This Week

The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) has announced that Clarendon Mayor Leonard “Tex” Selvidge has won an American Hometown Leadership Award for outstanding leadership in America’s smaller communities.

Wal-Mart, which co-sponsors the award to promote strong leadership in small towns, presented a grant of $1,000 to the community in Mayor Selvidge’s honor.

“The vision and dedication displayed by the winners of the American Hometown Leadership Award are qualities that are key to building and sustaining vital communities,” said Betsy Reithemeyer, director of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “We are committed to improving these small communities by lifting up the best leaders who are making a difference.”

Selvidge, who spent 27 years with Clarendon College, began his political career as a Donley County Commissioner and a commissioner at Hedley, a press release said. He was elected to the Clarendon Board of Aldermen in 1976 and served as Clarendon’s mayor from 1977 to 1981. He then served as an alderman again from 1981 to 1982 before again being elected mayor in 1997.

Selvidge works tirelessly in serving the people of Clarendon and reportedly hopes to use the grant to improve street paving in the city.

City Librarian Carolyn Blackerby praised Selvidge, saying simply, “Tex Selvidge is the most fair man I know,” she said.

Wal-Mart awards more than $4 million annually in Economic Development Grants to support local efforts to attract new business. This year the company will award more than $720,000 to more than 300 communities across the country through the American Hometown Leadership Award. The award recognizes outstanding civic accomplishments by elected local officials in a community with a population of 25,000 or less.

“The winners of the American Hometown Leadership Award demonstrate not only outstanding leadership qualities but also the creativity and initiative needed to bring a measure of excellence to their work,” said Tom Halicki, executive director of NCSC. “Their ability to envision great things for their communities and their ability to translate that vision into action makes them deserving of our highest honor.”

NCSC is the only national non-profit organization devoted to serving the leaders of America’s smaller communities. The mission of NCSC is to provide small town decision-makers with the tools to govern effectively and the skills to expand local economies, protect natural resources, and preserver community character.

Wal-Mart Supercenter Manager Marvin Bender of Amarillo presented the award to Selvidge Tuesday night during the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen.

A two-man team from El Paso started the first phase of abating toxins and bats from the Donley County Courthouse as part of plans to restore the 1890 building.

Luis Acuña of Sun City Analytical, Inc., spent most of Monday pulling samples in the courthouse to be tested for lead paint and asbestos. Acuña and his son Chris also investigated the problem of the bat infestation.

The bats, Acuña said, will present a greater problem than the paint or asbestos, which has been mostly removed already.

“We’ll have to discover [the bats’] entry points, their hibernation period, and what species they are,” he said. “Many of them will soon be migrating for the winter.”

Once the bats have either left or been removed, Acuña said a “super duper” vacuum cleaner will be used to suck the guano out of the building. And to keep the bats out during work on the building, Acuña is suggesting a netting be used that will interfere with the bats’ sonar.

Acuña started working at Ft. Bliss in 1982 before he and his family founded Sun City Analytical in 1987. His company oversaw the abatement work during Potter County’s restoration of the Santa Fe Building in Amarillo. Sun City also has experience dealing with bats, having removed the flying rodents and their droppings from the barracks at Ft. Hood.

The presence of a large local bat colony can be considered a good thing, according to Acuña.

“It means that there isn’t an overuse of pesticides in the area and that the local environment is very clean,” he said. “Unfortunately, what the bats leave behind [the guano] is not good for us.”

In other courthouse news, the county is finalizing plans to relocate county offices during the restoration.

Justice of the Peace Jimmy Johnson became the first county official to abandon the building last week. His office was relocated to 414 S. Kearney St., south of the US Post Office.

This week, commissioners approved a contract with the Local Housing Authority to rent an apartment at 201 E. Third St. for use by the County Extension Office.  Judge Hall plans to deliver the county’s deposit check and signed agreement to the housing authority this week.

Also, the county intends to relocate the probation office to the Courthouse Annex as soon as possible.

Hall also says a team from the county’s architect firm, Volz & Associates, will be returning this week to spend several days in the courthouse.

The team will reportedly be looking behind the jury box and pulling up carpet in the district courtroom. They will be trying to solve a mystery as to what was the original layout of the courtroom.

Local law enforcement personnel were kept busy over the Labor Day weekend with 13 arrests made.

As of Monday afternoon, there had been two public intoxication arrests, six DWI arrests, and five arrests for possession of marijuana, according to the Donley County Sheriff’s Department. Some of the arrests were made by the Department of Public Safety.

