News

In a 4-2 vote, the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees last Friday upheld the punishment of a local student who brought a gun to school.

The decision means the 17-year-old Clarendon High School senior will have to remain in the Alternative Education Program (AEP) until October 31, 2000.

Criminal charges against the boy are pending and will be determined by a Grand Jury, which is not scheduled to convene until November 13, 2000, according to County Attorney Stewart Messer. Formal charges have reportedly not been filed.

The case stems from the October 3 arrest of the student who reportedly left his .12 gauge shotgun in his vehicle after going dove hunting. A random search of the school parking lot by trained dogs alerted on the student’s vehicle, and school officials found a dead dove, several rounds of live ammunition, and the gun in the vehicle.

The student reportedly became ill while hunting with a friend and forgot he had the gun in the car when he went to school the next day.

During Friday’s special meeting, CISD trustees listened to a tape recording of the expulsion hearing held the week before, which featured testimony from CHS Principal Larry Jeffers and the boy’s attorney, Jerry Courtney. At that time, CISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger ruled that the student should be placed in AEP for a period of four weeks beginning on the date of the incident.

AEP excludes a student from participating in extracurricular activities and restricts his contact with other students. Basic instruction and counseling are provided in a separate building on the CISD campus. Under the law, the student could have faced one full calendar year of expulsion without AEP being used to continue his studies, school administrators say.

Following the taped hearing, each side was given an opportunity to state its case to the Board of Trustees. Courtney said that all evidence showed the boy had forgotten the gun was in the car and that he did not “knowingly” possess the gun under the definition of the penal code.

“[The student’s] only sin was in getting sick and forgetting the shotgun,” Courtney said, urging the trustees to overturn Hysinger’s ruling.

Jeffers said CISD was charged with protecting the safety of the students and that disciplining this student was not an easy decision. He said he was hired to make Clarendon schools safe even though sometimes those decisions break his heart.

“Everyone needs to know that guns are absolutely, positively not allowed in school,” he said.

Hysinger told the board that he and Jeffers must deal with student discipline problems everyday.

“Every single student can tell us he forgot or he can tell us some other excuse,” he said. “I know I personally have been asked to look the other way in this situation. But we did the right thing, we did the legal thing, and we did the ethical thing. And we were very compassionate and very considerate in our decision.”

The board then deliberated in closed session for approximately 45 minutes before coming back to vote in favor of the administration. Board members in favor of upholding the action were Lance Thornberry, Weldon Sears, James Shelton, and Joe Lemley. Voting against were Reneé Betts and Marvin Thompson.

Following the vote, the board informed the student he had the right to appeal the decision to the district court. As of Tuesday morning, Courtney said his client was not planning to appeal.

By Paula K. Davis, Clarendon Enterprise

The 49th annual cotton festival at Hedley was held last weekend where many events took place. The Hedley Homemakers Club once again sponsored this year’s festival.
 
One of the main events that took place was the Queen and Princess Coronation.  There were four candidates from each category.  The nominees for the Queen contest were Breanne Chase, LaRae Shaw, LaCenda Funderburg, and Sealy Stevens.  The Princess nominees were Alex Sharp, Brittney Natterville, Kirsten Moore, and Justine Moore.

The winner for the Queen Coronation was LaCenda Funderburg.  LaCenda is the daughter of Tommy and Deanna Funderburg from Hedley.  LaCenda is presently a junior at Hedley High School and is holding office as the class treasurer.  David Evans escorted LaCenda in the Queen Coronation.

“I figured the contest was close, and I was very surprised to have won,” stated LaCenda.  “It was a real honor to have one of my closest friends, Holli White, pass the crown on to me.”

Holli White was last year’s winner of the Queen Coronation.

LaCenda also stated that it was fun to be involved in the contest and the junior class helped her out a lot.

“The festival went really well, and I was excited that LaCenda won the crown,” said Deanna Funderburg.

The winner of the Princess Coronation was Alex Sharp.  She is a third grader at Hedley Elementary School and the daughter of Marlee and Archie Sharp of Hedley.  She was crowned by last year’s winner, Katterinna Johnson.

Carol Deavers of Memphis was the lucky winner of the bale of cotton that was given away during the Queen Coronation.

Also during the festival, the high school classes of Hedley raised money to go towards their senior class trip. The junior class hosted a kick-off breakfast at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.  They also hosted a barbecue lunch and a midnight supper.

The senior class, along with a concession stand of food and refreshments, held bingo. The freshman and sophomore classes opened the cakewalk, Kiddie Air Jumper, jail, and dunking board.

