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Wildfire burns 300+ acres
- Clarendon fireman Ryan Hill sprays a hot spot last Thursday as part of the effort to extinguish a blaze north of Hedley off FM 2944. Enterprise Photo / Kari Lindsey
A wildfire north of Hedley consumed more than 300 acres last Thursday and Saturday, highlighting the need for caution as drought conditions continue.
Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Powell said people need to be extremely careful and also said last week’s blaze threatened three structures – two barns and one house.
The fire began after 5 p.m. last Thursday, May 19, near FM 2944 and State Hwy. 203, and Powell said wind knocking a power line into tree limbs is believed to have started the blaze.
Hedley and Clarendon volunteer firemen worked until after midnight to get the blaze under control but not before it burned about 40 acres.
The fire re-ignited Saturday before noon and was brought back under control at about 2:30, but it caught fire again about 4 p.m. and jumped FM 2944 and burned northeast toward County Road 32.
Hedley fireman Leon Ward said the wind blew the fire through thick brush making it hard to get to with fire trucks and other equipment.
Assistance was called in from neighboring fire departments as well as from state and federal resources, and the fire was extinguished after 11 p.m.
The following fire departments helped with the fire on Saturday: Hedley, Clarendon, Briscoe, Wellington, Kelton, Allison, Wheeler, Mobeetie, and Samnorwood.
Also helping were Donley County maintainers and the US and Texas forest services. Air tankers and a helicoper were brought in to assist the local effort, Powell said.
Local services planned to honor America’s war heroes
A Civil War veteran will be recognized in one of three services planned in Donley County in observance of Memorial Day next Monday.
The late Peru Hardy Benson, who is buried in Clarendon’s Citizens Cemetery, will be honored by the Plemons-Shelby Camp 464 of The Sons of the Confederate Veterans, dressed in authentic uniforms and arms, with a memorial ceremony. The activity will take place at the Benson gravesite in Citzens’ Cemetery at noon. The public is invited to attend. Please bring your own chairs.
Benson was a Prisoner of War who spent two years in Yankee prisons and was among a group of Confederates who became known as the “Immortal Six Hundred” because of the number who survived deliberate starvation, exposure to freezing weather, lack of sanitation, lack of medical care, physical abuse by the guards, and imprisonment in the line of fire. Following the war, Benson settled in Hall County where he died on October 14, 1906. His family still owns some of property he settled near Brice, and his grandson, C.L. Benson, lives in Clarendon.
Earlier on Monday, two services will be held in honor of Memorial Day at 10 a.m. – one in Clarendon and one at Rowe Cemetery near Hedley.
The Adamson-Lane Post 287 of the American Legion in Hedley will hold its annual Memorial Day services at the Rowe Cemetery Monday morning, May 30, 2011 at 10 a.m.
The post members will place American flags on the graves of 225 veterans buried in the Rowe Cemetery. The flags will remain there through Monday in honor of those departed comrades that have served this country.
The program will be conducted by members of the American Legion. The Memorial Day address will be entitled “Preserving the Memory of the Fallen.”
The program will include the ceremony honoring the Missing In Action and the Prisoners Of War, still unaccounted for. The post adjutant will read the roll call of the 225 veterans buried in the Rowe Cemetery.
The program will be concluded with the laying of the memorial wreath and the playing of taps.
The Donley County Memorial Post of the VFW 782 will also hold a memorial service at the
Donley County War Memorial on the Courthouse Square at 10 a.m.
Clarendon sales tax revenue up nearly 7 percent
Sales tax revenue continues to climb for the City of Clarendon according to figures released by the state comptroller’s office.
Clarendon received an allocation of $33,908.49 this month, up 6.98 percent from the same period one year ago.
The city is now 12.59 percent ahead for the calendar year-to-date with sales tax revenue of $143,201.99 compared to $127,182.88 last year.
City Hall said higher fuel prices and increased car sales are likely the cause of the higher sales tax figures.
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said statewide sales tax revenue in April was $1.87 billion, up 11.4 percent compared to April 2010.