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn said the number of arrests was not significantly different from past years, but he said there were more arrests made for marijuana this year, one of which was for a half a pound of marijuana.

All of the arrests were people from out of town, he said.

Blackburn said the DPS worked the only accident reported for the weekend. A car hit a tree on the west side of the lake. There were no injuries.

About midnight Saturday, officers with the sheriff’s department, the DPS, and the Greenbelt Lake Patrol made a show of force on Sandy Beach at Lake Greenbelt.

“We just lit that area up, and people started clearing out,” Blackburn said.

Officers then picked up the containers and kegs of alcohol that were abandoned on the beach.

“I believe the combined effort made an impact on the beach,” he said. “It’s the start of a zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol.”

By Leon Church, County Agent

The 2000 Donley County Crops Tour will be held on September 12.  This tour is sponsored by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Donley County. 

Five Private Pesticide Applicator CEU’s will be offered in conjunction with this tour.

The tour will begin at 12:45 p.m. with registration at the Donley County Courthouse.  The tour will follow the following route; 1) Ted Shaller ranch, Mesquite and Juniper control; we will also discuss rotational grazing systems; Leon Church and Ted Shaller will lead this discussion; 2) Ronnie McAnear farm, Cotton Variety trial and Cotton Insect Situation, presented by Dr. Todd Baughman and Emory Boring; 3) Curtis Schaefer farm, Bind Weed Control on Peanuts and Peanut Varieties, Dr. Robert Lemon and Dr. Todd Baughman presenters; 4) Eddy Helms farm, Cotton Fertilization Trial, Lake Weed Control Trial, Peanut Diseases, Irrigation Monitoring.  Presenters will be Leon New, Dr. Todd Baughman, Dr. Chip Lee, and Leon Church.

Following the tour, a barbecue dinner will be served for the tour participants at the Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center.  The dinner is sponsored by Paymaster Gin, Donley County State Bank, Community Bank in Clarendon, Quail Peanuts, Evan’s Fertilizer, Herring National Bank, and Birdsong Peanuts.

Levon Harmon, Texas Department of Agriculture, will give a presentation during dinner on Laws and Regulations and Drift.

This event is a great opportunity for producers to obtain five CEU’s toward their required 15 during the five-year license period.  Many private applicator licenses will be up for renewal this year, so don’t wait until the last minute to get those CEU’s.

For more information, call Leon J. Church, County Extension Agent in Donley County at (806)874-2141.

An official with the Donley County Sheriff’s Department says whoever is messing with campaign signs will be prosecuted if they are caught.

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn said Monday that anyone who steals any candidate’s sign will face theft charges.

Candidate for sheriff William Holden reportedly has had more than 30 campaign signs stolen from his yard and from the yards of his supporters.

Blackburn, who is also a candidate for sheriff and has had two signs tampered with, said he personally wants to see the mischief ended.

“I want them to stop,” he said. “It may have seemed fun to kids, but the fun is over.”

COLLEGE STATION – Drought conditions that have plagued farmers and ranchers throughout the year and continue across Texas have led to $595 million in agricultural losses, economists with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service reported recently.

Cotton, the No. 1 cash crop in Texas, has been hardest hit, with Extension economists estimating $285 million in crop losses.

“As we look at the Southern Plains from San Angelo, to Big Spring, Lamesa and on into the Snyder and Roscoe area, it’s just simply burning up,” said Dr. Carl Anderson, an Extension cotton marketing economist.  “If it continues on for another 30 days, half of the dryland crop will be lost, and you can add another 500,000 bales.”

Billy Warwick, an Extension agronomist based in San Angelo, reports, “As you come south (of Interstate 20), that cotton would be lucky to make 150 pounds of lint per acre.  An indication of lucky would be stretching it.  A lot of cotton is six inches tall with one boll on top.  That doesn’t contribute much to yield to say the least.”

Anderson said much of the irrigated areas in West Texas have been hampered by both drought and insect problems.

“Yields are a little less because of insect pressure, and the cost of insect control has been severe on many farmers,” he said.  “In many situations, farmers have been trying to save their crop from insects, and drought has been taking away from it as well.”

Other estimated agricultural losses so far this year include:

• Grain sorghum: $15 million.

• Wheat: $125 million.

• Added irrigation costs: $27 million.

• Wheat grazing: $11 million.

• Forage crops: $50 million.

• Other crops: $20 million.

• Added feed/water cost: $62 million.

