The High Plains Food Bank will be offering
application assistance on Monday, February 3, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. – to 2:00 p.m. at the Clarendon Housing Authority at 103 E. 4th Street.
Application assistance will be given to those interested in applying for food stamps, TANF, CHIP/Children’s Medicaid, Adult Medicaid & Women’s Health Care, and Long Term Care.
Bring a copy of the following information to Apply:
• Social security cards, ID and or birth certificates for everyone in household
• Proof of all income: Social Security, Last (4) Stubs, ect..
• Receipt for rent or lease agreement or mortgage payment
• Most recent telephone, electricity, gas, water, insurance premium, medical bills, and prescriptions
• Proof of resources, such as checking or savings account statement or passbook, life insurance policies, tax statements for real estate.
• Immunization Records (TANF and Children’s Medicaid only)
Officers investigate report of armed robbery
The Donley County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an armed robbery in Clarendon last night, but there are currently no suspects in the case.
Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office received a report about 10 p.m. Thursday night, November 14, that the Game Room on East US 287 had been robbed by two individuals, one of whom was reportedly brandishing a gun.
The establishment’s owners said the gun was fired twice into the ceiling by a skinny black male six-foot tall or taller. The male was reportedly accompanied by a heavy set black female.
The robbers reportedly took an undisclosed amount of cash from the establishment and fled out the door.
Blackburn said there is no certain description of any vehicle involved in the case, and no suspects have been identified. The sheriff does confirm that there were two bullet holes in the ceiling of the establishment.
If anyone has any information about the case, please call the Donley County Sheriff’s Office at 874-3533.
Voters okay alcohol sales
The people of Donley County changed history Tuesday night November 5, legalizing alcohol sales, including mixed drinks, countywide in a 597-501 vote.
Election Day votes had the measure ahead, 227-183. But more than 700 people cast early votes countywide, and those ballots kept people waiting until after 10 p.m. when the word finally came from election judges. The margin spread when the early vote tally was in favor of alcohol sales, 370-318.
A total of 1,098 votes – a turnout of 46.5 percent – were cast in the election, and the local option passed by about 54.4 percent.
Every voting box on Election Day was in favor of the option with the exception of Precinct 101, voting at the Bairfield Activity Center. In that location, 19 people were against the measure compared to 10 in favor of it.
The election reverses 111 years of history in Donley County. While the City of Howardwick has been “wet” for about four decades, the rest of Donley County has been “dry” since 1902.
Proponents of legalizing alcohol sales had said they foresaw increased business opportunities, increased tax revenues, and increased opportunities for sponsorships of local events.
Opponents argued that greater availability of alcohol, particularly the prospect of bars, will lead to higher crime rates and consumption by minors. Some opponents also raised religious issues regarding alcohol.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website says state law permits cities and counties to pass a local ordinance prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages within 300 feet of a public or private school, church and/or public hospital. The distance from a school can be increased to 1,000 feet under certain circumstances. Cities and counties can also adopt ordinances requiring a 300-foot distance between certain types of permits and day-care centers or child-care facilities.
Cities and counties are not required to have these ordinances and are free to grant variances as they see fit.
Donley County Commissioners will canvass the election on November 15, and the county will then certify the results to the state. According to the TABC website, it takes 45 to 60 days to obtain a permit to sell alcoholic beverages depending on several circumstances.
Also on the county ballot were nine proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Local voters voted in favor of all nine propositions, and statewide results at press time showed those measures passing.
