News

After months of planning, the Donley County Community Network (DCCN) became active last week, increasing the presence of local entities on the World Wide Web.

The network’s new community Web site at www.donleytx.com brings together a diverse group of local governments and organizations to help promote Donley County to a wide audience as well as helping bring services to local citizens.

“I think [the network] will bring us all together to work for all of Donley County,” said DCCN President Dee Dee Autry. “It will allow all citizens to access the Internet for business and personal gain, and it will help businesses promote their products.”

Partners in the network are Clarendon College, the City of Clarendon, Donley County, the Donley County Hospital District, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, the Burton Memorial Library, the Saints’ Roost Museum, and the Clarendon Family Medical Center. Clarendon ISD has also been involved in an advisory role.

The new Web site offers views of the local area as well as links to local governments and organizations. A community calendar will be kept up to date with local events, and the city and county are planning to post their agendas on the new site. Local citizens can also find out how to get in touch with their elected officials at the county and city levels.

Want to know what the fees are at the city recycling center or when the doctor’s office is open? The DCCN has those answers and more.

Tourism information is available as are links to The Clarendon Enterprise, local schools, Clarendon College, and local history subjects.

The network Web site also includes a “Farm 2 Farm” feature which is intended to put agricultural producers in touch with each other in order to buy or sell their commodities. To start with, Farm 2 Farm is just a local feature, but network officials hope to link it to other agriculture sites in the future.

The DCCN is being funded by a $250,000 TIF grant approved last summer. Approximately $115,000 of that money was used to purchase new computer equipment for the principal entities involved. The remainder is dedicated to providing services and funding educational classes for local citizens.

Future additions to the DCCN will be Internet portal terminals – or kiosks – at the Clarendon Outpost and Greenbelt Marina in the next six weeks. For now, the kiosks will be locked into the local Web site to promote the local area, but eventually credit card technology will be added to allow travelers a place to check their e-mail and surf the Internet for a nominal fee. Visitors can also check their e-mail for free at any of the public terminals of the local entities.

“It’s a work in progress, but we’ve now staked our claim on the Internet,” said DCCN Project Manager Will Thompson. “The biggest accomplishments are yet to come with training and educating our citizens.”

Putting information before the public is a main focus of the DCCN, but providing new local opportunities is also a goal of the network.

“We hope to expand our employment opportunities by bringing broadband Internet service not just in Clarendon but the rural areas also,” Thompson said, who works for Clarendon College and wrote the grant for the DCCN.

That goal was largely met last week when AMA•TechTel Communications announced that its high-speed wireless Internet service is now available to people living within 13 miles of Hedley and Howardwick. The new transmitters being used by AMA were purchased by the DCCN and are owned by the network.

AMA has also played a critical role in the development of the network by providing cash, training, and professional services to the DCCN.

Local citizens can also show their community pride with a new “@donleytx.com” e-mail address for a small fee, which hasn’t been set. Addresses already chosen includes the Saints’ Roost Museum at museum@donleytx.com and the Tourism Council at turkeystrut@donleytx.com.

“It identifies you with the community, and it may be easier to get the e-mail address you’ve always wanted,” Thompson said.

To get one of the new addresses, contact Thompson at Clarendon College at 874-3571 or Autry at the Clarendon EDC office at 874-9787.

Clarendon College will immediately reduce its workforce expenditures by $77,469 in order to cope with the loss of an estimated $193,000 in state funding.

The CC Board of Regents held a called meeting Tuesday and approved budget cuts totaling more than $115,000. Regents also directed CC President Myles Shelton to determine which personnel will be let go in order to make up the balance of the reduction. Shelton must present his recommendations to the board next Thursday.

Shelton said the notice of an immediate reduction in state funding was received in a letter from the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and house speaker about two weeks ago. A plan demonstrating a seven percent reduction must be filed with the state by February 6.

“What makes this so difficult is that it comes so late in the fiscal year,” Shelton said. “A large portion of the budget has already been spent, and we have other commitments through May.”

CC officials will immediately initiate a hiring freeze except for essential positions, cut non-essential institutional travel, and enact other cost-saving measures.

The budget cut does not affect CC’s plans for capital improvements which are funded by other revenue sources, but it does cover all operational and personal expenses dependent upon the state appropriation, the state health insurance allotment, and the developmental education allowance, Shelton said.

State officials are dealing with a revenue crisis, expecting a $1.8 billion shortfall in this current fiscal year and an estimated $8.1 billion drop in revenues over the next two years. As a result, all state funded colleges and universities are dealing with the forced immediate budget cuts.

“All we know at this point is that the appropriations bill which has been filed in Austin for the next biennium is a zero-based budget,” Shelton said. “We’re going to have to be able to defend every dollar we ask for.”

