Plowboy, Plowgirl Relay Teams, Jesus Leanos Advance to State Track Meet

The Plowgirls' relay team: Olivia Saddler, Eva Aguayo, Whitney Williams, Lyndi Wilkinson.

Several Plowboys and Plowgirls will be competing in the 1A-II State Track & Field Championships next week after qualifying at the Region II meet in San Angelo last weekend.  These include the Plowboys’ relay team—Max Nemir, Shelton Toliver, Braiden Moore, and Kevin Lavalais; the Plowgirls’ relay team—Whitney Williams, Lyndi Wilkinson, Olivia Saddler, and Eva Aguayo; and Jesus Leanos, who returns to the State Meet after finishing third there last year.

The Plowboys' relay team: Kevin Lavalais, Shelton Toliver, Braiden Moore, and Max Nemir.

The Plowboys’ 4 x 400 meter relay team qualified for the State Meet with a third-place finish in San Angelo.  Finishing behind Bronte (3:30.19) and Garden City (3:31.06), their time for the event was 3:33.24.

Jesus Leanos also qualified with a third-place finish in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:55.22. He finished behind Michael Curry of Robert Lee (4:43.35) and Michael Perez of Rule (4:48.69) with a time of 4:55.22.
 
Both the Plowboy relay team and Leanos qualified as “wild cards.”  Although only the first two finishers in any event qualify for state automatically, those who finish third may also qualify if their times are better than those of automatic qualifiers in other regions.

The Plowgirls’4 x 400 relay team qualified automatically as they finished second to Cross Plains (4:15.05) with a time of 4:18.85.  

The Plowgirls’ 4 x 200 meter relay team also qualified as a “wild card” with a third-place finish behind Cross Plains (1:50.76) and Knox City (1:51.72) with a time of 1:51.76. 

The UIL State Championships will be held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin next weekend, May 9-10.

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ROSCOE POLICE SEIZE LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN ANOTHER HIGHWAY BUST

The Roscoe Police Department has made its third seizure of money in a little over a month, and the latest is one of the largest it has ever made.

Last Saturday at 2:30pm, Officer Steven Spencer pulled over a westbound 18-wheeler on I-20 for driving on the shoulder of the road on mile 234 west of Roscoe.  His suspicions were raised by the extreme nervousness of the driver, and he made a call to a DPS trooper for back-up.  He obtained consent to search the tractor and found five large bundles of contraband in the cab that turned out to be a large amount of money.  The driver was taken into custody but refused to talk.  He was transferred to the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office to be booked. 

Another driver was called to take the tractor-trailer to the Roscoe Police Department for further search.  During the inspection of the trailer, officers located a concealed compartment, very sophisticated and lined with lead to fool machines.  The compartment was empty, but because of it the vehicle was seized, the money counted, and the truck driver, a man from El Paso, was charged with money laundering of over $20,000 and under $100,000, a third-degree felony. 

The ongoing investigation is looking into the driver, his company, and any other individuals who may be involved.  The FBI and DEA have also been called in and are taking part.

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CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION SATURDAY

Dancing in the street at last year's Cinco de Mayo.

This year’s Cinco de Mayo Celebration in Roscoe will be this Saturday, May 3.  Festivities begin with a parade down Broadway at 10:30am and will be followed with music from DJ Rubio from 11:00am-5:00pm on Cypress Street downtown.  From 5:00-10:00pm live music for the free concert and street dance will be provided by Audio M with German Aguayo.

For more information contact Jesus Gonzalez at 325-721-3442.

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“SCREW TERLINGUA” CHILI COOKOFF RAISES $700 FOR OPEN DOOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Chili Cookoff organizers Larry Cornoyer and Kelly Etheredge hand $700 check to Open Door Director Cristal Aljoe.

Yesterday morning the “Screw Terlingua” Chili Cookoff organizers, Kelly Etheredge and Larry Cornoyer, were on hand at the Open Door Child Development Center at the United Methodist Church on Third and Cypress to present Open Door Director Cristal Aljoe with a check for $700. 

Aljoe said the Center plans to use the money for playground equipment and to build a privacy fence around the playground.

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WETS TEAM DOMINATES “SCREW TERLINGUA” CHILI COOKOFF

The Grand Champions: the Wind Energy Turbine Services team.

The Wind Energy Turbine Services (WETS) team of Sweetwater stole the show at the third annual “Screw Terlingua” Chili Cookoff at the Lumberyard on Saturday.  Making a clean sweep, they won first prize in every taste contest: Bloody Mary, Margarita, Salsa, and Chili.  They received $350 in prize money and then generously donated all of it to the Open Door Child Development Center, the non-profit that the Chili Cookoff is a fund raiser for. 

Second place in the chili cookoff went to Johnson Construction of Roscoe, and third place went to Buddy’s Hot & Spicy Crew of Sweetwater.  Buddy’s Hot & Spicy Crew also won the Showmanship Award.  These two teams also donated their winnings ($100 for second place, $50 for third) to the Open Door Child Development Center.  Prize money was provided by the Lumberyard.

What a generous bunch of folks!

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EARLY VOTING UNDERWAY FOR ROLLING PLAINS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL EXPANSION

Early voting began on Monday and will continue through Tuesday, May 6, on the bond election for renovation and expansion of Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital (RPMH) in Sweetwater.  Early voting is at the RPMH Administration Office, 2000 E. Arizona, from 7:00am-7:00pm on weekdays. 

