Conway places 10th at Houston stock show
Lady Broncos shut out Gruver
By Sandy Anderberg
The Clarendon Lady Broncos beat Gruver before their opponents knew what was happening.
After Clarendon’s Elyza Rodriguez makes a great bunt that allowed Kennadie Cummins to get the first score of the game and then able to cross the plate on a wild pitch, Gracie Wilkins slammed a line drive to right field for an in the park homerun that also scored Tandie Cummins to go four up in the opening inning. Wilkins also recorded one sing, four RIBs, and three runs in the win.
The Lady Broncos went on to shut out the Lady Hounds at 18-0 in just two innings.
K. Cummins was on the mound for the win and allowed no hits or runs and struck out seven at the plate. Cummins went the distance and struck out the first three at bat in the opening inning and went three up three down in the second with help from Smith at first to continue her no-hitter.
The ladies took every opportunity to make good contact with the ball at the plate and posted 11 hits on the day.
Elliot Frausto had a good day hitting as she posted three doubles, two RBIs, and two runs.
Shelby Christopher was red hot as well and knocked down one double, one triple, two RBIs, and two runs, while Shelbi Coles had a single, two RBIs, one run, and one stolen base.
T. Cummins slammed a double and a triple with two RBIs and three runs. Cummins’ had a big hit in the second when she doubled on a line drive to left field scoring Rodriguez, Bruce, and K. Cummins. Rodriguez had one single, two RBIs, one run, and one stolen base in the win.
Bayleigh Bruce and Smith added one run and one RBI, and K. Cummins posted three runs.
The Lady Broncos will take on Booker at home on Friday, March 22, at 4:00 p.m. and travel to Fritch on March 26.
Jackson says District 13 to receive more than $200M in federal funds
Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) said last week that more than $200 million is designated for the 13th Congressional District in the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding package signed into law last week by President Joe Biden.
Jackson’s efforts led to the appropriation for the district, including key funding for nuclear modernization of the Pantex Plant, advancement of district-specific university programs, support for law enforcement, water resource improvements for the district, and more.
“I take extreme pride in securing more than $200 million for Texas’ Thirteenth Congressional District, benefiting our families, farmers, producers, local businesses, rural communities, and national security,” Jackson said. “Modernization of the Pantex Plant has been one of my top priorities in Congress and as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Successfully securing over $184 million for major construction at the site is a huge accomplishment and will be key in our efforts to update such a key national security facility.
“This government funding package that was signed into law last week also departs from the wasteful and abhorrent spending levels seen in the Biden and Nancy Pelosi-era and instead prioritizes fiscal responsibility,” Jackson said.
“By drastically cutting unnecessary government spending, House Republicans are redirecting resources to where they have the most significant impact, including in places like Amarillo, Wichita Falls, and Runaway Bay. This funding will enhance our communities, bolster our infrastructure, enrich local education, fortify military operations, sustain our agriculture sector, and allocate funds for veteran healthcare.”
Jackson secured the following projects across District 13, including:
- $101.3 million for HE Science & Engineering Facility at Pantex;
- $83 million for HE Synthesis, Formulation, and Production facility at Pantex;
- $2.1 million for West Texas A&M’s Feedlot Educational Training Facility;
- $1.1 million for Texas Tech’s Infant Risk Center in Pampa;
- $1.2 million for Enhancement of STEM Capacity at Midwestern State University;
- $1.2 million for Texas Tech Veterinary School STEM Research Capacity;
- $242,000 for the Randall County Sheriff’s Office to get a Rapid DNA System;
- $1 million for the City of Amarillo to establish a real-time regional crime center;
- $1.75 million for critical repair to Runaway Bay’s Wastewater Infrastructure;
- $476,000 for Red River Authority Pump Station and Tank Renovations in Hall and Motley Counties;
- $1 million for Red River Authority Water Systems Improvement in Vernon;
- $3.8 million for Amarillo International Airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Training program;
- $2 million to initiate critical infrastructure for US 287 in order to support the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate and enhance regional trade;
- $2 million for the construction of an access road for public access to Cross Bar Ranch;
- and $2.2 million for the widening and upgrade of State Loop 335.
City signs deal with Sheriff; Proclaims April for Child Abuse Awareness
The Clarendon City Council ratified a new contract with the Donley County Sheriff’s Office during its regular meeting last Thursday, March 14.
The vote closes out about 11 months of haggling between the city and county, leaves in place the current fiscal year’s contract, and implements a new five-year deal between the two entities.
