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COUNTY NEWS

Lockney Fire Department Voices Dispatching Concerns to City

Much of the discussion during the Lockney City Council meeting, March 19, centered over the Lockney Fire Department's discontent with dispatching at the Floyd County Sheriff's Office.

Lockney Fire Chief Aaron Wilson voiced his complaints to the City Council members about the dispatching service. According to Wilson there have been several instances where he believes inadequate training of dispatchers has led to dangerous situations that could have led to lives being lost.

After one such incident, related during council discussion, a fireman went to the Sheriff's office and asked the dispatcher to walk him through the procedure she uses to contact the Fire Department. Firemen returned saying the dispatcher did not know which buttons to push.

Wilson, and some council members, also voiced concerns of "lag time" by the dispatchers.

Councilwoman Ginger Mathis told the council that she knew of an incident in which a heart attack victim had waited 45 minutes for an ambulance. After waiting, according to Mathis, "the family called the Fire Department directly and found out they had never been dispatched." Mathis said the dispatcher did not send out the fire department "because she did not know how."

Council members expressed displeasure because they pay $22,000 a year for the city's part of the County dispatching service.

Wilson said firemen have voiced their concern with the Sheriff's office but he sees no improvement.
Wilson suggested to the council that the city participate in an educational project to encourage citizens to dial the Fire Department direct by calling 652-2451 instead of 911. Wilson suggested  "refrigerator magnets" with the Fire Department number printed on them.

Sheriff Royce Gilmore was asked by this paper for his comments concerning the Lockney Council's discussion.
Gilmore said, "No one from Lockney has told me about a problem. I do know that their paging system is terrible. When we try and page, it does not always work. A lot of the time you have to call them on the phone."

In other action the Lockney Council appointed Lockney businessman Michael DeLeon as the Councilman to fill the vacated seat of District #5. The seat was vacated when Councilman Rodger Stapp was moved in the position to fill the seat vacated by Mayor Gary Marr. DeLeon will fill the position until the May 4 city elections.

Lockney Police Chief Jerry Edwards told the Council that a new policeman, Charles (Casey) Wallace, of Crosbyton, had been hired as the new city policeman.

Wallace formerly worked with Texas Tech security. He and his wife, Kathryn (Kat) are currently looking for a place to rent in Lockney. He will start work on April 1st.

The Council also discussed a way to work out a payment plan for Juan Peralez's water bill.
Peralez owns the laundry in Lockney. Normally  his water bill is approximately $65.00 for 5,000-7,000 gallons of water a month.

Property at 608 W. 4th Street also generated a great deal of discussion by the council. All appropriate notices have been sent to the owner telling him to clear up his property. Fines will now be levied.

Arcenio Martinez has attended a school for animal control and had agreed to serve as an animal control officer for the City. Martinez will be an "ordinance officer" and will be able to fine citizens for allowing their dogs to run loose in the city.

The Council went into Executive Session to discuss employee evaluations.

Sweet Corner Good For Looks and Taste
 

Mary's Sweet Corner, in Lockney, not only sells candy that is good to eat--it is also lots of fun to look at.

Located inside the Lockney office of the Hesperian-Beacon, on Main Street, Mary's Sweet Corner is open only on Wednesday mornings. Although she is only open one day, she does spend other days making special order candy or cakes at home.

"I'm not a bakery," said Mary Carter. "I don't do donuts and I don't do decorated birthday cakes." However, what she does is sure to bring a smile to almost anyone's face. If you have run out of ideas on what to give your child or sweetheart on special occasions--Mary is sure to have an idea on how to sweeten their disposition.

Mary sells cake by the slice on Wednesday mornings--but her specialty is her holiday candies. Mary opened her shop on January 16 and, so far, has only had Valentine's Day to show off her special Holiday candy.

A big hit with men who had run out of ideas, Mary hand delivered Valentine candy roses. The roses were not only beautiful to look at in their wrapped box--they were also good to eat. Mary, who also loves to sing, added a special touch with her Valentine roses. Along with the hand delivery came a "candy-gram" song of love to her customer's Valentine.

Mary says she has been making specialty chocolates for 10 years. "I buy good quality chocolate from California," said Mary. "Then I shape it into a special mold that best fits the occasion." The chocolate shape is then meticulously painted with colored chocolate.

