Happy New Year!

2015: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

As we move into the new year and out of the old, this is a good time to take a look back at 2015 and the year’s major happenings in and around the City of Roscoe.

Festivals and the Music Scene

Merle Haggard at the Lumberyard on Spring Super Sunday in April.

One of the first things that springs to mind is the City’s three major festivals: the Spring Fling, known this year as Spring Super Sunday, the July 4th Celebration, and the West Texas Wind Festival. All three events drew large crowds with live music and street dances, contests, street vendors, and fireworks shows. The Spring Super Sunday featured country music legend Merle Haggard, the July 4th celebration also had its annual parade and Plowboy Mudbog competition, and the West Texas Wind Festival featured another country music great, Bobby Bare, as well as Roscoe Elementary’s 5k and 1 mile fun run, the Fire Department’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” cookoff with its $1500 first prize, and a new popular feature this year, the Wild Hog Sacking sponsored by Highland High’s Junior class. All three events drew large crowds of visitors from area cities, adding to Roscoe’s reputation as a vibrant community with plenty to offer. The Cinco de Mayo celebration, always well attended, was another popular downtown event, as was the Roscoe merchants’ Christmas Open House in November.

Roscoe’s fame as a major music venue was once again enhanced by popular artists who played at the Lumberyard. Besides Merle Haggard, these also included such country legends as Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee of Urban Cowboy fame, the Bellamy Brothers, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Terri Clark, and Travis Tritt. Popular with the younger audiences were the Texas Country and “Red Dirt” artists like Stoney LaRue, Josh Abbott, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Cody Canada, Aaron Watson, Shinyribs, and others. A recent article in the Austin American-Statesman, which you can access by clicking here, focused on Roscoe’s music scene as well as some of its other positive aspects.

Schools and the STEM initiative

US Rep. Randy Neugebauer and RCISD Supt. Kim Alexander outside the STEM Research Center.

The Roscoe Collegiate ISD had another banner year, increasing its standing as possibly the best small town school district in the entire state. It achieved national recognition this year for its 90% completion rate for the Associate’s Degree of its senior class in May, when 18 of the 20 graduating students also received their Associate’s Degrees from Western Texas College in Snyder. These completion rates have grown from one student in 2010 to 52% in 2011, 58% in 2012, 73% in 2013, 89% in 2014, and 90% in 2015. The program is both a time and money saver for students going on to college.

As an ACU graduate, Superintendent Kim Alexander received in March that school’s Grover C. Morlan Award for an alumnus who has made significant contributions to the field of education, and in November Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed him as one of ten outstanding educators to the Texas Student Assessment/Accountability Commission and the only one from a rural school district.

In October, the school completed the new STEM Research Center and held its Open House, where the keynote speaker was Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, Chair of the Education Committee for the Texas House of Representatives. During the year, various other dignitaries also visited to learn about the STEM Academy, which will provide certification that will give students a leg up both at universities and on the job market. In February, Texas Senator Charles Perry and Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams came to learn about the program, and in November US Congressman Randy Neugebauer took a tour of the new facilities.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD also continued to grow as it has every year since 2011. The initial opening enrollment in August was 618 for grades K-12, an increase of 45 over the previous year’s 573. Among the total were 260 transfer students from other area communities who want to take advantage of the education that RCISD provides.

The Plowboy football team surprised almost everyone with their success this year. After losing their first four games, they went on an eight-game winning streak, were undefeated in district play, and made it all the way to the regional finals before falling to Iraan. Their players dominated the all-district selections, and head coach Jake Freeman and his coaching staff were named as the district coaches of the year.

Highland ISD was also recognized for its academic excellence. In October it received a 2015 National Blue Ribbon, one of only 25 schools in Texas and of 335 schools in the country to do so. It was awarded the honor for the high performance levels of its students and was nominated for the honor by the Texas Education Agency. Like RCISD, Highland ISD has a large percentage of transfer students from area communities.

Cotton and the Weather

Cottonwood Creek overflowed its banks after the big rain on July 7. (Photo by Kenny Landfried)

Of course, as everyone around here already knows, with all the rain we got this year we could have had a bumper cotton crop if Mother Nature had just given us a good rain in late July, August, or early September. But she didn’t. After the four inches that fell on July 7 and 8, farmers were optimistic that this might be another year like 2007. Unfortunately, that never happened. For the next three months (i.e., between July 8 and October 9), the only rain that fell was the .62” that came on August 24, not enough to make a difference. So, what might have been a great crop turned out to be just about average.

For those who are interested in such things, this outcome accords with the prediction made last spring by “Injun Robert” McBride. As you’ll recall, he built a fire just before dawn on the day after the spring equinox, as the ancient Taba’na Yuan’e or “Sunrise Wind” ceremony of the Plains Indians demands. At dawn, the wind came from the north-northwest, which according to tradition foretells an average crop. So, Injun Robert’s prediction was that this year’s crop would be better than the previous year’s below average crop, and he was right.

As of yesterday, Roscoe’s Central Rolling Plains Co-op gin had ginned 47,141 bales with 1833 modules  on the lot or still in the fields. Gin manager Larry Black is now estimating that the final tally for the season will be from 68,000 to 70,000 bales and is hoping to be done by February 15. This will be more than double last year’s 32,274 and in the same ball park as 2013’s 71,849 and 2012’s 66,985.

Assuming we get no more precipitation before midnight tomorrow, the total official rainfall for Roscoe in 2015 is 33.55”, almost 12” above the 80-year average (i.e., since official records began in 1936) of 21.82”. And the rains we’ve gotten the past couple of months mean there’s plenty of ground moisture for wheat and for next year’s cotton crop. Stock tanks are full, and area lakes have more water now than they’ve had in years. I’ve even heard some say that some long dormant springs are once again flowing. So, the area is in good shape in that regard as we move into the coming year.

