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STRINGY
COTTON--Stringy cotton can be seen in parts of Floyd County
because of heavy rains last week. "The fields are still too
wet to get back to harvesting the cotton again," said Floyd
County Extension Agent J.D. Ragland. "Some quality will
probably be lost due to the moisture already. If we get more
storms we will probably begin losing yields." Staff Photo
City Considers Jail By Darwin Robinson The Floydada City Council met Tuesday, November 16, and heard a report from Floydada Police Chief Darrell Gooch and City Council Member Jon Nielson concerning the need to possibly build a new jail facility here in Floydada. Gooch and Nielson recently made a survey trip to visit the Lynn County Jail facility located in Tahoka. Nielson told the council, "Their 54 bed jail facility was built in an abandoned John Deere building, which was given to them. The county went in and made a jail out of the building. What impressed me the most was that it did not look like a jail. We need to push to get us a jail here. I feel like there is a need for one." Gooch said, "I have been around and talked to other sheriffs in the area who don't have jails, like in Motley County. The sheriff in Hale County is thrilled that we are even looking into building an area jail. He knows there is an overflow (problem with too many prisoners) and he has promised to bring us his overflow. He told me, if we build it, he will bring them (prisoners) to us. Motley County is already committed to it. I haven't contacted Briscoe, but I do not see why the sheriff in Briscoe County would not want to bring his prisoners here, rather than to Tulia." "Other people have jumped on board on this program. Dora (Ross) and I have talked about this extensively. She has agreed to help out as much as she can with what the law will allow," said Gooch. Gooch mentioned the possibility of SPAG's Law Enforcement Training Academy to possibly use the facility, along with the local DPS officers. "It all sounds very good. The price tag on it, I know, is very expensive. I plan on looking at a couple of other jails down south which have recently been built." The Tahoka jail has a budget of around $340,000.00 yearly, according to Gooch. "They average housing around 40 to 50 prisoners all year long." Gooch explained the problem the Floydada Police are having with the Dickens facility. "One of the major agreements with them was they were to come and pick up our prisoners. Now they only come once a day to pick up prisoners, or bring one for a court appearance, which they count as their one trip," said Gooch. "We have been having to transport a lot of people (prisoners) down to Dickens County. We are short handed, as the Sheriff's office is, because the county commissioners are not giving the Sheriff's Department proper fleets to operate with. They (Sheriff's Department) are down cars and we have been on call for them a lot because they don't have enough people over there to transport for them," said Gooch. Nielson suggested the council authorize the Mayor or the City Manager to start a feasibility study "to see if this is an actual thing that we should look into, or not look into. They (the Tahoka jail) employed about 10 or 15 people in their Law Enforcement Center. I realize the county is not interested in going on board with us, but I would like us to look into this for the future." "We can have everything in this unit, such as Tahoka's unit. They had the dispatcher, the 911 service, a de-tox center, an intoxilizer, the Sheriff's office, patrolmen's offices and a jailer command center. Floydada needs something like this that creates jobs. We need someone to come in and tell what this will cost us," said Nielson. Gooch added, "We were told it cost Tahoka $2.5 million to $3 million dollars to build their unit. I talked to a man in Austin who told me, if we are looking at 75 to 100 beds, then it will cost us from $5 million to $6 million dollars to build one. Everyone I have talked to has told me they did not build big enough." According to Gooch, the City has already spent $188,600.00 just to house their inmates at the Dickens Unit for not even a full year. "If things keep going like this, it is going to cost us $225,000 to $250,000 per year just for the inmates alone. That is not counting lawyer fees, driving to Plainview and Dickens to meet with them, plus missed communications and coordination to get a prisoner to court on time. There are a lot more hidden costs involved. This becomes a nightmare trying to coordinate the times with the court, the judges and the lawyers. All this is because we are having to house them far away from home." Gooch concluded, "We have already projected over a 12 month period that we will spend over $100,000.00 on extra salaries. That is in addition to what the county is paying, and not counting wearing out vehicles in transporting." Gooch handed out an actual, and projected, cost sheet for Floydada "police on call" expenses. It showed: December, 2003 - $5,604.56; January, 2004 - $7,077.71; February, '04 - 7,892.39; March, '04 - 4,9262.83; April, '04 - 9,533.34; May, '04 - $12,319.23; June, '04 - $10,839.04; July, '04 - $6,364.39; August, '04 - $5,709.27; September, '04 - $7,652.55; October, '04 - $7,561.91; and November, '04 - $4,576.49; for a Total of - $94,393,71. The projected "police on call" expense report continued: Daily Average of $268.93; Weekly Average of $1,882.51; and Monthly Average of $8,208.15. Projected for the yearly average - $98,182.59. Grant dollars, a bond election, the need for the facility, and the addition of jobs in the community were all discussed by the council. Councilmember Sheldon Sue then made a motion to allow the City Manager and Mayor to conduct a feasibility study on the issue. It was seconded by Councilmember Bettye King and unanimously passed. Floydada Chamber Plans New Activities for Christmas Floydada's Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a new "Christmas on the Square" celebration, December 6th. This year, "Christmas On The Square" will include a Christmas Parade, caroling, special bargains at local stores, a live Nativity, and Santa Claus. The Christmas Parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Floydada Fire Department. The parade will travel around the square and stop near the "Christmas Tree" on the Courthouse lawn. Anyone wishing to be a part of the parade should call the Chamber of Commerce at 983-3434. First, 2nd, and 3rd grade members of Floydada's First Baptist Church will perform a live Nativity near the square's Christmas tree. The youngsters will take their positions after arriving on a Christmas float during the parade. The Nativity will last approximately 45 minutes. The Nativity will be accompanied by the background music of R.C. Andrews and Duncan Elementary children singing Christmas carols. Santa Claus will also be a participant in the parade and will be brought to the former Hale's Department Store to visit with children. Children can have their picture taken with Santa for $5.00. Businesses
who have chosen to be open until 7:30 p.m. will be marked
with a large red bow. Refreshments will be available at some
businesses.