Valentine's Day chocolate shapes were roses and beautiful heart shaped boxes filled with candy. The box itself was also delicious edible chocolate.

Mary also has a variety of Easter ideas now on sale. Perfectly shaped chocolate bunny suckers are a favorite with children. A bunny gift box made out of chocolate can be filled with candy. A brightly colored Easter cart, filled with candy, is also made out of chocolate.

The Sweet Corner also has fudge filled rabbits and a small "duckling" place (name) card holder for a table setting. "When you are through eating--you can eat your place card holder," said Mary.

Another favorite for parties has turned out to be Mary's chocolate pizza. The perfectly shaped pizza has a chocolate crunch bar crust. It is topped with bright colored chocolate mushrooms, chocolate "green peppers", chocolate "pepperoni", chocolate "tomato sauce", chocolate dipped peanuts for "olives", and chocolate dipped walnuts for "sausage".
Sliced pizza is available at the store on Wednesdays, but a whole pizza should be ordered ahead of time.

"I cook at home, so larger orders should be called in about a day in advance," said Mary. "Candy orders for school or home parties should be called in ahead of time. I will also bake whole cakes but not in the decorated style you find in bakeries." Cake slices available in the shop include, chocolate cake, "sock-it-to-me" breakfast cake, banana cake loaves, peanut clusters, and other delights.

The Sweet Corner opens every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 12:00 noon.

OBITUARIES

MELSON DUDLEY
Funeral services for Melson Dudley, 74 of Floydada were held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2002 at Wilson's Funeral Directors Chapel in Wolfforth. Russell Harris, of the Lockney Church of Christ, officiated.

Entombment will be in Wilsons' Funeral Directors Cemetery under the direction of Wilsons' Funeral Directors of Wolfforth.
Dudley died Wednesday, March 13, 2002.

He was born May 25, 1927 in Plainview. He married Wilma Langford November 24, 1944 in Olton. He was a veteran of the U.S. Marines from 1945 to 1946. He lived in Lubbock from 1972 to 1987 before moving to Floydada in 1988. He was a mechanic and worked in the construction business.

Survivors include his wife, Wilma Dudley of Floydada; two sons, Darrell Dudley of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Douglas M. Dudley of Omaha, Nebraska; three daughters, Brenda C. Mangold of Lockney, Janet S. Steely of Floydada and Donna Stanselhy of Lubbock; one brother, Denson Dudley of Seagraves; two sisters, Mary Wheeler of Hart and Linda Mainwaring of Springfield, Oregon; eight grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
 

STANLEY EDWARDS
Graveside services for Stanley "Chick" Edwards, 90, of Crosbyton were held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2002 at the Crosbyton Cemetery. Tom Taylor officiated.

Burial was under the direction of Adams Funeral Home of Crosbyton.
Edwards died Saturday, March 16, 2002 in the Floydada Rehabilitation and Care Center.

He was born May 14, 1911 in Speedwell, Tennessee. He married Georgia Boyd on June 23, 1955 in Clovis, New Mexico. She died November 21, 1998.

He moved to Crosbyton in 1916 from Tennessee. He was a trucker. He was also a member of the Crosbyton Primitive Baptist Church.

Survivors include three daughters, Glenda Kemp of Floydada, Donna Fowler of Fort Worth, and Reba Sageser of Reedsburg, Wisconsin; one brother, Zola Edwards of Victoria; three sisters, Stella Miller of Engleside, Alene Fain of Victoria and Florice Nicholson of Paris; five grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
 

MARIANO GARCIA
Funeral Mass for Mariano Garcia, 88, of Floydada will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2002 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church with Father Phillip deFreitas officiating.

Burial will be in Floydada Cemetery under the direction of Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada.

Mr. Garcia died Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at his residence in Floydada.
He was born on July 22, 1913 in San Patricia County, Texas to the late Atilano and Rosa Torres Garcia. He married Buenaventu Moreno on August 6, 1940 in Odem, Texas. He moved to Floydada in 1965. He was a farmer and a member of the St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church where he was a Communion Minister.