Shelton said the situation does not mean the college is out of money, saying it is only the operational monies from the state that is hurt.

When the multiplier effect is considered, the shortage of state funds will have an estimated $1.35 million on the local economy in the college’s seven-county service area.

“The majority of our students and staff are here [in Clarendon] so obviously the greater impact will be here,” Shelton said. “We’re getting into the core functions of the college, but we’ve tried to cut where it will not affect instructional facilities or services to students.”

The administration met with faculty and staff last Friday, and any personnel whose jobs are in danger will be communicated within the next week.

“They understood the problem and that it was something that happened in Austin and that it’s not the fault of anybody here,” Shelton said of the faculty at last week’s meeting. “They are willing to make things work in order to provide services on this campus and to the community.”

Shelton also said the college is not considering local taxes as a solution to the funding shortfall.

“We’re not looking at a tax increase to solve this,” he said. “I think we’ve got to look inside to solve the problem that the state has created for us.”

For the future, Shelton said the college will have to look at raising tuition by $10 to $15 per hour. Such an increase would still keep CC’s cost to students much lower than most other colleges.

Bruce Ferguson, County Executive Director for the Donley County  Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds area farmers and ranchers to make an appointment to sign-up for the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP). 

The deadline to apply for DCP is April 1, 2003.  This date is outlined in legislation, and no extensions or exceptions will be made.

Ferguson commented that sign-up is averaging at least one hour per farm. He encourages producers to avoid procrastinating. If a producer is planning to update bases and yields, Ferguson encourages using the Base and Yield Analyzer Internet tool available at www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/farmbill/tools.asp.

If electing to update yields, producers will be required to provide all production records for 1998-2000.  For cash leased land, FSA requires a copy of the lease agreement if available and proof of lease payment.  If no lease agreement is provided, the landowner must sign for zero shares.   

Producers who have dropped, added, purchased, sold or otherwise changed their farming operation need to to report these changes to the FSA office.  Also, producers must certify any 2002 crop plantings or land use changes not previously reported.

For more information about DCP, FSA, or the farm bill provisions, contact you local FSA office at 806-874-3561.

District Attorney Stuart Messer this week filed his annual report on the activities of his office for the year ending December 31, 2002.

Eighty-one people were sent to prison from the 100th Judicial District for a combined total of 630 years. Twenty-nine of those were convicted of first or second degree felonies.

Eighteen persons were convicted of felony driving while intoxicated charges and were imprisoned for an average term of seven years. In addition, 209 other people were placed on probation for a variety of crimes. Many of the probated sentences were conditioned on the defendant completing intensive residential substance abuse and anger management programs offered by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Fines assessed by District Court Judge David McCoy for the year totaled $245,200. Defendants were ordered to pay a total of $67,616.75 in court costs to the counties, and restitution of $73,506.08 was ordered to be paid to victims across the district.

Locally, 15 people were sent to prison for crimes committed in Donley County. Those crimes ranged from aggravated assault to attempted murder to sexual assault of a child.

District Attorney Stuart Messer said local cooperation was a great help to his office.

“The prosecution of crimes committed in Donley County is made so much easier for me because of the terrific cooperation I receive from the sheriff’s department, the local office of the Department of Public Safety, and all other law enforcement officials involved in any given case.

“It also helps to know there are good citizens in Donley County who are willing to step up to the plate and do their civic duty in serving as jurors. Without good jurors, the criminal justice system does not work.”

The 100th Judicial District includes Carson, Childress, Collingsworth, Donley, and Hall counties.

Busy signals and painfully slow connections can now be a thing of the past for computer users in and around Hedley. High-speed, wireless Internet has finally arrived.

Thanks to the Donley County Community Network (DCCN) and AMA•TechTel Communications, a new transmitter has been installed on the KLSR tower northeast of Hedley, which expands the availability the southeastern part of the county.

The DCCN acquired a $250,000 TIF grant last summer, which funded new computers for several local entities as well as assisting AMA•TechTel in bringing Internet services to rural residents. In return, AMA•TechTel has contributed financially to the project and donated the expertise and services of its employees in providing Web designs and wireless networking for the DCCN.

The company, formerly known as AMA Wireless, has been servicing customers in Donley County since January of last year, but it has been limited to a ten-mile radius of Clarendon. Now, the transmitter near Hedley, along with a new tower on the south side of Greenbelt Lake, has expanded wireless service to previously hard to reach places in northern and southeastern parts of the county.

“We’re extremely excited about serving all the residents of Donley County and look forward to continuing to assist Donley County in spanning the digital divide,” said Douglas Campbell, Chief Operations Officer of AMA•TechTel.

