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This Week

Broncos advance to Quarter Finals

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The Bronco baseball team took care of Ralls in the first and third games of the three-game series last week in Plainview to win the Area Championship.

The Broncos took the first game 9-2 before stumbling defensively in the second game. Ralls took the second game 12-7, but the Broncos left no doubt in the final game defeating the Jackrabbits 14-4 in six innings.

The 2022 Area Champions

Harrison Howard was on the mound for the entire first game and had 50 strikes and 26 balls only allowing three hits and striking out three hitters.

Offensively, Lyric Smith had one double and one triple, two RBIs and one stolen base. Brock Hatley had two singles, two RBIs, and one run, while Calder Havens played solid with two singles and three stolen bases. Overall, the Broncos racked up eight stolen bases and six RBIs.

The second game was neck and neck until the Broncos struggled from the mound. Hatley pitched for seven innings and did a good job of holding Ralls at bay until Ralls’ last at bat.
He threw 107 pitches and allowed 11 hits and eight runs before fellow senior Aiden Caudle took over. Caudle allowed one hit and four runs before Tyler Harper came in as relief.

The third game on Saturday belonged to the Broncos, and they were able to dominate the Jackrabbits on both sides of the field. Overall, the team collected 11 hits, 14 runs, and grabbed 10 stolen bases. Caudle was on the mound for three innings and had some success with five strikeouts, two hits, and no runs. Howard came in for two innings in the fourth and had two strikeouts while allowing two hits and four runs, and Harper came in to close the game.

The Broncos had their bats going with Jared Musick hitting two singles for three RBIs, two runs, and three stolen bases. Wilson Ward helped with a double, three RBIs, three runs, and three stolen bases; and Easton Frausto connected with one single, two RBIs, one run, and one stolen base. Hatley added a triple and one run; and Howard doubled up, added a single, one RBI, and one run.

The Broncos will play Lockney in the Regional Quarter Finals at Amarillo High Friday at 12:00 and Saturday at 1:00 and 3:00.

Howardwick to host citywide May 21

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The Howardwick Citywide Garage Sale will be held this Saturday, May 21, beginning at 8 a.m.

The City of Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department will serve lunch at the Community Center at McMorries Memorial Park starting at 11 a.m. A hamburger, drink, and chips will cost $6 each or two for $10.

Eighteen garage sales are participating this year, and a map of the sale locations is printed on page eight of this week’s Enterprise.

Lady Broncos fall to Floydada

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The Lady Broncos took on Floydada last weekend in the Regional Quarterfinal round in Plainview and fell short in both games.

Game one ended at 3-13, and game two’s score was 2-9. Tandie Cummins was on the mound for the Lady Broncos. Clarendon finished a respectable 16-5 on the season.

The Lady Broncos jumped out to the lead scoring a run in the first inning, while holding the Lady Winds away from home plate. Floydada picked up their pace and scored 10 runs to zero runs for the Lady Broncos. Clarendon scored one run each of the fourth and fifth innings, but it was too little to stop their opponent.

Offensively, T. Cummins slammed a triple, and Avery Sawyer and Hayden Elam each posted a double in the game.

Game two began with the Lady Broncos only allowing the Lady Winds one run in the first inning, but Clarendon could not connect with home plate until the seventh inning when they scored two runs.

A huge scoring second inning gave Floydada the confidence they needed to hold the ladies at bay to get the win.

Senior Jentrye Bellar slammed a double and overall, the Lady Broncos had seven hits in the game. Freshman Kennadie Cummins was on the mound.

Early voting starts May 16 in Republican runoff

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Donley County voters will go back to the polls beginning Monday, May 16, when early voting starts in Republican and Democratic primary runoffs and for a re-vote in the Precinct 4 Republican commissioner’s race.

In addition to state runoffs, local Republican voters in Precincts 1&2 will decide who will be their party’s candidate for Justice of the Peace – Sarah Hatley or Connie Lane. Whichever candidate wins, they will face no opposition in the November General Election.