Survivors include his wife, Buenaventu Garcia of Floydada; two sons and daughters-in-law, Adolfo E. and Irma Garcia and Lino and Margarita Garcia, all of Floydada; four daughters and sons-in-law, Molly and Pete Vallejo and Elda and Cruz Zavala, all of Floydada, Rosa and Mario Reyna of Slaton and Sabina and Ramiro Cantu of Lubbock; 29 grandchildren; 54 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
 

ESTHER GRAHAM HILL
Funeral services for Esther Graham Hill, 82, of Plainview were held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 16, 2002 in the Lemons Memorial Chapel. Reverend Jim Green of Lubbock and the Reverend Jay Simpson, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Kress, officiated.

Burial was in the Plainview Memorial Park under the directgion of Lemons Funeral Home of Plainview.

Mrs. Hill died at 5:46 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2002 in Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.

She was born April 18, 1919 in the Irick Community where she grew up and graduated from Irick High School. She moved to Plainview in the early 1940s. She married Adkins Phillips on July 12, 1942 in Cone. He died in 1953. She married William C. Hill on April 23, 1955. He died in 1979.

She moved to Odessa in 1996. She was a member of the Bethel Baptist Church in Plainview.

Survivors include two daughters, Gloria Collis of Midland and Sherrie Hill of Houston; one stepson, Jimmy Hill of Plainview; one brother, Warren Graham of Lockney; one sister, Naomi Williamson of Pampa; three grandsons, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to a favorite charity or to Bethel Baptist Church Building Fund, 1500 Independence, Plainview, Texas 79072.
 

GUS IRVIN, JR.
Funeral services for Gus Irvin, Jr, 68, of Floydada were held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at the Campbell Funeral Home Chapel in Spur. Reverend Ralph Jackson officiated.

Burial was in the Spur Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Campbell Funeral Home.

He died Friday, March 15, 2002.

He was born on June 12, 1933 in Marlin and attended school in Spur. He worked for many years as a farm laborer. He moved to Floydada in 1996.

Survivors include a son, Billy Burks; five daughters, Jo A. Kinnaird, Diane Steven and Linda Ratliff, all of Floydada, Darlene Logan of Dallas and Darlene Burks of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; two brothers, George Sr. of Lubbock and Earl Lee of Albuquerque, New Mexico; ten grandchildren and a special friend, Lucy Burks of Floydada.
 

JOSE PEREZ
Funeral services for Jose Perez, 83, of Floydada were held at 3:00 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2002 at the Templo Getsemani Assembly of God in Floydada. Reverend Eliseo Ovalle officiated.

Burial was in the Floyd County Memorial Park under the direction of Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada.

Perez died Friday, March 15, 2002 at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock.

He was born on March 16, 1918. He was a retired farmer and a member of Templo Bethel Assembly of God in Lockney.

Survivors include two sons, Mario Hernandez and Joe Louis Hernandez, both of Floydada; four step-grandchildren and 15 step-great-grandchildren.
 

STANLEY WAITS
Funeral services for Stanley Waits, 79, of Hale Center were held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2002 at the First Baptist Church. Reverend Gene Meacham, director of the Caprock-Plains Baptist Area in Plainview, officiated.

Burial was in the Abernathy Cemetery under the direction of Freeman-Abell Funeral Home of Hale Center.

Waits died Thursday, March 7, 2002.

He was born September 6, 1922 in Desdemona and married Virginia Odam on September 5, 1954 in Floydada. He moved to Abernathy in 1936 from Rule. He was a former resident of Floyd County. He served in the Army during World War II.

In 1970 he moved from Abernathy to Hale Center. He was a mill supervisor at South Plains Feedlot until retiring in 1982.

A daughter, Eula Marie Waits, died in 1955.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia Waits of Hale Center; two sons, John Waits of DeSoto and Jeff Waits of Livingston; three daughters, Debra Rice, Elaine Siewart and Karen Rastetter, all of San Angelo; a brother, Monroe Waits of Abernathy; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The family suggests memorials to the Hale Center Senior Citizens or to the Gideons.
 

EUGENIA MCCLURE WELLS
Graveside services for Eugenia Beth McClure were held Tuesday, March 12, 2002 in the family lot in Plainview Cemetery.

The disinterment was under the direction of Bartley-Silva Funeral Home of Plainview.

Mrs. Wells died January 8, 1950 in a Lubbock Hospital from injuries of a car wreck January 7, 1950. She was the daughter of the late Wade E. and Ina V. McClure. She was born and raised in Lockney in Floyd County.

