County Leaders Appeal for Funding of New Jail and Courthouse Repairs

Missing granite panels characterize the south side of the Nolan County Courthouse.

At a public meeting in the Community Center on Monday evening, Roscoans heard Nolan County Sheriff David Warren make a case for a new County Jail, while County Commissioner Terry Willman spoke to the need for Courthouse repairs in the wake of a 2000-pound granite slab falling to the sidewalk at the Courthouse’s north entrance. 

Sheriff Warren presented a slideshow of photographs demonstrating the inadequacies of the current jail in the County Courthouse.  It has 54 beds, but four cells in the middle cannot be used because male and female inmates are allowed no visual or verbal contact.  

Moreover, when the Courthouse was first used in 1977, it housed an average of 20 inmates, whereas the current average is about 57, and the number is escalating every year.  There is also a security issue as jailers must often walk within reach of the prisoners through the cell bars. 

The overflow of prisoners is sent to the Garza County Jail in Post and the Taylor County Jail in Abilene.  In the past ten years, the cost to the county for doing so has come to about a million dollars when transportation costs, including the hiring of extra personnel, is figured in.

The jail’s laundry, which consists of a single washer and dryer, is running 24 hours a day, and the kitchen is similarly not big enough to handle the large number of inmates.

Sheriff Warren wants a new 96-bed facility good for 30 years, built at a still undetermined location somewhere on the outskirts of Sweetwater. Besides the jail space, the facility would also include several new offices since at the present time eight deputies share a single office.  

The price tag will be in the $11 million range, to be paid for by an increase in county property taxes.  The projected increase is about four cents per $100 valuation with an average family seeing around a $25 annual increase to their tax bill.  The sheriff reminded the audience that the county tax rate over the last ten years has decreased from 51¢ to 40¢ per $100 because of wind farm revenues, so an increase to 44¢ is not an undue burden.

County Commissioner Terry Willman spoke to the need for Courthouse repairs.  After a granite slab on the Courthouse wall came crashing down to the sidewalk, an inspection of the remaining ones was done, and it was discovered that another one was loose and in need of immediate repair—and all the others lining the Courthouse walls were similarly unstable because back when the Courthouse was built in 1977, no measures were taken to waterproof the bases of the slabs, and over the years deterioration has occurred to the point that all are in danger of falling sooner or later unless something is done.    

Repair costs will likely include the removal of all the slabs with repair and weatherproofing of their bases before replacing them to their original positions.  The total cost is projected to be in the $1.3 million range.  Willman said that the Commissioners have yet to decide whether to go with that plan or to replace the granite with something else.  But one thing is certain—repairs must be done.

The audience seemed to respond favorably to the presentations.  Although the Commissioners have the power to authorize both proposals, a bond election with each as a separate issue in November 2012 is also possible. 

There will be similar public meetings on these two issues at Maryneal, Blackwell, Nolan, and Sweetwater.  See last week’s Roscoe Hard Times for times and places.

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ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH MAKES A DEAL WITH ANGELO STATE TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF GRADS WITH ASSOCIATE’S DEGREES

RISD Superintendent Kim Alexander has signed an agreement with Angelo State University in San Angelo that will make life easier for Roscoe seniors who graduate from high school and community college at the same time.

Through a program with Western Texas College started a couple of years ago, many students have earned credits toward their Associate’s Degree with advanced classes taken at Roscoe High—and this past spring, 13 of the 25 graduating seniors who took part in the program got both their high school diploma and their Associate’s Degree at the same time.

Now Roscoe Collegiate will partner with Angelo State and Western Texas in a program designed to create a seamless transfer of community college coursework taken at Roscoe into whatever major the student chooses at ASU.  Almost anyone who has tried to transfer from a community college to a university has run into the problem of community college coursework that won’t count toward graduation at the university. 

Now students who choose to go to Angelo State won’t have that problem.  Measures will be taken so that the students know ahead of time just exactly which courses they need, so that time and effort are not wasted.  Counselors from Angelo State will periodically come to Roscoe to advise students and make sure they are on the right track, and Roscoe students on the Associate’s track will take trips to the Angelo State campus to learn of opportunities and procedures there.  