Other facts about 2015 from the official records of Roscoe weatherman Kenny Landfried, are these: The last freeze in the spring came on March 7, when the temperature fell to 24°F, and the first freeze this fall was on November 22, when it dropped to 25°. In general, the year was mild with fewer extremes than usual. The coldest temperature of the year was 12° on the morning of January 1, and the hottest, 102°, was recorded on three days: August 7, 9, and 10. In fact, this year had only six triple-digit days, all in August, and five of those were on consecutive days. This compares to the 14 100°+ days of last year, the 16 of 2013, 34 of 2012, and 81 of 2011.

City Progress

The new Police Station on Cypress Street opened in February.

The City of Roscoe also made progress this year. The new Roscoe Police Station opened in February and since then has got a new bathroom and other improvements, as has the Fire Station. Last month the Police Department also added a K-9 unit that will work with area law enforcement when called upon.

The three newly constructed state-financed homes in Roscoe were completed in May and placed into the hands of the owners, who are now living in them. The new reverse-osmosis water treatment plant was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the City approved the water, sewer, streets, and electricity and gas lines at Young Farm Estates. Two homes are scheduled for construction there, and lots are for sale.

The Stone Tower RV Park opened in January with a coin-operated laundry and now has several tenants. A new business, Main Street Antiques, owned and operated by Vickie Haynes, also opened. Sanders, an agricultural company specializing in seeds, feed, crop protection, chemicals, and fertilizer, erected buildings just north of the Co-op gin northwest of town and opened for business, and Smartt Industries LLC, just off US 84 on Roscoe's north side, expanded their operation by drilling an injection well. Other business activity includes the re-furbishing of the old Smacker’s Café downtown and the old Truck 'n' Travel Truck Stop on the west side of Roscoe. Hopefully, next year will see both up and running again.

In short, things continue to move in the right direction for Roscoe, and with continued hard work, creative thinking, and a little bit of luck, the coming year may well continue the trend. In any case, have a Happy New Year, and here’s wishing you all a healthy and prosperous 2016!

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ROSCOE POLICE ARREST TWO, STAY BUSY DURING ICE STORM

The Roscoe Police arrested two men this past week. On Friday, December 25, at approximately 3:45am they responded to a report of a person firing a gun on 709 Main Street. No one was injured, but Michael Anthony Feirro of Roscoe was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The case is under investigation.

On Saturday, December 26, at approximately 10pm, Roscoe Police responded to a report of burglary of a building at Eagle Railcar. A suspect, William Besse of California, was found and arrested in the parking lot of the CB Shop near I-20 and FM 608.

The Roscoe Police Department and Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department assisted DPS troopers and the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office with vehicle crashes and stranded motorists during the ice storm. Well over thirty people required help along I-20 and US 84.

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ROSCOE WIND FARM FEATURED IN LE MONDE ARTICLE ON TEXAS

A page from the Sunday magazine of Le Monde, France's top newspaper. The text at right says, "Texas politicians lead the charge against the carbon tax. Even so, the state is at the forefront of renewable energy. It's the number one for wind power in the United States.

The Roscoe Wind Farm continues to make international news. Le Monde, the number one newspaper in France, recently ran a feature article on Texas in its Sunday magazine, and the Roscoe Wind Farm was touted as the prime example of the state’s commitment to wind energy. It included information from an interview with Cliff Etheredge, the wind farm’s organizer.

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ROSCOE AS SEEN FROM A DRONE



Back during the West Texas Wind Festival, the City hired a San Angelo firm to take an aerial video from a drone. City Manager Cody Thompson gave a copy to the Hard Times, and I uploaded it to YouTube so you can all have a look. It shows various locations: the City’s north side, the downtown area, the football field, passing trains, the Fire Station, and Robert McBride’s fireworks show, among others, all from 30 to 90 feet in the sky.

For some reason, the video claims to lasts for over eight minutes, but it’s really more like three.

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 WEATHER REPORT: WINTER ARRIVES

It was too good to last. The mild fall weather stayed with us much longer than usual this year—all the way up to Saturday night actually. The high on Christmas Day was 65°F, and the 26th, Saturday, was overcast and very windy, but still warm enough at 64° that afternoon. But that evening the wind shifted from south to northeast, and at about eleven the big storm, predicted days earlier, blew in with thunder, lightning, rain, and sustained winds of over 35mph with gusts up to 50mph.

Winter had arrived—with a vengeance—in the form of a huge storm that covered New Mexico and a large part of Texas, bringing in the north and west a blizzard with record snowfalls and treacherous driving conditions, and in the south and east tornadoes, heavy rainfall, and flooding. In the Dallas area tornadoes killed many people and destroyed entire neighborhoods.

In Roscoe the temperature steadily fell, going below freezing at about 3am as a light, blowing rain turned to sleet. It continued to drop until about 8am Sunday morning, and throughout the day the high winds persisted and sleet fell with intermittent thunder and temperatures of around freezing. The blizzard put the entire Big Country under a winter weather warning advising everyone not to leave home unless absolutely necessary. Most people never ventured out all day, and power was out in several country locations. Several electric poles were blown down, and electric company workers were out in several locations yesterday trying to repair the damage.

By Monday morning the brunt of the storm had moved on, although a light sleet turning to snow fell through the night. Roscoe weatherman Kenny Landfried recorded an official 1.72”, of which about 1.1” was from the rain and the rest from the snow and sleet.