 Meanwhile, drought has prevented much of the state’s beef producers from building herds in anticipation of stronger prices.  Dormant pastures continue to result in reduced body condition of livestock and are requiring supplemental feeding.  Hauling water to livestock and herd reduction continued to expand especially in drier areas.  Dr. Ernie Davis, an Extension beef economist, said this could intensify considerably in the next few weeks if dry conditions continue.

Hay production since mid-year has come to a virtual standstill.  Hay production lost to drought is projected at $50 million.  Rain is needed soon to replenish pastures and to achieve an additional cutting of hay prior to the first frost.  If this does not occur, ranchers will be facing another costly feeding cycle through the fall and winter this year, according to Extension beef specialists.

Meanwhile, the Texas cotton crop was planted on 6.3 million acres this spring, with many expecting above average yields.  Only the state’s earliest cotton acres were able to escape the devastating summer drought.

The lower Rio Grande Valley, the lower and upper coast region, and the Central Texas Blacklands produced an average crop that totals close to 1 million bales.

High temperatures of 100 degrees or more and a lack of rainfall have caused a substantial setback across 5 million acres of cotton planted in the Rolling Plains and Southern High Plains of West Texas.  With less than 2 million acres irrigated, the 3 million acres of dryland cotton in the region have suffered significant losses, Extension economists report.

An estimated 1 million acres had already been lost by the beginning of August, according to the Texas Agricultural Statistics Service.

In the Rolling Plains, 1 million acres of cotton stretching south from the Red River to near Abilene are expected to be less than half the usual 300 pounds of lint per acre.  Cotton losses in the Rolling Plains are expected to be at least 250,000 bales, valued at $75 million.

The Southern High Plains region stretching from San Angelo to Big Spring, Lubbock into New Mexico also has been hit hard by high temperatures.  A lack of sufficient rainfall last winter failed to build sub-soil moisture.  Losses in the Southern High Plains are estimated at 700,000 bales, valued at $210 million.  These estimates do not include likely losses in fiber quality, such as a shorter staple length, due to moisture stress.

Of the $285 million in cotton losses, Anderson said the economic impact felt by rural communities and agribusinesses could reach $600 million.

“Government payments will be very welcomed (by the cotton farmers),” Anderson said.  “We’ve been in continuous drought.  Most producers haven’t had time to catch up, and the market price last year was so weak.  The market is better now, but it’s not going to show much in the pockets of producers because of the way the loan deficiency payments work.  Any programs that might be added for disaster reasons would be welcomed.”

Drought conditions have hampered Texas agricultural production four out of the past five years.  The 1996 drought resulted in $2 billion in producer losses while the 1998 drought led to $2.1 billion in producer losses.  The 1999 drought resulted in $223 million in producer losses.

A reunion is planned for the Clarendon High School Classes of the 1950s on September 22-23.

Registration will be held Friday evening at the Bar H Dude Ranch. The group will attend homecoming activities that evening, take bus tours on Saturday, and attend the Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff on Saturday along with other activities.

For more information, call 874-2053 or 874-3811 immediately.

A tip from an off-duty state trooper led to a drug bust near Clarendon High School and the arrest of one young man last Friday night.

A group of young people reportedly seated themselves near off-duty DPS Trooper Chris Ward at the football field during Friday’s scrimmage. Ward could smell marijuana on the youth and called local law enforcement from the field, according to officials with the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

 Deputy Bruce Berrell stopped a vehicle with five occupants near Fourth and Koogle streets shortly after 8 p.m. and said he could smell marijuana in the car.

After a discussion, the driver was read his rights and voluntarily produced the controlled substance from the vehicle’s center console, Burrell said.

Thomas Lynch Roach of Canyon, age 19, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute within a drug-free zone.

Roach was booked into the Donley County Jail and was later released on $5,000 bond. He has no prior criminal record, Burrell said.

The other four occupants of the vehicle were released to their parents with no charges pending.

“Our main objective is to make people aware that you can’t have this stuff around our school kids,” Burrell said.

Possessing a weapon, alcohol, or narcotics of any kind within 1,000 feet of school property is illegal, the deputy said. Possessing narcotics in the drug-free zone with intent to sell can be a third degree felony.

For reference, officials say one city block is about 300 feet.

The drug-free zone law applies to public schools, property leased or used by schools, and higher education campuses.

“If we can help one person stay off this stuff, we’ve accomplished something,” Burrell said. “I don’t think [these kids] realize what this stuff can do to them.”

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn and DPS Trooper Chad Simpson also assisted with Friday’s bust.