Baseball News - The Friona/Tulia game was suspended Tuesday evening with the Chieftains leading 6-5 over the Hornets. Friona is 10-11 for the season and 3-5 in district play. The Chiefs will host Dimmitt at Chieftain Ballpark this Friday at 4:30 and Senior baseball players and their parents will be recognized in a ceremony immediately after the game.
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School News - The State Line Tribune reported last week that the Lazbuddie School Board voted to move to a 4-day school week for the 2023-24 school year. The new school week will be Tuesday through Friday.
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When Pigs Fly? - In research published in Wildlife Society Bulletin, investigators used drones to capture images of the agricultural damage caused by wild pigs, which now number over 6.9 million in the U.S. Most damage occurred in later growth stages, when corn ears were maturing, seed was most nutritious, and producers had already invested in the majority of annual crop inputs. Wild pigs damaged up to 9.2% of a single monitored field, which resulted in an average loss of 3,416 kg of corn per hectare and a direct cost to producers of $17.18 to $48.24 per hectare of damage.
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Play Ball! - The Parmer County Babe Ruth Baseball League has begun its season!!! Come cheer on the kids and enjoy delicious snacks from the concession stand on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday nights beginning about 6 o'clock as they compete to win their games and improve their skills in Tball, Machine Pitch, Minor ,and Major age divisions. The fields are located at 300 Prospect Street in Friona and this is the local baseball league for kids in our community.
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Dairy Fire was an accident - The Castro County News reported last week that the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office ruled that the fire at the South Fork Dairy in Castro County that critically injured one person and caused the death of over 17,000 cattle was an accident and not the result of any type of terror attack or attempt to interrupt the milk supply. The incident has been labeled by some as the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history.
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Say What? - April 30th is National Raisin Day. At least that is what we heard through the grapevine.
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National Days
April 27:
Tell A Story Day
April 28:
Historical Marker Day
April 29:
Veterinary Day
April 30:
Raisin Day (heard it through the gravevine)
May 1:
Melanoma Day
May 2:
Teacher
Appreciation Day
May 3:
Press Freedom Day
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Hollis & Lunell Horton recently received a package from Japan. It was a gift from Keiichi Miyake. Hollis & Lunell met Keiichi in 1975 and have corresponded with him over the past 48 years. Below is a timeline of some of their interactions with Keiichi and his family.
July 1975 - 20 year-old Keiichi Miyake, 20, from Koraskik, Japan, stays with Hollis & Lunell Horton and their family for six weeks as part of an exchange program sponsored by Lions Club International. Keiichi's father was a member of the Lions Club in Japan and the Youth Exchange Program was undertaken for the purpose of young people traveling to different countries and sharing in the culture of that country; to learn the ways of the country and live as the natives live.
January 1983 - While on a honeymoon trip to the United States, Keiichi and his wife Eiko, visit Hollis & Lunell at the Horton home in Friona. Keiichi has been attending college for six years studying architecture. Both of the newlywed's families are business people in Japan.
April 2001 - Hollis and Lunell Horton make a trip to Japan to attend the 50th anniversary commemoration of General Douglas MacArthur's 1951 departure from Japan. While in Japan, Hollis & Lunell visit Keiichi & Eiko and their son, Jun, and daughter, Nagi. They also meet Keiichi's mother, Yae-Ko Miyake.
September 2017 - Keiichi travels to the United State to help celebrate Hollis' 90th birthday which is being held at Gilley's Complex in Dallas.
March 2023 - "Granddad" Keiichi mails a gift to Hollis & Lunell with "good luck and get well" wishes. He has worked on the gift for over three years and just put it in a box and sent it over.
Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, often conjures images of paper cranes, or orizuru in Japanese. Origami was popularized and taught in Japanese schools in art class, and has since evolved as a childhood pastime. In Japanese lore, the crane-a type of large, migratory bird-was thought to live for 1,000 years, and the animals are held in the highest regard. Paper cranes are now a symbol of peace and are sent around the world to those places in need of healing.
The Friona Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday morning to highlight the Buena Tierra Project which is Friona's newest home building venture. TW&M Properties, LLC has been working with the Friona Economic Development Corporation and the City of Friona to make the project a reality.
Friona officials attending the ribbon cutting ceremony included Mayor Greg Lewellen, City Manager Lee Davila, Chamber VP Emma Rector, and City Council members Brent Loflin, Esmeralda Mills, and Alan Monroe.
The Buena Tierra Project is located at the block west of Legacy Pointe Senior Apartments between North Main & Euclid and 15th and 16th streets. The project consists of 4 phases with three 3-bedroom and/or 4-bedroom homes built in each phase.
Phase 1 (southeast corner) of the project is currently under construction and consists of a 3-bedroom home and two 4-bedroom homes and is scheduled to be completed by August 13th. All of the properties will feature a family patio, front porch, 2-car garage, and pantry.
The estimated cost of the Buena Tierra Project is $2.5 million and the final completion date is scheduled for February 13, 2025. After Phase 2 is completed, 15th Street will be curbed and paved. After Phase 4 is completed, 16th Street will be curbed and paved.
If you are interested in owning one of the new homes, you can drop by their office at 705 Main Street or call (806) 250-3669.
