Ben Estlack

The early bird deadline for this year’s Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K is this Friday, March 28, and organizers are encouraging everyone to sign up early.

Those who register for the event by Friday will be guaranteed to receive the commemorative T-shirt for the event. Registrations will remain open through the day of the event, but those registering after March 28 will not receive a T-shirt.

The 13th annual Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K will be held Saturday, April 26, in front of the Donley County Courthouse. The Clarendon Lions Club is hosting the event again in memory of the late Chance Mark Jones to raise awareness of Child Abuse. Jones passed away in January 2011 as a result of abuse.

The year’s 5K will again start and end at the Courthouse and will run through the city, around Prospect Park, and past several historic sites. The race will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Those registering can run or walk the 5K, which is about 3.1 miles, or people can also choose the “Sleep In” option, registering as a donation, getting the T-shirt, but sitting out the event at home.

Registration is $30 per person and can be done in person at the Clarendon Visitor Center inside Mulkey Theatre or at the Enterprise. Online registration is available at ClarendonTX.com.

Proceeds from the annual 5K support the charitable activities of the Clarendon Lions Club, including hosting the local office of The Bridge – Children’s Advocacy Center eyeglasses for local school children, scholarships, the Toys for Joy program, holiday food baskets, and more. For more information, call 806-874-2259.

By Jayme Lozano Carver, Texas Tribune

A Texas lawmaker is laying the groundwork to create a statewide system that connects all first responders and government agencies to the same network. The proposal comes as a possible solution to fix communication issues the agencies have encountered during emergencies and amid a rash of new wildfires in the state.

State Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, filed House Bill 13 this month. The bill would create The Texas Interoperability Council, which would be tasked with creating a statewide strategic plan for governing the use of emergency equipment and infrastructure. King filed the bill in response to the devastating wildfires last year that engulfed the Panhandle, when more than 1 million acres burned and three people died. King, who lost part of his property in the fires, said he found communication problems as he led the investigative committee last year.

“The first responder community will tell you it takes three meetings in the middle of a disaster before everybody starts moving in the same direction,” King said in a House committee meeting last week. “When that wildfire is moving 60 miles-per-hour, that’s too long.”

Since the wildfires last year, lawmakers seem ready to mitigate wildfire risk. King and state Sen. Kevin Sparks, R-Midland, filed a package of bills that address the problems uncovered last year. Their bills would put more oversight on unregulated power lines, increase funding for rural volunteer fire departments and create a database of readily available firefighting equipment.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also signaled that wildfire response is one of his priorities for the session. Last week, Sparks filed Senate Bill 34, which now includes his previous bills about wildfire response and creating the Texas Interoperability Council.

In both bills, the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the Texas House of Representatives each would appoint two members to the council, which would be led by the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The members would serve staggered six-year terms, with the last term ending on Sept. 1, 2031.

TDEM Chief Nim Kidd called the bill the boldest move he has seen in his career. Kidd, who started his career 33 years ago when he joined the volunteer fire department in La Vernia, told lawmakers he often paid for his own equipment and training. He mentioned that when he worked for the San Antonio Fire Department, the police, fire and EMS crews were responding to the same incident on three different radio channels that were all labeled the same.

A network that connects all first responders and state agencies is important, he said, as several agencies respond to the same incident but aren’t able to talk to each other.

“This council will set up an organization structure to bring in over 50 independent operators of radio systems on to the same place,” Kidd said.

This month has been a test of preparedness. As the committee discussed the bills, most of Texas was under wildfire risk. A combination of weather conditions – including hurricane-force winds and drought – hit the Panhandle and South Plains. Gov. Greg Abbott directed the TDEM to ready state emergency response resources.

Jordan Ghawi, a reserve firefighter and a leader for the state emergency medical task force, testified in favor of HB 13. Ghawi told lawmakers he has been deployed to numerous disasters, including the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde and hurricanes. He said in every response, the lack of communication and interoperability has been a problem.

“When seconds matter,” Ghawi said, “the ability for our first responders, whether its law enforcement, fire, EMS or state agencies to communicate seamlessly can mean the difference between life and death, or property preservation or property loss.

The bill states the strategic plan must include plans to develop any necessary communication infrastructure and training programs. It must also have a plan to make sure first responders have communication equipment that is interoperable with other equipment, and another plan to ensure any new emergency equipment and infrastructure can be integrated into the existing equipment.

The council would also administer a grant program to assist local governments in getting emergency communication equipment that connects them with other emergency responders and the emergency infrastructure in the state. The grant also would go toward building more emergency communication infrastructure in the state.

A Texas 2036 study with state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon found that the wildfire season – late winter and early spring – is expected to get longer. The study also states that while almost all of the wildfires occur in the western half of the state, other portions of the state will likely be susceptible to wildfire risk.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/19/texas-legislature-bills-wildfire-response/.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 510 E. Montgomery will hold a Fish Fry on Friday, March 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children, and proceeds benefit the church building fund. One dollar 50/50 raffle tickets will also be available.

The church has Dine-in and carry-out options are available, and call-in orders are welcome at 806-874-3910.

The next Fish Fry will be on April 11.