Since then, the cold weather the storm brought still lingers, but the high winds are gone and there has been almost no wind at all since Monday. Weather will remain chilly for the rest of the week. Today’s high will be about 46°, tomorrow’s about 40°, and Friday’s only 37°. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy and there is a slight chance of rain or light sleet tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday nights. Lows will be in the upper twenties or lower thirties. Next week will be only slightly warmer with highs around 50° and lows in the thirties or low forties.

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  Here’s wishing you the best of holiday cheer!  By this time you should be just about finished with your Christmas shopping, and if you’re really diligent, you may have all your gift wrapping done as well. I hope you’ve been a good boy or girl this year and won’t wind up with switches or lumps of coal in your Christmas stocking.

If you’re lucky, you won’t be facing one of those late night sessions that require you to put together something with “some assembly required.” But if you must, just be patient as you read the garbled instructions, and remember that the Chinese person who wrote them was doing the best that he or she could with only two years of high school English. I’ve also found that those two or three pieces that are left over when you’re finished probably aren’t necessary anyway.

In any case, here’s hoping you enjoy this special holiday with family and friends, that you don’t eat or drink too much, and that the gifts you give and receive are perfect. Merry Christmas!

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SANTA CLAUS VISITS ROSCOE

Santa Claus was more than welcome at school last week. (Photo by Jodi McFaul Kingston)

Santa Claus made two pre-Christmas visits to Roscoe last week. On Wednesday he went to Roscoe Elementary School to find out what boys and girls want for Christmas this year. Then on Saturday, he did the same in Old Town Park after riding in the Christmas Parade with the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary. 

He’ll be back tomorrow night with his reindeer and sleigh, so don’t forget to leave him some milk and cookies! Delivering all those presents is hard work.

Santa rides in the Roscoe Express in the Christmas Parade. (Photo by Jodi McFaul Kingston)

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO STAMFORD 47-33

In a game played in Stamford Friday evening, the Plowgirls stayed close in the first half, but in the second the Lady Bulldogs pulled away for a 47-33 victory. 

Here is the scoring by quarters:

Stamford          6          20        31        47
Plowgirls          5          19        23        33

Plowgirls’ individual scoring: Veronica Cuellar 12, Bonnie Wilkinson 7, Lyndi Wilkinson 4, Kirkland 4, Karina Cisneros 4, Bergan Trevino 2.

The Plowgirls are off for Christmas Break and will resume play next week at the Eula Tournament, December 28-30.

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MASONIC LODGE PROGRAM TEACHES FIRST GRADERS HEALTHY DENTAL HABITS

Shane Tomlin and first graders.

The Sweetwater Masonic Lodge #571 presented the Fantastic Teeth Program to the First Grade Class at Roscoe Elementary School. Shane Tomlin and Jimmy Apel, members of the Lodge, were on hand for the presentation. 

The students had a lively “quiz” with Tomlin regarding healthy dental practices. At the end of the program, all students received a Dental Kit, compliments of the Masonic Home and School of Texas. 

The Fantastic Teeth Program focuses on preventing tooth decay in children by teaching children and parents good dental habits.  This program, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas (MHS), delivers thousands of free prevent tooth decay kits across the State of Texas.

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CITY HALL TO CLOSE FOR CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR’S

The Roscoe City Hall will be closed tomorrow, December 24, and Friday, Christmas Day. It will open again on Monday, December 28 and close again next Thursday and Friday for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. 

Trash pick-up will be on Thursdays, as usual.

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TxDOT COMPLETES BRIDGE INTO ABILENE, CLOSES DETOUR

Roscoe folks who travel to south Abilene will be glad to know that the Business I-20 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad in southwest Abilene is scheduled to open today, and that the detour on eastbound I-20 will no longer be necessary. The regular route to US 84, which has been closed since last May, is once again open, and drivers will be able to resume their normal route on the newly constructed bridge.

The project was completed one month ahead of schedule.

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WEATHER REPORT: MILD BUT WINDY

The flag at the Museum was popping in yesterday's strong west wind.

This past week has been generally warmer and windier than average for this time of year. After cool weather on Thursday and Friday, when highs were in the fifties and lows in the upper twenties and thirties, it warmed up into the sixties in the afternoons on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with lows in the forties. Then yesterday afternoon the temperature reached 74°F, the high for the week. The low came on Friday morning when it was only 27°. Even so, the grass in my yard is still green.  

However, the most prominent feature of the weather this past week has been the wind.  Under clear or partly cloudy skies, the south and southwest winds started blowing on Saturday and have continued ever since, peaking in the afternoons and diminishing at night. The windiest day was Sunday when there were sustained high winds of 31mph with gusts up to 41.

Today should be a repeat of yesterday with partly cloudy skies and south winds of 15 to 20mph. Temperatures should climb to about 70° this afternoon and fall tomorrow morning into the mid-forties. Christmas Day will see a high of about 68° and a low of 54° with less wind.

Meteorologists are also saying that we could see our first snow of the year on Sunday night or early Monday morning. A front will move through on Saturday, bringing a 50% chance of rain during the day, increasing to 70% Saturday night. Then on Sunday the projected high will be only about 36° with a 60% chance of rain and a 40% chance of rain, freezing rain, or snow Sunday night. People who are going north to the panhandle should be prepared for snow instead of rain, so it may be advisable to leave earlier rather than later. Monday’s chances of precipitation will be much less, but it will still be cold with a high of around forty and a low in the upper twenties.

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Virgil Pruitt is Roscoe's "Fireman of the Year"

Virg Pruitt, left, is presented RVFD jacket by Fire Chief Gary Armstrong.

Assistant Fire Chief Virg Pruitt was named the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department’s "Fireman of the Year 2016" at the Department’s Annual Christmas Party. He was also presented with his 30 Years of Service pin for his long service as a volunteer for the Roscoe Community. He was Chief of the Department for ten years from 1998 to 2008.