Precinct 4 Republicans will also be getting a “do over” of the March Primary in their county commissioner’s race. Challenger Brad Dalton originally beat incumbent Dan Sawyer by one vote but discrepancies with some voter registrations following the new precinct lines drawn after the 2020 census cast doubt on the accuracy of the vote. Sawyer sued Dalton over the election, but Dalton agreed that the inconsistencies were sufficient to warrant a new vote, which was then ordered by the District Court.

Early voting will be held for all races held Monday – Friday, May 16-20, 2022, at the Courthouse Annex between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Election Day will be Tuesday, May 24, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with Republicans voting in the Courthouse and Democrats voting in the Courthouse Annex.

Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by May 13.

Voters elect challengers to city, school board

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Voters put two new faces on the Clarendon City Council and the Clarendon CISD school board last Saturday, while also returning four incumbents.

City voters, looking to fill three positions on the city council, returned former alderman Tommy Hill to office. He will join incumbents Larry Jeffers and John Lockhart, who were re-elected.

Vote tallies were Jeffers 208, Lockhart 197, Hill 149, and incumbent Eulaine McIntosh 131.

In the election to decide three seats on the Clarendon CISD Board of Trustees, Donny Howard will become a new member on the board and serve with incumbents Chuck Robertson and Robin Ellis.

Vote tallies at the school were Robertson 296, Ellis 258, Howard 235, and incumbent Zack Robinson 206.

Donley County voters followed the rest of the state in approving by wide margins two proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution designed to lower property taxes. Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 were approved locally by margins of 289-53 and 269-87 respectively.

County enacts ban on outdoor burning

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The Donley County Commissioners Court enacted a burn ban during their regular meeting Monday, May 9.

The court made the decision in consultation with Clarendon Fire Marshal Jeremy Powell, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Neil Koetting, who is the Hedley Fire Chief, also participated in the discussion.

State and local officials continue to warn the public about the fire danger associated with persistently dry conditions. Even with rain possible this week, high winds and warm weather can quickly make conditions ripe for grass and wildfires.

Under the commissioners’ order, no outdoor burning is allowed on a day of a forecasted Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning issued from the National Weather Service in Amarillo.
Anyone engaging in outdoor burning must contact the Donley County Sheriff’s office prior to ignition and give the dispatcher a burn location, a contact phone number, and approximate burn time. The person engaging in outdoor burning needs to be present on the site of the burn until the burn is completed.

Anyone engaging in any form of outdoor burning is asked to burn with extreme caution at all times.

Forecasters can issue the watch or warning for all or selected portions within a fire weather zone. The Red Flag event is verified when the weather and fuel conditions listed below are met simultaneously for any three hours or more during the period.

The following weather and fuel conditions must be forecast to occur or already occurring before issuing a Fire Weather Watch and/or Red Flag Warning: Minimum relative humidities equal to or less than 15 percent; 20 foot winds of 20 mph or higher and/or gusts to 35 mph or higher; and an NFDRS adjective fire danger rating of “high” or higher.

For information, log onto https://www.weather.gov/ama/.

The burn ban will stay in effect for the next 90 days. Violation of a burn ban can result in a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Commissioners also considered an order prohibiting fireworks in the county but did not approve that order.

Lady Broncos take Area title

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The Lady Broncos defeated a good Forsan team last week 9-2 to allow them to win the Area title and continue their post-season play.

2022 Area Champions

The ladies’ huge sixth inning gave them the win as they scored five runs while keeping the Lady Buffs away from home plate.

Senior Madie Smith pitched for four and two-thirds innings allowing two runs on six hits and striking out three batters. Kennadie Cummins came in for two innings to close it out allowing two hits and no runs. The team had 14 hits in the game with only one error and held the Lady Buffs to eight hits with six errors. Senior Jentrye Bellar played strong behind the plate and also stepped up to slam three singles, one RBI, two runs, and recorded the only stolen base for the Lady Broncos.