The process will also help students who choose to go to a different university since through counseling they will become familiar with university requirements and procedures.

Angelo State stands to gain students who go ahead and choose to do their university work there, and Roscoe grads will benefit by already being familiar with the university system once they enter Angelo State with their Associate’s Degree in hand. 

Angelo State also has other advantages for many Roscoe grads.  Tuition is cheaper than at other area universities and the campus is only seventy miles down the road.

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CITY RECEIVES $1,765,000 FROM STATE FOR WATER IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Roscoe has just received and deposited in its City construction account the $1,765,000 it was promised from the State of Texas Water Development Board for the construction of a reverse-osmosis water treatment plant and for water distribution line improvements.

The new water treatment plant will be located on the north side of Broadway and Cedar Streets, where the ground storage tank is located.

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PLOWGIRLS STOP LADY ‘CATS 39-29

The Roscoe Plowgirls took care of business at the Plowboy Gymnasium last night, jumping out to a ten-point lead in the first half that they held for the rest of the game, defeating the Hawley Lady ‘Cats by a final score of 39-29.  Lynnsi Moses led the Plowgirls with 9 points.  Sara Kingston and Faith Boren scored 8 each, and Mirian Solis had seven. 

With the victory, the Plowgirls are now 2-2 on the year.  After beating Blackwell 57-21 on November 15, they fell to Cross Plains 52-22 on November 18 and Colorado City 39-28 last Tuesday.  Their next action will be in the Blackwell Tournament, which will start on Thursday and run through Saturday.

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BEARCATS DISPATCH PLOWBOYS 73-17

No, that is not a misprint in the headline.  The Hawley Bearcats overpowered the Plowboys in a way seldom, if ever, experienced by a Plowboy basketball team.  The Bearcats jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead and never looked back in dispatching the home team.  The halftime score was 47-4.

Keeston Ford had 7 points for the Plowboys, and Jesus Leanos and John Hermosillo had 4 apiece. 

The only other game the Plowboys have played this year was last Tuesday against Colorado City,  which they lost 60-26.  Some allowance should be made for the fact that both Hawley and Colorado City are 2A schools.  Even so, unless the Plowboys can turn things around, this is shaping up to being a long basketball season for them. 

They have a chance to redeem themselves starting on Thursday, when they take part in the Blackwell Tournament. 

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† WANDA FAYE MARTIN DUNN

Wanda Faye Dunn, 77, passed away last Tuesday, November 22, at Rolling Plains Hospital.  On Friday morning, there was a public visitation at McCoy Funeral home in Sweetwater followed by a private burial at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene.  Pallbearers were her grandchildren.

Wanda Faye Martin was born on April 16, 1934, in Loraine.  A graduate of Roscoe High School, she married James (Buster) Dunn in 1953 and remained married to him for 58 years.  A homemaker for much of her life, in later years she also worked at Mott’s in Sweetwater. 

She is survived by her husband, James (Buster) Dunn; daughters Kay Hunter, Terri Griffin, and son Hank; brother Winford and sister-in-law Barbara Martin; six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.  She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Robert Martin, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The time of year is once again upon us when Americans of all races, religions, and political persuasions gather to give thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon them for the previous year.   And despite the drought and other troubles we’ve had this year, there is still plenty to be thankful for.  We only have to stop and consider all the good things in our lives to realize what they are.

Thanksgiving is also a holiday for getting together with loved ones to feast upon dishes we generally ignore for the rest of the year—roasted turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, pecan, or mincemeat pie.  Does anyone actually ever eat any of these dishes on a regular basis?  Yet on this one day they are somehow perfect for the occasion.

If we’re not careful, we may leave the table stuffed and groaning to collapse on the couch or recliner to watch the Dallas Cowboys do their annual Thanksgiving thing—that is, if we’re in Texas.  One interesting feature of American life I learned while living on the east coast is that the time of day Thanksgiving Dinner is served depends on the part of the country you live in.

