This Week

Donley County citizens paid their respects to the soldiers who fought for their rights this past weekend with services held at Citizens Cemetery and Rowe Cemetery

The first service of the weekend was held Saturday morning in the Rowe Cemetery near Hedley by the Adamson/Lane Post of the American Legion.

A fitting address was given by Jack Moreman, and Barbara Collins performed “God Bless the USA” for those assembled.

A Roll Call was held for more than 190 veterans buried at Rowe with surviving family members or Legionnaires answering “here” for departed soldiers. This was the second year for the muster, and it was led by Connie Debord.

A wreath was placed upon the Rowe Cemetery War Memorial by Tommie Saye and Raymond Hopper, and the service was closed with the playing of “Taps.”

On Monday morning, a small crowd gathered at Citizens Cemetery as Girl Scouts Annie Patten, Ashlyn Tubbs, Chelsey Hartley, Abby Patten, and Dominique Brady posted the colors and read a poem about the flag.

Brit Patten closed the service with his a cappella performance of “Taps.”

More than 480 veterans are buried in Citizens Cemetery. Still others are buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery and the Jericho Cemetery, according to Enterprise files.

The traditional Memorial Day service at the Donley County War Memorial on the courthouse square was not held this year due to the ongoing construction work on the courthouse restoration project.

Pampa native Terry Burns will be at the Burton Memorial Library this Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. to promote and sign copies of his new book, To Keep a Promise, which is set in Old Clarendon.

A trade paperback classified as inspirational fiction, the electronic version of the book was one of five finalists for the EPPIE Award given by the electronic publishers.

To Keep a Promise is the story of a rather naïve young lady on her way west with her newly ordained missionary husband.  Poorly equipped to do the job, he falls prey to the first potential converts that he meets, leaving her alone and terrified in the wilderness.  As she seeks to survive, she feels an obligation to carry on her husband’s work in a land that does not readily accept women in such a role yet finds strength in herself that she did not know was there. This book has memorable characters, is set against a background of historic Saints’ Roost, and is written with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor.

“Clarendon was the perfect setting for this little lady’s story,” Burns said.  “The history I used is pretty accurate, as are a lot of the people these fictional characters interacted with.  Of course, they never really met my characters, but if they had, I’d like to think they would have really reacted to them just as the book shows.”

Terry was a former chamber of commerce manager for over 25 years and says, “I’ve always written, but most of my writing was consumed by my profession in those days.  It’s only the past few years that I’ve begun to be able to enjoy writing fiction.”  He has four business oriented non-fiction books to his credit, has written a newspaper column for seventeen years, has had works in short story collections and magazines, and has a small book of cowboy poetry in print.

“I’m a fifth generation Irish storyteller,” Burns says, “and a fourth generation Texas bullshipper.  Telling stories is easy; writing them down is what’s hard.”  Terry has been inducted into the Western Writers of America and is currently serving as the President of the Panhandle Professional Writers. 

More detailed information on him may be found at his web site, www.terryburns.net

Local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts are planning activities to honor those soldiers who have given their lives for their country this weekend.

The VFW will be decorating the graves of veterans in Citizens Cemetery this Friday at 5 p.m. The flags will fly through next Friday.

Anyone wishing to help the VFW is asked to meet at the cemetery. If a grave is not marked that should be, extra flags will be placed near the cemetery gates.

On Saturday, the Adamson-Lane American Legion Post will hold services at the Rowe Cemetery near Hedley at 10 a.m. Scheduled activities include singing and the calling of the roll of veterans interred at the cemetery. Relatives in attendance may answer “here” when their loved one’s name is called.

The traditional VFW service at the Donley County War Memorial will not be held this year due to the construction taking place on the square.

The meeting of the Clarendon Board of Aldermen became heated last week as the city again faced criticism of its new animal ordinance.

“I won’t pay one red cent to keep a horse on my property,” said resident Carl Larsen, who claimed the ordinance violates his property rights.

Ordinance 340 requires landowners to obtain a $20 land license and a $10 per head permit in order to keep livestock in the city limits. The law also prescribes space requirements and other rules for keeping livestock in the city.

Alderman Michael Tibbets thanked Larsen for addressing the board and said he had erred in voting for the measure last month.

“I made a mistake voting for this ordinance,” Tibbets said. “It wasn’t the first mistake I have made, and it likely won’t be the last if I’m fortunate enough to keep living.”

Tibbets raised questions about the provision of the ordinance which specifies that violators may have their stock seized and said he thinks it violates state caps on what the city is allowed to confiscate.

Alderman Tommy Hill moved to repeal the ordinance, but that motion was deemed out of order since an ordinance cannot be repealed without a new ordinance to take its place.

“It would be just like the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment,” Tibbetts explained.

Other aldermen bristled at the idea of repealing the ordinance.

“What are we going to do without this?” Mayor Pro-tem Mark White asked. “We’re going to be in the same situation we were before with animals in the city limits.”

Alderman Bob Watson echoed White’s statement saying the council had spent a great deal of time on the new law and that it should stand. Watson moved, seconded by Alderman Janice Knorpp to table the ordinance until the May 28 meeting.

In other city business, Mayor Tex Selvidge administered the oath of office to newly elected Aldermen Tommy Hill, Janice Knorpp, and Mark White and presided over the selection of a new mayor pro-tem. Nominations for Watson and Tibbets both failed to receive support before White was nominated and was unanimously elected.

White took charge of the meeting, allowing the mayor to return home to continue his recovery from a recent surgery.