Earlier in the day, Hedley Volunteer Fire Department held their annual Antique Tractor Show.  Blackie Johnson was named Best of Show with his 1943 LA John Deere.  Walter Cannon placed first in the 1930s Division with his 1936 F20 Farmall.  Leon Ward placed second in the same division with his 1935 WC Allis-Chalmers.  Blackie Johnson placed first in the 1940s division with his 1948 G. Allis-Chalmers. Vernon Patton placed second in the division with his 1943 B John Deere.  Blackie Johnson also took top honors in the 1950s division with his 1952 Cub Farmall.  Mildred Hoggard placed second with a 1952 8N Ford. 

Marlee, Jaci, and Zack Sargent took top honors in the Kiddie Parade that was held Saturday morning.  The Howard family placed second while Kolby and Kaleb Chase placed third.

The Class of 2004 with BreAnn Chase and Clifton Todd took the Grand Prize honor at the Grand Parade Saturday afternoon.  Other winners of the parade were: float division, Hedley American Legion – first, Hedley Lioness Club – second, and First Baptist and Methodist Churches of Hedley – third; decorated vehicles division, Murrell Whitaker of Hedley with a 51 Hudson 7 – first, Nancy Stevens of Change of Attitude Beauty Salon of Memphis – second, and Henry Like of Clarendon – third; and the Khiva Mule Skinners of Amarillo – Riding Clubs. 

Ann Thornton of Clarendon won the Lioness Club quilt, and Linda Frye, also of Clarendon, won the quilt given away during Bingo on Saturday afternoon.  Karen and Colton Wynn of Estelline were the lucky winners of Moore Brothers knives, and Kathy Spier of Hedley won the quilt made and donated by Mrs. O’Rear of Wellington.

This year’s Cotton Festival turned out many more people than expected, and more activities were seen.

Burglary and criminal mischief kept the Donley County Sheriff’s Department busy last week.

Over the Columbus Day weekend, someone stole a Chevy passenger van from Clarendon ISD and went on a joy ride.

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn said the sheriff’s office received a report on October 10 of a school van abandoned in the drainage ditch behind Henson’s.  The keys were still in the vehicle.

CISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger said the van had been gassed up and left with the keys in it so some coaches could take it to Amarillo to get film. But the coaches ended up using their own vehicle, and the school officials didn’t miss the van until they showed up for work Tuesday, October 10.

Blackburn said vehicle tracks from the van match those that were found at the Clarendon Municipal Airport where runway lights and a steel building were damaged.

Several fingerprints were lifted from the van, he said.

Hysinger reports that no damage was done to the van, but he urges anyone who saw the Bronco van to call the authorities at 874-3533.

Also last Monday night, October 9, a different band of thieves reportedly broke into the Lelia Lake Post Office and made off with several money orders. The same bunch is believed to have broken into Reynolds Machine & Supply and taken cash and tools.

Blackburn said authorities might have gotten a break in the Lelia Lake cases as the suspects tried to cash the money orders at a Dallas post office. The suspects’ tag numbers were written down there, and they were caught on video tape.

Postal Inspectors and the Texas Rangers were planning to run a search warrant on the suspects last Friday, but Blackburn said he had not heard anything as of Monday morning.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander last week sent $212.5 million in local sales tax revenue to 1,106 Texas cities and 119 counties. October sales tax rebates are up 20.8 percent compared to October 1999.

Locally the news was mixed. Clarendon’s rebate fell by 14.71 percent for a total of $14,794.15. But Hedley and Howardwick both posted gains of 55.86 percent and 223 percent respectively. Those cities’ rebates were $159.12 and $1,044.84.

For the year to date, Clarendon is running 3.37 percent ahead while Hedley is 14.33 percent behind and 20.16 percent down.

October sales tax rebates represent sales taxes collected in August and reported to the Comptroller in September.

For more information, check out our web site at the comptroller’s website.

A 17-year-old Clarendon High School student was expelled and charged with a third degree felony last week for bringing a gun to school.

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn says the Donley County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the school requesting a deputy last Tuesday afternoon, October 3. 

The gun had been found in the boy’s vehicle by school officials and Clarence Patterson of the Interquest Detection Canines, a dog service CISD uses to randomly search for narcotics and weapons, Blackburn said.

The boy was arrested for possession of a firearm on school property, and his .12 gauge Winchester shotgun was seized as evidence. He was released on $1,000 bond.

Blackburn said the student stated he had been hunting the day before and had come down with a stomach bug. He reportedly went home vomiting and was still not feeling well when he went to school the next day. The deputy said the boy thought he had taken the gun out of his car.

Dead dove and spent shotgun shells were also found in the student’s vehicle, Blackburn said.

“He usually cleans out his car every time he goes hunting,” the student’s mother said this week. “But he was just so sick he came straight in the house this time.”

Clarendon School Superintendent Monty Hysinger could not comment on the specifics of the student’s case but did confirm a gun had been found on campus.