The wireless service boasts download speeds up to 50 times faster than ordinary phone lines and operates from a microwave signal beamed continuously by towers, then directly into the home or office. A small antenna is mounted outside the home or office. The signal is then carried to a subscriber’s computer via coaxial cable, a wireless modem, and a CAT 5 computer cable.

The system does not require a phone line, meaning customers can save money by eliminating their second phone line or can free up their existing line.

With the wireless service, files download faster, Web pages pull up faster, and productivity is increased.

AMA•TechTel’s service costs as little as $44.95 per month for residential customers and $59.90 per month for businesses. Installation fees vary from nothing for residential customers who will sign up for three years to $150. Customers will also need a network card installed in their computer, and those can be purchased separately or from AMA•TechTel.

“This service is a great benefit to people engaged in e-commerce and businesses that communicate via e-mail as well as casual surfers,” said local AMA•TechTel agent and newspaper publisher Roger Estlack. “It is an asset to Donley County to have this service available when trying to attract new residents and businesses.

“If you’re frustrated by busy signals, poor connections, and no connections when trying to get online, then wireless Internet is what you need,” Estlack said.

Internet users can sign up for the wireless service at The Clarendon Enterprise. To see the service in action, interested computer users can visit the Enterprise or the Burton Memorial Library.

Four local men and one juvenile female were arrested here Monday on organized criminal activity charges following a three month investigation by the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

Darrell Ray Thomas, age 34; David Ray Tolbert, age 35; Timothy Don Lockeby, age 23; and Joshua Lamar Allred, age 23, were booked into Donley County Jail.  A 17-year-old female was also arrested but was charged as a juvenile since she was 16 at the time of the offense.

According to Sheriff Butch Blackburn, the five 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.

The inmate cooperated with local law enforcement, and the suspects were indicted by the Grand Jury last Friday. The charge is a first-degree felony, which could carry a life sentence, Blackburn said.

“These arrests are part of a continuing effort to rid the county of drugs, and we’re by no means through,” Blackburn said. “This ought to show that no one is untouchable.”

The suspects were arraigned Tuesday by County Judge Jack Hall. Bond was set for Thomas at $250,000, for Tolbert at $100,000, and for Allred and Lockeby at $50,000 each. According to Blackburn, a district court hearing is set for Thursday to deny bond to Thomas.

The juvenile was released to the custody of a guardian on Monday, and the other suspects remained in jail at press time.

The drugs in question have already been tested by the Department of Public Safety lab in Amarillo and were determined to be methamphetamines, he said.

The sheriff said the five suspects did not have lengthy criminal histories, although Tolbert was on probation for possession of methamphetamine, and Thomas was out on bond for a prior felony theft charge.

District Attorney Stuart Messer said he appreciated the hard work of the sheriff’s office, and Blackburn also recognized those involved.

“I want to thank all the officers and the district attorney’s office for helping this case come together,” Blackburn said.

By Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon’s B&R Thriftway is in the process of receiving a facelift and adding more features to help better serve their customers.

Bill and Laquetta Wilfong and Ron and Ka Wilfong have owned the Clarendon store since 1987, and this is the first update to the building since the purchase.

“We are remodeling to make it better for our customers and to modernize the facility,” said Laquetta Wilfong.

The remodeling plan includes expanding several areas including the produce and floral department, and each aisle will receive four to eight feet of new shelving. They are also replacing all the freezers and are added several new ones to offer more products to their customers.

Along with the expansion, the store will also see a change in the fixtures and décor, which will be the last phase of the project.

“We started around the first of the year, and hopefully it will be completed by February 12,” said Buddy James, who has been the store manager for fifteen years.

Customers have already seen some of the new changes. The front entrance and the office area have received a fresh coat of paint, and both the cigarette booth and magazine rack have moved to a new, more convenient location. Audrian Heating and Air of Fritch installed the new freezers last week while local contractor Terry Ashcraft worked on several projects in the building.

James also stated that the store will totally rearrange their products to better accommodate the new shelving and freezer space.

“We appreciate our customers and their patience throughout this project,” said Wilfong.

The store will remain open for business throughout the renovation.

Ashlee Kidd of Clarendon High School was named a winner in the small school division of the Lone Star Journalism Writing Contest last Saturday in Irving at the Texas Press Association’s 56th Midwinter Conference & Trade Show.

Kidd, the daughter of Doug and Nancy Kidd, received a certificate and a $75 check for her feature article “A Warm Heart and A Gentle Touch,” which was published in The Clarendon Enterprise last October.

TPA and the Interscholastic League Press Conference have teamed together for the second year to present the Lone Star Journalism Writing Contest that pairs students and local newspapers. The awards were expanded this year to include a category for both small schools (A-3A) and large schools (4A to 5A). Local newspapers around the state had students write features, published them, then entered the work in the contest. The winners were chosen by the judges in the ILPC office.