Known as the Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital Phase 4 Renovation Bond, the vote will be for approval to issue up to $25,212,000 of bonds. 

Proposed improvements include renovations to 18,995 square feet and new space of 21,286 square feet.  These include new labor and delivery rooms, renovations to the OR and ICU, a new obstetrics department, MRI space to allow in-house access and “open” MRI capability, front entry upgrades to make them ADA accessible, an outpatient dialysis unit center, a new emergency generator, and the installation of a hospital-wide nurse/patient call system.

Roscoe voters may also choose to vote on the hospital bond at the Community Center on City Election Day, Saturday, May 10, when two seats on the City Council and renewal of the City’s sales and use tax will also be decided.  Early voting for the City Election began yesterday at City Hall and runs until next Wednesday, May 6. Hours are 8:30am-4:30pm except for May 6 when they will be 7:00am-7:00pm.

For more information, consult the Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital website at http://www.rpmh.net or call RPMH at 325-235-1701.

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JOHN CONLEE AT THE LUMBERYARD FRIDAY

John Conlee

Country music star John Conlee brings his act to the Lumberyard Friday night.  Over the years, Conlee, a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1981, has had seven number one hits on the country charts: “Lady Lay Down,” “Backside of Thirty,” “Common Man,” “I’m Only in it for the Love,” “In My Eyes,” “As Long as I’m Rockin’ with You,” and “Got My Heart Set on You.”  He has also had fourteen other songs in the Top Ten.

Opening for John Conlee will be the Blacktop Gypsies.  They will start around 8:00pm, and Conlee will take the stage at around 9:30-9:45pm.  Cover charge is $18.

For more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: WINDY!

It was a mite dusty Sunday afternoon.

What a week it’s been for the weather—and I don’t mean that in a good way!  Back in 1928, an award-winning silent movie called The Wind starring Lillian Gish depicted the story of a Virginia girl who becomes a mail-order bride and moves to west Texas, where she is slowly driven crazy by the relentless wind.  And this past week, it wasn’t hard to sympathize with her plight as heavy sandstorms punished the area both Sunday and yesterday. 
 
Even though the forecast was for a 40% chance of rain on Saturday and up to 50% on Sunday, not a drop fell, and instead we got sandstorms that had old-timers around here remembering the weather during the drought of the early 1950s. 

It was breezy all week.  Last Thursday, winds were from the northwest, on Friday and Saturday the southeast, on Sunday the southwest, on Monday the west, and yesterday the north.  But no matter which direction the wind was from, all of those days had gusts in excess of 30mph, and Sunday had sustained winds of 38mph with gusts up to 47.  Temperatures ranged from Saturday’s high of 94°F to yesterday’s 71° with lows from Saturday’s 67° to this morning’s 46°.

The forecast is for somewhat diminishing winds today, only 15-20mph from the north, and even less tomorrow with 5-15mph north winds.  Temperatures will be below normal for this time of the year, with a high of only about 64° today and 70° tomorrow with lows in the mid to upper forties.  Friday will be warmer with a high of 80° and a low of 55°, and Saturday and Sunday should have highs in the upper eighties with lows of around 60°.

There is no rain in the forecast.

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† LISA ANN CLIFTON BOWMAN

Funeral services were held yesterday for Lisa Ann Clifton Bowman, 60, at McCoy Chapel of Memories in Sweetwater, followed by interment at Lone Wolf Cemetery.  She died in a private plane crash just outside Sweetwater on Sunday.

Lisa was born February 13, 1954 in Sweetwater and graduated from Hermleigh High School.  She  married Ricky Bowman on August 10, 1974, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Sweetwater.  She was a homemaker.  The Ricky and Lisa Bowman farm recently received the 100 years of continuous family farming award by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

She is survived by her husband of 39 years, Ricky Bowman; her daughters, Talia Jaryszak and husband Rick of Richardson and Chaile Allen and husband Dusty of Shreveport, LA; her grandchildren, Ainsley and Alston Jaryszak of Richardson; her mother, Evelyn Clifton of Fredericksburg; and her sister, Cynthia Grinslade of Fredericksburg.  She was preceded in death by her father, Billy J. Clifton, on April 17, 1998.

Paulbearers were Ron Stovall, Randy Kubena, Don Kubena, John Jay, Brian Studdard, and Steve Moore.

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† BETTY ELAINE JONES

Funeral service for Betty Elaine Jones, 67, will be held today at 12:00pm at First United Methodist Church in New Braunfels, followed by a private burial at Hill Country Memorial Gardens.  She passed away at her home in New Braunfels on Saturday, April 26.

She was born in Roscoe on May 19, 1946, to Woodrow and Lena Mae Smith and was a 1963 graduate of Roscoe High School.  She married former classmate Clifford Jones in August 1967.  They had been married almost 47 years.  A school teacher and librarian, she worked at schools in Midland, San Diego, CA, Lubbock, Odom, Bellville, and New Braunfels.

She is survived by her husband, Cliff; daughter, Amanda Smart and husband, Robert; sisters Cyrella Bartlett and husband Russell, Joan Menn and husband Donald; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents and great-nephew Dossie Menn.

Online condolences may be expressed at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home of New Braunfels.

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