Juan Diego Salinas - Valedictorian
Kambree Kimbrough - Salutatorian
Malachi Torres - Historian
Friona High School will hold its 2021 Graduation Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 28th at Chieftain Field. The ceremony is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend. There will be no Covid-19 rules or regulations and masks are optional. In case of severe weather, the ceremony will take place in the FHS Events Center (high school gym). An Alcohol/Drug Free Graduation Celebration Party will be held for the new graduates later in the evening. Proceeds from the Senior Steak Dinner held earlier in the year are used to fund the event. Congratulations Class of 2021!
Top graduates announced
The top ten academic graduates were announced last Friday night during the Senior Parade on Main Street. Valedictorian for the Class of 2021 is Juan Diego Salinas. Juan is the son of Rufina and Aaron Salinas. He plans to attend St. Edward's University and get a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and then go to the Game Warden Academy. The class Salutatorian is Kambree Kimbrough. Kambree is the daughter of Kim and Kody Kimbrough. She plans to attend Texas State University and major in Ag Finance. The class Historian is Malachi Torres. Malachi is the son of Jorge Torres and Crystal & Vincent Surace. He plans to attend ENMU to become a college coach. The remainder of the academic top ten students, in order, are: Victoria Gonzalez, Maria River-Guerra, Angel Carranza, Emily Amaya, Dulce Garcia Pena, Nohemi Castillo, and Rebecca Schlenker.
Memorial Day - Each year in the United States, Americans observe the Federal holiday, Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. It honors and remembers all men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is also a day to remember all loved ones who have passed away.
Traditionally on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States of America is raised briskly to the top of the staff then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position where it remains until noon. At noon, it is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.
When the flag is at half-staff, the position is in remembrance of the more than one million men and women who gave their lives for their country. Raising the flag at noon signifies the nation lives, that the country is resolved not to let their sacrifice be in vain but to rise up in their honor and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all.
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Friona High School band members will be putting out flags again this year at the grave sites of our veterans for the Memorial Day holiday. They will begin Sunday evening, May 30th at 6:00 p.m. at the Friona Cemetery. Thank you, Mighty Chieftain Band!
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The Friona United Methodist Church will host a Vacation Bible School from Tuesday, June 1st through Friday, June 4th. Students grade K through 6th are eligible to attend. The VBS will run from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. each evening.
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The Friona City Pool will open on Tuesday, June 1st. Please call 806-250-5279 for information or to make reservations.
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The Summer Reading Program hosted by the Friona Public Library begins in June with a First Responders program scheduled for Wednesday, June 2nd. See page 8 for more details and a activities calendar.
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Older Texans say they're exercising more, but also smoking more. Many folks have acknowledged dealing with more anxiety since the pandemic hit. But even before that, seniors were experiencing increased mental and behavioral health challenges, according to a new report. The annual report from the UnitedHealth Foundation found that between 2016 and 2019, people age 65 and older have seen increases in drug-related deaths, suicide and frequent mental stress, nationwide. Editor's Note: "Six Pack" should refer to your abs, not your daily intake of smokes.
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Here are the Covid-19 stats as of Tuesday, May 25th. There are 907 confirmed cases and 388 probable cases. There are 3 active cases and 1239 recoveries. So far, there have been 35 confirmed fatalities.
June is the 6th month of the modern Georgian Calendarr. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar modified the Roman Calendar by dividing the year into twelve months. By adding two months, the Julian calendar moved June to from the 4th month to its current position.
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WTAMU President Walter Wendler has spent nearly 200 hours over the past two months working on more than 3,000 personalized, individual welcome videos for each student who has been admitted (whether they've enrolled or not) for the Fall 2021 semester. This herculean effort is getting attention across the country.
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National Days
May 27:
Grape Popsicle Day
May 28 :
Hamburger Day
May 29:
Paperclip Day
May 30:
Creativity Day
May 31:
Memorial Day
June 1:
Go Barefoot Day
June 2:
Leave The Office Early Day
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The Parmer County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, May 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. in the County Courtroom of the Parmer County Courthouse in Farwell, Texas. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and Texas Flag.
There were no public comments. Minutes from the May 10th meeting were read and approved. Commissioners approved the payment of the accounts payables as presented by County Treasurer Sharon May. The Treasurer's payroll report was also approved.
Commissioners voted to keep the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 office intact. Precinct 3 Commissioner Kenny White made the motion, Precinct 4 Commissioner Casey Russell made the second and the vote was unanimous in favor of keeping the office. As for now, the JP Pct. 1 position will remain vacant until the Fall 2022 election.
A public hearing was held prior to Commissioners Court to discuss questions regarding the intention of Parmer County to designate a Lazbuddie Wind Energy II, LLC Reinvestment Zone. Friona ISD Superintendent Jimmy Burns and Lazbuddie ISD Superintendent Steve Wolf were in attendance. Later, in regular session, the Court voted to approve the Lazbuddie Wind Energy II LLC Reinvestment Zone. A tax abatement agreement with the corporation was also approved.
Approval was given for Parmer County to join the National Association of Counties (NACo). This organization lobbies for rural counties at the federal level in Washington, D.C. The NACo will help the county distribute funds it receives from the "Rescue America" legislation that was passed recently. Dues to join the NACo are $450 per year.
Sheriff Randy Geries reported that he was currently housing 18 inmates in the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center. Two of the inmates are from Deaf Smith County. Commissioners approved the purchase of a new 2021 Chevy Tahoe to be used as a patrol vehicle. Final cost will be around $28,500 after a $7,500 trade-in allowance on a 2014 Chevy Tahoe with 158,000 miles.
In other business, a bond for Deputy Treasuer Lucy Martinez and ten hours of CE hours for JP Pct. 3 Pam Haseloff were approved. Consideration on a contract for court collection services was tabled. Commissioners believed that the Justices of the Peace should have a significant role as to which company is chosen to provide the service.
Parmer County has changed the address of its website. You now type in www.parmercounty.texas.gov to gain access to county information and services.
The next scheduled Commissioners Court meeting is Monday, June 14th.
All meetings are open to the public. The Commissioner's Court reserves the right to go into Executive Session at any time. The agenda may be found on the Parmer County website. Information in this article is only a summary. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the Commissioners Court.
At a ceremony on Monday, Adrian Legarreta signed a letter of intent to continue his competitive running career at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. The FHS Cross Country record holder, 16:06 set in 2019, will run Cross Country and Track for the Buffaloes. His parents, Alfredo and Olga, as well as siblings Angel, Yvonne, and Jackie joined friends, teammates, and coaches to help celebrate the occasion. Congratulations Adrian and Go Buffs!!!
