Spent Thanksgiving weekend in Denton and Frisco. Got to see all five of my kids and all five grandkids. Drove down on Wednesday and back to Friona Sunday. Gas was a lot cheaper this year than last. When I got home about 3:30 p.m. it was 76 degrees. About two hours later it was 28. Monday morning it was down to 9 degrees. By Tuesday it was back in the 60s. Winter has definitely come to Parmer County.
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Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries has advised of a scam going around the state again. You might get a phone call that you missed jury duty and have to send in a fine. The Sheriff says they do not call people to collect fines by phone so don't send any money or account info. Just hang up. By the way there is a fine for missing jury duty but they are likely to come visit you.
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In Detroit a homeless man stole an ambulance to go to a strip club named The Booby Trap. Only in America can you write a sentence like that and have it be true.
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Dennis Field is planning a driver education class beginning January 5 to February 2. It will be three nights a week for two hours a night. Cost is $375. For more info call Dennis at 265-7635.
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Here's a sale you will want to make if you love garage sales. Saturday December 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 306 W. 14th, Kitty Gallman will be selling "a double garage full of Christmas gifts and décor." The location is the home of Kitty's mother Clydie Black who passed away recently. See the ad elsewhere in this Star.
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Thanks to Friona Star subscriber Bill Bailey in Reading, Pennsylvania for sending a donation to the Friona Empty Stocking Fund. I believe Bill is a former Friona resident and a long time subscriber to the Friona Star. Donations to the Empty Stocking Fund can be made at Friona Interbank. Thanks again Bill.
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Received a subscription renewal from Charlene Harper in Portland, Oregon. We appreciate all of our subscribers and especially those who live far away and still keep in touch with Friona. The Friona Str influence stretches from coast to coast.
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Happy anniversary to Mike and Gena (Wright) Hankins on celebrating their 27th anniversary. Gena is a Friona girl who works for Plateau Cellular in Clovis and Mike is in his first year as a Friona teacher and track coach after many years coaching in Clovis.
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Friona firemen were dispatched Sunday afternoon to a grass fire in the median about a mile east of Black. I came through the smoke on my way home from Denton. Bovina firemen were sent to a trailer fire on north 1731 about 10:00 p.m. Monday night. At the same time the Bovina EMS were called to a residence for a possible heart attack. Friona EMS were called out early Tuesday morning for a health issue at the trailer park on 5th St. The Friona crew made a couple of runs to Amarillo during the weekend holiday. Thanks to all of our first responders for their service to the residents of the county. They stand ready 24/7 and we appreciate them.
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Bovina's Christmas in the Park lighting ceremony is December 6 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Music, hot punch, hot chocolate, and coffee. Santa will make a visit. Even some caroling. More details in the story on the front page. Also the annual Christmas pancake breakfast will be held from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. Saturday December 13 at the XIT Recreation Center. The community is invited.
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Thanks you Joel Duffield and Xcel Energy for installing the lighted Christmas stars along Main St. Joel and a helper got the job done Monday to brighten our holiday season.
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Don't forget to buy your tickets for our Noon Lions Club shotgun raffle. They are $10 each and available from any Lions member or at Andy Montana Insurance, Intheden Graphics, and here at the Star office. Take a look at the ad in this Star for more info about the gun.
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Fudge made fresh by Sandra Berend. She is a veteran math teacher at FHS but could probably have a second career in marketing. Sandra was at the basketball games Tuesday evening handing out small samples of her amazing fudge. How evil is that? I am one of many Sandra fudge fans. You can order for Christmas and Valentine's Day. Chocolate is $10 a pound. The kind I get, chocolate with pecans or walnuts is $12 a pound. Get your order in by contacting Sandra on Facebook or call 806-220-7628. Makes a good gift too.
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Good luck and wishes to Chieftain Coach Mike Prokop who is having knee surgery next week. His wife Shirley told me she and Mike spent the Thanksgiving holidays in Fredericksburg. She said they found a "little hole-in-wall café" that served a Thanksgiving dinner like her mom used to make and they had a great time.
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A couple of weeks ago I wrote my column about food and complained about how bananas go brown so soon. A local gentleman came by the office this week to tell me to separate the bananas. He called it "individualize them." Said they will last longer that way, up to 10 days. I'm skeptical but willing to try it. I shall report on the results of the experiment.
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The hectic season has definitely begun. We will have three papers in December to wrap up another year. Our Christmas paper will be December 18. We will not publish a Friona Star during the Christmas week. We will publish a paper dated January 1, 2015, which will be distributed Wednesday, December 31. Santa letters coming up soon. It is a fun and frantic season. Take a breath. Remember the Serenity Prayer. Until then!
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