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This Week

Early voting underway for Hedley, Clarendon, and CCISD

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Early voting is underway in three local elections in Donley County this week.

Polls opened Monday, April 24, for the City of Clarendon, Clarendon CISD, and the City of Hedley, and early balloting will continue through next Tuesday, May 2.

On the Clarendon CISD ballot, voters will select two school board members from among three candidates – incumbent Chrisi Tucek is joined on the ballot by candidates Mike Word and Ginnie Siefkas.

Clarendon residents will decide for or against reauthorizing the one-quarter cent sales tax for street maintenance. The tax is already in place but must be reauthorized by voters periodically. It raises about $60,000 per year that is dedicated to street maintenance. The city ballot also includes the candidacies of Mayor Jacob Fangman and Aldermen Terri Floyd and Eulaine McIntosh. Those candidates are unopposed.

Hedley has six candidates running for three positions on the city council. Incumbents Trisha Chambless, Alicia Hanes, and Jennifer Floyd are facing challengers Christine Coyle, Calvin Holland, and Tanya White Gibson

Polling for the City of Clarendon and Clarendon CISD is in the Donley County Courthouse Annex from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Hedley voters cast ballots at Hedley City Hall from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Election Day will be Saturday, May 6.

Jordon Diego Chavira

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We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Jordon Diego Chavira, 26, of Howardwick who left us on April 23, 2023.

Jordon Diego Chavira

Jordan was the most gentle soul, the kindest young man with a signature laugh and an affectionate hug that told you how deeply he loved you. Impetuous both at his barber chair, behind the wheel of his Mustang, and in private life, Jordan made friends and helped people wherever life took him. He was an amazing man who led an extraordinary life. A talented artist and a fun, caring force, he seems to have found the secret to unending optimism and generously spread laughter, joy and rays of sunshine in the lives of everyone who knew him.

Jordan was the only son of Eddie and Shelly Chavira of Howardwick, who are grateful they had the opportunity to be his parents; sister Mariah Capps of Amarillo; Grandson to Lucinda Chavira of Howardwick, Kristen Butler of Visalia, Calif., and Leroy Reed of Amarillo; great nephew to Don and Tracy Cornutt of Durango, Colo., nephew to Pete Chavira of Fresno, Calif., Corky and Cindy Butler of Claude, Lori Hudgens and Ian and Brandi Fleming of Fresno, Calif., Michael Holliman and Brandi Reed, Michael and Amanda Cates and Chris and Shannon Ellis of Amarillo; best friend Jonathon Yanes of Fresno, Calif., pets Caliber, Katy and Willie; and several cousins and countless friends that he supported, entertained and cherished through the years.

Jordan was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Pete Chavira and Eugene Butler, and his grandmother, Mildred Reed. It gives us comfort knowing they have him in their arms now.

Family and friends are welcome to join us for Jordon’s celebration of life. It will be held at the Howardwick City Hall, 245 Rick Husband Blvd. Howardwick, TX 79226 on April 28, 2023, at 11:30 am. Lunch will be served. Floral arrangements can also be sent to this location.

Jordan will forever be missed. His family wishes to thank their community of Howardwick and everyone who has shown them love, compassion, and support during this time.

Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

Henry “Peanut” Haire

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On Saturday, April 22, 2023, Henry “Peanut” Haire, loving husband, father, and Pawpaw passed away at the age of 85.

Henry “Peanut” Haire

Services will be 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Robertson Funeral Directors Saints’ Roost Chapel in Clarendon with Joe Neal Shadle, officiating. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery in Memphis.

Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon, Texas.

Henry was born August 29, 1937, in Clarksville, Texas, to Elbert and Mildred Haire. He grew up in Memphis. He married Judy Ashcraft on May 5, 1975. Henry had many jobs – Mechanic, custom farming, meat processer, worked GM truck driver before finally retiring from Donley County services. He loved his family and spending time watching them having fun and visiting. He loved watching wrestling on TV.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, and a son.

He is survived by his wife, Judy of the home; eight children; many grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; and even a few great great grandchildren.

Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

Cecil Lee Hook

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Cecil Lee Hook, 88, of Clarendon passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Amarillo.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Church of Christ in Hedley with Tom Anderson officiating.