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ROSCOE ROBOTICS TEAM’S ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK PLACES THIRD AT REGIONAL MEET

Johnathan Cuellar, Camden Boren, and Caleb Ward at the regional robotics meet.

Roscoe Collegiate Robotics recently completed competition for the BEST Robotics season. Caleb Ward, Johnathan Cuellar, and Camden Boren wrote the Engineering Notebook, a seventy-page notebook that documents the entire engineering process for the design and construction of the robot. After winning the local hub competition, the notebook placed third in the regional competition involving the top 60 teams from 15 hubs across Texas and New Mexico.

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CHRISTMAS PARADE THIS SATURDAY

Everyone is invited to join in this year’s Christmas Parade this Saturday, December 19, in downtown Roscoe. No advance notification is necessary—just show up!

Line-up for participants is at 1:30pm at the 400 block of Broadway in east Roscoe. The Christmas Parade starts at 2:00pm. It will proceed west down Broadway and finish in front of City Hall.

Santa Claus will be in the parade! Children will get a chance to talk to him immediately after the parade in Old Town Park, across from City Hall.

Come help us celebrate. It should be fun! For questions or more information, contact Roscoe Police Chief Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384.

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THIRD GRADERS VISIT ROSCOE HISTORICAL MUSEUM, LEARN ABOUT THE OLD DAYS

Ms. Bohall and one of her third grade classes at the Museum on Monday.

Three classes of third graders, all taught by Jeanie Bohall, took field trips to the Roscoe Historical Museum Monday to learn about Roscoe’s history and the kinds of changes that take place over time. The first class came from 8:30-9:30, the second 10:00-11:00, and the third 12:15-1:15.

After short introductions to each class by the museum’s curator, the students went off to the various parts of the museum to explore the old photos, school annuals, and various displays and old objects. They were mystified by such ancient artifacts as the manual typewriter, asking what it was and how it worked, as almost none of them had ever seen one before. They were also fascinated by the old beauty shop equipment, the one-row plow, the 1950s record player, and the old telephone operator’s switchboard. They especially enjoyed the museum’s “jail.”

But the most fun of all was at the end of each visit when refreshments of punch and cookies were served.

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PLOWBOYS WIN TWO, LOSE ONE IN BLACKLAND DIVIDE INVITATIONAL

Javier Leaños (4) prepares to throw the ball to Brayden Beal (3) against Bronte Friday evening as Isaiah Gonzales (13) looks on.

The Plowboys handily defeated Guthrie 57-30 on Thursday and Bronte 46-33 on Friday before falling to TLCA of San Angelo 54-20 in the Blackland Divide Invitational finals on Saturday. That game was called off in the fourth quarter when one of the TLCA players went up for a rebound and landed on one foot, badly breaking his leg with multiple fractures. If you heard the sirens and helicopter on Saturday afternoon, that was the reason.

TLCA was tournament champion, the Plowboys were runner-ups, and Bronte won the consolation bracket. Highland won one and lost one.

Here is the scoring of each Plowboys game by quarters followed by the Plowboys’ individual scores.

Plowboys 57 – Guthrie 30

Plowboys          11        29        48        57
Guthrie               7        15        20        30

Individual scores: Javier Leaños 15, Rafael Aguayo 14, Isaiah Gonzales 11, Brayden Beal 7, Jose Ortega 6, Juan Garcia 4.

Plowboys 46 – Bronte 33

Plowboys          17        28        34        46
Bronte                 6        15        23        33

Individual scores: Aguayo 18, Leaños 17, Ortega 7, Johnathon Cuellar 6, Beal 2, Garcia 2.

TLCA 54 – Plowboys 20

TLCA                 17        33       48        54
Plowboys            5        16        17        20

Individual scores: Leaños 7, Aguayo 6, Gonzales 4, Garcia 3.

The Plowboys now have a 5-2 record and are off for Christmas Break. They will resume play at the Eula Tournament on December 28.

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO HASKELL

The Haskell Maidens were too much for the Plowgirls last night in Haskell as the Plowgirls fell 72-15. Here is the scoring by quarters:

Haskell             21        43        51        72
Plowgirls            2          5         11        15

High scorer for the Plowgirls was Bonnie Wilkinson with 5, followed by Lyndi Wilkinson and Bergan Trevino both with 3, and Veronica Cuellar with 2.

The Plowgirls play next on Friday in Stamford before going on Christmas Break. Tipoff is at 6:15pm.

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DARYLE SINGLETARY AT LUMBERYARD FRIDAY

Daryle Singletary

Country singer Daryle Singletary will make his first appearance ever at the Lumberyard Friday night. A Georgia native who grew up singing gospel, he went to Nashville as soon as he was old enough and worked his way up to a record contract with the help of Randy Travis.

His first album, Daryle Singletary, released in 1995, included “I’m Living Up to Her Low Expectations,” “I Let Her Lie,” “Too Much Fun,” and “Working It Out.” With the success of those songs, he was on his way. Since then, he has produced seven more studio albums.

In addition to the songs already mentioned, he is also known for “Amen Kind of Love,” “Old Violin,” “I Never Go Around Mirrors,” “The Note,” “I Knew I Loved You,” and “I’d Love to Lay You Down,” among others.

Opening for Singletary at 8:00pm will be the Jamie Tollison Band. Singletary will take the stage around 10:00pm. Because of the weather, the bands will play on the small south stage since it can be made warmer for the dance floor and tables.