In addition to narcotics, the trained dogs smell gunpowder residue, Hysinger said. When a dog alerts on a vehicle, the superintendent says the procedure is the dog’s trainer will notify the principal, who will get the student. The student is then asked to open the vehicle, and if the student will not give permission, law enforcement and parents are notified.

“You can’t overlook things that the law says you have to enforce,” Hysinger said.

Carrying firearms on school property violates local district policy as well as state and federal laws. Hysinger said the law also requires students found with weapons to be expelled. He could not comment on what disciplinary action the school took against the student.

The mother said her son was suspended for three days, and an expulsion hearing was held with the superintendent and CHS principal Larry Jeffers last Friday. At that time the student was given a form of expulsion called the Alternative Education Program (AEP) for four weeks. He has been banned from UIL activities and can’t come within 100 feet of the school, she said.

The student’s mother also said that they were told the boy’s case would be kept confidential but that by Thursday people knew about it in Wellington and Stinnett. She believes the school violated the confidentiality rule and said the boy did not give permission for his vehicle to be searched. The family has retained the services of an attorney, she said.

“It was just an innocent, innocent mistake,” the mother said. “It could happen to anybody. I just wish it was over.”

The boy’s parents have appealed to the CISD Board of Trustees. A special meeting has been called for this Friday, October 13, at 1:30 p.m. in the CISD Administration Building.

“I think he has been punished enough,” the mother said.

By Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

The community of Hedley is gearing up for its 49th Annual Cotton Festival October 13 and 14.

The Hedley Lioness Club will kick things off by hosting a chili supper on Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Lioness Club building.  Prices for the meal are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids age twelve and under.  The meal includes a bowl of chili, cornbread or crackers, iced tea, and your choice of homemade cobbler or cake.

The Lioness Club will also be selling chances on a beautiful hand quilted quilt.  You can purchase those from any club member at the chili supper.  The drawing will be on Saturday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.

The Hedley Owl football game will also be held on Friday in Happy against the Cowboys.  Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The Junior Class starts the activities on Saturday with a Kick-Off Breakfast, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Senior Citizens Building.  The class will also hold a mesquite barbecue meal from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Senior Citizens Building.  They will sell homemade pies by the slice or whole during the meal.

Sign up for the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department Antique Tractor Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the City Hall.  Judging will be held at 11:30 a.m.

The kids can enjoy quarter activities at the face painting, popcorn, tattoo, beanbag throw, and castle jumper booths from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

KEFH Radio in Clarendon will provide “oldies” music from the grand stand starting at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the day.

The arts and crafts booths will open at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day on the east side of Main Street. 

The Senior Class will begin Bingo for 50 cents per card in the Lions Den from 10 a.m. until midnight along with a full concession stand with hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chips, nachos, Frito pie, homemade ice cream, soft drinks, and candy.  Special $5 bingo games for a Moore Knife ($65 value) made by the Moore Brothers of Matador and donated by Moffitt Hardware of Hedley will be held at 9 p.m. and a game for a quilt handcrafted by Mrs. O’Rear of Wellington will be held at 10 p.m.

The Sophomore and Freshman Classes will open the cakewalk, Kiddie Air Jumper, jail, and dunking board at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the day.  The Sophomores will be selling caps, buttons, shirts, and War and Peace fish bowls.

The annual Kiddie Parade begins at 10:30 a.m.  Participants must be fifth grade and younger to participate.

The Grand Parade featuring Queen Holli White, Princess Katterinna Johnson, and queen and princess contestants will begin at 2:00 p.m.  Line up for the parade begins at 1 p.m. at the Hedley school parking lot.  Winners of the parade will be immediately announced and awards will be handed out.

The Queen Coronation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Hedley gym.  This year’s queen candidates are Breanne Chase, LaRae Shaw, LaCenda Funderburg, and Sealey Stevens.  The princess candidates are Alex Sharp, Brittney Netterville, Kirsten Moore, and Justine Moore.  The drawing for the bale of cotton will also be held during the coronation.

A dance hosted by the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department will be held at the Fire Hall from 9 p.m. at 1 a.m.

By Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

During National Fire Prevention Week, October 8-14, firefighters, fire prevention personnel, and teachers across the country will direct attention to the need for fire prevention in the home, on the job, and in fields and forest.

The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department visited the classrooms at Clarendon Elementary on Wednesday teaching the children about fire safety.  On Thursday, members of the fire department will hold a demonstration with the Jaws of Life at the Clarendon School on the east parking lot after 9 a.m. 

The department will wrap up the week with an Open House at the Fire Station on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Refreshment will be served and fire truck rides will be given to the children attending.  The winners of the Fire Prevention Week poster contest will be presented with their awards at the Open House.