Other winners in the small school category were Mandy Countryman of Scurry-Rosser High School and Ryan Keser of Wylie High School. 

Winners in the large school category were Victoria Williams of Duncanville High School, Kristy Gillentine of Santa Fe High School, and Meaghan Owens of Westlake High School.

Kidd was joined at the conference by her mother and Enterprise editor Roger Estlack.

Also attending the TPA convention was former local publisher William Dean Singleton, who gave a report from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and his views on the current state of the newspaper industry during a luncheon on Friday.

Singleton, who is currently serving as the NAA president, established The Clarendon Press in 1972 and was its publisher for several years. Today, Singleton is vice chairman and CEO of MediaNews Group, Inc., which publishes 49 daily newspapers and 94 non-daily newspapers. The company’s largest paper is The Denver Post, of which Singleton serves as the chairman of the board and the publisher.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen considered a regional marketing plan when they met in regular session last Tuesday night.

Dee Dee Autry of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and Seth Davidson of the Panhandle Tourism & Marketing Council presented the Texas Prairie Rivers Marketing Plan to the board.

“Donley County has a set of wildlife resources that is unique to Texas,” Davidson said, noting that 70 million people a year like to look at wild birds according to the National Audubon Society. “Donley, Hemphill, and Wheeler counties are the best areas for this.”

Davidson asked city officials to support the Texas Prairie Rivers plans with money from the Motel Bed Tax fund. The aldermen took no action, but they indicated they would be willing to support the plan if the county and the CEDC would each contribute a third of the cost.

Also during last week’s meeting, the aldermen considered the proposed donation of the old TxDOT building to the city by Walt Knorpp. The city would be responsible for the cost of moving the building, and one contractor has quoted a price of $15,000 to relocate the building to land near the recycling center. The aldermen tabled this issue pending further information.

Proposals for municipal engineering services were opened and reviewed. OJD Engineering submitted the only proposal, and it was accepted by the board. OJD will serve as the city’s engineers for a three-year period.

Alderman Janice Knorpp discussed grant consulting services and expressed her desire to allow the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission to administer a future grant application.

The Classic Cable franchise taxes were discussed, and the board directed consultant Colby Waters to contact the cable company regarding this matter.

The board discussed the position of city administrator and agreed to hold a workshop next Thursday at 1 p.m. to discuss what duties an administrator would perform.

Librarian Carolyn Blackerby reported 1,796 people per month visited the Burton Memorial Library in 2002. She also discussed the library’s upcoming 80th anniversary.

Work on the exterior of the 1890 Courthouse continues at a slow pace as Donley County representatives negotiate chimney heights with the Texas Historical Commission.

Stephen Dodge of Phoenix I Restoration said in a construction conference last Wednesday that rebuilding a chimney on the northwest side of the building is keeping the roof from being completed.

“The roof has to be put on left to right, and we can’t go further until the temporary bracing on the chimneys is removed and this other chimney is finished,” Dodge said.

The northwest chimney was missing prior to the current restoration project, which restored it to a height of 23 feet above the roofline. But the poor condition of the original supporting masonry and unknown original construction conditions caused the chimney to collapse in November, knocking a hole in the roof and sending an 8,000 lb. section crashing into the scaffolding around the courthouse.

A subsequent report from the structural engineer on the project has recommended the chimney and its twin on the northeast corner be lowered from 23 feet to 17 feet to reduce weight load and wind load on the structures. The Texas Historical Commission, however, has not approved the design change.

“The THC believes this to be a restoration project, and we’re going to require the chimneys to be put back like they were,” said THC’s Lyman Labry.

County Judge Jack Hall said the county was not in favor of the chimneys being the original height due to safety concerns. It was a point echoed by project architect Chris Hutson of Volz & Associates.

“We’ve all learned now that masonry deteriorates over time,” Hutson said. “We’re not going to put our professional license at stake here.”

Labry said the THC was not unsympathetic to the county’s position but that his agency believed the engineer should be able to come up with a design that meets the original height and is safe.

Judge Hall said this week the engineer has a new plan to allow the chimneys to be rebuilt to 20 feet. That plan is pending THC approval.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the interior of the building. Dodge said last week the ceilings are 75 percent done and the carpentry work is 96 percent finished. Staining of woodwork is “substantially completed” with only touch up work remaining.

Replacement tiles for the main corridor are being manufactured now, and painting of the interior walls and ceilings are coming along well.

Dodge also said workers are ready to proceed with bricking the third floor of the tile. Much of the new stonework is also now on site. Some of the stone is manufactured, and real stone quarried in Kansas will be used near the entrance.

County officials are still waiting for pricing information to determine what formerly deleted work to add back to the project. A completion date cannot be set until all change orders have been issued.