Cremation and Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Cecil Lee Hook was born in Dickens on April 12, 1935, to Andrew George and Mary Jane (Williams) Hook. On December 27, 1954, he married Lillie Baker in Snyder. He had been a resident of Clarendon for 43 years where he worked as a welder for most of his life. Cecil was a member of the Hedley Church of Christ. He enjoyed playing dominoes, fishing, hunting, loved dancing, and was an expert at just about everything he did.

Cecil is preceded in death by his mother and father; his wife of 48 years, Lillie; his brother, Elbert Hook; and his sisters Hazel, Delores, and Lorene.

He is survived by his sons Cecil Hook, Jr., and wife Barbara of Amarillo; Rick Hook and wife Vickie of Amarillo; Michael Hook and wife Tina of Claude; one daughter, Deanna Gasser of Clarendon; brother Denzil “Hass” Hook; sister, Betty Joe Bittle; ten grandchildren; and twenty-two great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hedley Church of Christ, PO Box 166, Hedley, TX 79237.

Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

Norma Virginia Bruce

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Norma Virginia Bruce, 97, of Clarendon, died Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in McLean.

Norma Bruce

Cremation and arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Norma was born November 8, 1925, in Amarillo to Roy Everett and Kensey (Gold) McDowell. She was a long-time resident of Clarendon, prior to moving here, she lived in Phoenix, Ariz., and worked for Motorola. Norma enjoyed sewing and cooking and loved her family. She was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Clarendon.

She was preceded in death by her parents; eight siblings; and a son, James Bruce.

Survivors include daughters, Sharyn Morrow and Sonyia Hill both of Clarendon; daughter-in-law, Michelle Bruce of Clarendon; several grandchildren and great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Sunday accident takes life of Howardwick man

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A Howardwick man lost his life in a single-vehicle accident Sunday morning west of Claude.

Jordon Diego Chavira

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported Jordan Chavira, 26, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Armstrong County Justice of the Peace Jana Lemons.

According to the DPS, Chavira was eastbound on US-287 about ten miles west of Claude at about 6:35 a.m. when the 2001 Ford Explorer he was driving left the roadway and traveled into the center median. He over-corrected the steering, causing him to lose control. The vehicle traveled back onto the roadway, across the lanes of travel, and rolled over multiple times before coming to rest upside down in the ditch south of the roadway.

The report said Chavira was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.

Texas Highway Patrol Troopers continue to investigate the crash.

A celebration of Chavira’s life will be held at the Howardwick City Hall, 245 Rick Husband Blvd. Howardwick, TX 79226 on April 28, 2023, at 11:30 am. Read the full obituary here.

 

City to interview four administrator candidates

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The Clarendon City Council considered applicants for city administrator and identified four candidates for interviews during its regular meeting last week.

This is the second round of searching the city has undertaken as City Administrator David Dockery plans for retirement. A first round search and subsequent interviews were not successful earlier this year.

The four candidates this time are Steve Coles, manager of Lowe’s Family Center in Clarendon; Brian Barboza, City Administrator at Knox City; Melissa Fields-Allgeyer, Director of Human Resources at the City of Levelland; and Brent Spier, City Administrator of Clear Lake Shores, Texas.

Barboza was also a finalist in the first search.

All four candidates will be interviewed during a called meeting on May 10.

In other city business, the council considered the upcoming season for the Clarendon Aquatic Center and left the hours as 1 to 8 p.m. but changed the opening and closing dates. Instead of opening Memorial Day weekend and closing Labor Day weekend, the center will open May 26, which is the day after school closes, and it will close the day before school starts this fall.
Annette Osburn and Becky Lane were named the election judge and clerk for the upcoming city election on May 6.

The council approved hiring attorney Marvin Jones to review the city’s obligations to the Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority and also contracted with Perdue Brandon to handle delinquent utility accounts.

Resolutions were adopted to move forward with applications for a second round of downtown revitalization and another Community Development Block Grant.

An ordinance was adopted to approve the franchise agreement of G&L Utilities, dba GreenLight Gas.

Christ Kids Ministry presented a request for assistance with its summer food program, and the council approved $1,000 for that program.

Clarendon water protocols in place

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In accordance with its stage three water shortage protocols, the City of Clarendon is requesting all of its water customers practice water conservation and minimize or discontinue water use for non-essential purposes, with the goal of reducing water usage by 30 percent.