The annual fire safety observance commemorates the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but Texans have only to look at the state’s record fire siege this year to appreciate the destruction wildfires can cause. 

The Texas Forest Service estimates that from January through September, 32,000 fires scorched an estimated 630,000 acres in Texas before being controlled by a combination of local, state, and federal firefighting personnel and equipment.

Texas mustered hundreds of local, state, and federal interagency personnel for fire prevention, mitigation, and suppression duties or threat of possibly devastating fire losses in the face of a record drought.  At the height of the fire siege, over 180 Texas counties had bans on outdoor burning in place.  The Texas Forest Service credits ban implementation with helping prevent additional wildfires and property losses.

“Fall normally brings an increase in fire danger, due to increased outdoor activity,” said Jim Blott, state wildland/urban interface coordinator with the Texas Forest Service in Conroe.  “When this increase in outdoor activity coincides with dangerously dry conditions, wildfires become increasingly likely and potentially more deadly.”

Blott suggested several fire safety precautions. 

County Commissioners extended the burn ban in Donley County on Monday.

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court accepted an environmental inspection report as part of the courthouse restoration project Monday morning.

Luis Acuña of Sun City Analytical, Inc., presented his firm’s findings and said asbestos and lead paint concentrations are low in the 1890 building.

Asbestos was found in the floor tile in five rooms and covers less than 1,500 sq. ft. A small amount of piping in a crawl space also is wrapped in asbestos.

Acuña said lead paint is mostly found on the metal ceilings of the building and can most effectively be dealt with by encapsulating it. In other words, the ceilings will just be painted over.

As expected, Acuña reported the bat infestation to be the biggest abatement challenge for the project. Contractors will use special vacuum devices to suck out as much of the guano as possible.

Most of the bats themselves are expected to migrate out of the building for the winter. Acuña has said previously that special netting will be used to interfere with the bats’ sonar and keep them out.

The bats, which Acuña identified as the Mexican Free Tail species, might take up residence under the bridges along the city’s main drainage ditch, he said.

The next step facing Donley County will be the development of an abatement plan by Acuña’s firm, which will become the basis for letting the bids for the abatement.

For more information on the restoration of the Donley County Courthouse, click here.

The local VFW post and its Ladies Auxiliary will sponsor a Meet the Candidates Night October 16, 2000, at 7 p.m. at the Bairfield Activity Center at Clarendon College.

As of press time, the VFW reported the following candidates as confirmed for the evening: Randall Sims, Stewart Messer, William “Bill” Holden, Wilma Lindley, Wanda Smith, Andy Wheatley, and Jimmy Swinney. Other local candidates were reportedly sent an invitation to the event but have not responded. VFW officials say all candidates are welcome at the event.

Joe Davis, general manager of KLSR Radio in Memphis, will moderate the forum. 

This event is free to the public, and refreshments will be served.

Clarendon Aldermen took on the topic of zoning ordinances and building permits when the board held its regular meeting last Tuesday, September 26.

The issue was raised because of some recent private improvements around town that have encroached on city rights of way. In a statement to the Enterprise, Alderman Smiley Johnson said the encroachments are a problem that can hinder city water and sewer projects and can be costly to the property owner.

Recently, a $248,034 waterworks project set for the west central part of town had to be scaled back partly because of private improvements in the city alleyway. Alleys are supposed to be 20 feet wide, but engineers found that private fences had been built in them.

A city ordinance, passed in 1952, restricts walls, structures, and buildings from being built, enlarged, altered, or repaired if the cost will exceed $25 until a plan for the changes are approved by the city. According to the law, plans must be submitted to the city and a building permit issued. The city will review the plans for property encroachments and other zoning items.

The building permit costs $1 for the first $1,000 of construction plus 25¢ for every additional $1,000. Failure to submit plans and secure a permit is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $10 to $100 for each day the violation is continued.

“Most people do not want others building on their property and likewise probably do not want to build on someone else’s property, including that of the city,” Johnson said. “The right of way may go years without any need for its use, and then one day it is needed.”

Johnson pointed to Second Street (US 287) where a storm drain was installed under the sidewalk last year in several blocks of right of way.

The board of aldermen urges all citizens to get a building permit before starting construction projects or installing prefabricated structures.

“In the long run it will help the city with improvements on rights of way adjacent to such areas,” Johnson said.

For more information regarding building permits, call City Hall at 874-3438.

In other city news, the city budget for 2000-2001 was reviewed and approved last week. An ordinance to collect delinquent taxes was tabled until the chief appraiser could visit the board. The law enforcement agreement with the Donley County was signed, and the Pampa landfill contract was approved.

The aldermen also expressed appreciation to Chris Knox who paid for drilling and placing a water well at the municipal airport. The well will benefit pilots and will be helpful in filling firefighting aircraft.