Lockney Holiday Affair Planned The Lockney Chamber of Commerce will sponsor their annual Holiday Affair, December 2nd. Businesses will stay open late for the convenience of downtown shoppers and children will be able to visit Santa Claus at Lockney's City Bank from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Chamber will continue to sell tickets for a lawnmower and a T.V. The gifts will be given away at the close of Holiday Affair. The Lockney Library will have an Open House in conjunction with Holiday Affair and will have quilts on display. Cookbooks and Christmas ornaments will also be on sale at the Library. The
Holiday Affair has become a tradition in Lockney in which
the community enjoys the Christmas shopping and visiting
with friends and neighbors.
Mangold Hospital Gears Up for Holiday Health Fair Mangold Memorial Hospital announces its 12th annual Health Fair
W.J. Mangold Memorial Hospital announces it's 12th annual "Holiday Health Fair" to be held on Saturday, December 4th from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Lockney Elementary Cafeteria. Your admission to the Health Fair will be a donation of a canned good or a new toy to be donated to the Salvation Army Christmas Cheer program. United Blood Institute will be holding a blood drive and there will also be bone marrow testing at this year's fair. There will be over 30 booths providing glaucoma checks, cholesterol screens, blood sugar and blood pressure checks, body fat evaluations and you can consult with a hearing specialist. Flu shots if available will be given for a nominal fee. Returning to the Health Fair will be "Project KidCare" a children's identification project that provides a picture and current information about your child in a handy vinyl pocket. This is part of a national effort to provide parents with personal safety ID's of their children in the event of an emergency. KidCare is being offered as a free public service to families in the area. If your child attended last year, bring your packet to be updated. If you didn't attend last year, a new packet will be issued. Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center will be at Cogdell Clinic on Friday, December 10th to hold the annual mammography clinic. If you would like to make an appointment for a mammogram, call 1-800-377-4673. The "Holiday Health Fair" will have over 30 booths manned by various local and area organizations plus children's activities booths. Local and area merchants will provide door prizes, and a healthy lunch will be available. This
event is designed to be informative and fun for the entire
family.
The Lockney City Council met November 18 and voted to raise the basic utility bill from $40.58 to $44.07. Broken down by utility cost the rates are: Water: $14.00 (previously $10.75) Sewage: $9.50 (previously $8.00). Water: $3.25 plus tax (same) Mosquito spraying: lowered from $3.00 to $1.50. The
new rates will take affect in December and will be seen on
the January bill.