Growing up in Roscoe, I always correctly understood dinner to mean the noontime meal and supper the evening meal, whereas in Baltimore, where I lived for seventeen years, lunch is the noontime meal and “dinner” is the evening meal.  So, eating Thanksgiving Dinner implies one time here and another time there. 

In my experience, some fudging occurs on time in both places but in opposite directions.  In Texas, Thanksgiving Dinner is often not during the noon hour but a little bit later, one to one-thirty or so, possibly because of the extra time it takes to prepare.  In Baltimore, on the other hand, it is generally a little earlier than the usual “dinner,” possibly so that guests can leave not too long after it gets dark. 

That’s my experience anyway.  Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, this year the Cowboys are playing the Miami Dolphins, who after a slow start have blown out their last three opponents—and with the Cowboys good one week and bad the next, anything can happen.  It should be interesting to watch. 

And if you’re a college football fan, you won’t want to miss the Texas A&M vs. Texas game, which starts at seven.  The Aggies and Longhorns have been playing one another on Thanksgiving Day for 118 years now, but the Aggies are leaving the Big 12 Conference, so this is the last scheduled game for this storied rivalry, at least for the foreseeable future.  It should also be a good one. 

But no matter how you spend the holiday, here’s wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

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TRASH PICKUP ON FRIDAY THIS WEEK

City Manager Cody Thompson wants to remind everyone that trash trucks will not be operating on Thanksgiving Day but will instead pick up trash on Friday.  Please inform those who might not be aware of this change in the normal schedule.

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COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON COURTHOUSE REPAIRS AND NEW JAIL

The Nolan County Commissioners’ Court will hold public hearings on a proposed bond to finance needed courthouse repairs as well as a new jail facility.  

As most people already know, a 2000-pound granite slab on the outer wall of the courthouse recently fell to the ground.  Luckily, no one was harmed, but a subsequent inspection of the other slabs reveals a problem in the way they were secured—or more correctly, not secured—back when the courthouse was built, and now all of them need to be re-secured before they are safe again.  There has also been talk for some time of the need for a new jail. 

If you want to learn the details or express your views on either or both proposals, make sure to attend one of the public hearings, which will take place at the following dates and locations:

    Precinct 1 – Roscoe Community Center – Monday, November 28, 7:00pm
    Precinct 2 – Nolan County Coliseum Annex – Thursday, December 8, 7:00pm
    Precinct 3 – Nolan Community Center – Monday, December 5, 7:00pm
    Precinct 3 – Blackwell City Hall – Tuesday, December 6, 7:00pm
    Precinct 4 – Maryneal Community Center – Thursday, December 1, 7:00pm

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WHEEL COMES OFF FOR PLOWBOTS AT REGIONAL MEET

The Plowbots, Roscoe Collegiate High School’s robotics team, ran into some hard luck when the wheel came off their robot, Mantis, during competition at the Texas-New Mexico Regional BEST Robotics Meet in Garland last weekend. 

They came home with no trophies this time, but the fact remains that they were the best in this area by winning the Big Country Hub Meet the week before. They deserve hearty congratulations for all their outstanding achievements this year and best wishes for better luck next year!

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WEATHER REPORT

The first freeze of the year came last Thursday morning.  The temperature dropped to 30° at Avenger Field and to 29° at Lyndall Underwood’s on the western edge of town and stayed below freezing for two or three hours.  Either way, it was cold enough to kill my peppers, okra, and most of my tomatoes—although the three plants on the east end of my garden are still alive and producing. 

The weekend was warmer but overcast, followed by a cooler Monday and Tuesday with thick fog,  drizzle, and temperatures in the forties and low fifties.  There was enough precipitation to get the sidewalks wet, but that was it—maybe a tenth of an inch. 

Today is clear and sunny, and it should be a beautiful day for Thanksgiving and Friday with highs of around seventy.  There is a chance of showers Friday night as a front blows in, followed by a cool, breezy weekend with highs in only the fifties.  