Freshman Hayden Elam had a great day with one single, one double, and one triple. She also posted one RBI and two runs. Tandie Cummins had two singles with one run, and Gracie Wilkins hit a single and a triple with one RBI and one run. K. Cummins slammed a single, double, two RBIs, and one run, while Aleyah Weatherton had a single and a run in the game. Smith had a single and Bayleigh Bruce earned one run. The Lady Broncos had 10 singles, two doubles, and two triples from the plate and added 5 RBIs and one stolen base.

Clarendon will face Floydada Friday, May 13, at 4 p.m. in Plainview with game two following. If needed, a third game will be played on Saturday afternoon, May 14.

Broncs slide by WT High to win Bi-District

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The Broncos slammed West Texas High early in the first inning to earn the Bi-District Championship last week. The best two out of three games ended early as the Broncos shut them out 12-0 in the first game and won big at 11-5 in the second.

2022 Bi-District Champions

Clarendon will play Ralls on Friday, May 13, at 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m. in Plainview for the area title.

Brock Hatley pitched a solid three innings in the first game allowing no hits and setting eight batters down. Aiden Caudle came in for two and threw out two hitters before Tyler Harper came in to close for one inning and posted three strikeouts.

The Broncos ran through the Comanches starting strong from the first pitch. They were able to rack up six hits that scored 12 runs to take the commanding lead.

Lyric Smith hit two doubles in the game, and Calder Havens added two singles to get runners on the base. Harper and Caudle helped with one single each.

The team made short work of West Texas in the second game as well defeating them 11-5. The Broncos had 13 hits that scored the 11 runs with a big innings in the fourth and the sixth. Along with the hits and runs, the Broncos had nine RBIs and eight stolen bases.

The Comanches struck first with two runs scored while holding the Broncos scoreless until the fourth inning when they added five runs to tie the score at five all. Solid hitting and great defensive plays allowed the Broncos to score six more runs in the last two at bats while holding WT scoreless in the final innings of the game. Harrison Howard was on the mound of six innings allowing only five hits and posting 11 strikeouts. Hatley came in the game in relief and struck out three batters and only allowed one run.

Smith had a single, triple, three RBIs, two runs, and two stolen bases. Hatley also connected with a triple and a double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Caudle was solid on offense finishing with a single, double, one RBI, and one run. Howard picked up his offense with two singles, one RBI, and two runs.

In the second game, Havens had a single, an RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases while Wilson Ward hit one single and one RBI. Harper, Easton Frausto, and Jared Musick each posted on double. Jace Cottrell earned one run and stole two bases and Bradin Balogh had one run and one stolen base.

Editorial: Consider city’s progress when casting votes

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It’s election time again, and voters will be casting their ballots Saturday to determine who will make decisions on their behalf for Clarendon CISD and the City of Clarendon.

Roger Estlack, Editor

Voters across Texas are also casting ballots on two proposed state constitutional amendments, which each promise to reduce your property taxes in some form or fashion. That’s a recurring theme of our state leaders – cut local property taxes. Your editor is all for lower taxes, but he’s also for educated children so that hopefully society will be run by people smarter than we are in a few years. Cuts in property taxes – although always accompanied by pie in the sky talk of the state helping out more – almost always ends up with our schools and local governments having their hands tied. And of course, cutting your tax rate is of little consequence if your appraised values eat up your savings, and our fearless leaders in Austin do nothing about that except perhaps encourage it.

But I digress. The point of this column was not to wax forlornly about our pitiful state “leaders” but to instead discuss the local issues on the city front.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s election, change is coming to City Hall. Mayor Sandy Skelton has been pretty upfront that his days in office are coming to an end with the pending sale of his home and plans to move out of state. And then at the last city meeting, City Administrator David Dockery announced his intention to retire next April.