Readers air more views on alcohol
| Trevor Leeper writes: Mr. Watson [regarding: letter to editor, Oct. 24, 2013http://www.clarendonlive.com/?p=14802], KCDB Channel 11 out of Lubbock, Texas, did a great story on the matter. Try going to Google and searching “Dry v. Wet Counties” and see what comes up. The only crime that was higher in wet counties was domestic violence. You stated statistics of how many alcohol related deaths and accidents there were, but you’re not comparing them to anything. How many of those were in wet counties versus dry? As we’re coming into the final days of voting, something I want to remind everyone in Donley County is this. Don’t let this decision divide our county or town. We are lucky to live in a country where we have the freedom to vote for what we want! Don’t “hate” someone for not having the same opinion as yourself. Don’t stop shopping at a store who supports something you don’t. Drinking alcohol will not make you a bad person. I don’t drink, and never will; but if it will help our local businesses and economy, I’m all for it! I love our town, and I know everyone voting against alcohol loves it too. Remember: John 2:1-11 Jesus turned water into wine. On November 5th, you can to! | Will Thompson writes: Roger, are you charging me and those that speak out against the expansion of alcohol sales with the suppression of free speech? From my understanding of your column [October 24, 2013October 24, 2013], you make the ridiculous charge that the “naysayers” are abridging free speech by advocating their position; a charge that could be viewed as being offensive. For some of us “naysayers” who swore an oath to protect our Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic I find that charge is a very low blow. As for me and my experience, protecting free speech was not some lesson I heard in a high school government class. It was something actively lived, a solemn promise; so your charge that I have sought to revoke this oath is not taken lightly. It seems that it might be some on the other side that are actively abridging free speech and violating federal laws by yanking up the yard sides of those opposing the expansion of alcohol sales within our county, my missing sign being one of them. You might want to rethink that article about those suppressing free speech and who are intolerant of other viewpoints. | Chris Moore writes: I’ll pay $200 dollars for information leading to arrest and conviction of the coward(s) who are trespassing on people’s property and stealing their “VOTE NO to ALCOHOL” signs. I hope this is being reported as to what one side of the issue has stooped to. Let me say that you represent your side well with your actions. If you have information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the punk(s), please contact me or the Sheriff’s office. Thank you. Editor’s Note: The Clarendon Enterprise will match Mr. Moore’s $200 reward. Theft of any kind is abhorrent, and theft of a political sign has an affront to free speech which cannot be tolerated. People on each side of this issue have a right to express their opinion without fear of having their property stolen. |
Readers sound off on alcohol
| Bob Watson writes: Last week’s letter to the editor by Mr. Leeper started me to thinking. Where did where did he obtain his information that dry counties had more DWI’s that wet counties? I spent several hours searching the web for this information and was not able to find it. I did find several interesting web sites that I would urge you to research. www.txdot.gov/driver/sober-safe/faces.html, www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/AlcoholRelatedOffenses.htm, www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/safety/sober-safe/intoxication.html, and www.txdps.state.tx.us/index.htm. I served 40+ years in Law Enforcement (city & counties both wet and dry), Juvenile Probation Officer, County Judge of Collingsworth County and 6 months as Municipal Judge of Clarendon before Leukemia forced me to retire. Based on my experience I would ask Donley County citizens please vote NO in the upcoming election to serve alcohol. Being arrested for public intoxication (just being drunk) is no big deal, right? It can be a humiliating and traumatic experience. The police often arrest first and ask questions later, minimum time in jail 4 hours. This will end up with you having an alcohol related offense on your record for the rest of your life that could affect future jobs, school admissions, and even the ability to rent an apartment. DWI What’s the big deal about driving after you’ve had a few drinks, anyway? Just in case you missed all the commercials, public safety announcements, and were never taught this is in school, here is a brief refresher. Sobering 2012 Texas Statistics from http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/safety/faces/fodd-fact-sheet.pdf • 25,755 alcohol-related crashes • 9,458 people seriously injured in an alcohol-related crash • 1,170 people killed in an alcohol-related crash Source: TxDOT and Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports (CR-3) Drinking alcohol affects your judgment, reflexes, depth perception, and other cognitive functions that are necessary to drive safely. People that drink and drive are far more likely to get in a serious auto accident than sober drivers. Whenever you drink, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream through the lining of your stomach and small intestine. The alcohol in your bloodstream directly affects your brain, with the amount of impairment increasing as the level of alcohol in your blood increases. By the time you reach Texas’ legal limit of .08, your muscle control is poor, your judgment is impaired, and your ability to detect danger is reduced significantly. In other words, you are in no condition to drive! How do you know when you’ve had too much? Well, everyone’s tolerance for alcohol is different, and your BAC can be affected by factors like weight, gender, and how much you’ve had to eat. The general rule is to consume no more than 1 drink per hour, with one drink being 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1 single shot of liquor. However, this is not foolproof, due the factors mentioned above and also to the fact that if you have a low tolerance for alcohol you could become impaired at a BAC below the legal limit of .08. So, the best defense against a DWI is not to drink and drive at all. Of course, if you drink and drive and the only thing that happens is that you get charged with a DWI, you are actually lucky. It could be much worse. For example, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, someone dies in an alcohol-related accident once every 5 hours! In 2004, 1,642 people died in drunk-driving accidents. Latest information from: http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/safety/sober-safe/intoxication.html