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Home Program Brings New Homes to Area
NEW HOUSE--(l-r) Claudia Cowley, Director of the Caprock Community Action Association hands keys over to Mary Casares and Gloria Resendez, daughters of Juan Vargas. Mr. and Mrs. Vargas is currently in the hospital and was unable to to attend the Open House. Three Floydada families will soon be moving into brand new homes, courtesy of "Home Program", grants. The Home Program was established by Congress in 1990 to provide affordable housing via block grants. The houses were erected with the help of Caprock Community Action, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and the City of Floydada. Two of the homes were Hindman redi-built homes, and one is a Portales manufactured home. Mr. and Mrs. Juan Vargas will be moving into a Hindman home at 820 S. Main. Eliseo Guerra will also have a new Hindman home, at 510 E. Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Garcia will be moving into a manufactured home at 517 W. Ross. The Vargas, Guerra, and Garcia families were all home owners at these locations. The families applied for acceptance into the Home Program which is aimed at providing save, decent, affordable housing to low-income families. Caprock Community Action Association received a total of $500,000 for the current funding cycle to spend on housing in Crosby, Floyd, and rural Hale counties. Home funds are reserved for people at or below 80% of the Average Median Family Income. In Floyd County, the Caprock Community Action Association primarily targets families under 30% of the AMFI. Caprock Community Action participates in a phase of the Home program known as "Owner Occupied Program". This program provides for the rehabilitation of single family homes. This rehabilitation may include roof repair or replacement, electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, accessibility needs and general repairs relating to safety and health. In the event the repairs are too costly, a home may be demolished and reconstructed. This is what happened in Floydada. "When a home is approved for rehabilitation and we find out that it is cheaper to tear it down and start over, then that is what we do," said project manager Dave Miller. "The homes of these families in Floydada were demolished by the City of Floydada," said Miller. "The families found someplace to stay while a new home was built and brought to their cleaned up lot. "We can't emphasize enough how much help the City of Floydada was to this project. We had to have matching funds and the City gave us that in demolition work. "We had originally hoped to rehabilitate 10 homes, but the work of the City of Floydada saved us $5,500 on each of the 3 demolitions they did. This enabled us to add one more home to the list of families served." Most government programs are bogged down in paperwork, but the Home Program could be an example for fast implementation. The families applied for acceptance into the program in March 2002. The funding came through in August. It took 8-10 weeks to build the homes at the Hindman Home lots. The homes were then brought to their new location and within 2-3 days all the hook-ups were finished. The money for the Home program is allocated to states through the federal HUD Administration. In Texas the money is then allocated to the counties through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. In order to qualify for the Owner Occupied Program an individual must own and reside in their home, meet income guidelines, be current on property taxes, and the homes must have a need for rehabilitation. The home that is being rehabilitated cannot be a rental home. To celebrate the completion of these new Floydada homes, an open house was held at the home of Juan Vargas, Tuesday, October 29. Mr. Vargas was not able to attend the ceremony, due to illness. However his daughters, Gloria Resendez and Mary Casares, represented him. "My dad is very excited," said Casares. "He is ready to move in as soon as he can." Vargas has lived in Floydada for 25 years and has lived at the current location of his new home for 15 years. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Garcia have also lived at their current location for approximately 15 years. "Most of the homes that are rehabilitated belong to elderly people on fixed incomes," said Miller. "Over the years it becomes harder to keep up the maintenance on the home because of fixed incomes and rising costs." Two families in the City of Lockney will also soon benefit from this reconstruction program. All of the $500,000 block grants have been committed for this cycle. Sixteen remain on the waiting list and will be notified when additional funds are made available. Lockney Wins County Trophy
