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Broncos ranked No. 2 in state

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Great defense wins games on the basketball court and solid free throw shooting helps in a pinch. The Broncos used the two in their favor as they won the Bi-District round over Sanford Fritch in Pampa last week at 87-47.

2021 Bi-District Champions

Four players landed in double figures at the end of the game, and the team finished at 73 percent from the bonus line.

The Broncos, ranked number two in the state, earned their spot against the Eagles by going undefeated in District play and winning the District Championship. Their solid offense and quickness on both ends of the court allowed the Broncos to take a commanding lead in the game and never look back. They were able to execute well enough that they built a 30-point lead at the break that hindered everything Fritch tried on the court.

Donovan Thompson and Sylvester Ballard both finished with 19 points in the game. Thompson hit two three-pointers, and Ballard was perfect from the bonus line. Jmaury Davis was unstoppable and ended with 18 points that included two for two from the free throw line. Cayden D’Costa added 11 points to the scoreboard with four two-pointers and one three.

Lamarcus Peniger jumped into action with nine, Lyric Smith put in four, and Jordan Herndon had two. Anthony Ceniceros hit one three-pointer and Jaxan McAnear helped with two.

As the Enterprise went to press, the Broncos were preparing to play Farwell for the Area title Tuesday night in Vega. Check Facebook.com/TheEnterprise for game results.  UPDATE: The Broncos defeated Farwell Tuesday and will play Floydada in Canyon on Friday at 6 p.m.. Tickets are $5 and must be purchased in advance at the Clarendon school administration building. No tickets will be sold at the door, and no passes will be accepted.

Owls win bi-district title

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The Hedley Owls won the Bi-District Championship last Friday, February 19, with a 66-36 win over Ft. Elliott in Shamrock.

The title victory marked Hedley’s first playoff win since 2007, according to school officials.

2021 Bi-District Champions

The first quarter of play was close, but Hedley had at 18-15 lead. Hedley turned up the heat in the second quarter and held a 30-19 lead at the half.

The second half belonged to the Owls with Hedley racking up 36 points compared to their opponents’ 17 points.
Joshua Booth led Hedley with 22 points. Also scoring were Cody Bond 10, Elijah Booth 9, Tyler Harper 8, Jordan Upton and Hayden Alston 6 each, Gray 5.

The Owls played Nazareth on Monday in Amarillo for the Area title but unfortunately came up short, 47-80.

Tyler Harper and Esteban Carron led the Owls with 11 points each. Also scoring were, J. Booth 8, Upton 6, E. Booth 5, Alston 3, and Bond 2.

Lady Broncos win bi-district title

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The Lady Broncos pulled out a huge win over Stratford in the bi-district game last Thursday night that kept the fans on the edge of their seats and the point spread never more than single digits.

The Clarendon Lady Broncos beat Stratford last Thursday in Canyon to claim the 2021 bi-district title. The ladies were scheduled to play New Deal at Plainview Tuesday, but as the Enterprise went to press, that game was postponed due to the winter storm. Visit Facebook.com/TheEnterprise for playoff updates and game results. Enterprise Photos / Elaina Estlack

The Clarendon girls were able to outlast the Lady Elks in a game that went to the wire with the maroon and white getting the 44-43 win and Bi-District gold ball.

The teams ended the first quarter of play at 8-8 as it was setting up to be a defensive scenario for both sides. However, Stratford’s shooting fouls in the opening quarter allowed the Lady Broncos an undeniable edge in the game as they went six for six from the bonus line.

Clarendon kept their consistency going at the bonus line and junior Madi Smith hit two crucial three-pointers, and Makenna Shadle connected on another to give the Lady Broncos the five-point edge going into the half.

Despite a good third quarter for Stratford, the Lady Broncos maintained their offensive execution with Shadle adding two well-timed three pointers in the second half to give them the edge they needed.

2021 Bi-District Champions

The ladies took advantage of good free throw shooting, which helped with the win. Senior Jade Benson hit four out of five, Smith made four for six. Ashlyn Crawford hit two for three, and Finley Cunningham made one of two for 69 percent as a team.

Smith led the way on the scoreboard with 14 total points, and Benson added 12. Shadle put in three three-pointers for nine, Crawford had six, and Cunningham three.

A playoff game scheduled with New Deal on Tuesday in Plainview was cancelled and will be rescheduled. Check Facebook.com/TheEnterprise for game schedule and results.

Arctic storm puts area in deep freeze

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An artic storm had Donley County, the entire State of Texas, and much of the central United States in its grip this week as temperatures plunged well below freezing.

Snow covers the ground at the Donley County Courthouse Monday morning with more snow predicted for Tuesday into Wednesday. Enterprise Photo

Accumulated snowfall locally was only about three inches as of Monday, but temperatures dropped over the weekend with reports as low as -12°F before sunrise Monday morning. Wind chills were expected in the -25° to -30° range.

Temperatures were forecast to climb towards the end of this week, but more snow was expected Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday.