Under the terms of the agreement, which was also approved by county commissioners last Monday, the city will pay the county $170,000 for law enforcement services in fiscal year 2025, which starts October 1.
The cost will then go up 2.0 percent each year through fiscal year 2029.
Mayor Pro-tem Larry Jeffers said he was glad the city “at least got some negotiation” and noted that at one point the county wanted a contract for $180,000.
Alderman Tommy Hill said he still wants to see the county do more on its support of the Burton Memorial Library and asked for that matter to be on a future city agenda.
In other city business, Mayor Pro-tem Jeffers issued a proclamation naming April as Child Abuse Awareness Month in Clarendon. CASA of the High Plains representative Nita Williamson accepted the proclamation on CASA’s behalf and said that in 2023 there were 17 cases of child abuse or neglect reported in Donley County.
Street closures in front of City Hall were approved for the Community Egg Hut on March 23 and the Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K on April 27.
A request by Christ’s Kids Outreach Ministries for $1,000 was also approved.
The council discussed the possibly budget savings of closing the municipal court and contracting with the Justice of the Peace for those services.
It was noted that most of the court’s budget is actually attorney’s fees paid by the city and not the cost of employing the judge or running the court. No action was taken.
An amendment was approved to the city employee handbook governing per diem expenses, and also a waiver was granted by the city council to WTG Fuels, LLC, regarding certain restrictions in an industrial zone.
Madeline Bates
Madeline Bates, 79, of Howardwick died on Friday, March 15, 2024.
Madeline was born November 18, 1944, in Slaton, Texas to Martin and Dolores Grabber Schuette. Growing up in Amarillo, Madeline had attended schools there and was a proud graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in 1962. She married Kenneth Bates on December 4, 1964, in Amarillo.
Prior to her retirement, Madeline had worked in Bushland as a bus driver, had a bookkeeping business, was the office manager of Crown Travel, as well as spending many years with Atmos as a call center quality control specialist. She loved to read and work crossword puzzles, enjoyed gardening and the outdoors. She and Ken moved from Amarillo in 2012 and she loved being at Greenbelt Lake. Madeline loved her dog, Roxie, however, her greatest joy of all were the friends she loved and her grandkids that she loved dearly. Madeline was a Catholic.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Dolores Schuette; and by a son, Jared Bates in December of 1988.
Survivors include her husband, Kenneth Bates of Howardwick; a son, Eric Bates of Lubbock; a daughter Melanie Hinson and husband Daniel of Groom; a brother Bill Schuette and his wife Carolyn of New Ulm, Texas; three grandchildren, Tucker, Nate, and Landree Hinson; and by her and Ken’s best friends, Dick Sims of Hereford and Don McAvoy of Howardwick.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be sent to the Shriner Children’s Hospital or to the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Building Fund in Clarendon.
Egg crew
County okays city contract for sheriff; Council to vote March 14
Donley County Commissioners approved new law enforcement agreement with the City of Clarendon during their regular meeting Monday, March 11.
Under the terms of the proposal, the city would pay the county $170,000 for law enforcement services beginning in fiscal year 2025, which starts in October. The five-year contract would go up two percent each year.
County Judge John Howard said the proposal was brought to the county by the city and drafted by the city’s attorney but also said the city council will not vote on the agreement until its regular meeting this Thursday, March 14.
In another matter regarding county law enforcement, commissioners approved an amendment to the current county budget and approved a supplemental budget related to a state grant to bolster the sheriff’s department. The $250,000 grant would provide about $127,000 for raises in the department – bringing deputies salaries up to $50,000 per year and dispatcher/jailer salaries up to $45,000 per year – with the remainder of the grant funds going to help purchase new patrol vehicles.
The commissioners’ court also approved trainings for Judge Pat White and Tax Assessor Kristy Christopher, authorized Judges White and Sarah Hatley to sign an interlocal agreement with the Texas DPS to deal with Failure to Appear cases; and voted to get prices to upgrade the lighting in the Courthouse Annex.
A rental lease on county-owned property at 301 W. Third was discussed. The tenant is finding a new place, and then the county will proceed to consider plans for that property.
The court approved purchasing two filter feeders for the Courthouse heating and cooling system.
Chriss Clifford elaborated on design ideas to give a facelift to county-owned buildings in the 300 block of Sully facing the Courthouse, and commissioners also discussed changing the color of the Annex building. Those improvements were all tabled until May, Howard said.