Under threat of penalty for violation, the following water use restrictions shall apply to all persons. Customers are asked to limit outside watering to twice-a-week, and then before 10:00 am and after 7:00 pm. Residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Residential customers with even-numbered street addresses water on Thursdays and Sundays. Commercial customers water on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Also limit washing of motor vehicles, motorbikes, boats, and other vehicles at home to before 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm on your designated watering day, and then use a bucket and/or a hand-held hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle. Commercial car washes are excepted.

Urgency of preventing child abuse

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One of the most important responsibilities that all of us have – as individuals, families and communities – is to ensure the safety of the children in our lives and throughout our community. As we recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, we must also recognize the urgency of strengthening families and equipping communities with the services needed to prevent abuse from ever occurring.

In 2022, there were 56,944 victims of abuse or neglect in Texas. This harrowing number highlights the need to not only provide care and treatment for those children who have suffered the trauma of maltreatment, but also to deploy services that can keep children safe in their families by preventing abuse from happening in the first place.

Nationally, there has been a recent bipartisan move toward prevention programs that aim to keep families together. Those of us who work in the child welfare space go about this mission with a variety of programs and services that have been proven to work, such as:

• Providing free counseling to families and children that need it, including in the school setting.

• Inviting parents to participate in classes and workshops that teach them strategies for managing children’s behaviors and help them parent in positive and constructive ways.

• Treating substance abuse and other conditions that can disrupt families.

• Supporting extended families as they navigate their way through various support systems.

The need for these types of services always outpaces the funding available to provide them. In fact, the demand for in-home services is increasing in Texas because recent legislation has dramatically decreased the number of children being removed from their homes. This is why it’s important for federal and state legislators to continue to make funding available for prevention services. Helping families manage and overcome their struggles causes far less trauma – and is far less expensive for taxpayers – than removing children from their homes and placing them into the foster care system.

That said, there are times when removal from the birth family is necessary for the safety of the child, which is why another key component of keeping children safe is maintaining a strong network of well-vetted, well-trained foster families who can provide temporary care and, when reunification with the birth family is not possible, can create forever families through adoption. However, stepping forward to provide foster care is one way that individuals and couples can help ensure that children can have safe and loving homes.

Becoming a foster family is a major commitment, but there are other ways that we can help contribute to children’s safety and the prevention of maltreatment. For starters, we can raise awareness of child abuse and neglect this month by displaying blue ribbons to honor victims. We can contribute to programs and causes that help struggling families meet their basic needs, from food to paying the rent.

Texans should also remember that it is not only the job of teachers, health care professionals or social workers to report abuse. If you know, for example, that a child is exposed to domestic violence or children sustain suspicious injuries or injuries that are not getting the medical attention they need, do not hesitate to call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.

Those of us in the fields of child safety and welfare continue seeking the most effective possible programs and services to prevent the maltreatment of children. We understand that positive parenting comes more naturally to some than it does to others, which is why we approach prevention from a place of support rather than judgment. In April and throughout the year, we are committed to preventing the abuse and neglect of children — and we are heartened to know that we are not alone.

Lions district meeting to be this Saturday

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Local and area Lions Clubs members will be in Clarendon this Saturday for a day of service and fellowship during the annual District 2-T1 Convention.

The day will start with registration at the Bairfield Activity Center at Clarendon College. Lions will then join the Texas Ramp Project in building wheelchair ramps at two Clarendon residences during the morning. Several Lions Clubs in the district have active partnerships with Texas Ramp and the local club is considering such a partnership also.

Lunch will be served back at the Bairfield Center with the Lions Alert trailer providing the food. The new trailer is the district’s disaster response unit and is ready and available to feed first responders and victims in times of disaster.

A business meeting led by District Governor Roger Estlack of Clarendon will be held during lunch.

Lions training workshops are also planned during the day.

A tree planting will be held at the Lions Hall that afternoon, which will be followed by Bingo games and cornhole at the the Lions Hall. A hospitality hour will begin at 5 p.m. along with voting on district and state Lions ballots.

The awards banquet will be held at 6 p.m. at the Bairfield Center with Past International Director Justin Faber on hand for keynote remarks. Several district Lions will be recognized with awards during the evening, which will showcase service projects around the district during the past year.

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