The Mayor and Friona City Council have proclaimed April 19th - 25th as National Library Week in Friona. National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library staff play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. Pictured (l-r) are Library Assistant Director Becky Upton, Library Director Anahi Gomez and Library Circulation Clerk Valeria Cumpian. The Library's Summer Reading Program will proceed as scheduled for June 2020. However, due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, it is undecided as to whether the program will proceed as usual or in an online format.
As people face the challenges and uncertainty caused by the spread of COVID-19, heroic work is happening around the clock to keep food on family tables and store shelves. That work is happening right here in Friona, thanks to local employees and businesses, including more than 2,200 Cargill employees, who show up every day to nourish people.
Communities like Friona are the heart of our food system. Local farmers and ranchers, retail workers, manufacturing and foodservice companies, food shelves and those who transport food are working every day to keep people and animals fed. Local employers are also investing to focus on safety and keep facilities operating during the COVID-19 crisis. Cargill has implemented safety measures like temperature testing, enhanced cleaning and sanitizing, prohibiting visitors and offering staggered breaks and shift flexibility. Employees are provided with, and encouraged to use, face coverings as a supplement to the many social distancing practices already put into place.
Food manufacturing has been deemed an essential service, which puts employees on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. To recognize this contribution, Cargill has provided its employees temporary pay incentives and waived co-pays for COVID-19 testing.
"We're working every day to keep people safe and dinner on the table," said Scott Pohlman, Cargill's Friona general manager. "That means keeping our plant open, giving back to the community and making sure our local economy stays strong."
Nonprofit partners, including Action for Healthy Kids, the American Farmland Trust - Farmer Relief Fund, and the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, as well as local foodbanks and social organizations, are also playing a critical role in helping to lift up the local economy and make sure no one goes hungry. Cargill is supporting them with both food donations and monetary contributions.
"We are inspired by the tireless work of Friona's doctors, nurses, first responders, workers and those in agriculture who are making sure people and animals are cared for and no one goes hungry," said Pohlman. "Together we are going to overcome this crisis and come out of this even more connected."
Our local Dairy Queen held a "1/2 off" sale last Sunday afternoon and had a tremendous response. The Friona Dairy Queen Team would like to thank Friona for their great support!
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The Friona Noon Lions Club held a Community Blood Drive last Thursday. The drive netted 41 units of blood and was considered a success due to the social distancing regulations and the need to keep everyone safe. The Lions Club provided hamburgers and fries for all donors. Thank you to all who donated!
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One of the side effects of social distancing is the art of coffee shop talk. What is the number of coffee drinkers needed to form a quorum in order for the "coffee talk" to be valid heresay? Talk it over among yourselves, but not in a group and not in public. Good luck.
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The 6th Annual Hi-Pro "Feeds the Future" dinner & auction benefit has been cancelled. This annual event helps fund the Snack Pak 4 Kids programs in Friona, Farwell, Texico, Muleshoe, and now Bovina.
In a letter to contributors, Hi-Pro Feeds LLC representative Varla Wilcox stated that plans were made to host the event on April 25th, but with everything going on in the world, the plans stayed in the planning mode. Varla thanked everyone for their support in the past and emphasized that Hi-Pro WILL host the event again in the future.
If you would like to support Snack Pak 4 Kids, you may send your donation to Snack Pak 4 Kids, 701 Park Place Avenue, Amarillo, Texas 79101. Please indicate Friona, Farwell, Texico, or Bovina if you wish to sponsor a specific program.
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National Days
April 16 - Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day April 17 - Clean Out Medicine Cabinet Day April 18 - Animal Crackers Day April 19 - OKC Bombing Commemoration Day April 20 - Cheddar Fries Day April 21 - Library Workers Day April 22 - Earth Day
Area Closures:
• Snack Pak 4 Kids Benefit hosted by Hi-Pro has been cancelled.
• All Texas State Parks & Historic Sites back open. Must wear masks and social distance.
• Outdoor drama "Texas" has been cancelled for the season.
• Texas 4-H Roundup hosted by Texas A&M has been cancelled.
• 2020 Cheeseburger Festival has been cancelled.
• Jury duty for April 15 has been rescheduled to June 23.
• FISD Schools are closed through May 4.
• FISD Meal Schedule: Meals will be served from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Friona Jr. High Cafeteria. Available to all children 18 years of age & under. Breakfast & Lunch will be combined into one package each day.
• City of Friona, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Court & Friona Public Library will be closed to the public until further notice. You can still call to conduct business and use City Dropoff.
• Parmer County Courthouse is open but office entry is restricted. Please call in advance for more information.
• Friona Interbank, Friona Banking Center, Friona TX Credit Union offices are closed until futher notice. You can conduct business at their drivethru locations only.
• All restaurants are take-out or drive-thru only.
• Senior Citizens Center meals will be discontinued until further notice.
• No visitation at Prairie Acres until further notice.
• County Jail Visitation Suspended.
• Bovina Chamber Banquet Postponed.
• Drivers License Office Temporarily Closed (CDL testing by appointment).