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

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ROSCOE LIVESTOCK SHOW RESULTS

Here are the results of the Roscoe Livestock Show held at the RCISD Ag Barn Saturday morning:

Cattle

Class 1 – Steers (Maine Anjou)
            1st – Kamren Fisher

Grand Champion Cattle
            Kamren Fisher

Lambs

Class 1 – Fine Wool
            1st – Tait Fullwood (Breed Champ)
            2nd – Ty Fullwood (Reserve Breed Champ)
            3rd – Lynzie Atkinson

Class 2 – Medium Wool
            1st – Ty Fullwood (Breed Champ)
            2nd – Lynzie Atkinson (Reserve Breed Champ)
            3rd – Lynzie Atkinson

Class 3 – Fine Wool Cross
            1st – Tait Fullwood (Breed Champ)

Class 4 – Southdown
            1st – Lynzie Atkinson (Breed Champ)

Grand Champion Lamb
            Tait Fullwood with Fine Wool Cross

Reserve Champion Lamb
            Ty Fullwood with Medium Wool

Sr. Lamb Showmanship
            Tait Fullwood

Goats

Class 1 – Boer Goat (Light Weight)
            1st - Kamren Fisher
            2nd – Kaylee Palacios
            3rd – Roxy Islas

Class 2 – Boer Goat (Heavy Weight)
            1st - Kamren Fisher (Breed Champion)
            2nd – Kaylee Palacios (Reserve Breed Champion)
            3rd – Lynzie Atkinson
            4th – Lynzie Atkinson

Grand Champion Goat
            Kamren Fisher with Heavy Weight

Reserve Champion Goat
            Kaylee Palacios with Heavy Weight

Goat Showmanship
            Kamren Fisher

Swine

Class 1 – Lightweights (83 – 124 lbs)
            1st –  Zeke Murphy
            2nd – Derek Creed
            3rd – Brena Robison
            4th – Isiah Wright

Class 2 – Medium Weights (137 lbs)
            1st – Derek Creed
            2nd – Brena Robison
            3rd – Dax Drake

Class 3 – Medium Weights (152 – 159 lbs)
            1st – Kaylee Palacios
            2nd – Derek Creed
            3rd – Justin Herrera
            4th – Phoenix Walker
            5th – Dax Drake

Class 4 – Heavy Weights (172 – 180 lbs)
            1st – Kaylee Palacios
            2nd – Justin Herrera
            3rd – Kaylee Palacios
            4th – Zeke Murphy
            5th – Justin Herrera

Grand Champion Swine
            Kaylee Palacios with Heavyweight (Hampshire)

Reserve Champion Swine
            Justin Herrera with Heavyweight (Cross)

Jr. Swine Showmanship
            Zeke Murphy

Sr. Swine Showmanship
            Kaylee Palacios

Pee Wee Show Participation
            Dylan Dosser
            Davis Drake
             Kason Gunter
            Kaycee Gunter
            Hayleigh Hendrix
            Julie Hendrix
            Weston Hendrix
            Jonathan Herrera
            Lauren Herrera
            Ariah Pearce
            Ferron Smith
            Ryder Smith
            Nate Wilson

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RCISD SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Early Release begins today for grades 1-12 with school over at 1:00pm from now through Friday, the last school day before the Christmas break. Pre-K will release at 11:10am and kindergarten at 12:40pm. Students will then be off until they return on Tuesday, January 5.

The First-Grade Christmas Play begins at 9:00am on Friday, December 18. Everyone is invited!

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WEATHER REPORT: CONTINUED MILD WEATHER

Sheree Corzine took this beautiful photo of Old Town Park at sunset on Thursday.

With the continued mild weather we’ve had this past week, it’s been hard to believe that Christmas Eve is only eight days away. Here we are in the middle of December, and flowers are still blooming, much of the grass is still green, and many trees are just now losing their leaves. In fact, one of the common sights around town the past few days has been people raking the new-fallen leaves in their yards. A mild cool front moved in last night, however, moving the low this morning down to just below freezing. The highs today and tomorrow should be only about 52°F with a low tomorrow morning of about 30°.  However, temperatures should begin climbing again on Friday, and by Sunday the high should be back in the mid-sixties with lows in the mid-forties.

A front moved through early Saturday bringing cloudy skies, high winds and falling temperatures. It continued cloudy and windy through Sunday with sustained high winds of 34mph and gusts up to 46 on Saturday and winds of 28mph on Sunday with gusts up to 36. A light rain fell Saturday night and continued until shortly after midnight. I got .26” for Saturday and .10” after midnight for a total of .36”. Kenny Landfried recorded an official total for Roscoe of .35”.  The high for the week was 81° on Friday, and the low was this morning at 31.

The long range forecast for next week is for highs in the mid to upper sixties, and the outlook for Christmas Day is currently projected to be a 69° high and a low of 54° with clear skies.

There is no rain in the forecast for the rest of this week and all of the next.

--o--

† MARCIA LOUISE BONG

Marcia Louise Bong, 51, passed away on December 9 at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital. She was a resident of Roscoe.

Memorial services are at 10:30am today, December 16, at First United Methodist Church in Roscoe with Reverend Juanelle Jordon officiating.

Ms. Bong was born in California on August 17, 1964. She was a homemaker and lived in Roscoe for the past thirteen years. She lived in Florida prior to moving to Roscoe.

She is survived by her husband, Sefrino “Chico” Maestas, of Roscoe and her daughter, Ashley Nicole Maestas, also of Roscoe.

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City Council Hears Reports, Accepts Member Resignation

Police Chief Felix Pantoja reports to the City Council at last night's meeting.

Last night’s monthly City Council meeting began with a discussion of random drug testing for City workers followed by reports by the City Manager and Chief of Police and the resignation of Councilman Ken Brawley.

The meeting began with a discussion of the possibility of instituting random drug testing of City workers for reasons of liability, but since the issue was not an agenda item on this month’s announcement, the Council tabled any action until next month when it will be.