Clarendon sales tax up in March report
Clarendon’s sales tax revenues rose on January sales when Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar distributed monthly allocations to local governments last week.
The city saw its March sales tax revenue increase 13.47 percent from $33,018.04 one year ago to $37,467.05 this month. The city’s calendar year-to-date total is now up 3.48 percent at $127,694.33 compared to $123,270.08 at this point in 2023.
Sales tax revenues in Hedley were up 23.28 percent at $888.40 compared to $720.58 last March. Hedley’s year-to-date figure is now up 1.77 percent with collections of $3,441.56, up from $3,381.55 a year ago.
Howardwick’s sales tax revenue fell 19.20 percent, dropping from $1,890.87 last March to $1,527.64 this year. Howardwick is now down 21.26 percent on the year. Howardwick’s declining revenue can be attributed in large part to that city opting not to renew its street maintenance sales tax, which lowered its overall local sales tax rate from 1.25 percent to 1.0 percent effective October 1, 2023.
Statewide, Hegar delivered $980.9 million in local sales tax allocations for March, 2.2 percent less than in March 2023.
March sales tax allocations are based on sales made in January by businesses that report tax monthly.
Essary wins Precinct 1 race; Koetting, Wootten headed to runoff
One Donley County precinct will be getting a new commissioner, and another commissioner’s seat is headed to a runoff election following last week’s party primary elections.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Mark White lost his reelection bid to challenger Del Essary in the Republican Primary, 104-76. Essary, a current Howardwick alderman and former mayor of that city, faces no opposition in the November general election and will take office next January.
In Precinct 3, Commissioner Neil Koetting came in second in a three-person race for the Republican nomination. Greg Wootten received 86 votes, Koetting had 68, and Sis Bond had 45.
Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates – Wootten and Koetting – will face each other in a runoff election May 28.
In the race for the GOP nomination for the State House District 88 seat, incumbent Rep. Ken King of Canadian vended off a challenge by Karen Post of Plainview, winning 498-130 in Donley County and also by a wide margin throughout the district.
King had been targeted to be “primaried” by some state Republicans who have labeled him as a RINO for not following some of the governor’s priorities.
Donley County Republicans followed suit with GOP voters across the state in backing former president Donald Trump. Locally, Trump received 599 votes; Nikki Haley received 66; Ryan Brinkley, Chris Christie, and Asa Hutchinson received two each; and Ron Desantis got six.
Local Republicans also voted in favor of all 13 non-binding resolutions on the Republican ballot.
On the Republican ballot with no opposition but of local interest were US Rep. Ronny Jackson, District Judge Dale Rabe, Jr., District Attorney Luke Inman, County Attorney Landon Lambert, Sheriff Butch Blackburn, and County Tax Assessor/Collector Kristy Christopher.
Bill Word was also unopposed for the county GOP chairman’s position.
In the local Democratic Primary, President Joe Biden received 25 votes and Dean Phillips and Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato each had two.
AgriLife Extension network helps with wildfire recovery
Hanna Conner types a quick message and swipes her cell phone to take a call; it’s a donated piece of equipment headed to the wrong location. Before she can complete the call, there’s another one – a semi-load of hay is coming in – and it’s going directly to either a ranch or the animal supply point.
Conner is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Hutchinson County. She oversees the Animal Supply Point, which was established after the Smokehouse Creek fire – the largest wildfire ever in Texas – swept through the region.
Her phone has been going off nonstop since that time, as she does what AgriLife Extension is known for – offering a helping hand and working alongside her community members to teach best practices for this wildfire disaster response.
Conner’s co-worker Megan Eikner, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Potter County who has been helping at the animal supply point, explained that as an agriculture and natural resources county agent, she is there to ultimately help producers “take care of their livestock and their livelihoods.”
The Animal Supply Points were established on Feb. 28 in three locations, serving the east, north and west locations hit hardest by the multiple fires that ravaged the pastureland in six counties. Almost immediately, the donations began rolling in.
“AgriLife Extension is uniquely positioned because we serve all communities of this state, with county offices serving all 254 counties. Our local agents are there; they are a part of the community, so when a disaster like these wildfires happens, we are already embedded and a part of those communities,” said Rick Avery, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension director, Bryan-College Station.
“Most importantly, as the communities recover from this incident, we are still going to be there providing services and helping communities heal, both agriculturally and comprehensively as a community,” Avery said. “That’s what makes us different from all other state agencies. Not only are we relied upon as a legitimate, timely source of information, but we are also a part of the community, and that is how we make a difference in the lives of Texans.”
