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CRT C006 *************************** MIXED ADC 760
SMALL TOWN PAPERS MAILED: 5/9/2007
5026 (ALIFORNIA AVE SW EXPIRES:
SEATTLE, WA 98136~1208
SERIES
10.2007
3, VOL. XVIII, NO. 21
Established 1878.
THE CLARENDON NEWS &,THE DONLEY COUNTY LEADER
www.ClarendonO nline.com
Single Copy Price: 75
The Texas Panhandle's Oldest Newspaper
THIS WEEK
2 The Texas Legislature finally
goes too far with their med-
dling.
3 The Enterprise sweeps the
.awards at the Panhandle
Press convention.
5 Find out where the can-
'didates for city alderman
stand.
8 And the Broncos continue
,their winning ways.
All this and much more as The Enterprise
reports in this week's award-winning edition!
Foundation reactivates
disaster relief fund
:: In response to the recent dam-
aging tornados in the Panhandle,
the Amarillo Area Foundation has
reactivated the Panhandle Disaster
Relief Fund with a $50,000 dona-
tion from the Pete and Wanda
Gilvin Fund, a component fund of
the Foundation.
The Foundation encourages
others to make donations to the
fund to assist with recent tornado
damage.
To assist with the Panhandle
Disaster Relief Fund, make checks
payable to the Amarillo Area Foun-
dation for the Panhandle Disaster
Relief Fund and mail to 801 S.
Fillmore, Suite 700, Amarillo,
Tx 79101. Credit cards will be
accepted online at www.aaf-hf.org.
For information on donating,
contact Charlotte Rhodes at (806)
6-4521.
County taps deputy to
take constable's job
Tony Sellars was appointed
Constable of Precincts 3 & 4 last
week. He took the oath of office on
May 1.
Sellars was previously a traf-
fic control officer with the Donley
County Sheriff's Office,
He succeeds Mike Wallendorf,
who resigned as Constable in Janu-
ary.
Shot clinic to be held
here next Tuesday
The Texas Department of
State Health Services will hold an
Immunization Clinic May 15 in
Clarendon at the state office in the
Community Services Building at 5
Medical Drive.
:" The clinic will be open 9:30
to 11:45 a.m. and from 1 to 3:30
p.m. All clinic times are subject to
change due to weather conditions
or scheduling conflicts.
Foster Care meeting
t:o be held in Amarillo
Foster care provides a tem-
porary safe haven for children as
Child Protective Services (CPS)
caseworkers and foster parents
work toward uniting children with
their families.
There is an urgent need for
more families to open their hearts
and homes by becoming foster and
adoptive parents.
To learn more about fostering
and adoption, attend an informa-
tional meeting the second Tuesday
of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings
are held at the CPS office located at
6200 1-40 West, in Amarillo.
Clarendon Mayor Mark
White has been at the city's helm
for less than a year and is seeking
his first full term in that position.
White grew up in Clarendon
and graduated from Clarendon
High School in 1981 before
attending Clarendon College and
West Texas State University. In
1983, he took a position v ,ith the
family business, Wallace Monu-
ment Co.; and today, he and his
sister are co-owners of the busi-
ness.
City leaders picked White to
fill a vacant position on the Board
of Aldermen in 2001. He soon was
tapped as the city's Mayor Pro-
tem and then succeeded Mayor
Tex Selvidge when he stepped
down last May. White visited with
the Enterprise last week to discuss
the accomplishments the city has
made and the things he would like
to see happen if he's reelected.
ENTERPRISE: What would you
say are the main accomplishments
Clarendon has achieved since you
joined the Board of Aldermen?
WHITE: I think the main accom-
plishment has been the street proj-
ect. Another has been getting the
[Best Western] hotel here.
ENTERPRISE: What good has
come 9 n).tlae street project?
WHITE: The main benefits have
been water control along with
beautification of that part of town.
Travelers don't have to go down
rub-boarded roads anymore.
Another thing is dust control. You
know, used to we would have to
dust at home once a week, and
now it's not so bad. It was coming
off those streets.
ENTERPRISE: A lot of people
were against the street project.
What would you say to them?
You have to keep up with the
times if you're going to grow and
prosper. I think that was a step
toward beautifying the town. It
cost a lot of money, but I feel like
it was money well spent.
ENTERPRISE: Maintenance of
the streets is always an issue.
What can be done in that area?
WHITE: We are trying to find a
street sweeper that we can afford,
and our summer help will be
shoveling and sweeping rocks
and dirt out of the gutters. We
hope to seal coat a certain number
of streets every year on a five-year
rotation, and that work will go to
bid this August.
ENTERPRISE: The personal
property tax has been the subject
of a lot of debate lately. What are
your personal thoughts about that
issue?
A Conversation With
Mayor Mark White
WHITE: I don't like the personal if you're re-elected? and I want to see it continue to be
property tax; but I feel like if we WHITE: I want to see the downtown that way. We've applied for a parks
don't have it, the ad valorem rate area beautified with new sidewalks grant to get some new picnic tables
would have to go up. I think there and ADA ramps. We've got a grant and playground equipment- merry-
needs to be a cap on taxing vehicles, to install a water pressure system in go-rounds and swings - for the
Anything over 10 years doesn't the west side of town. The pressure park. It would also plant wildflow-
need to be taxed, in that area is extremely low and ers in the terraces at the park.