The Floydada Whirlwinds traveled to Lockney last Friday evening with a couple of missions to accomplish. One mission was to become the lone front runner of district 5-2A and the other was to retain the Floyd County Championship Trophy. On the other hand, the Lockney Longhorns had similar missions as well. One was to become the lone front runner of district 5-2A and the other was bring the Floyd County Championship Trophy back to Lockney. A team that nearly played mistake free football, Lockney accomplished both of their missions by defeating the Whirlwinds 30-16. "Our kids played the best ballgame of their lives," Coach Joe Robertson exclaimed. "They raised themselves to the occasion and did every little thing they had to do to win the game. The nearly perfect game the Longhorns performed included only one penalty which was late in the fourth quarter. Lockney had zero turnovers on the night. They converted, six of seven, fourth down conversions. They also doubled the time of possession of what Floydada had which kept the ball out of the hands of an explosive Whirlwind offense. In the first half alone, the Longhorns ran 40 total plays to Floydada's 13 plays. And for the game, Lockney ran 69 plays to a combined 36 plays for the Whirlwinds. "Offense can be your best defense," Defensive Coordinator Brannon Rodgers said. "With our offense on the field as much as they were, it made my job a whole lot easier. I felt like we came in with a game plan that would help slow them down, and it did because our team was disciplined and our offense was impressive." The Longhorns nearly doubled the Whirlwinds in total yardage and did not throw one pass. The Longhorns offensive line controlled the line-of-scrimmage which allowed both of Lockney's runningbacks to rush over 100 total yards each. The Longhorns did not waste much time on the games opening possession to score. On the second play of scrimmage, Michael Rodriquez broke out into the opening for a 52 yard gain giving the Horns a first and goal at the Whirlwinds five yard line. On the next play Mark Ford slid into the end zone for a five yard touchdown run. Jesus Rios extra-point was good giving Lockney an early 7-0 lead. But it did not take the Whirlwinds long to strike back. Dustin Covington returned the ensuing kick-off 82 yards all the way down to the Longhorns seven yard line. On the next play, Tyler Helms completed a seven yard touchdown pass to Brady Rainwater. Helms extra-point attempt was good knotting the score 7-7 with 10:29 still remaining in the first quarter. The Longhorns put together a 11 play drive which resulted in a one yard touchdown run by Michael Rodriquez. Rios point after was good giving Lockney a 14-7 advantage. Before the first quarter could end, Floydada drove the ball deep into Longhorn territory. Lockney's defense stood strong holding the Whirlwinds to a 25 yard field goal by Tyler Helms. Floydada closed the gap to 14-10 with 1:01 remaining in the first quarter. On Lockney's next possession, the Longhorns would keep the ball for a total of 20 plays which chewed up eleven minutes of the clock. They were stopped on downs giving the ball back to Floydada on their own five yard line with 1:57 remaining in the second quarter. The first half would end with Lockney having a four point advantage. Floydada opened the second half with a huge surge. Brady Rainwater made his way around the Longhorn defense on the first play from scrimmage getting the Whirlwinds deep into Longhorn territory. A few plays later, Tyler Helms scrambled into the end zone for a six yard touchdown. Helms point after was no good, but the Whirlwinds got their first lead of the game 16-14. A determined Longhorn team fought back and scored on their next possession. Mark Ford pounded his way for a 10 yard touchdown run. Ford also completed the two-point conversion run giving the lead back to Lockney, 22-16 with 5:50 left in the third quarter. After both teams traded a couple of possessions, the Longhorns struck big on defense. The Whirlwinds had driven the ball all the way to Lockney's 30 yard line. And on fourth down, Helms pass was deflected by Todd Cotham and was intercepted by Michael Rodriquez. The Longhorns began their drive on their own 41 yard line. Fifteen plays later and three, fourth down conversions, the Longhorns found the end zone for the final time. On fourth and goal, Ben Sherman kept the ball and dove across the goal line for a two yard touchdown. Mark Ford added the two-point conversion increasing their lead to 30-16 with :39 seconds remaining in the game. Floydada turned the ball over on downs on their final possession. The Longhorns kneeled the ball on the last play to end the game earning themselves the Floyd County Championship. "You could just see it in their eyes," said Coach Robertson. "They had so much belief and confidence in themselves." Mark Ford finished the night with 205 yards on 36 carries. He also had 11 tackles and an interception. Michael Rodriquez had an outstanding game as well rushing for 107 yards on 18 carries and also intercepting a pass. The Longhorns (7-1) (3-0) will travel to Friona (6-2) (2-1) on Friday. The game will start at 7:30 
LOCKNEY YOUTH CENTER'S GRAND OPENING will be Nov. 2nd, from 2-4. A "party" for Jr.High and High School youth will be held from 6:00 p.m. until closing. The Center features pool tables, air hockey, ping pong, weights, basketball, computer stations, big screen T.V., and snack bar. Adult supervision is always present.
