Friona Chieftain Band seniors presented director Chris Rackley (center) with a cooler and "Dr. Peppers for life" at the band concert last Tuesday evening.
Raindrops Keep Fallin' - Friona finally received some beneficial rainfall this past week. Local purveyor of precipitation John Gurley reported that the city received approximately 1.41" of rain over a four day stretch which is about what we received during the first four months of the year. Hopefully, more is on the way.
***
Cruisin' with the Grads - The FHS Senior Parade is scheduled for Friday, May 19th beginning at 7 p.m. on Main Street. Seniors will be escorted in vehicles down the street and honors & scholarships will be announced. In case of bad weather, the event will move to the FHS auditorium.
***
Sounds Good - The Junior High and High School bands were in concert last Tuesday evening. The Star will have photos of the Seniors and award winners in next week's graduation issue.
***
FYI - you MUST obtain a permit before conducting a garage sale. Call the city at 806-250-2761 for information.
***
What's next - Next week is the Graduation Edition featuring the FHS Class of 2023. You have until Monday, May 22nd to place an ad in the special edition.
***
Two Cents Worth - The United States first issued a one-cent coin produced by a private mint in 1787. Benjamin Franklin designed it. On one side, it read "Mind Your Business" and the other "We Are One." This coin was made of 100% copper and was larger than today's penny. It came to be known as the Fugio cent. However, the first pennies struck in a United States Mint weren't produced until 1793. They were also made of copper. Pennies may not have much value today; however, there are a few pennies that are quite valuable. The top three are: (1) a Lincoln bronze 1943-D penny sold for $1.7 million, (2) a Lincoln steel 1944-S penny sold for $373,750, and (3) a Lincoln bronze 1943-S penny sold for $282,000.
***
National Days
May 18: Museum Day
May 19: Devil's Food Cake Day
May 20: Armed Forces Day
May 21: Memo Day
May 22: Solitaire Day
May 23: Lucky Penny Day
May 24: Scavenger Hunt Day
***
Friona FFA members attended the Littlefield District FFA Banquet last week. The chapter received several banners from the LDE and CDE season. Dieter Ally finished his term as District Vice President and Aubrey Schueler was selected as the 2023-2024 Littlefield District Sentinel. Emma Schueler will move on to the area level in a scholarship interview. The FFA Chapter Banquet is next Tuesday and photos from that event will be featured in the June 2nd edition of the Friona Star.
The Parmer County Texas A&M Extension staff received the District 2 Making a Difference County Award at the district's Spring Administration Meeting held in Lubbock on May 10th. The staff was recognized for their dedication and teamwork to "Make A Difference" in the lives of Parmer County citizens through Extension education.
Wendy Case is the Family & Community Health Agent (FCH Agent), Janelle Duffey is the Ag & Natural Resources Agent (ANR Agent), and Deena Lucero is the Extension Office Manager.
The Parmer County Extension office is located at 301 Highway 60 in Bovina, Texas and the phone number is 806-251-5121.
In the photo (l-r) - Wendy Case, Janelle Duffey, and Deena Lucero
By Greg Lewellen
This week is National Police Week, part of a proclamation in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy to honor those officers that paid the ultimate sacrifice and designating May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day. I would like to take the opportunity to highlight and honor our local police officers for their tireless efforts to maintain safety and order in our community. On the point of Peace Officers Memorial Day, I would ask the community to remember the sacrifice of Officer Jose Arturo Herrera, who was killed in the line of duty on April 14, 2003, twenty years ago this past month. Officer Herrera was killed when his patrol car was intentionally rammed by a vehicle being chased by other officers. His sacrifice for the safety of his community will be continually remembered through the memorial that stands outside the Friona Police Department.
Our current police department is headed by Chief Isidro Jimenez, and includes Lieutenant Andrew Aguirre, Jesus San Miguel, Pedro Sanchez, and Bobby Martinez. Bobby also serves as a sheriff's deputy for Parmer County and works part time helping our two full time officers, Isidro and Andrew. Desiree Rangel is our Dispatch Supervisor that supervises a staff of four dispatchers. Chief Jimenez and all the staff work tirelessly to keep our community safe, please take a moment to thank them if you get an opportunity.
Throughout the next few months, as we begin work on our city's budget for the year that will begin in October, I will share details regarding the budget and highlight each department's contribution to the city. This month, because of the week in which this article is published, I will start with the police department. The City's total adopted budget for the current fiscal year that ends September 30th is $5,032,626. The police department's budget for this year is $780,190, representing 15% of the total budget. Personnel expenses for the police department are currently budgeted at $647,742, or 83% of their department's total budget. It is the focus of the council continually to recruit and retain officers, as is often difficult in rural areas.
In other City news, Judge Deborah Campbell will be retiring on June 2nd, and a reception for her retirement is planned at the court complex. I encourage you to go by that Friday and thank Deborah for her many years of service to the city. The City Council is currently going through the recruitment process to replace Judge Campbell and anticipates appointing a new judge by the end of this month. Unlike most city positions, the Municipal Court Judge position is a direct report position to the council, as is the City Manager.
The annual Kid's Fish event sponsored by the FEDC and the City will be this Sunday, May 21st, beginning at noon. Even if you are not a fisherman, it's a good opportunity to go to Reeve's Lake and have a picnic. Former Mayor Ricky White has been diligently working to keep the lake in fine form since his retirement.