a Youth Safety Fair on March 25 at Clarendon Elementary from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The purpose of the fair is to educate parents and children about crime prevention, child abuse, and community services available to local families. A parent must accompany their child to the fair.

Part of the program includes viewing the movie, “It Happened To Me,” which talks about sexual abuse in children. The award winning video was produced by the Boy Scouts of America to educate children about sexual abuse and the steps they should take to protect themselves.

The video presents common situations in which sexual abuse might occur.  Professionals have reviewed the content of the video and found it suitable for viewing by children as young as six years old.  Amber Ford of Child Protective Services will be available for questions after the program. The video begins at 7:00 p.m.

Burton Memorial Library will show books that are available at the library on children’s issues.

The Donley County Sheriff’s Department will take pictures and fingerprints of the children. These cards assist law enforcement when a child has been reported missing.

The Associated Ambulance Authority will demonstrate bicycle safety and drug prevention. The Department of Public Safety will show proper seat belt and car safety seat procedures. Immunization information will also be available from the Texas Department of Health.

Other agencies including the Donley County Extension Service, Panhandle Community Services, and WIC will be on hand to discuss poison control and services available to assist families in the community.  The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department and the Girl Scouts will also have booths at the fair.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District will present a program on rainfall enhancement Tuesday, March 18, at 6:30 p.m., at Steve’s Steak Out in Clarendon. 

Along with an evening meal, a program entitled “Rainfall Enhancement Programs: Facts, Myths, and Results” will be presented by the District.

Counties participating in the rainfall enhancement program within the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District include all or parts of Armstrong, Carson, Donley, Gray, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Potter, Roberts, and Wheeler.

The program is designed to educate the public on general rainfall enhancement facts, provide a better understanding of why we chose to implement this program, explain seeding processes, and finally provide seasonal results along with their economic impact on the region.

At the conclusion of the program, a question and answer session will follow to address public questions, concerns, and comments.

If you are planning to attend the presentation with the evening meal, please RSVP with the District Office at 883-2501 by March 17.

With just a week to go in the sign-up period, most local governments were still looking for candidates for the May 5 election.

Clarendon Mayor Tex Selvidge and Alderman Bob Watson have filed for re-election, but at press time no one had signed up for the second vacant alderman’s position.

The City of Hedley has two incumbents – Abbey O’Neal and Bruce Howard – signed up for the Board of Aldermen, which has three positions up this year.

Howardwick has the mayor’s office and two positions on the Board of Aldermen open this election, but no one has yet signed up.

The Donley County Hospital District has three positions open this year on the Board of Directors. Last week, the Enterprise erred in reporting that no candidates had filed. In fact, incumbents Don Thornberry, Place One, and Andy Wheatley, Place Three, had signed up prior to that report. Since that time, incumbent Nelson Christie has signed up to run again and is facing a challenge from Alan Fletcher for the Place Two seat.

Updated trustee candidate lists from Hedley and Clarendon public schools were unavailable since both district offices were closed this week for Spring Break. Last week, CISD reported incumbents Joe Lemley and Wayne Hardin had signed up for re-election. HISD reported LeAnn Marcum was the only candidate last week for two positions on that board.

Citizens interested in running for these local positions have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, to sign up.

Donley County Commissioners closed the controversial office of Constable of Precincts 1&2 this week.

The vote to declare the office dormant was unanimous when the commissioners’ court met in regular session Monday.

“We did this in accordance with an amendment to the Texas Constitution voted on in November, which was approved by a majority of voters in Donley County,” said County Judge Jack Hall.

Local voters had approved the amendment by a margin of 767 to 118.

The Precinct 1&2 Constable’s office has been a source of controversy since Jimmy Swinney was elected to the post with 52 votes in a write-in candidacy in November 2000. The office had been vacant since John Topper last held the position on December 31, 1978. Swinney sued the county over his salary in June 2001 and later resigned from office after he failed to become a certified Texas peace officer.

Because Swinney never qualified for office nor did his appointed successor, the position was eligible to be declared vacant under the guidelines of the new amendment.

The constable’s office can be revived in the future by a majority vote of the commissioners’ court. The people of the county can also petition to hold an election to reinstate the office.

In other county business, commissioners approved requests from Treasurer Becky Jackson and County Clerk Fay Vargas to attend training workshops.

The court voted to appoint Dr. John Howard as the County Health Authority.

The county policy manual was updated to prohibit any department or office from hiring as a part-time employee anyone who is already a part-time employee of another department or office. This would prevent such a person from becoming a de facto full-time county employee.