Whirlwinds fall to Lockney 30-16 By Bill Gray The Lockney Longhorns rallied from a 2-point, 3rd-quarter deficit to defeat the Floydada Whirlwinds 30-16 and grab the trophy in the annual Floyd County Championship gridiron clash last Friday. More importantly, the Longhorns took over sole possession of first place in District 5-2A with two weeks to go in the district race. A victory this week over Friona (6-2, 2-1) will put Lockney (7-1, 3-0) in the driver's seat for the district title and just about guarantee the Longhorns a playoff berth. The Whirlwinds dropped to 6-2 for the year and 2-1 in district action. Floydada hopes to rebound tomorrow night against the Olton Mustangs (4-3, 2-1), who beat Abernathy 20-0 last week. A Whirlwind victory at Olton, coupled with a Friona win over Lockney, will put the district into a 3-way logjam at the top - going into the final week of the regular season. An excited and jubilant Longhorn fan walked out of the quagmire surrounding Lockney's Mitchell-Zimmerman Field saying, "I knew sooner or later we would beat Floydada!" She was quickly reminded by a companion, "Oh, we won a couple of times in a row a while back." It was a great game for the Longhorns...it was not a great game for the Whirlwinds. It was more than just sweet revenge for the 45-14 thumping the 'Horns suffered on the same field last year. Lockney, which entered the game as a 19-point underdog, opened in a fury. A 52-yard run by MIchael Rodriquez on the second snap of the game, set up Mark Ford's seemingly-easy 5-yard TD blast. Jesus Rios added the point-after and the 'Horns were on the board 7-0, barely a minute into the contest. The Whirlwinds responded with a breath-taking kickoff return of 85 yards by Dustin Covington, which set up a first-down, 7-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Helms to Brady Rainwater. Helms added the kick, and the teams were deadlocked at 7. Only 1 minute, 35 seconds had elapsed in the opening period. Following the ensuing kickoff, the Longhorns started the first of several ball-control drives, which covered 80 yards in 12-plays. Landon Schumacher recovered a Mark Ford fumble midway through, following a 16-yard gainer, to keep the scoring drive alive. Rodriquez traveled the final yard, Rios added the kick and the 'Horns were back on top 14-7. Floydada's defense, which was allowing just 134 rushing yards-per-game, spent the better part of the evening looking at the back of Mark Ford's helmet. The talented Longhorn sophomore carried 36 times for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns to anchor Lockney's running game, which totaled 361 yards. The Longhorns' game plan clearly took advantage of Floydada's missing defensive tackles (Jacob Morales and Morgan Tijerina), both of whom have been defensive terrors all season. It's not an excuse, but a cold, hard fact that the two were missed by the Whirlwind stopper unit. Floydada closed the gap before the end of the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal by Tyler Helms, his first 3-pointer of the year. The Longhorns ate up over ten minutes of the second-quarter clock with an 18-play drive which stalled on fourth down at Floydada's 6-yard line. The 'Winds were unable to move the ball, but Helms' 49-yard punt from his own end zone prevented any more Longhorn scoring before intermission. Brady Rainwater's 42-yard, end-around run opened the second half and set up Floydada's go-ahead score early in the third period. Helms gave the Whirlwinds their first lead of the game at 16-14 with a 5-yard run on the fifth play of the second half. Following the ensuing kickoff, Lockney mounted what turned out to be the deciding scoring drive. Even though the Longhorns won in just about every statistical category, the final outcome might have been different had it not been for a Lockney "fumble that wasn't" near midfield at the midway mark of the third quarter. The runner was ruled "down" by a game official, Lockney retained possession and continued on it's 9-play, 68-yard march toward the Whirlwind end zone. Ford carried the final 10 yards for his second score and added a 2-pointer to push the 'Horns back on top, 22-16. Mark Ford intercepted a Helms pass to thwart Floydada's next threat, but the Whirlwinds forced Lockney into its first punting situation - late in the third quarter. Starting on their own 17-yard line, the Whirlwinds moved to their own 44-yard line by the end of the period. Helms converted a 3rd-down situation with a nifty pass to Rainwater to open the final 12 minutes, but a 4th-down pass attempt from the Lockney 30-yard line resulted in another pass interception - this time by Michael Rodriquez. The Longhorns took over with 8:48 remaining, and consumed almost all of the time remaining in the fourth quarter. Lockney's final touchdown, with 39 seconds remaining, was meaningless -except that it capped the time-consuming drive at a time when Floydada desperately needed the ball with some time left on the clock. Ben Sherman covered the last two yards to cap the 59-yard march, which was delayed somewhat by Lockney's first and only penalty (for holding) with less than two minutes remaining. Ford added another 2-pointer for the final winning margin, and the celebration was ready to begin. Coach Lee Hurt commented, "It was a tough loss, but my hat's off to Lockney...they came out and played great and really took it to us. We just couldn't ever get the ball on offense...we could never get enough plays to get any continuity going. They were running some different defenses on us, and that's to their credit. They were switching defenses...we were moving the ball fine, but we just couldn't stop them. They were controlling the clock." Lockney held possession for over 33 minutes in the game, compared to Floydada's 14 minutes. The coach said, "Mark Ford is a great running back...he's got great vision, he plays hard and had a great game." The coach added, "We're going to have to re-group and get ready for Olton this week...as I told the kids,'We've got two games left and we're going to have to win them to get into the playoffs.' That's what we're going to be shooting to do...and we just might get back into the chase for the district title ...Lockney's still got Friona left, and they (the Longhorns) have some tough games yet...a lot can still happen."
RUTHIE BELLE CLARK Funeral services for Ruthie Belle Luttrell Clark, 94, of Bedford were held at Towne Lake Baptist Church in Irving at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 21, 2002. Interment services were held at Memory Gardens in Amarillo on Tuesday, October 22, 2002. Mrs. Clark died Saturday, October 19, 2002. She was born at Mansfield on April 6, 1908 and later moved to Floyd County with her family. She was a member of Towne Lake Baptist Church in Irving. She was preceded in death by two brothers and four sisters. Survivors include her son, Reverend Lou Hill of Hurst; her daughter, Edna Gilly of Plainview; her sister Juanita Teeple of Plainview; 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
EULALIA DELEON Funeral services for Eulalia DeLeon, 100, of Crosbyton, were held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 29, 2002 at San Jose Catholic Church. Reverend Leonardo Pahamtang officiated. Rosary was held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, October 28, 2002 in the San Jose Catholic Church. Burial was held in the Crosbyton Cemetery under the direction of Adams Funeral Home of Crosbyton. She died Sunday, October 27, 2002 at Crosbyton Nursing Home. She was born on February 12, 1902 in San Patricia. She married Rafael DeLeon in Falfurrias in 1924. He preceded her in death on June 1, 1995. She was also a member of the San Jose Catholic Church. She moved to Crosbyton from Floydada in 1989 where she lived for many years. She was a homemaker. She was also preceded in death by a son, Esteban DeLeon. Survivors include two sons, Domingo DeLeon of Floydada and Raul DeLeon of Modesto, California; a daughter, Mercedes Hernandez of Crosbyton; 28 grandchildren; 55 great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren.
RUBEN GONZALEZ Funeral services for Ruben Gonzalez, 65, of Floydada were held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, October 20, 2002 at Moore-Rose-White Memorial Chapel. Elder Armando Magallanes officiated. Burial was in the Floyd County Memorial Park under the direction of Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada. Mr. Gonzalez died Friday, October 18, 2002 at his residence. He was born on September 14, 1937 in Mier Tamaulipas, Mexico to the late Patricio and Petra Rios Gonzalez. He attended schools and married Gloria E. Garcia on October 25, 1964 in Mier Tamaulipas, Mexico. He moved to Floydada from Houston in 1980. He was a carpenter and a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Plainview. Preceding him in death was a son, Richard Gonzalez on September 19, 1996 and two brothers. Survivors include his wife, Gloria E. Gonzalez of Floydada; three sons, Ruben and Raul, both of Plainview and Rodolfo of Floydada; two daughters, Gloria Tamayo and Olga Chavarria, both of Floydada; one brother, Jose Gonzalez of Lubbock; two sisters, Angelica Canales of Mexico and Isabel Alva of Weslaco and 16 grandchildren.