City Manager Cody Thompson reported on the progress of the dry boring under the Union Pacific railroad tracks downtown for new water lines for the City’s north side. Nelson Lewis, Inc., of Marble Falls is boring two new pipelines, one just west of the Cypress Street crossing and the other just east. The lines will contain 12” casing for 8” lines and will be completed before Christmas.

Thompson also reported that City workers currently have their hands full with clearing the City of broken tree limbs that fell during the recent ice storm.

He referred the Council to a very complimentary article about Roscoe’s resurgence that appeared in the Austin American-Statesman this past weekend. It was posted online on Saturday and published in the American-Statesman’s Sunday print edition. You can access the article by clicking here.

Young Farm Estates has home builders lined up to build two houses on Phase 1 lots, one on James Wells Drive and the other on Tom Dobbins Drive. Work should begin in the next two weeks.

Police Chief Felix Pantoja gave the police report for the month of November, including the initial usage report on the Department’s new K-9 Unit.

The meeting concluded with Councilman Ken Brawley’s announcement that he must resign his position because of health issues. A replacement should be appointed to complete his term before next month’s meeting.

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PLOWBOYS DOMINATE FOOTBALL ALL-DISTRICT HONORS

Brayden Beal is district's Offensive MVP, Vincent Pantoja is Defensive MVP.

Jose Ortega is Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Javier Leaños is All-District at three positions: offensive wide receiver, defensive cornerback, and punter.

As District 6-2A-II Champions who advanced to the Regional Finals, the Plowboy football team got the lion’s share of the All-District honors announced this past week. Brayden Beal was named Offensive MVP, Vincent Pantoja was Defensive MVP, and freshman Jose Ortega shared Offensive Newcomer of the Year with a sophomore from Miles. In addition, six other Plowboys were named to the First-Team Offense and seven to the First-Team Defense, as well as both kickers.

The First-Team Offense includes running back Vincent Pantoja; receivers Kevin Lavalais and Javier Leaños; and linemen Ray Bohall, Isaias Aguilar, and Paul Pantoja. On the First-Team Defense are lineman Anthony Ortegon, defensive end Paul Pantoja, inside linebacker Rafael Aguayo, outside linebacker Max Nemir, cornerbacks Kevin Lavalais and Javier Leaños, and safety Isaiah Gonzales. In addition, the first-team kicker is Erick Huidobro, and first-team punter is Javier Leaños.

On the Second-Team Offense are receiver Rafael Aguayo and linemen A. J. Renteria and Roadey Mann. The Second-Team Defense includes lineman Luis Villa, end Bernardo Villa, outside linebacker Francisco Garcia, and safety Jose Ortega.

Honorable Mention goes to wide receivers Isaiah Gonzales and Max Nemir and linebacker Austin Willman.

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UPCOMING RCISD SCHOOL EVENTS

The Roscoe FFA Stock Show will be at the RCISD Ag Barn on Saturday morning 10:00 to finish, about 12:00.

RCHS STEM Research Center Open House, also on Saturday, from 12:00-2:00pm.

Christmas Band Concert will be on Sunday at 2:00pm in the Cafetorium.

The Blackland Divide Invitational varsity boys’ basketball tournament will run from Thursday through Saturday at the RCHS Special Events Center. Opening games on Thursday will pit Ira vs. Anson at 2:00, TLCA vs. Highland at 3:30, Bronte vs. Rotan at 5:00, and Roscoe vs. Guthrie at 6:30.

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PLOWBOYS BEGIN BASKETBALL SEASON, LOSE ONE, WIN THREE

Rafael Aguayo (23) shoots for three in last night's game with Leuders-Avoca.

Less than a week after completing their football season, the Plowboys shifted gears and turned to basketball at Highland’s Hilltop Classic Tournament last Thursday. As might be expected, they lost their first game to Irion County 65-48 as they knocked the rust off their basketball skills, but then they finished strong by winning the consolation bracket with victories over Ira 61-41 and Sterling City 67-51.

Then last night they played their first home game in the RCHS Special Events Center with another victory, this time over Leuders-Avoca 69-43. So, their season record is now 3-1.

Although as a team they are short with no starters as tall as six feet, they are aggressive, quick, relentless, and fun to watch. They are led by Javier Leaños, the chief playmaker, who also leads the Plowboys in scoring.

Here are the scores by quarters and individual scoring for each game:

Irion County 65 – Roscoe 48

Plowboys           20        22        41        48
Irion County     28        34        47        65

Plowboy scoring:
Rafael Aguayo 15, Javier Leaños 12, Jose Ortega 10, Brayden Beal 7, Juan Garcia 4.

Roscoe 61 – Ira 41

Plowboys          12        28        46        61
Ira                        8        23        34        41

Leaños 29, Aguayo 11, Ortega 6, Garcia 6, Isaiah Gonzales 6, Pablo Huidobro 2, Erick Huidobro 1.

Roscoe 67 – Sterling City 51

Plowboys          18        35        46        67
Sterling City     21        28        45        51

Leaños 33, Garcia 14, Aguayo 9, Beal 6, Ortega 5.

Roscoe 69 – Leuders-Avoca 43

Plowboys            18        42        53        69
Leuders-Avoca    9        21        34        43

Leaños 32, Aguayo 21, Beal 4, Ortega 4, Gonzales 4, E. Huidobro 2, Garcia 2.

Next up for the Plowboys is Guthrie at 6:30pm on Thursday at home as the Plowboys host their annual Blackland Divide Invitational Tournament. Subsequent games will be on Friday and Saturday with start times and opponents depending on if they win or lose.