Dockery started in 2015 and has served Clarendon as its administrator longer than any other person. In fact, when Dockery retires next year, he will have served longer than the previous three administrators combined and four times longer than any one of them. There are several factors that have led to this longevity; most of which will be saved for discussion at a later date. But without a doubt, one of the biggest secrets to his success has been the presence of Mayor Skelton and the general support of the city council through the years.

There will be time for tributes later, but for this week, it is important that voters consider what has been accomplished since 2015 and that list is considerable.

For starters, the city’s water infrastructure is vastly improved thanks in part to long-range planning and studies that actually began while Lambert Little was city administrator from 2010-2012. Those early efforts led directly to the city successfully securing and carrying out a $4 million project largely funded by the US Department of Agriculture, which led to about five miles of new waterlines being installed and a new standpipe being erected on the east side of town. This took care of dirty or stained water that some citizens had been dealing with for years and also helped replace some of the oldest water lines in the city.

The USDA project had the unintended consequence of bringing to light the old City Hall’s shortcomings with regards to accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ultimately, city leaders decided to purchase and move into a new location on the Courthouse Square. The new City Hall provides employees with more space to work, is more accommodating, and provides a better venue for public meetings. It was a move that will serve Clarendon well for many years to come.

Some limited paving was accomplished in the last eight years and measures were taken to preserve and protect the city’s best streets. An election that would have paved most of the streets in town about 20 years ago failed at the time by 25 votes with the “Nays” most vocal about the need to replace old water lines before doing paving. It took some time, but now that’s been done. The city is now working on plans with an engineer to try again for another big project to pave streets. Time – and this election – will tell if Clarendon residents really want that kind of progress.

The professionalism exhibited by the current council and administration likely helped prompt the anonymous benefactor to offer half a million dollars towards building a city pool. It wasn’t offered for any other purpose, and city officials would have been fools to turn it down. Working together over six years, Skelton, Dockery, and the members of the city council helped raise money and ultimately saw the wisdom in committing public funds to close the gap at make the Clarendon Aquatic Center a reality.

Coupled with the final completion of renovations to the Mulkey Theatre, the aquatic center has helped bring new “quality of life” attractiveness to Clarendon and downtown in particular. Both of those features as well as downtown merchants will benefit from the city’s next big project – downtown revitalization. Grant funds will pay the largest part of new sidewalks and new lighting that will make our city prettier, more accessible, and more appealing.

All this has been done while our property tax rate has actually gone down quite a bit over the last eight years. The city has zero control over your appraisals, so talk to your state leaders if you’re upset about that. Yes, some utility charges have gone up; but on the whole, this city is much better off than it was in 2015. It’s in a better financial position, it’s planning for more improvements, and it’s better prepared for the future. Is everyone happy? No, but when has everyone ever been happy? A look at the big picture though shows Clarendon making progress. Our challenge is to keep that progress going.

City, Clarendon CISD elections to be May 7

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Voters in the City of Clarendon and the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District will head to the polls Saturday, May 7, 2022, to decided three seats on each of those boards.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and all voting will be done at the Donley County Courthouse Annex. Early voting closed Tuesday with 235 ballots having been cast as of 4:00 p.m. that afternoon.

In the City of Clarendon, four candidates are vying for three seats on the city council. Incumbents Larry Jeffers, John Lockhart, and Eulaine McIntosh are joined on the ballot by former alderman Tommy Hill.

The Clarendon CISD Board of Trustees also has four candidates for three positions. Incumbents Robin Ellis, Chuck Robertson, and Zack Robinson are joined on the ballot by challenger Donny Howard.

In addition to local elections, voters across the state are casting ballots on the fate of two proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, both of which relate to property taxes. More information about those proposals can be found here: https://bit.ly/3My4QjH.

Another round of voting will begin on Monday, May 16, when early voting starts on for the Republican primary run-off election for Donley County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1&2 with Sarah Hatley facing Connie Lane and a re-vote of the Donley County Precinct 4 Commissioner seat with incumbent Dan Sawyer facing incumbent Brad Dalton. That election day will be held on May 24.

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