Floydada Council Clarifies Cutoff Procedures CityBdMt11-16-04 By Darwin Robinson The Floydada City Council met Tuesday, November 16, and adopted a clarified utility (water and electricity) cutoff and reconnect procedure. Following discussion, Councilmember Jon Nielson made the motion to clarify the cutoff procedures for both residential and commercial City customers. It was seconded by Councilmember Ruben Barrientoz and unanimously passed. The lengthy and exact motion was: "If due date (20th) for residential customers, or if due date (last day in month) for business customers, falls on Saturday or Sunday, then give customers all day Monday to pay. Customers will have until 9 a.m. Tuesday to pay or risk getting cut off; and if Monday is a holiday for banks and post office, then give customers until 9 a.m. on Wednesday to pay or risk getting cut off." (The grace period for businesses remains in effect.) In a related matter and following more discussion, the council approved a motion made by Councilmember Monte Williams to charge a separate reconnect fee for water (if disconnected due to nonpayment) and a separate reconnect fee for electric (if disconnected due to nonpayment). The reconnect fee Monday through Friday (8 a.m till 5 p.m.) is $15. All other times the reconnect fee is $35. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Nielson. Those voting for the motion were: Councilmembers Williams, Nielson, Bettye King and Sheldon Sue. Councilmember Barrientoz voted against the motion. (Councilmember Clar Schacht was not present for the meeting.) In other matters, the council approved the appointment of Bill Harbin and Bob Alldredge to fill the two vacant seats on the Floydada Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) Board for two year terms to expire in October, 2006. In a related matter, the council approved three amendments to the bylaws of the FEDC. The motion to amend the bylaws was made by Williams and seconded by Sue, to (1) allow the President and Secretary of the FEDC to sign checks and notes; (2) to require faithful board attendance of its members; and (3) replacement board members to be chosen from anyone living inside, or outside, of the Floydada City limits, but inside Floyd County. FEDC Executive Director Dora Ross told the council, "Concerning the signing of checks, it is hard to catch City Manager Gary Brown sometimes to sign a check. And about the replacement members to the board, they must use Floydada as the hub of their business." Citizen Amado Morales addressed the council concerning the need for the paving and/or street repairs in the 300 and 400 blocks of East California Street. Morales said, "Years ago we put money aside for street improvements. I remember because I was on the council at that time. East California Street has grass growing on it and it has at least 40 to 50 pot holes. They are only filled in and the street is being eaten up." Concerning his recommendation, Morales said, "You should cut it down, give it good drainage and take drastic action and pave that street." During Public Forum, Amado Morales spoke to the council, "Concerning the jail issue, I know it looks good and ideal on paper. You are spending around $200,000 to take prisoners to Dickens. But if you build a jail, and if you hire 8 or 10 people to run it, and pay them $25,000 to $30,000 yearly. That will total to around $300,000 for salaries alone. That's all I have to say about it." City Manager Gary Brown recommended the placement of "possibly two culverts to move the water toward the east." No action was taken on this issue by the council. Newly appointed TxDOT Supervisor Doug Campbell introduced himself to the council. "I just wanted to come by and meet with you. If you need anything, you can call the office. I am here to help. "We plan on pumping some of the water out of the lake (on the Ralls Highway), but we must go through Lubbock, and even Austin. But we will start immediately." The council unanimously approved the selling of three City lots to Jesse Morales of Floydada at $250.00 per lot, $750.00 total. The lots are: Lot 1-2-3, Block 122, Original Town, 600 block, E. Georgia at 12th Street. (Appraised value - $3,000.00) City Manager Brown reported to the council about "the good news" at Lake Mackenzie. "Due to the recent rainfall, the lake is up over 80 feet, the highest since January, 2000. It is rising one foot every 24 hours. Its lowest point this year was 64 feet and the spillway capacity is 118 feet. The treatment plant there does need updating." Concerning the Home Grant Program, Brown reported, "One lot has already been cleaned off. We have 7 homes signed off to build new homes and the Housing Authority has three more homes signed off to build new home. They are scattered all over town." Brown continued his report, "About our Major Improvements Committee meeting, all members were present and the number one subject of concern was water. Our next concern was the jail facility and dollars leaving our town." Brown
concluded his report, "As of October 31, 2004, our Cash Flow
and Expenses are not overly healthy. We have spent around
$30,000 for engineering on our water and sewage, and we have
paid for our permits again. So we are above our budget right
now. Our big out flow has been the 'on calls' for our Police
Department, but that has dropped off some. We may be able to
sell our old electric generators to South America at
$150,000 each or more, so I am told, and we have hired
Albert Chavaria to replace Robert Luna."
LISD Names Superintendent Committee Lockney ISD trustees met November 18 and appointed a Superintendent selection input committee. The committee consists of School Board President John Quebe, who will act as a liaison for the committee and the school board, 7 staff members, and 3 community members. The members are: Jim Martin, Boyd Jackson, Michelle Araujo, Lisa Mosley, Pam Fulton, Shondra Kidd, Darren Whalen, Lisa Collins, Charlanne Burson, and Karen Hooten. The committee will review applications, narrow the list and give a shorter list to the school trustees. The school board received their "Adequate Yearly Progress" report on the No Child Left Behind program. According to Superintendent Raymond Lusk, LISD met the federal standards. The
trustees voted to adopt a "no charge" policy at the school
cafeteria except in cases of extenuating circumstances.
Obituaries JUAN ESTEVAN SEGURA Funeral Mass for Juan Estevan Segura, 26, of Homestead, Florida, was celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Friday November 19, 2004 at Woodland Memorial Chapel with the Father officiating. Burial was in Woodland Veteran Cemetery under the direction of Woodland Funeral Home of Homestead, Florida. Estevan Segura passed away Tuesday November 9, 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq. He was born on January 17, 1978 in Miami, Florida to Jesus Torrez, Jr. and Maria Alicia Segura Torrez. He joined the Marines in December of 2002. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother; two uncles; three aunts; eight cousins; and two great-cousins. Survivors include his parents Jesus and Maria Alicia Torrez, Jr. of Homestead, Florida; three brothers, Eddie Segura, Jose Angel Segura and Santos Segura, all of Homestead.