The Clarendon Enterprise went to press Monday as SWEPCO and Greenbelt Electric Cooperative warned that stresses on the regional power grid – the Southwest Power Pool – could lead to planned outages. Portions of the state below the Panhandle were already experiencing rolling blackouts Monday morning, lasting hours at a time. Power companies and natural gas providers urged customers to conserve energy any way possible to reduce the load on the system.

Local schools and many businesses were already closed Monday for Presidents Day, and the storm caused some weekend activities to be postponed. Clarendon College closed all campuses Monday due to weather with classes being held virtually.

Clarendon and Hedley schools canceled classes on Tuesday and Clarendon CISD Superintendent Jarod Bellar said he and Hedley Superintendent Garrett Bains were considering a late start for classes on Tuesday but were also watching weather reports and utility warnings with the potential of canceling school on Wednesday.

The Clarendon Lions Club held virtual meeting in place of its regular Tuesday noon meeting.

For updates on the winter storm, check ClarendonLive.com and Facebook.com/TheEnterprise or follow @ClarendonTxNews on Twitter.

City hits new sales tax revenue record

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December sales drove sales tax collections higher in two Donley County municipalities, according to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

Clarendon’s allocation for February rose 3.12 percent to $47,348.64 compared to $45,914.54 for the same period last year. The city is now 7.01 percent ahead for the calendar year-to-date with sales tax revenue of $80,727.73.

City Administrator David Dockery said this month is the best February on record for the city.

Howardwick was up 14.23 percent for the month at $1,836.45 and is now 17.77 percent ahead for the calendar year at $3,434.35.

The City of Hedley’s allocation, however, was down 16.63 percent to $1,233.84 this month and is down 3.03 percent for the year at $1,914.53.

Statewide, Hegar distributed $1.05 billion in local sales tax allocations for February, 0.7 percent more than in February 2020.

These allocations are based on sales made in December by businesses that report tax monthly; October, November and December sales by quarterly filers; and 2020 sales by businesses that report tax annually.

UPDATED: SWEPCO halts interruptions

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(UPDATED:  As of 10:30 Tuesday morning, SWEPCO said he had halted the interruptions. The need to reduce demand during this storm event as mentioned in this story still applies.)
Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) has temporarily interrupted power to parts of its service area as part of an emergency procedure to reduce load on the electric system and prevent wider-area outages.
 
SWEPCO is rotating the areas affected by the controlled outages so customers are not without service for more than a few hours whenever possible. The amount of time required to restore service could be delayed in some cases due to system and weather conditions. The temporary outages should not affect critical public health and public safety facilities.
 
SWEPCO is taking this action at the direction of Southwest Power Pool, the electric grid operator for 14 states. The action is necessary because of heavy load on the regional electric grid due to extreme temperatures across the region.
 
Before taking this emergency step, SWEPCO cut back on its own use and requested large industrial and commercial customers to reduce their non-critical use.
 
SWEPCO is asking those customers who have service during the rotating outages to continue conserving energy until further notice. Use energy needed for personal safety and to protect against property damage. Minor adjustments to thermostats, plus reduced use of lighting and appliances, can make a significant difference to the overall electric system.
 
SWEPCO will provide updates through the news media, on www.swepco.com, and on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

TRAVEL UPDATE: TxDOT crews working to keep highways clear

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CHILDRESS – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been working around the clock in 12-hour shifts clearing and monitoring roadways while responding quickly to any trouble spots since the beginning of a record-breaking temperature winter storm that impacted the state late Saturday night.

In the Childress District, crews have been clearing snow-packed roadways while removing large snow drifts that occurred in several counties.

TxDOT urges drivers to stay off the roadway unless travel cannot be avoided. With another round of snow predicted on Tuesday, crews will continue to work non-stop treating, clearing and monitoring roadways. Crews will concentrate on Tier 1 and Tier 2 roads (I-40 and US Highways) before moving to State Highways (SH) and Farm-To-Market (FM) roads. Crews will also work to clear those roadways around schools and hospitals.

If travel cannot be avoided, follow these winter weather driving tips:

  • Always use caution on icy or slick roads. Slow down when approaching turns, bridges and shaded spots. Remember, bridges and overpasses are the first places on a roadway to freeze.
  • Don’t tailgate. Increase the space between you and the vehicle in front of you by allowing at least three times the normal following distance.
  • When you must stop, brake gently and use slow, steady pushes to test traction.
  • Don’t use cruise control. Cruise control can quickly turn into “lose control” in icy conditions.
  • If you find yourself in a skid, stay calm and keep both hands on the wheel. Take your foot off the gas, look where you want to go, and then steer in that direction.
  • Give extra space to vehicles that may be parked on the side of the road. Move over a lane when you see a vehicle with its flashing lights on, such as a tow truck, law enforcement vehicle, emergency vehicle, or TxDOT vehicle.

The Childress District serves the following counties: Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dickens, Donley, Foard, Hall, Hardeman, King, Knox, Motley and Wheeler.

For conditions across the state, drivers can go to drivetexas.org or call our toll-free number at 1-800-452-9292.

