The Friona Chamber of Commerce & Ag held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week at A-1 Service Center. Bobby and Paige Tyler are the new owners and were joined in the photo by family, employees, City Manager Lee Davila, and the Chamber Board of Directors and staff.
PARMER COUNTY
November 3, 2020
Federal
President
Donald Trump 2133
Joe Biden 488
Jo Jorgensen 23
Howie Hawkins 4
U.S. Senator
John Cornyn 2130
MJ Hegar 454
Kerry McKennon 28
David Collins 13
Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla 1
U.S. Representative, Dist. 19
Jodey Arrington 2138
Tom Watson 433
Joe Burnes 45
State
Railroad Commissioner
Jim Wright 2102
Chrysta Castañeda 458
Matt Sterett 39
Kat Gruene 13
Chief Justice, Supreme Court
Nathan Hecht 2087
Amy Meachum 466
Mark Ash 44
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6
Jane Bland 2145
Kathy Cheng 450
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7
Jeff Boyd 2126
Staci Williams 454
William Strange III 26
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8
Brett Busby 2112
Gisela Triana 458
Tom Oxford 31
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
Bert Richarsdon 2119
Elizabeth Frizell 481
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4
Kevin Yeary 2121
Tina Clinton 455
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
David Newell 2125
Brandon Birmingham 455
Member, State Board of Education, District 15
Jay Johnson 2139
John Betancourt 453
State Representative Dist. 86
John Smithee 2437
Chief Justice, 7th Court of Appeals District
Brian Quinn 2424
Justice, 7th Court of Appeals District, Place 4
Larry Doss 2415
District Attorney, 287th Judicial District
Kathryn Gurley 2456
County
County Attorney
Jeff Actkinson 2454
Sheriff
Randy Geries 2445
County Tax Assessor-Collector
Awyna Sanchez 2465
County Commissioner, Pct. 1
Kirk Frye 730
County Commissioner, Pct. 3
Kenny White 784
(l-r) FHS Art Teacher Riley Graham, Maria Rivera (3rd place), Xavier Guerra (1st place), Aneesa Amaya (3rd place) and Mayor Ricky White.
The City of Friona is excited to announce the winners of the "Design Our 2020 Christmas Card" contest. More than 30 Christmas card designs were entered and featured drawings from Friona High School art students in Mr. Riley Graham's class. The winners were: 1st place - Xavier Guerra, 2nd place - Aneesa Amaya, and 3rd place - Maria Rivera. Xavier's design will be used as the City's Christmas card that will be distributed to local businesses this holiday season. Congratulations to all the artists!
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the Friona Junior High One Act Play.
They won First Place this week at the OAP contest. Sponsors are Linda Welch and Katy Welch. (courtesy photo)
Created with Purpose of West Texas will have their ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, November 12th at 3 p.m. in Bovina.
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Join the fun on November 12th, 13th, and 14th as Ivy Cottage, Milk House Market, Desert Nomad, and Creative Chaos all host open houses during their "Christmas in Friona" holiday event. Bring your Christmas spirit with you!!!
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The Chamber of Commerce would love to see your businesses (and houses) decorated in time for the Christmas in the Park event on December 7th! Let's bring joy to Friona and usher in the Christmas Spirit! Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making a trip to the City Park on Monday, December 7th so bring your kids and your cameras for FREE pictures with Santa from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. and then stick around for a parade of lights around the Park. Vendors are welcome and forms, with Covid-19 guidelines, will be available in the Chamber office and online soon. More details to follow via Friona Chamber Facebook.
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Friona had another successful blood drive last Thursday. Forty-eight donors contributed close to 60 pints of blood for needy patients. The blood supply has been short all year because of the COVID pandemic. Thanks Friona for always rising to the occasion!!!
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The cotton harvest is underway. Kevin Welch brought in the first bale to Friona Farmers Co-Op Gin on October 6th. Fortunately, the freeze helped drop leaves and did not inflict much damage. 5,089 bales have been processed so far, and like other crops around the area and the state, the grades are up but the yields are down.
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Mike & Reta Martin have had enough. Just kidding. They have sold their business and are ready to get to work! Check out the Flashback this week and the special retirement ad in this issue. Thanks Mike & Reta for being great business leaders and supportive community members. Good luck!!!
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Veterans Day is a day of honoring, recognizing and celebrating the men and women who have served our nation in the U.S. Armed Forces. Even though we did not have the opportunity to physically gather and personally honor, recognize and celebrate the heros in our community, we have not and will not forget the sacrifice they made defending our freedom. We thank the families for their support and sacrifices they made during these trying times. I hope all veterans feel our love and support for them and their families, not just on Veteran's Day, but everyday of the year. "Thank You" to all veterans.
City Manager Leander Davila is applying for a grant supported by the Texas Parks and Wildlife for money to be used to upgrade the outside of the community center and repairing the walking path around the pond. The grant is for $150,000.00 (matching fund). The city will know by June 2021 the status of the grant money being awarded.
Friona Volunteer Fire Department responded to 7 emergency calls in October. There were 2 grass fires, structure fire, cotton module fire, downed power line, gas leak, and a vehicle accident. We thank our volunteers for their quick response, dedication and commitment to serving our community when an emergency arises. Every volunteer is greatly appreciated.
Chief Jimenez and the officers responded to 279 calls in October. There were 295 stops, 169 warnings, 126 citations and 6 arrests (3-possession of controlled substance, 2-possession of marijuana, and 1-aggravated assault). Officers drove a total of 4,371 miles patrolling and protecting our community. The police department is needing to purchase a new police vehicle to replace an older Ford Crown Victoria car (2011) that has increasingly occurring mechanical issues due to wear and tear on the vehicle.
EMS monthly activity: There were twenty-one calls for 911, fifteen transfers, and five calls ended in a "no transport". Collections received equaled $2,516.71 and billing totaled $49,957.11. Outstanding money not collected totaled $47,440.40. The city has cancelled the contract with the current collection agency and signed a new contract with Emergicon of Dallas, Texas. The decision to change was based on low collections for the past 6 months.
Judge Campbell had 129 new cases in October. Total fines collected totaled $12,745.70 and court cost equaled $9,463.31.
The city pumped 19,667,800 gallons of water and sold 14,376,000 gallons. Total billing equaled $73,895.87 on 1464 accounts.
Friona Public Library was open for 20 days in October. There were 311 visits (including electronically), and average of 20 visits per day. There were 322 items circulated with 127 new items added to inventory. The new book store will be a great addition to the Library. Bids are being accepted and construction will begin shortly after accepting a contractor.
Lastly, with Thanksgiving arriving shortly and with the COVID active cases on the rise, currently sitting at 79 active cases which has doubled since the first of October, it is vitally important that everyone wear a mask in public places, social distance-6 feet, wash hands frequently, do not congregate in large groups, and if you feel sick, stay home.
Your Mayor
Veca Welch Masters and Mitchell Smiley get a close-up view of the new Chieftain "run-thru" donated by Texas Farm Bureau. Friona beat Highland Park 56-12 to advance to the playoffs. The Chiefs will play Idalou at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night in Plainview.
Health Protocols for Voters and Elections (English)
County Disaster Declaration (English)
March 16 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
March 31 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
Letter from City Manager (English) (Spanish)
Friona Community Helpline (English)
2-1-1 Texas Social Services Hotline (English)
Share The Facts about COVID-19 (English) (Spanish)
What You Need To Know (English) (Spanish)
What To Do If You Are Sick (English) (Spanish)
County Clerk PSA (English)
Chamber of Commerce Letter to Businesses (English)
FISD Emergency Resolution (English)
Covid Risk Chart (English)