states: About every 20 minutes in Texas, someone is hurt or killed in a crash involving alcohol. We urge you to take responsibility for your actions. Don’t drink and drive. Sure, it’s easy to distance yourself from the statistics, but consider this: each one of those 1,642 people had family and friends that they left behind. The tragic thing is that these deaths were entirely preventable-if the drunk driver had called a cab or gotten a ride with someone else instead, those people might still be alive today. | Don Stone writes: Two amendments guarantee we are FREE TO SPEAK…FREE TO VOTE! These give the right of the people to be heard. What majority is heard at the ballot box. Not always the true majority; only those who vote. We speak of the “silent majority” (but their votes don’t count.) Many elections are decided by one vote. Or two or seven. Maybe yours. Intentions, convictions don’t count at the polls without votes. Voting counts. Your vote counts--if you vote! So, vote your convictions. Let your voice be heard. Vote early or late, but VOTE NO TO THE ALCOHOLIC SALES OPTION! | Mary Linn Bills writes: This is a true story. No names have been changed, and it is too late to protect the innocent in this story but not the innocent of Donley County. The person who told this story in 1999 is Michael Dorris. His brave son is named Adam. Adam’s adoptive mother is Louise. “I drank hard in my twenties and eventually got hepatitis,” she related. “I was lucky. Beyond an occasional glass of wine, I can’t tolerate liquor anymore. But from those early days, I understand the urge for alcohol, its physical pull. I had formed an emotional bond with a special configuration of chemicals, and I realize to this day the attraction of the relationship and the difficulty of abandoning it. “Adam’s mother never did let go. She died of alcohol poisoning, and I’d feel sorrier for her if we didn’t have Adam.” By way of background, “the US surgeon general and the American Medical Association recently stated that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption for a woman during pregnancy – a fact unknown in 1971 when Michael Dorris became one of the first unmarried men in the United States to legally adopt a very young child.” The following decades were a time of alarming discovery about the blight of fetal alcohol syndrome. Grandparents and parents of children who are victims of this syndrome may see evidence in adopted grandchildren and children. Teachers see it in their students. These innocents often show physical signs (including seizures), behavioral, mental, and emotional impairment caused by the consumption of alcohol by their mothers during pregnancy. In Adam’s case, his developmental blocks included all the above. He had superior care and training to overcome these deficiencies, but they could not make up for the damage done before he was even born. His IQ was low, and his social development was functional only with care and supervision. Each and every day of his life was a struggle against the staggering effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. You may only imagine how Michael felt on Adam’s 21st birthday when he said, “So Adam, do you feel any older? What’s good about being 21?” “He turned to me and grinned,” commented Michael. “I thought, ‘Then there was something good.’” “Well,” Adam answered, “now the guys at work say I’m old enough to drink.” To learn more about this tragic, preventable problem, look online, or check out The Broken Cord by Michael Dorris from your local library. Oh, yes. I nearly forgot. Please protect our unborn children by voting “no” in the upcoming election. |
County gets courthouse stewardship award
AUSTIN – The Texas Historical Commission (THC) awarded Donley County an Honor Award through its Texas Courthouse Stewardship Program last week for establishing excellent stewardship practices in maintaining its restored historic courthouse.
The award was announced at the two-day Texas Courthouse Stewardship Workshop held in Austin. Both the workshop and the award were made possible through a generous grant from the Texas Land Title Association (TLTA).
“In addition to bringing recognition to Donley County, the award is an incentive to other counties with newly restored courthouses to develop a maintenance plan, secure adequate funding for maintenance, and assure quality workmanship,” said Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program Director Sharon Fleming.
The unique Romanesque Revival courthouse, surrounded by brick-paved streets, has served as the center for community life in the Panhandle town of Clarendon for more than 120 years. Designed by architects C.H. Bulger and Isaac Hamilton Rapp of Colorado, the original courthouse was built for $28,500. Construction started in 1890, and the building opened in 1891.
In 1937, the entire third floor of the courthouse was removed, and the second floor deemed unusable due to leaks and bat infestation. With the Texas Legislature’s 1999 funding support for the THC’s Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, a master plan for a full restoration of the courthouse was submitted by Donley County Judge Jack Hall in 2000, and a $3.1 million grant was awarded to the county in Round I. Restoration was completed in 2003 at a final cost of $4.2 million paid for by state funds as well as local funds and donations.
Donley County officials earned recognition for the courthouse with a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1978, and designation as a Texas State Archeological Landmark in 1981. It became a Registered Texas Historic Landmark in 2006.
Judge Hall has attended three Stewardship Workshops since 2007 in an ongoing effort to keep the courthouse in good repair, accompanied by maintenance technician Elias Jaramillo. The Donley County Commissioners’ Court continues to fund projects to maintain the courthouse, including recent window repairs and replacement of a chiller.
The Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program was established in 1999 to restore Texas’ county courthouses to their original splendor and make them safe, functional, and a source of pride for Texas communities. The THC created and administers the award-winning program, which has generated more than 10,000 jobs and more than $269 million in local income. For more information, contact the THC’s Architecture Division at 512.463.6094 or visit www.thc.state.tx.us.
Letter: Thompson needs to know the facts
Will, you are wrong about the DWIs rising if Clarendon becomes wet [Letter: October 10, 2013]. If you do some research, you’ll see that “wet” counties have less DWIs than “dry” counties. You will also see, there are less alcohol related fatalities in a “wet” county than a “dry” county and less alcohol related accidents in a “wet” county than a “dry” county.