For more information, contact TxDOT Public Information Officer Ginger Wilson at (940) 937-7288. Follow the Childress District on Twitter at @TxDOTChildress.

URGENT: SWEPCO issues emergency appeal to conserve energy

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Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), acting upon a request of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), is asking all customers to conserve electricity for 48 hours beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday as extreme cold grips the region.

The SPP, the regional organization that manages the electric grid across 17 central and western US states, reports a high demand for electricity that is expected to increase over the next several days because of persistent, widespread and extreme cold.

Steps to reduce electricity use include:

  • Turn down the thermostat 2 to 3 degrees, especially overnight. (Consider wearing additional layers of clothing to remain comfortable.)
  • Set programmable thermostats to lower temperatures when no one is home.
  • Limit use of large appliances (i.e., dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc.)
  • Avoid using unnecessary lighting and other electrical devices.
  • Open curtains on the sunny side of the house to warm up your home. If there’s no sun, close the shades to keep warm air inside.
  • SWEPCO asks its customers to take whatever measures they can to limit the use of electricity, so that no further actions are necessary. Customers’ combined efforts can reduce overall demand for electricity and help ease the situation.

SWEPCO will provide updates through the news media, on SWEPCO.com, and on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

SWEPCO customers in East Texas and the Panhandle also may hear advisories from neighboring grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which serves much of the rest of the state. SWEPCO is not part of ERCOT. SWEPCO is part of SPP, which is a separate regional reliability grid.

SPP is a regional transmission organization: a not-for-profit corporation mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices on behalf of its members. SPP manages the electric grid across 17 central and western U.S. states and provides energy services on a contract basis to customers in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. The company’s headquarters are in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at SPP.org.

CC reports lower spring enrollment

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Clarendon College’s spring 2021 numbers show a decrease in overall enrollment compared to one year ago.

CC officials believe that the decrease for the academic year has a strong correlation with the current COVID pandemic.

Headcounts following the 12th day of classes last week on February 3 show total enrollment of 1,279 students, which reflects a 12 percent overall decrease in enrollment compared to spring 2020, according to CC Registrar Brandi Havens.

The college did show an increase in two areas. CC’s Amarillo Cosmetology Center is up 23 percent with 53 students. CC is also showing an increase in students choosing to take only Online classes for the current term with an overall increase of six percent going from 133 last spring to 141 currently.

All other CC counts were down. The main campus in Clarendon dropped 13 percent to 233, the Childress Center saw a 19 percent decrease with 34 students, and the Pampa Center dropped 32 percent to 113 this spring compared to 167 a year ago.

Dual credit enrollment, high school students taking college classes, dropped from 647 last spring to 609.

CC saw a decrease in correctional institutions as well with the Jordan unit in Pampa going from 65 to 48 spring over spring, and the Roach unit in Childress going from 76 down to 48.

Total contact hours for Clarendon College for the spring 2021 semester show a decrease of 13.8 percent overall compared to spring 2020.

Candidates lining up for city council

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Only one local government has enough candidates to have a contested election this spring as the sign-up deadline nears this week.

Candidates can continue to file for office at seven local governments through this Friday, February 12.

As of Tuesday, the City of Clarendon had four people running for two positions on the city council. Alderman Jacob Fangman is seeking re-election and will be joined on the ballot by former alderman Tommy Hill, former Clarendon Economic Development board member Terri Floyd, and junior high principal Travis Victory. Mayor Sandy Skelton is also seeking re-election.

According to the Enterprise’s most recent information, the following entities have not yet attracted enough candidates for contested elections: the cities of Hedley and Howardwick; the Clarendon and Hedley school districts; the Donley County Hospital District; and the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District – Precinct 5.

All three incumbents whose seats are expiring on the Donley County Hospital District Board of Directors have filed for re-election to two-year terms. Those officials are Rose Lemley – Place 1, Jeff Robertson – Place 2, and Melinda McAnear – Place 3.

Clarendon ISD Trustees Wayne Hardin and Wes Hatley are running to serve three more years.

Hedley ISD incumbents have also all filed to run again. Dana Bell and Carole Ward are running for their full terms. Bruce Howard is running to continue to serve one year is remaining on the seat formerly held by Billy Hall, and, Shauna Herbert is running to continue to serve out the two years remaining on Susan Cosby’s term.

In Howardwick the terms of Mayor Tony Clemishire and Aldermen Jerry Mullanax and Johnny Floyd are expiring. Those are all two-year terms, and Clemishire and Floyd have filed to run again. Jada Murray has also filed to run for alderman.

Hedley has three aldermen’s seats up this year. Those are two-year terms and are currently held by Aldermen Tonya Metcalf, Alicia Hanes, and Trisha Chambless. Incumbents Metcalf and Hanes have filed to run, and Tom Carson is also running.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors has five directors up for election this year, including the four-year term currently held by Chancy Cruse – Precinct 5, which encompasses most of Donley County.

All local boards are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must file for a specific place on the ballot. Candidate applications are available from the administrative offices of each entity.

Elections are scheduled to be held Saturday, May 1, 2021.

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