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FIVE FROM THE PLOWBOY BAND MAKE ALL DISTRICT

The following members of the Plowboy Band have made All District: Jamie Benitez, Juan Solis Garcia, Jovanah Guzman, Shirley Sanchez, and Brandon Stevenson.  They will take part in a performance on January 20th in Sweetwater.

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† LEANDRA SAAVEDRA

Leandra Saavedra, 68, died Saturday, November 19, at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. Holy Mass of Christian Burial is being held at 11 a.m. today at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, and interment at Roscoe Cemetery will immediately follow.

Roscoe Wind Farm Featured in Weather Channel Series on Wind Energy

At the Lumberyard, a cameraman gets footage of Cliff Etheredge talking to TSTC students about wind energy.

 A film crew from Los Angeles has been in town for the past couple of weeks conducting interviews and making video footage for an upcoming four-part series scheduled to air on the Weather Channel sometime next March.  The series, entitled “Turbine Cowboys,” a word-play on "urban cowboys," features the men and women of the wind industry and will have as one of its focal points the Roscoe wind farms. 

During their stay here, the film crew, headed by David De Angelis, did research, conducted interviews with workers and others whose lives are affected by the wind industry, and filmed area wind farms, at one point even going to the top of the Plowboy grain elevator to get some shots from there. 

On Wednesday evening, they were outside at the Lumberyard, filming the conversations of a small gathering of wind energy workers and a group from TSTC, along with Cliff Etheredge and yours truly. 

That concluded their work in Nolan County, and the next day they left for Idaho, where they’ll be for a couple of weeks doing more of the same before going to Tehachapi, California, to cover the wind industry there.  They also plan to visit and include an offshore wind farm in the UK.   

They will remain in touch with Cliff Etheredge and let him know when the series will air as soon as they find out themselves.  Each of the four episodes will be a half-hour long. 

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PLOWBOTS TO COMPETE IN TEXAS-NEW MEXICO REGIONAL ROBOTICS MEET

Plowbots proudly display trophies won at the Big Country Hub Robotics Meet.

After winning the Big Country Hub meet, the Plowbots, Roscoe Collegiate’s robotics team, will compete Friday and Saturday in Garland at the Regional BEST Robotics Meet.  BEST is an acronym for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology, and this region includes all the hubs in Texas and New Mexico, of which the Big Country Hub is only one.

This year’s contest theme is “Bugs,” and each team must build a robot that collects different types of “bugs” and puts them in a collection area.  The Plowbots’ robot is named Mantis, after the bug-eating insect. 

The Plowbots are led by Coach Dan Boren. Club President is Hannah Weems.

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ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE 

Two Nolan County schools, Roscoe Collegiate and Blackwell, were featured in a New York Times article published on November 10 about the effect of wind money on small schools in west Texas.  The article, written by Morgan Smith, originally appeared in the Texas Tribune, a non-profit publication which the New York Times occasionally reproduces articles from for its online edition. 

The article focuses on the benefits that Roscoe School is implementing with its collegiate program.  Through the program, 13 of the 25 high school graduates this past spring  graduated with Associate Degrees from Western Texas College in Snyder because they were able to take community college courses while going to Roscoe High.  The article also discusses some of the goals that Roscoe is setting for its students in both grade school and high school.  

The original version of the Texas Tribune article includes this three-minute video:

To go to the New York Times article, click here.   To go to the original Texas Tribune article, click here.

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JACINDA MORALES FINISHES 18TH IN STATE CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

Jacinda Morales finished 18th in a field of 103 runners with a time of 13:09 in the Class A Cross-Country State Finals in Round Rock on Saturday.  The winner, Macey Siegert of Seymour, had a time of 12:19.

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PLOWGIRLS DEFEAT BLACKWELL IN BASKETBALL

The Plowgirls  defeated the Lady Hornets in Blackwell last night.  I don't yet have other details but will post them as soon as I get them.  The Plowgirls lost their first game of the season last Tuesday to the Winters Blizzards 52-37.

The Plowboys don’t officially begin their basketball season until next Tuesday, when they and the Plowgirls play games against the Wolves in Colorado City.  