MARJORIE JONES MCELYEA Funeral services for Margorie Jones McElyea, 84, of Floydada were held Sunday, October 27, 2002 at First United Methodist Church. Dr. David Jones officiated. Burial was in Floyd County Memorial Park under the direction of Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada. Mrs. McElyea died Friday, October 25, 2002 at her residence in Floydada. She was born on June 11, 1918 in Floyd County to the late Carl Bascom Lyles and Ruth Mae Allen Lyles. She attended schools in Floydada and married Clarence W. Jones in Floydada on September 8, 1935. He preceded her in death on January 11, 1981. She married H.C. McElyea on June 11, 1982 in Floydada. She was a member of First United Methodist Church for many years. She also was a member of the Good Sam's Travel Trailer Club and the 1950 Study Club. Survivors include her husband, H.C. McElyea of Floydada; one son, Randall Jones of Hamilton; five daughters, Doris Hinkle of Graford, Ann Phillips of Ruidoso, New Mexico, Jan Richburg of McKinney, Brenda Perryman of Beaumont, and Lindsay Perry of Abilene; four brothers, Olen Lyles of Floydada, John Lyles of Hale Center, Marvin Lyles of Bentonville, Arkansas and Floyd Lyles of Centerton, Arkansas; one sister, Rena Mae Baxter of Lubbock; 16 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials to the First United Methodist Church of Floydada, the Floydada Senior Citizens and Hospice Hands of Texas or your favorite charity.
MYRTLE SWITZER Funeral services are pending for Myrtle Switzer, 92, of Floydada at Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada. She died Tuesday, October 29, 2002 at Mangold Memorial Hospital in Lockney.
Dear Editor: I know I'm setting myself up for opposition and ridicule, but I feel I must speak up. I recently heard some Christian women and teachers remark that they saw nothing wrong with the "Harry Potter" books and did not see why some people opposed them - nor what was wrong with Halloween. Dear parents and teachers, please take another look! We wonder why there is no discipline in our schools and why children maim and kill one another. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers..." The "seeds" of disobedience to authority, lying and harm to others are all over those books, as well as the actual doctrines and practices of witchcraft and the occult! That is "religion" in it's most horrifying form. God calls it an "abomination!" We can't teach our children the seeds of love and goodness and God's love in our schools, but we can allow them to learn how to cast spells and disobey rules? (... or how Islamic people believe and live to destroy all who believe in Jesus? Example - California.) I do not have children here in our schools. If I did I would ask that all "Harry Potter" and like books (fantasy or not) be removed from our schools. They offend me greatly. How is it that we can get rid of a "smoking camel" because it gives our kids the idea that it's okay to smoke, but we see nothing wrong with books and films that tell our children it's "fun" to have "power" over others; we don't like someone-just cast a spell or strike them dead? Our children's souls are even more precious than their bodies - please take a good look at what your little ones are seeing and hearing and what "seeds" are dropped into the fertile soil of their minds! God gives us warning - will we not hear? Deut 18: 9-12, II Peter 2, Gal. 5:20 In loving concern, Ann Ford
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A Gideon came and spoke to our church this Sunday. For those of you who don't know who the Gideon's are--they are a group of professional businessmen who see to placing the Bible all over the world. Donations from churches and individuals make it possible. They put Bibles in hotel rooms all over the United States, and get Bibles to military men and women, school children, prisons, etc. Recently they reached the 1 billion mark. The Gideon said the organization was anxiously waiting for China to open up and allow Bibles to be brought in to the country. He told us the United States was responsible for 75% of the Bibles sent to other countries. To distribute the Bible to school children in the United States, a Gideon must stand across the street (off of school property), to hand out Bibles. In Russia a Gideon also has strict regulations. It is a rule in Russia that if a Gideon wants to hand out Bibles he must come to a school assembly and talk to ALL of the students about the Bible--and he MUST have enough Bibles for every single student to get one. It is a shame what living in the most blessed free country has done for our gratefulness to the One who has given us these blessing.
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