The court declined to participate in a state program to replace the bridge on County Road 20 at Lelia Creek. The county would have had to pay $34,000 in matching funds, and commissioners felt they county could repair the bridge on its own, the judge said.

Two names were drawn for the county grievance committee, and those people will be contacted and asked to serve.

A $14,000 bond was approved for County Attorney Pro-tem Kaye Messer, and a report was received from Sheriff Butch Blackburn documenting the races of people ticketed and arrested during calendar year 2002.

State troopers seized $9,000 in cash and arrested two people on drug-related charges in Donley County last Wednesday.

Rodney Neff, age 31, of Clairemore, Okla., and Karen Mendez, age 23, of Apple Valley, Calif., were stopped for speeding on I-40 by DPS Troopers Lynn Mays and Chad Simpson. A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded crack cocaine, Xanax, Valium, marijuana, and criminal equipment.

Neff and Mendez were booked into the Donley County Jail on first degree felony charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver, third degree felony charges of money laundering, and misdemeanor charges of Possession of Marijuana.  Neff was also charged with misdemeanor Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon.

Also assisting with the arrests and seizure were Sheriff Butch Blackburn and Deputies Randy Bond, Brady Bishop, Kelly Hill, and Joe Mesza.

Area residents are once again promised a full slate of free health screenings as well as financial advice at the Good Health, Much Wealth, Your Choice Health Fair scheduled for Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Bairfield Activity Center.

The health and wealth task force continues its commitment to providing easy access to information and services in a day at one location. 

Administering screening such as glucose, cholesterol, prostate, hemoglobin, and blood pressure will be a collaborative effort by the Donley County Hospital District, Associated Ambulance Authority, Clarendon Family Medical Clinic, the Medical Center Nursing Home, Novartis Pharmaceutical, and the Northwest Texas Healthcare System.  Individuals are encouraged to fast for 12 hours prior to the screens to ensure more accurate results.

PSA’s will be offered to men 40 years old and older.  The American Cancer Society recommends PSA’s once every ten years after the age of 40 unless advised otherwise by a physician.

Novartis Pharmaceutical will be sponsoring the bone density screening which proved extremely popular for attendees last year.  The Lions Eye Bank will provide glaucoma screening.

The only services which require fees will be breast mammograms by the Harrington Cancer Center.  Appointments are required for the mammograms and can be made by calling 356-1905 or 800-377-4673 in Amarillo.

Coffee Memorial Blood Bank will conduct a blood drive during the fair hours for individuals wishing to make needed blood donations.

Providing financial information and services this year will be Edward Jones Investments and Herring National Bank.

Education exhibits will be provided by the Amarillo Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, American Red Cross, Crown of Texas Hospice, Donley County Extension Service, Novartis Pharmaceutical, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, 9-1-1 Network, Med-Link Services, RSVP, Meredith House, National Weather Service, Texas Panhandle Poison Center, Panhandle Rehabilitation Specialists, Advanced Hearing Technologies, Harrington Cancer Center, Northwest Texas Health Care System, and Texas Gold.

Patrick Robertson of KEFH 99.3 will provide a live remote broadcast at the Health and Wealth Fair.  As the day progresses, door prizes donated by exhibitors will be awarded and announced on the air.

For more information about the fair, contact the Donley County Extension Service at 874-2141. 

This is an event you won’t want to miss!

A special session of the Donley County Hospital Board has been called for this Friday evening following Sunday’s arrest of Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham on DWI charges.

Officials with the Department of Public Safety in Amarillo said a trooper arrested Graham early Sunday morning on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. Graham was reportedly driving a district ambulance in response to an accident west of Clarendon on US 287.

County Attorney Pro-tem Kaye Messer said Tuesday that she was still awaiting the full offense report but confirmed that Graham was arrested for DWI.

“Based on the information I’ve received, he was driving an ambulance but was not carrying a patient at the time of the arrest,” Messer said.

Graham told the Enterprise Tuesday that his situation is under investigation.

“All the appropriate agencies have been notified including the [hospital] board of directors,” Graham said. “I have resigned from the volunteer service of the ambulance authority.”

Graham also said he didn’t want his situation to cast a bad light on the qualified professional service given by the ambulance authority’s paramedics and EMTs to the people of Donley County.

Messer said her office would file the formal complaint this week. She said Graham bonded out of jail and has a bond return date set for March 13.

Details of events surrounding the arrest were not available Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Butch Blackburn would not comment on the case pending formal charges being filed. The local DPS office referred all questions to the county attorney.

Messer, who had been out of her office on Monday due to illness, said Tuesday she had talked to the arresting officer but did not have his official report at press time. The maximum penalty for a first time DWI offense is 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Friday’s hospital board meeting is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.