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WEATHER REPORT

Despite the lack of precipitation, Roscoe experienced another week of beautiful fall weather with highs generally in the seventies and lows in the fifties—although it was a bit cooler than that last Wednesday and Thursday, and a couple of days were pretty breezy.  Still, the weekend was beautiful, and on Sunday and Monday the skies were cloudy with temperatures climbing up to 80°F.

There has still not been a freeze, and my garden is going strong with tomatoes, peppers, and okra all still producing (See photos.).  Bruce McGlothlin’s confident prediction of a freeze on precisely November 12 was therefore obviously in error. 

To be fair to Bruce, though, this year has been an unusual one when it comes to the usually reliable methods of predicting the weather.  You may recall that back in March the buzzards returned and the old mesquite trees budded out—and, despite that, we still had a late freeze.  That’s not supposed to happen, and in normal years it wouldn’t.  But this year’s weather has obviously been anything but normal. 

The forecast for the coming week is almost a carbon copy of the weather we had this past week, cooler tonight and tomorrow, then warming up to a nice weekend, followed by a couple of days of cloudy weather on Sunday and Monday. 

City Council Approves Closure of Elm Street in Front of School

This artist's depiction of the renovated east entrance to the school does not show the new road that will loop around to 8th Street but is included here to give an idea of how the new entrance will look when finished. (Labels for 8th Street and the proposed new road are mine.)

At last night’s City Council meeting, RISD Superintendent Kim Alexander received unanimous approval to move forward with a plan to permanently close Elm Street between 7th and 8th Streets. 

Due to the recent construction at the school, the entrance to the High School now faces Elm Street just like the entrance to the Elementary School, and when school turns out in the afternoons, students of all ages must cross the street to catch a bus or walk home while parents in cars pick up their children and drive away.

Students will all be safer with the proposed restructuring of the area in front of the school, planned to take place over the next few months. 

A new semi-circular drive will allow parents access to the front of the school to drop off and pick up their kids.  It will run from Ash Street behind the current administration office up to the school entrance and then loop around back to Ash via 8th Street.  

The new arrangement will allow kids on foot to leave the school area without having to cross the street. 

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WORK BEGINS TO COVER PLOWBOY FIELD WITH ASTROTURF

Plowboy Field will look like this once it is surfaced with Astroturf.

Plowboy Field is no longer covered with grass.  On Monday, heavy equipment could be seen on the football field grading up and removing it to make way for Astroturf, which will be the surface used by the Plowboys from now on.  The change, a decision of the School Board, will be complete before next fall. 

As part of the renovation of the school’s east entrance, the current practice field on 8th and Ash will also be done away with and converted to a parking lot.  Since Astroturf isn’t damaged by practice like grass is, future football practice sessions will take place on Plowboy Field.

The Astroturf surface is supposed to last for ten years, the same amount of time the school will take to complete payments for its purchase.  One of its big advantages is the minimal amount of maintenance required.  A sweeping device is brought in once a year to clean the surface, and that’s it.

The track that circles the football field will also be resurfaced.  Originally built in 1987, it last received a new surface in 2001, which was projected to last for seven years.  However, it has now been used for ten, so another new surface is overdue. 

The changes to Plowboy Field along with the renovations to the school’s east entrance constitute the final phase of the school’s renovation, which was divided into four phases:

• Renovation of the elementary school.  
• Conversion of the old band hall and early childhood center into the E.On Center and the new math and science wing.
• Demolition of the old high school building and construction of the new building containing the gymnasium, three classrooms, and a concession area that will face inward during basketball season and other indoor events and outward during football and track events.
• Astroturfing of Plowboy Field and re-surfacing of track.  Construction of east entrance area with parking lots.

The first two phases are complete.  The final two are both projected to be finished sometime next summer, so when school starts in the fall, everything will ready to go. 

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JACINDA MORALES QUALIFIES FOR STATE CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

Jacinda Morales came in sixth with a time of 12:37 at the regional cross-country meet in Arlington on Saturday, good enough to qualify her for the state cross-country meet in Round Rock this Saturday. 