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PLOWGIRLS LOSE ONE, WIN ONE

The Plowgirls lost one and won one this past week. They lost in the Highland Hilltop Classic Tournament to the Sweetwater JV 58-26, but then beat Leuders-Avoca at home last night 43-40.

Sweetwater JV 58 – Roscoe 26

Plowgirls              3        11        17        26
Sweetwater JV  19        34        41        58

Magali Casas 7, Veronica Cuellar 6, Haley Bridges 6, Bonnie Wilkinson 4, Lyndi Wilkinson 3, Bergan Trevino 1.

Roscoe 43 – Leuders-Avoca 40

Plowgirls             14        23        34        43
Leuders-Avoca    8        20        27        40

Cuellar 16, L. Wilkinson 14, Trevino 5, B. Wilkinson 4. Casas 2, Alejandra Solis 2.

The Plowgirls have this weekend off and will next play Haskell in Haskell next Tuesday. Tipoff is at 6:15 following the Plowgirls JV game starting at 5:00pm.

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CHRISTMAS PARADE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19

Everyone is invited to join in this year’s Christmas Parade on December 19 in downtown Roscoe. No advance notification is necessary—just show up!

Line-up for participants is at 1:30pm at the 400 block of Broadway in east Roscoe. The Christmas Parade starts at 2:00pm. It will proceed west down Broadway and finish in front of City Hall.

Santa Claus will be in the parade! Children will get a chance to talk to him immediately after the parade in Old Town Park, across from City Hall.

Come help us celebrate. It should be fun! For questions or more information, contact Roscoe Police Chief Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384.

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WEATHER REPORT: SUNNY AND MILD

The grass in my yard is still green.

It’s been a beautiful week with mostly sunny skies and slightly above-average temperatures for this time of year. It was a bit breezy around midday on Saturday and yesterday, but in general the weather has been nothing to complain about.

The City is still recovering from the recent ice storm with broken tree limbs everywhere and tree service trucks at work in various locations. Some trees have lost their leaves and others’ leaves are changing color, while still others are still loaded with green leaves, apparently unaware that it’s December and time to change. The same goes for the grass. Some lawns are turning yellow, some are still green, and some are mixed.

Temperatures continued to be mild with highs in the low to mid sixties until yesterday when the high was 70°F. Lows ranged from Friday morning’s 36° to yesterday’s 45°.

Forecasters are predicting even warmer temperatures for the next few days. Highs should rise from today’s 70° and Thursday’s 74° to Friday’s 77° and lows will be in the mid to upper forties except for Friday’s 55°. The weekend will be slightly cooler with a high of 67° on Saturday and 54° on Sunday. Skies will be mostly or completely clear and winds light to middling, although there is a 20% chance of a thundershower on Saturday.

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Iraan Ends Plowboy Playoff Run, 35-18

Brayden Beal fires a pass to Max Nemir (5) in the playoff game with Iraan.

It had to happen sooner or later. In the playoffs, all the teams except one eventually suffer a disappointing season-ending defeat, and for the Plowboys it came Friday on a cold, windy evening in San Angelo as the undefeated Iraan Braves snapped Roscoe’s eight-game winning streak in the regional finals. The game’s final score was 35-18 but was closer than the score suggests, as the Plowboys hung tough until the final four and a half minutes, when Iraan scored the first of two touchdowns to put the game away.

Roscoe got on the scoreboard first when Brayden Beal hit Jose Ortega with a 12-yard pass midway through the first quarter. The kick failed, but the Plowboys were ahead 6-0. Shortly thereafter, Iraan responded with a drive ending in a one-yard TD run. Their extra-point kick was good, and they moved into a 7-6 lead, which was the score at the end of the quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Beal completed a 24-yard pass play to Javier Leaños for a touchdown, and the Plowboys regained the lead. They tried a 2-point conversion, but the run failed, which put the score at 12-7 Roscoe. Later in the quarter, the Braves scored again on a 30-yard run and then ran for two extra points to go up 15-12. Then, shortly before the half, Iraan again scored on another long run, this one for 52 yards, and at halftime the Braves were ahead 22-12.

There was no scoring by either team in the third quarter or the first half of the fourth as the defenses dominated, but with 4:35 left in the game Iraan completed a drive with a 7-yard run to increase their lead to 29-12, which pretty well sealed the Plowboys’ fate. Before game’s end they scored another touchdown as did Roscoe on a 5-yard pass from Beal to Isaiah Gonzales, and the game’s final score was 35-18.

The total number of first downs for both teams was equal, 19 each. The Braves amassed 406 total yards while the Plowboys had 324. Turnovers were equal as each team had one lost fumble and one interception.

For the game, Beal completed 22 of 48 passes for 288 total yards and 3 TDs with 1 interception. Leading receivers for the Plowboys were Ortega with 7 catches for 86 yards and 1 TD, Leaños with 5 for 98 and 1 TD, Rafael Aguayo with 4 for 36, Vincent Pantoja with 3 for 42, and Isaiah Gonzales with 3 for 26 and 1 TD. Beal led the Plowboy rushers with 9 carries for 20 yards, while Pantoja had 20 carries for only 19 yards as the Braves effectively shut down the Plowboys’ running game all evening.

The bad weather conditions—a sharp north wind with temperatures in the mid-thirties and wind chill in the twenties—favored the Braves because their offense relied almost exclusively on the run. Of their 406 total yards, 400 came by way of the run. They also benefitted from the fact that the Plowboys had not faced an opponent that ran their flexbone option offense and thus had no experience with defending it. For their part, the Plowboys’ offense relied heavily on the passing game, which is adversely affected by cold, windy weather. The cold made catching the ball harder, and the strong wind affected the accuracy of passes.