By The Way | by Alice Gilroy This Thanksgiving season will be the same as all Thanksgiving seasons. There will be lots of thanks given for blessings received, and mourning for loved ones not around anymore to share those blessings. Whenever I get excited about being with my family this week, I remember close friends who are no longer here. I remember those who have lost members of their families in Iraq. So often I go happily on my way and forget the pain and sorrow others are experiencing at this time of the year. It is a good time for Christians to step forward and show God's love. Use this time of the year to show those who are hurting that not only can we be grateful for Christ's forgiveness, but his resurrection promise takes the sting out of death. If we could think of nothing else to be grateful for--then those two things alone should be enough to keep us going through anything. Happy Thanksgiving! By the way--speaking of Iraq, we sure would like to know what Floyd County people have family serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. We would like to publish their names and addresses for anyone interested in sending Christmas goodies or mail. Please send the information to the Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon, 111 E. Missouri, Floydada, TX 79235; or call 983-3737, or 652-3318. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around in tattoos?
A View From The Lamplighter | by Ken Towery The presence of former Congressman (and former CIA agent) Peter Goss as head of this nation's intelligence apparatus is evidently causing heartburn among our premier nest of spies. As one who was required to work with that organization many years ago, we can only say "it's about time." Or, put another way, "It's better late than never." Our nation's Democratic press is all in a dither, as are those politicians who understand what is at stake. The idea that the CIA is, and has been, some sort of right-wing ogre, intent on replacing progressive regimes around the world with reactionary regimes, is one of the larger canards adopted as gospel by too many in the media-politico establishment. The truth of the matter is that for most of its life, the agency hierarchy, given a choice between a conservative regime and a "progressive" regime in various countries, would always side with the latter. That does not mean, for a moment, that there were no politically conservative operatives hither and yon. William F. Buckley comes to mind, as do many others one would be likely to see backing this or that conservative candidate. But the operating principal for the CIA during the Cold War, was simply that a conservative regime encouraged to power by our covert operatives would cause a "backlash" that would usher in a far less acceptable regime (to the U.S.) than the one replaced. It may have been a good and legitimate concern in those years, but nevertheless the idea that the CIA was some sort of right-wing nest was, and is, just so much hogwash, believed principally by people like Molly Ivens and Maureen Dowd. Accordingly, anything that might upset the apple cart is bound to cause heartburn among those who might suspect change. As far as we are concerned, we know absolutely nothing about the new head at CIA. Mr. Goss may be as bad as his critics say. But before we get all uptight about the new broom, we will wait to see just what it sweeps out. A great deal of trash does need to be swept out. Some good people might fall victim to the new broom as well. That would be regrettable, but if the end product is a better CIA, the country would benefit. In that case, a few careers in the bureaucracy will never be missed. True, one might feel a little sad for someone who has 30 years in an organization that will treat him kindly in retirement, courtesy the American taxpayer, but for the country at large, much more is at stake. By the time this gets in print, we expect most, if not all, the new Cabinet positions will be filled. Chief among them, of course, is the move of Condoleezza Rice from the National Security Council to Secretary of State. That was a forgone conclusion, and we would have been surprised had it gone to anyone else. To us, it means that George Bush is going to be his own Secretary of State (in the Nixon-Kissenger mode) and since he is the one who has to put his name on the line for credit or blame, that is only fitting and proper. The move at State will be a good thing for those career Foreign Service types who live and die by the proximity of their leader to the President. Few would argue that Powell is closer to the President than Condi Rice, particularly on the mess in the Middle East. Unlike some, we do not believe Donald Rumsfeld is certain to remain at the Department of Defense through Bush's entire second term. For the moment he is secure, but we expect him, now that he has out-waited Colin Powell, to submit his resignation shortly after the Iraq elections in January. New faces will show up at Agriculture, Energy, Commerce, Education, wherever. The post having most bearing on West Texas livelihoods will, of course, be that at Agriculture, where the names of Stenholm and Combest have been banded about as possible replacement for the departing Ann Veneman. We doubt seriously that either man will end up with the job. Stenholm, a defeated Democrat Congressman, comes from the wrong direction (he was a Kerry-supporter) and Combest left too many bad tastes among West Texas Republicans over the way he left office. We can't see where Bush would gain by the appointment of either man, but if forced to make a choice between the two, we believe Bush would choose Stenholm. Fortunately, we do not believe the choice will come down to that.
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