The Plowgirls' cross-country team came in eighth and did not qualify.

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PLOWBOYS FALL TO ROTAN 12-2 IN SEASON FINALE

The Plowboys concluded the 2011 football season with a 12-2 loss to the Yellowhammers in Rotan last Friday night, bringing to an end a difficult season for fans and players alike.  Their final record was 0-10 overall and 0-5 in district.

They were actually ahead for the first time all season when Eric Padilla tackled a Rotan player in the end zone with 3:47 to go in the first quarter.  The Plowboys then held the 2-0 lead until Deandre Lee’s 9-yard run with 3:25 to go in the second quarter put the Yellowhammers ahead 6-2.

Then, right before the half, Lee scooped up a Plowboy fumble and returned it 45 yards for another touchdown with only three seconds left to go in the half.  There was no scoring in the second half.

Eric Padilla led the Plowboys on offense with 12 carries for 43 yards. 

  

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CHRISTMAS PARADE SET FOR DECEMBER 17

The City Council approved a Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 17, down Broadway.  The Community Center will also be open for hot chocolate and visits with Santa Claus.  Parade marshal is Roscoe Chief of Police Felix Pantoja.  The parade, as always, will be dedicated to those serving in the military.

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WEATHER REPORT

A cold front blew in last Wednesday sending temperatures down into the low thirties.  A predicted first freeze on Thursday night never materialized, and the weekend weather was just about as perfect as a person could ask for with sunny skies, highs in the seventies, and only light breezes.  

On Monday the temperature got up into the low eighties, but that night another front blew in, bringing a shower with it.  It rained off and on for about a half hour with a downfall of a quarter to four-tenths of an inch.  Yesterday was cooler with a high of only about 61°, a low of about 35°, and north winds of 15-20mph.

Today’s high will be only in the high fifties, but the forecast is for warmer temperatures and  another gorgeous weekend.

Roscoe still hasn’t had a freeze. The average date for the first one is November 11, and back in September Bruce McGlothlin confidently predicted that the first freeze would be on November 12 this year, which is Saturday.  It will be interesting to see if he's right.

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Remembering the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway

The RS&P on a run to Snyder in the 1970s.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on an application to the Texas Historical Commission for a historical marker for the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway.  If approved, it will be permanently placed in Roscoe’s Memorial Park on Cypress and Broadway, across the street from the museum. 

Since the RS&P has now been gone since 1984, an entire generation has grown up here without it, but for most of Roscoe’s existence it was a major player in the area and for that reason deserves to be recognized and remembered.  Even today, many people around the country are aware of Roscoe, Texas, only because of its existence. 

The RS&P began in 1906 as the idea of General F. W. James, an early pioneer and west Texas entrepreneur, who hoped to connect the cities of Snyder, Post, and Lubbock by rail to the Texas & Pacific Railway at Roscoe and then continue on to New Mexico. Fortunes were waiting for businessmen who could bring efficient transportation to the new communities that were springing up on the prairie that not too long earlier had been the domain of buffaloes and Comanches.   

General James got the backing of a group of businessmen from Abilene and then went to Roscoe and Snyder with his idea.  The leaders of both communities were enthusiastic about his proposal and promised him both money and land.  A deal was struck in the summer of 1906, and in October the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway was formally chartered with a capital of $200,000. 

Surveying and grading began and continued until June 1907, when the first track was laid on the railroad’s right of way in Roscoe.  That fall the crews, working ten-hour days at 15¢ an hour, built a bridge over Cottonwood Creek, then laid track the eight miles to Wastella.  In early 1908 they reached Hermleigh, and in May they made it to all the way to Snyder. 

Passenger and freight service between Roscoe and Snyder began on May 22, 1908, and on June 4 there was a big celebration in Snyder attended by a crowd estimated by the Dallas Morning News at 10,000.  Track laying continued, and in September 1909, the work gangs reached the new city of Fluvanna, 49½ miles from Roscoe, and there was another celebration. 