• Deaf Smith Electric Coop 82nd Annual Meeting has been postponed. DSEC has closed its lobby. Call 806-364-1166 for info.
• WT Services Annual Meeting has been postponed. WTRT/WT Services lobbies are closed. Call customer care at 250-5555 for more information.
• Friends of the Library Book Shoppe is closed until further notice.
• Friona Star Newspapers are available at our office.
• Bi-Wize Pharmacy and Furniture will be "limited access" for the foreseeable future. We are open regular hours and most services are still available, however, only the front foyer of the store is open to customers. We ask that no more than 1 customer be in the front area at a time. We encourage you to handle as much of your business as possible by phone. Curbside service is available and we urge the most at-risk members of the community to use it. Prescriptions, over-the-counter items, and even furniture are all still available for purchase. See our ad in today's paper for more details.
• Chieftain Sports and Fitness is closed until further notice. All memberships are frozen until the re-opening.
Contact Friona Star at 250-2211 or frionastar@wtrt.net to add to this list.
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)
Friona Interbank Lobby Closed (English)
FISD Emergency Resolution (English)
by Gayla Quillin, MBA CEO/Administator Parmer Medical Center
I would like to talk about testing for coronavirus or COVID-19. First, not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19. Because of the great demand for testing across the nation, the testing supplies are limited. There is a very specific process we must follow and clear symptoms that trigger the need for testing.
The test captures your situation at that precise moment, so if you do not have symptoms and test negative, it does not mean that you will not become infected. It simply means you do not, at that time, have the virus. The incubation period for COVID-19 ranges from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. Incubation period is the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease.
We, like many other organizations, are screening people who come into our building. We have limited the entrances to two locations – the front lobby doors and the Emergency Room doors. Everyone is asked some questions that are important to our assessment of your exposure. We also take your temperature. A temperature of 100.3 or higher is a trigger that you might be infected.
A fever alone does not mean you are infected or that you need to be tested. As we all know, there are bacteria and other viruses that can cause a high fever. This is where the questions come in to play. Have you been directly in the presence (exposed) to a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19? Or, have you been in direct contact with someone who has been exposed to COVID-19? Pretty obvious questions and they make sense.
It may seem silly to ask us who live in rural America if we have traveled outside Parmer county. Of course we have! At least, that is what we normally do in order to take care of normal business. Unfortunately, in the current circumstance, traveling outside our boundaries causes us to consider if there is a possibility of exposure. Next, are you experiencing any symptoms? If so, please tell us what those are.
Symptoms may include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath. We have several people battling seasonal hay fever and allergies that can also trigger coughing, stuffy nose (which leads to struggling for breath) and a cough as well as other symptoms.
If you meet the other criteria and your symptoms are present, we will ask you to see one of our providers who will assess you further. If the provider believes you meet all the criteria and that you do not have something else such as influenza A or B, strep throat, etc., then he or she will call the epidemiologist and present your case. If the epidemiologist concurs with the assessment, you will be assigned a PUI (Person Under Investigation) number and then we will collect the specimen to send to the Lubbock lab.
If there is suspicion of exposure, we will ask you to go home and self-quarantine for 14 days. Keep a log of your temperature and of any symptoms that may arise. If you develop fever, shortness of breath or cough, please call our clinic at 806-250-2781 or the Emergency Department (ED) at 806-250-2754. If you develop trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to rouse, bluish colored lips or face or any other emergency warning signs, get medical attention immediately.
Most cases of COVID-19 are considered mild-moderate. These cases can be taken care of at home with rest, fluids, and over the counter medications for your symptoms such as acetaminophen or Nsaids for fever and aches and pains; allergy meds for your sniffles, etc.
Some common Nsaids are: Aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin, Ecotrin); Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin); Naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox DS, Naprosyn).
References:
CDC
Parmer Medical Center providers
Texas Department of Health and Human Services
Coronavirus cases confirmed
Texas Panhandle:
584 cases, 11 deaths
Armstrong County: 1
Carson: 1
Castro County: 11
Childress: 1
Dallam County: 3
Deaf Smith County: 14
Donley County: 24
Gray County: 22
Hansford County: 1
Hartley County: 1
Hemphill County: 1
Hutchinson County: 9
Moore County: 162
Oldham County: 3
Parmer County: 2
Potter/Randall County: 311
Roberts County: 1
Sherman County: 10
Swisher County: 5
Wheeler County: 1
Eastern New Mexico:
13 cases, 0 deaths
Curry County 10
Roosevelt County: 1
Quay County: 1
Oklahoma Panhandle:
30 cases, 1 death
Beaver County: 2
Cimarron: 1
Texas County: 27
Stay-at-home directives
Potter County
Deaf Smith County
Gray County
City of Amarillo
City of Canyon
Randall County
City of Pampa
City of Lefors
City of Hereford
Hansford County
City of Gruver
City of Spearman
City of McLean
Castro County
Donley County
Wheeler County
Swisher County
City of Perryton
Ochiltree County
City of Tulia
Armstrong County
City of Claude