ENTERPRISE: So is that some- could be a potential health issue, ENTERPRISE: As you look into the
thing you would push for if you are and I want to see that project fin- future at Clarendon 10 or 15 years
re-elected? ished. Also, our water tower is dete- down the road, what do you see?
WHITE: Sure. riorating and needs to be replaced. WHITE: I hope it's a lot cleaner and
ENTERPRISE: In the last few years, ENTERPRISE: What's wrong with nicer. Hopefully, we'll have more
there has been some discussion at the water tower? paved streets, more sidewalks, and
City Hall about publishing the list WHITE: It was built in the 1920s, maybe another new hotel to bring
of who owes delinquent taxes. What and we've had to weld up some more people to town. I'd also like
are your feelings on this? places where it's seeping. We've to have an activity center for our
WHITE: I think the Donley applied for a grant to replace it and youth.
Appraisal District has done a lot should know something in the near ENTERPRISE: What would be
better job recently of collecting future, your final message to the voters?
delinquent taxes; and if a list is ENTERPRISE: Any other goals?WHITE: I would just encourage
going to be published, it ought to be WHITE: Ijust want to see Clarendon them to use their vote. I'd appreciate
up to the appraisal district, continue to grow and thrive. We their support, and I will do the best I
ENTERPRISE: What are your goals have a lot going for a town our size, can to serve the taxpayers.
Longtime Justice of the Peace factor." to attend school, and other Class C County Judge Jack Hall said.
Jimmy Johnson retired effective last Johnson will continue his part misdemeanors," he said. Until someone is selected to fill
Friday but will continue as City of time job as municipal judge from his Johnson took the job of munici- the position, Ann Kennedy, Justice of
Clarendon Municipal Judge. new office at 116 S. Kearney. pal judge in 1999 and since then has the Peace for Precincts 3 & 4, is cov-
Johnson held the office ofJustice "This is part time, and it gives been able to collect a lot of money for ering the duties of that office.
of the Peace for Precincts 1 & 2 for me more free time with my family." local businesses who've received hot To qualify for the position you
fourteen years before stepping down As municipal judge Johnson checks, must have resided continuously in
last week citing health concerns and handles Class C misdemeanorsThe County is currently solicit- the state of Texas for 12 months and
stress as the cause for the decision, that occur within the city limits of ing applications to replace Johnson be a resident of Precinct 1 or 2 for the
"There are several reasons," he Clarendon. as JP. preceding six months.
said. "I'm 66, I've had some heart "I see traffic and public intoxica- "Applications will be accepted Applications can be picked up in
problems, and then there's the stress tion violations, bad checks, failure until May 23 at 5 p.m " Donley Judge Hall's office.
Voters will head to the polls this
Saturday, May 12, to cast ballots in
local elections and in a state constitu-
tional amendment election.
Clarendon voters will be choos-
ing a mayor and two aldermen. Lau-
raine Paul is Challenging Mayor Mark
White to be the city's chief executive;
and Claude Debord, Ann Huey, Terry
Noble, and Bobby Woodard are
vying for two open positions on the
Board of Aldermen.
City ballots can be cast at the
Clarendon College Bairfield Activity
Center, the Donley County Court-
house, the Clarendon Community
Center, or the Burton Memorial
Library.
Voters in the Hedley school
district will have several candidates
to choose from with nine people
competing for four on the Board of
Trustees. Incumbents Rex Morris,
Abby O'Neal, Jason Sargent, and
Marlee Sharp are being challenged
by Mary Jon Hicks, James LoUar,
Troy Monroe, Kelly Patton, and
James Edward Potts.
Ballots in the Hedley school
election can be cast only at the
Hedley Lions Club building.
In addition to local races, all
voters in Donley County can par-
ticipate in the state constitutional
amendment election to cast ballots
for or against Proposition One, which
would "provide for a reduction of the
limitation on the total amount of ad
valorem taxes that may be imposed
tbr public school purposes on the
residence homesteads of the elderly
or disabled to reflect any reduction in
the rate of those taxes for the 2006
and 2007 tax years."
Polling places for the state con-
stitutional amendment election are
as follows: Precinct 101 - Bairfield
Activity Center, Precinct 102 - How-
ardwick City Hall, Precinct 201 -
Donley County Courthouse, Precinct
301 - Clarendon Community Center,
Precinct 303 - Hedley Lions Club,
and Precinct 401 - Burton Memorial
Library.
Polls will be open Saturday from
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jury convicts
sex offender
A Lelia
Lake man was
found guilty
of Indecency
with a Child
last Wednesday
and is facing
an additional
charge after he
did not show up Callis
for the sentenc-
ing portion of his trial on Thursday.
A Donley County Jury convicted
Gabriel M. Callis on a charge that he
had inappropriate sexual contact with
a child under the age of 17 with the
intent to arouse or gratify the sexual
desire of himself. The incident hap-
pened on New Year's Day during a
sleepover.
The jury also found Callis not
guilty of a second count of the same
charge.
Jurors heard testimony of two
prior assaults the defendant had com-
mitted, but Callis had no prior history
of sex offenses, District Attorney
Smart Messer said.
Callis missed his 8 a.m. court
time Thursday for the sentencing
See 'Callis' on page 3.
ee