However, in that same month the Santa Fe began laying track from Lubbock toward Coleman to connect with its southeast Texas subsidiary, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, and there was thus no future for the RS&P to go any farther.  So, its proposed northwestern expansion was never fully realized, and the Pacific part of its name remained only as a relic of the founders’ early dreams. 

Nevertheless, it survived early financial difficulties and prospered.  Even though passenger and freight service to Fluvanna was discontinued in 1941 and passenger service to Snyder in 1953, it  remained one of the most successful short lines in the country by serving as a bridge between the Santa Fe and the T&P railroads. Its success was recognized in a 1955 feature article in Railway Age magazine.

In 1962, it converted its old steam engine repair shop in Roscoe into a railcar repair facility to service its own cars and those of other companies—and later designed and built cars to meet shippers’ needs.  This branch of the railroad later became the National Railcar Company and is now Eagle Railcar Services.

In 1967, the RS&P was sold to Roger Mize of Snyder and the Murchison Brothers of Dallas—one of whom, Clint, also owned the Dallas Cowboys.  It was prosperous all through the 1970s with over seventy full-time employees, two modern diesel engines, and over 600 freight cars.  In those years, it made between $1 million and $1.6 million a year before taxes.

However, deregulation of the railroads following the passage of the Staggers Act in 1980 made it impossible for the company to continue to compete.  It began losing money and finally had to be shut down in August 1984. 

Nevertheless, the RS&P was a major player not only in the settlement, growth, and prosperity of Roscoe and surrounding area but also in the efficient and timely transport of goods and produce between the west coast and the south for more than seventy-five years. 

The track between Roscoe and Snyder was picked up shortly after the railroad closed, and all that remains today is the track and a diesel locomotive now owned by Eagle Railcar, but you can still follow the RS&P on an imaginary trip from Roscoe to Snyder by viewing this eight-minute YouTube animation created by railroad hobbyists.  

Sponsors for the historical marker are Susan Alford’s third graders, who raised the money for the application and the fee for the marker.  

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JACKRABBITS DEFEAT PLOWBOYS 28-7

The Ralls Jackrabbits proved to be too much for the Plowboys last Friday night, scoring a touchdown in each quarter to win by a score of 28-7.  Three of their TDs came on long runs, two by Kaleb Reese—a 60-yarder in the first quarter and a 41-yarder in the fourth—as well as a 32-yarder by Jonathan Vangundy in the third.  Reese rushed for 150 yards overall.

Roscoe’s lone score came with 1:36 left to go in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run by Eric Padilla, who rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries.  

The Plowboys are now 0-9 for the year and 0-4 in district play. They conclude their season on Friday against the Yellowhammers in Rotan.  Rotan is now 3-6 on the year and 1-3 in district after defeating Roby last Friday 24-14.

If the Plowboys do go 0-10 on the year, it will be the first time it has happened since 1990 and the fourth time overall.  The other 0-10 seasons were in 1954 and 1967.  

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AMERICAN LEGION TO HOST BREAKFAST ON VETERAN’S DAY

The Frost-Whittington American Legion Post No. 227 announces a Veteran’s Day Breakfast, which will be held next Friday, November 11, at 7:00am.  All veterans and active duty personnel along with their families are invited.

For more information, call 325-766-8887.   

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THE WEATHER REPORT

The weather was generally beautiful for the week with high temperatures in the seventies and lows in the forties.  A cold front blew in last Thursday bringing cool weather for a couple of days with lows in the high thirties and highs in the upper fifties.  There was a bit of a frost one morning but not enough to kill any plants. 

Thursday was cloudy and rainy most of the day with intermittent drizzle that amounted to about two or three tenths of an inch.  Monday was a bit breezy, but other than that, the weather was just about as pretty as you could ask for. 

That’s all supposed to change today, however, with a norther blowing in later on with temperatures falling from the seventies to the mid-fifties this afternoon with winds from the northwest around 25-30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Lows in the mid to low thirties are predicted for tonight and tomorrow night, followed by warmer weather for the weekend. 

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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS ON SUNDAY

Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00am this Sunday, November 6.  You’ll need to set your clocks back one hour to create the only twenty-five hour day we’ll have this year.