As for the alcohol being made available to minors, that part is true. You said you don’t want to hear “they’ll get it anyway,” but obviously you don’t want to hear the truth. They will receive alcohol even if the town isn’t “wet.” I’ve known parents who gave their kids alcohol which they purchased five miles away, sometimes 60 miles away.
Claude became wet; and then shortly after, a beautiful new convenience store was constructed. Why are we keeping that from Clarendon? The appearance of a town is huge for travelers! I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t personally enjoy stopping in an old run down store.
Also, the money that could be made from alcohol sales is a huge amount! Events for Clarendon could be bigger and better! Sponsorships would be easier to receive. Plus, the tax revenue is greatly needed for Clarendon.
Let’s take advantage of it! Or at least give it a try? Citizens of Clarendon, don’t be afraid of change! Change can be a good thing. If you support the alcohol sales, then go vote for it! If you don’t support it, then go vote “no.” Just remember, it’s an opportunity for Clarendon. Are we going to pass it up?
Trevor Leeper, Clarendon
Letter: Alcohol issue is divisive
I have resisted for some time voicing my opinion on this subject. After Fred’s [October 3, 2013] article, I can no longer be silent.
I was interviewed by Roger several months ago, and I gave him several reasons why I did not support this fool hardy push to bring alcohol to Clarendon. One of the reasons he did quote, which is manifesting itself more and more as the election draws near, is how this issue is another divisive issue that our community did not need at this time. During the interview, I asked the question “Why now?” I have not heard a logical and truthful reply yet? It seems that regardless of how divisive this issue is to our community, the other side is bound and determined to get their alcohol no matter what, no matter who is hurt, no matter the costs and without any types of limits to its availability.
Please excuse me for contributing to this divisiveness, but I cannot sit by and be quite any more. My silence would not only betray my faith but my parents’ virtues and their good name by continuing to do nothing, there is a saying that comes to mind about “silence”, but I will suppress that thought for now.
For now I have two questions for those who support bringing alcohol into our community;
1) What are you willing to do to secure the public safety from public intoxication and drunk driving that will occur at these new centers of intoxication within our fair city?
2) What are you willing to do to protect minors from the new availability of alcohol?
What laws and fines are you willing to support to keep our “Mayberry” a great place to raise a family? So far I have not heard one mention by the other side on this nor do they even acknowledge that there will be any negative effects from the passage of enhanced availability of alcohol in our community. My fellow citizens please understand this new measure is only about availability, you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.
Please do not respond with the shallow, illogical comment, “Minors are going to consume alcohol anyway”? Minors consuming alcohol is illegal and the sale to or giving of alcohol to them is also illegal, not to mention it is immoral (let me know if you need a quote from Jesus on hurting a child). My greatest fear is that the measure will only make it easier for minors to get access to alcohol. If you need some information on of the effects of alcohol on the mental development of a minor there are numerous studies, several can be found at the following NIAAA website; http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/213-221.htm. Certainly both sides will agree underage drinking is a problem and is not good for our community.
There will be more to come on this subject and especially on what the Bible says about drinking.
Will Thompson, Clarendon
Owl royalty
CC receives $2.25 million grant for nursing program
Clarendon College received word Wednesday that it is a recipient of a Title III Part A grant. This grant provides approximately $2.25 million to assist in the establishment of a Registered Nursing Program at the College.
Funding will begin right away with plans for a January 2014 RN program start.
CC President Phil Shirley said the grant is a positive development for the entire area.
“I am very pleased Clarendon College received the Title III Part A grant,” Shirley said. “Not only will it assist in starting a registered nursing program, but it will also establish livable-wage careers for many of our Panhandle residents. The level of healthcare will be impacted in a very positive manner within the entire tri-state area.
CC Dean of Students Tex Buckhaults said the grant will help the college serve students better.
“I am excited about the opportunities the grant monies will provide to help improve our health science offerings to our service area residents,” Buckhaults said. “We hope to strengthen the College and increase capacity to serve our students by realizing the full potential of high priority health science programs.”
Shirley said the grant also set a new precedent for CC in terms of receiving federal funding.
“It is my understanding that this is the first time that the College has requested and received a grant of this magnitude,” Shirley said. “I am pleased that our college will receive approximately $2.25 million over 5 years to assist us in our allied health programs. This is a wonderful day for Clarendon College.”
The grant funds will support the College’s initiative, Creating and Re-Energizing High-Demand Nursing Programs at Clarendon College, which includes three parts:
• Develop a new Associate Degree in Nursing leading to a Registered Nurse licensure, with portions made available in an online format to increase access for our time and place-bound students.
• Revise and improve health science pre-requisite courses and the existing 3-semester Vocational Nursing (VN) program.
• Establish new Health Science Support Centers to support students through health science programs.
These new and revised programs, as well as the Health Science Support Centers, will be supported by program-specific equipment, resources, and instructional technology to increase student retention and academic success.
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