The supply points are rapidly filling with feed, hay, fencing materials and other animal-related supplies. When asked why the AgriLife Extension sites were chosen as the destination of donations and supplies traveling from across the country, Conner and Eikner said, almost simultaneously, “We work for the Texas A&M System, a trusted place,” and “We are trusted to provide that oversight.”
Sean Semko, who has been on the job for two months as an AgriLife Extension Disaster Assessment and Response, DAR, agent in San Angelo, said some of these ranchers have been building their herds for five generations and others for five months.
However, they all need subject matter experts who can advise them on the next steps to take during the disaster. He explained how they need someone to help them find a safe place for their animals in addition to finding feed to help sustain the livestock until they can get back on their feet.
Semko, like other DAR agents from across the state, was deployed to the Texas Panhandle to help coordinate and organize the supply point, load and unload hay and supplies, and manage inventory in support of the local county agent.
Richie Griffin, DAR area chief for the East Region, said the network is what makes AgriLife Extension great – no individual has to be an expert in everything.
“If I need an economist or a beef cattle nutritionist, we have that network of experts, and they can help us better understand the needs and wants of the people we are here to serve,” Griffin said.
The direct contact each county agent can provide to those affected in their area is unique, and their connections with local and regional businesses allow them to respond quickly. And not just within their individual counties but as a team.
Marcus Preuninger, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Gray County, is a part of that team. Being fairly new to his county, he relied on his mentors to help him learn how best to serve his community and meet their needs.
Gray County was affected by both the Smokehouse Creek fire on the north side and the Grape Creek fire to the south. He said because many ranchers are still assessing their damages and needs, they cannot always come to the supply points, so they have been shipping supplies straight to the ranches.
“We all have communities of people who want to help, and we can mobilize them quickly,” Eikner said.
Conner, who is going through her first disaster as an agent, said the teamwork and camaraderie between the neighboring county agents made this disaster response possible. Working as a network, they can combine resources to address needs across the affected areas.
“People know who we are, and they trust us to give out their donations to those in need,” she said. “We have people who can find the people who need feed and hay, even if they are not able to come to our supply point, or people who can search for what they need if it is not here.”
Agents not only have duties related to their jobs when it comes to wildfire disaster response, but they also volunteer wherever they are needed because they are members of the communities.
For Conner, it was one of those connections that made her walk away from her phone after spending 15 hours a day for nine days in a row at the supply point. On March 5, Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith died in the line of duty.
Tears flowed as she relayed how Smith was more than just a community member – he was a friend, even serving as the president of her livestock show board. He was someone “I could call for anything I needed.”
Being relatively new to her position, she worried when the disaster struck that she didn’t know the ranchers well enough to help those in need, so she called Smith for advice. Smith worked on the ranches, so he knew the needs. On that particular day, after the fire had passed, a rancher needed people on horseback, so she reached out and got some Clarendon College students to work on the ranch.
“He was always there for me.” So, that one afternoon, she walked away and drove through the burned-out country to take time for herself but was right back at it the next day.
Even Eikner, who worked for seven years in Canadian, found herself back in her hometown volunteering over the weekend.
“Something in my soul told me to go, and I walked smack into my long-time friend who lost 25 head of her herd,” she said. “After hugging and crying, we got down to business.”
Eikner immediately went to work determining the needs of the ranch, finding those needs at the Animal Supply Point, and arranging for them to be delivered to the ranch amid the blowing dirt and smoke rising from the burned pastures. She also connected with the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team and got them out there.
“It was the perfect Texas A&M System response. Their whole life was upended, and we could be there to help. I’ll never forget it because I know God put me in the right place at the right time,” Eikner said.
Griffin said, without fail, everyone has always been grateful for the AgriLife Extension supply points.
“The genuine thankfulness, the hugs, the chaplain coming by each morning to pray with us, the tightknit communities that are all so appreciative of everything we are trying to do here – those are the memories I will keep forever,” he said.
He explained how the AgriLife Extension office and the county agents are staples in those communities, so they already knew where they could get help, whether in the form of supplies or education.
“The communities know we are here for the long-term recovery process,” Griffin said. “Right now, some producers still have fire on their places. But they will come in eventually for help recovering.”
Preuninger agreed.
“We are here for them. They trust us with their education, and they trust us with their kids, so when it comes to a disaster, they trust us to be here for them through that.”
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