The board discussed the city’s ranking of engineering proposals for a street improvement plan. The board agreed that not enough time was taken in reviewing the proposals at the previous city meeting. Board consultant Colby Waters said that the ranking was done under state procurement guidelines and therefore the city must move forward with its selection or risk violating those rules.

David Pitts reported on the city’s emergency sirens and radios. He asked the board to consider getting a generator for City Hall to power the facility in case of an emergency.

The board also discussed the basement of City Hall and its use as a public shelter. The basement needs to be cleaned out, and new lighting needs to be installed.

An agreement providing for regulating subdivisions by the county within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality was discussed. The board approved a motion to let the county handle the matter.

The board approved Ordinance 341 which codifies all the ordinances passed by the city since 1901. The action has the effect of organizing the ordinances for easier reference and easier enforcement. It also eliminates some obsolete provisions and laws.

“United We Stand” was the theme for the 2001-2002 All Sports Banquet that was held May 18 at the Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center.  Many awards were given for the year’s accomplishments.

In another year of adversity, the Broncos and Lady Broncos have learned to endure.  They have had to learn how to reach deep within themselves to draw on their inner strengths to emerge as winners.  Not necessarily always winners on the scoreboard or in the record books but always winners in their hearts.  Sometimes the Broncos’ and Lady Broncos’ successes aren’t “pretty,” but they’re successes nonetheless.

They were recognized for their many accomplishments as a team and individually at the All Sports Banquet given in their honor.

The Lady Broncos’ Fighting Heart Award went to senior Kelley Lemley and junior Lacey Anderberg. 

Senior Janey Aduddell and junior Kylen Karr shared the Lady Bronco basketball Offensive Player of the Year honor.  Junior May Butler was the Defensive Player of the Year.

The Lady Bronco Track Athlete of the Year was freshman Angel Williams and the Outstanding Athlete of the Year was senior April Bryley.

On the men’s side, seniors Jeremy Ray and Brian Thompson were named as the Offensive and Defensive Football Players of the Year, respectively.  The Offensive Basketball Player of the Year was Cody Watson and the Defensive Player of the Year was Jarad Lax.

Junior James Williams received the Track Athlete of the Year and the Clyde Wilson Fighting Heart award winner was senior Micah Sparks.

The Outstanding Bronco Athlete of the Year was Greg Wootten.

Congratulations to all Broncos and Lady Broncos on a great year. Next year will be even greater.

PAMPA – Nucor Steel’s Bar Mill Group presented Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, with its first-ever “Friend of the Texas Environment” award during ceremonies at the Phillips facility in Borger, Texas.

Jim Darsey, vice president and general manager of the Jewett-based company, praised Chisum not only for his legislative accomplishments, but also “a lifetime of personal contribution that has made our state a better place in which to work and live.”

“Representative Chisum has brought the value of dedication, the discipline of commitment, and the inspiration of leadership to everything he has done and to everyone he has served,” Darsey said in presenting the award. “By any standard, he is a true Texas leader.”

Darsey singled out Chisum’s positive efforts to shape a policy that would enable industry to comply with the federal Clean Air Act without putting their operations – and their employees – at risk.

In the last session of the legislature, there were efforts to impose strict new guidelines on Texas industries that in some cases were so broad, Darsey said, they would have had the “practical effect of shutting down companies throughout our state, eliminating thousands of jobs, and weakening local tax bases.”

Chisum, he continued, “developed a strategy to close a loophole for unpermitted air emission sources that will help us meet the goals of the act – but not at the expense of Texas workers and Texas industries.”

In addition to that legislation, Darsey also credited Chisum for a number of other environmental successes:

• Toughening auto-emission tailpipe tests in counties where pollution is the greatest.

• Changing the name of the Texas Natural Resources & Conservation Commission to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a name he said “better reflects its mission.”

• Ensuring that the agency primarily focuses its regulatory resources on the “bad apples” rather than companies that obey the law and act as responsible environmental stewards.

• Increasing public involvement in the regulatory process.

He added that these and other achievements are examples of how Chisum “has shaped common-sense policies that protect our natural resources while at the same time preserving our state’s ability to grow, create jobs, and be competitive for new investment.”

He added, “That is not a simple task. Too often, the winds of politics blow elected officials to one extreme or the other. The rhetoric gets hot, and there is a lot of activity…but not a lot of progress. Representative Chisum has resisted those pressures. And we are better off today because of his efforts.”

The comments reflected the proclamation that accompanied the honor, which recognizes Chisum for “his leadership as Chairman of the House Environmental Regulation Committee and his vision for a better future for all of Texas.”

The Pampa lawmaker earned additional praise that went beyond his commitment to responsible environmental policies, as his successful efforts to establish a center for rural economic development were also cited.

Noting that the Nucor facility was in a small community in a rural county, Darsey offered his personal thanks to Chisum for “showing the world that our non-urban areas have a lot to offer – like a great quality of life, productive workers, and a strength of character that is uncommon almost anywhere else in the country.”

Chisum represents the 88th District, which includes Carson, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Roberts, Sherman, and Wheeler counties. In addition to chairing the Environmental Regulation Committee, he is also a member of the County Affairs and House Administration committees.

Nucor is the largest recycler in the United States, handling more than 12 million tons of scrap metal each year.  Nucor and affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products with operating facilities in 10 states, including four sites in Texas. The Nucor Bar Mill Group has been in Jewett for 26 years, and currently produces a wide range of products, including carbon steel angles, rounds, flats, squares, channels, reinforcing bars, and wide-flange beams.