An older sister, Zelma McClure is deceased.
Survivors include a sister, Beulah McClure of Plainview.

A VIEW FROM THE LAMPLIGHTER

It's beginning to look like John Sharp's "dream ticket" may take place after all. The question will be whether his political medicine will kill or cure the patient.

Sharp is given credit for talking Tony Sanchez into running for Governor on the Democratic ticket, and for doing the same thing with Ron Kirk, the black former Mayor of Dallas. Sharp wanted Sanchez at the top of the ticket, since he had the name and the money (Sanchez is a multi-millionaire with a Hispanic name), and with Kirk leading the charge for Democrats in the Senate race against the GOP's State Attorney General John Cornyn.

The idea was, from Sharp's perspective, that Sanchez and Kirk would solidify, and turn out, the minority vote (with Sharp running for Lieutenant Governor, and with Sharp being the beneficiary of the Ðhopefully increased vote).

Sharp is a shrewd politician, generally given credit for knowing how to maneuver various voting blocks in his own interests. Occasionally, he has said things that resonate with Republicans, but has had the ability to also, almost at the same time, say things that make Democrats happy.  This time, however, he may have over egged his pudding, as John Tower used to say. He may very well end up promoting John Sharp, while at the same time consigning the State Democratic Party, with its various components, to the status of permanent minority in Texas.

Kirk is generally looked upon, by other politicians, as a "good man", pliant, capable, and ambitious. He also has the ability to raise money. But, as of this writing, there's no certainty that he will be the Senate candidate for the U.S. Senate. He is opposed in the Democratic runoff by Victor Morales, the wildcard school teacher who campaigns out of a white pickup, and who, six years ago, won the Democratic primary and the right to oppose GOP Senator Phil Gramm, to whom he lost overwhelmingly in the General Election. It now looks like Morales will be the "outside" candidate against Kirk, who is gathering support from establishment Democrats, primarily because he is black and any opposition to him could be labeled by some  as being "anti-black." How the Primary turns out is anybody's guess, at the moment.

But we see problems either way. Sanchez has already won the right to be the Democratic Party's standard-bearer. Whether Sanchez wins or loses in the General Election against Rick Perry, the Morales-Kirk race will create rifts within the Democratic Party. Before we came to Floyd County many years ago, we were deeply involved in Texas politics. Certain things we know. Certain things we have experienced. We know, for instance, there is no love lost between this state's black and Hispanic populations. Political ends have caused certain "arrangements" between the two groups on occasions, but that's about as far as it goes. Sharp, in other words, may well end up by being too smart by half.

Socially, culturally, historically, the two groups do not see eye to eye. Anyone who thinks they do, does not know either. The Sharp plan is likely to end up creating a situation wherein the black and Hispanic populations vie for control of this state's Democratic Party. If that happens, the long term political losers will be the blacks, no matter what happens to Ron Kirk. If Kirk beats Morales, there will be a great deal of unhappiness among many Hispanics. If Morales beats Kirk, the problem is only compounded with many unhappy blacks.

Texas Democrats, following the debacle of Gary Mauro's run in the Governor's race, were essentially left leadership, except for the machinations of John Sharp. Now, they will be led, in the short term, by a very rich Sanchez. In the long term, there will be war, unless we miss our guess. In that war, Sanchez, with all his millions, has enough money to make things come out his way.

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We see by the papers where our President, George W. Bush, has finally noticed the Immigration and Naturalization Service. (The INS bureaucracy, it has been reported, finally got around to granting student visas to some of the terrorists who flew into the World Trade Towers last September.) The President is unhappy. He wants (and got) some personnel changes in the bureaucracy. The real change needed, however, is simply a determination to enforce the immigration laws. The law governing immigration could stand some changes itself, but in the absence of that change, the simple expedient of enforcing laws now on the books would be a big help.

Too, there's the matter of the Mideast. The President is finally focusing on that long-festering problem. After trying to ignore the situation for too long, the President and his Administration have sent emissaries to the region in an effort to curtail the bloodshed. Peace looks a little more promising now than it did some weeks ago. Let us hope.

BY THE WAY

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© 2002, Floyd County Hesperian Beacon

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