So, the Braves now move on to face Albany in the quarterfinals while the Plowboys’ season is over and turns to basketball. Even so, seen as a whole, their season can only be described as a huge success. They rarely played a team as small as they were, their losses all came to eventual playoff teams, most of which were larger both in terms of player size and in their schools’ number of students, and they played hard in every game.

Moreover, their undefeated district run and two playoff victories established them as an area power and raised the bar for the upcoming Plowboy teams. As senior Rafael Aguayo told the Abilene Reporter-News sportswriter who covered the game, “We set the foundation for the underclassmen. This is where it’s going to stay.”

For Aguayo and the other seniors on the team—Javier Leaños, Vincent Pantoja, Max Nemir, Kevin Lavalais, A. J. Renteria, Isaiah Gonzales, Anthony Ortegon, Ray Bohall, Luis and Bernardo Villa, Pablo and Erick Huidobro, and Tristan Navarette—their high school football careers are now history. But for the rest of their lives they will remember this season as the time they exceeded all expectations, won district, bi-district, and area, and went to the regional finals before being eliminated.

For Coach Jake Freeman and his assistants, the playoff run confirms the soundness of their system and the promise of more successful Plowboy seasons to come, for the players coming back and those coming up, it confirms the belief that winning requires teamwork, confidence, hard training, and the will to improve—and for the fans, it has been a joy to see the Plowboys overachieve week after week as they overcame their early losses to go on an eight-game winning streak and make it as far as they did.

Way to go, Plowboys! You done good!

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO TRENT IN HOME OPENER, 53-26

Haley Bridges (35) makes a lay-up against the Lady Gorillas last night.

The Plowgirls showed lots of hustle in their home opener against Trent yesterday evening, but were no match for the Lady Gorillas* with the Beaver sisters, who between the two of them scored 38 of Trent’s 53 points.

The Lady Gorillas wasted no time, jumping out to a 16-4 lead in the first quarter and then coasting the rest of the way to an easy victory. The halftime score was 28-11, and at the end of three it was 41-20.

High scorer for the Plowgirls was Haley Bridges with 10 points, followed by Alejandra Solis with 4, Veronica Cuellar 4, Bergan Trevino 3, Karina Cisneros 3, and Magali Casas 2.

The Plowgirls will next play in the Highland Tournament starting on Thursday. The Plowboys also plan to play their first games of the season there this weekend. The JV teams will be at the Bronte tournament this weekend.

Next Tuesday both the Plowgirls and Plowboys will be back in Roscoe for games against Leuders-Avoca.

* People get a kick out of some of the Texas high school team names (Hutto Hippos, Muleshoe Mules, Ralls Jackrabbits, even Roscoe Plowboys) and even have contests about them (see here or here, for example). In doing so, they always cite the simplest form of the name, the ones the boys’ teams have. But as far as I’m concerned, the names for the girls’ teams can be even funnier. Since they always are derivative female versions of the boys’ team names, most schools generally just add Lady to the school’s team name (e.g., Lady Lions, Lady Eagles, Lady Sting Rays), which is generally awkward at best and in some cases downright ludicrous.

The Lady Gorillas is one that always makes me laugh, because the term Lady implies a degree of elegance, and there is nothing elegant about a "lady" gorilla or a "lady" rattler. In fact, I can think of no other context in life in which a human female will calmly accept--or even be proud of--being referred to as a Lady Gorilla, Lady Mule, or Lady Hippo. 

Another one I find amusing is the Robert Lee Lady Steers, which is a logical impossibility. More correctly, they should be the Heifers, but I guess the implied negative connotation associated with that word when applied to humans is a bit much. The same goes for Lady Bulldogs, whose more correct alternative is also unacceptable for a girls’ basketball team. I think the least abusive name for a girls’ team, at least in this area, is the female counterpart to the Haskell Indians, i.e., the Maidens. But compared to most of the other ones, Plowgirls works just fine. Go, Plowgirls!  

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 WEATHER REPORT: ICE STORM

(Photo by Patty McBride)

The Roscoe area experienced an unusual event this past weekend, something I can’t ever remember seeing before—an ice storm with most of the trees still loaded with green leaves. The freeze we had the previous week was the first one we’d had this fall, and it wasn’t cold enough and didn’t last long enough to convince the trees to shed their leaves and go into winter mode.

Then on Thanksgiving a cold front moved in, bringing the predicted precipitation and dropping the temperature down to just below freezing on Friday morning. The high on Friday was only 43°, and there was intermittent rain all day and evening. The temperature dropped to just below freezing that night, and on Saturday stayed that way all day along with light rain falling from time to time. Ice began collecting on the leaf-laden trees, and as they got heavier, limbs started coming down. In a few cases, entire trees tipped over. On Sunday, starting about noon, it warmed up into the mid-thirties and melted all the ice, but the damage was done. Now, many of the trees still have their green leaves, but there are broken limbs on the ground all over town.

That’s the bad news. The good news is the amount of rain that fell. My rain gauge reported .12” on Thursday, 1.28” on Friday, .62” on Saturday, and .78” on Sunday for a total of 2.80”. Roscoe’s official total recorded by Kenny Landfried in east Roscoe was 2.46”, but I heard reports of from three to four inches from various local locations. In any case, there are puddles all over town again, the dry lakes are not dry, stock tanks and area lakes are fuller, and there is plenty of underground moisture for a jump start on next year’s crops.

After over four days of overcast weather, the sun finally came out on Monday at about noon, and temperatures got back into the fifties that afternoon. Yesterday had clearer skies and warmer temperatures with only light and variable winds. The forecast is for similar weather through the weekend--mostly sunny skies, little wind, and afternoon highs of around 60° with early-morning lows in the mid to upper thirties. There is no rain in the forecast.

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