“This is the 13th straight month in which state sales tax revenue has increased,” Combs said.
“Business spending in sectors such as the oil and gas industry helped boost sales tax collections. Tax revenue from retail spending also showed growth.”
Howardwick’s sales tax revenue is also up slightly this month with an allocation of $670.38, up 3.08 percent from the same period last year. That city is up 4.6 percent for the year-to-date at $4,941.81.
Hedley was down 4.14 percent with a May allocation of $894.64 and is down 2.44 percent for the year so far at $3,102.90.
Across the state, Combs distributed $600.1 million in local sales tax allocations on Friday, May 13, up 5.8 percent compared to May 2010. Combs sent May sales tax allocations of $403.4 million to Texas cities, up 4.7 percent compared to May 2010. Calendar year-to-date, city sales tax allocations are up 6.2 percent compared to the same period last year.
The sales tax allocations to local governments represent March sales reported by monthly tax filers and January, February and March sales reported by quarterly tax filers.
The next sales tax payment will be June 10.
Hedley names top graduates
Hedley High School has announced Reid Copelin and Kaylee Shields as the top students for the Class of 2011.
Copelin is the son of Ernie and Tangela Copelin and has a grade point average of 96.596. He played football, basketball, cross country, tennis, track, and golf during his time at HHS. Reid qualified for regionals in tennis and track his junior and senior years.
He was also first team all region basketball his junior year. He was very active in the FFA showing pigs, placing in several major shows. He was also president of the National Honor Society, and he competed in UIL science, qualifying for state his sophomore year.
Copelin was named the Donley County Young Man of the Year by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce. He plans to attend WTAMU and major in biology.
Shields is daughter of Keenan and Sandra Shields and has a grade point average of 92.319. She played basketball for four years at HHS. During that time, she was awarded All-District her sophomore year and All-Region her junior year. She was also named Offensive M.V.P. She played tennis for three years and advanced to Regionals her junior and senior year. She advanced to regionals in cross country three years out of the four she ran
Shields is vice president of her senior class and also of NHS. During her senior year, she was named the Hedley Lions Club Sweetheart and was also the Donley County Young Woman of the Year. She plans on attending Clarendon College to major in Dentistry.
Copelin and Shields will be recognized during commencement services at Hedley on Friday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Hedley ISD has also named Kati Adams and Madalyn Verstuyft as the school’s eighth grade valedictorian and salutatorian. Adams has an average of 97.167, and Verstuyft’s average is 95.75. The girls will be recognized during a service at the school on June 2 at 6 p.m.
Last month, Clarendon High School named Dominique Brady and Maegan Hysinger as its valedictorian and salutatorian for 2011. CHS commencement will be this Friday, May 27, at the Clarendon College Harned Sisters Fine Arts Auditorium at 8 p.m.
Broncos end season with 19-3 record
A great year ended on a sorrowful note this past weekend, as the Bronco baseball team was defeated in the playoffs by a good Stamford team.
The first game of the possible three-game series was played Friday night in Lubbock at Westerner Field. Stamford won that game 18-8 and the Broncos ended their season at 19-3.
“(It was) not the way we wanted to go out, but we had an outstanding season,” said coach Brad Elam. “In both games we had a lead, but we were unable to hold it.
“We had some errors that hurt us but we also had some innings where we really played well. I thought it was fitting that Caleb (Mitchell) made the final three outs in game two.”
The Broncos lost the second game 3-8 after holding a two-run lead after four innings.
The fifth inning was torturous for the Broncos as Stamford put five runs on the board and then added two in the sixth.
Despite the exit from the playoffs, Elam has nothing but praise for his team as players and as young men.
“We had a great season and many contributed to the victories,” Elam said.
“But I was more proud of some of the things that the players did off the field. The team really came together after the death of Caleb’s dad and attended the funeral together as a team in support of Caleb and his family.
“The team also was able to help a couple of students in need at the school. These actions show you the quality and character of these players.
“I know we were looking for a different outcome in the playoffs, but these players and managers have been outstanding all season and should be able to hang their heads high on everything they have accomplished.”
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