Africanized Bees Attack Woman, Kill Dogs at Home on Main Street

Africanized bees and normal honey bees look alike.

Carolyn Smith, who lives at 900 Main, was stung over a hundred times and her two small Schnauzer dogs were killed by bee stings on Sunday afternoon. The Africanized bees, also known as "killer bees," are a particularly aggressive strain, and their presence in Roscoe is not good news as more trouble may be on the way later on when the weather gets warmer.

The bees, which were in the roof of an old storage shed in the home’s back yard, attacked Ms. Smith and her two dogs there. A former beekeeper, Doyle Mitchell of Loraine, was called. He smoked them, which makes them more docile, and then killed them all.

Mitchell says that the Africanized bees, which are a mix of the African and domestic honey bees, look just like normal honey bees, so you can’t tell the two apart by their appearance. The Africanized ones also pollinate plants and otherwise act just like normal bees until they feel threatened. That’s when their difference comes out because they are much more aggressive and prone to attack in large numbers.

Mitchell cautions people to be careful around places where the bees might have a colony, places such as attics, old tires, hollow trees, or water meters. He says a Loraine man was stung over 500 times last summer and almost died when he flipped over a plastic horse-watering pan with his foot. Mitchell also adds that if you do locate a swarm or colony of bees, under no circumstances should you splash them with soapy water or spray them with WD-40 or hornet or wasp spray. Unlike yellow jackets, they don’t die immediately, and you’re unlikely to get them all anyway. The safe thing to do is to call a pest control company or someone like Doyle Mitchell, who has plenty of experience with bees.

He says you can call him at 325-933-0113 if you find a swarm or colony of bees on your property. If possible, he tries to catch them with a vacuum device and replace the queen with a domestic queen. Then all the bees she propagates will be normal honey bees and will replace all the Africanized bees within a couple of weeks, since that’s the usual life span of bees. 

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TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 1, EARLY VOTING IN PROGRESS

Precinct 6 voting will take place in the Community Center.

The Texas Primary Election Day is next Tuesday, March 1, at the Roscoe Community Center for those living in Roscoe’s Precinct 6. Early voting began yesterday and will last through Friday of this week. On Election Day, voting will last from 7am to 7pm. Voting will be by party, and several local offices are being contested as well as state and national.

Terry Willman will run unopposed for County Commissioner, Pct. 1, but other local races are contested. Three candidates are running for County Sheriff: David Warren, Ray Cornutt, and Kevin Turner; and two for District Attorney, 32nd District: John Young and Ricky Thompson.

On the state level, five Republicans are running to take Susan King’s place as State Representative, District 71: Brian Scalf, Chris Carnohan, Isaac Castro, Stacey Scaief, and Stan Lambert. All are from Abilene except Castro, who is from Hamlin. Other contested state races include Railroad Commissioner; Supreme Court Justices, Places 3, 5, and 9; Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Places 2, 5, and 6.

On the national level, several are running to take Randy Neugebauer’s place as U.S. Representative, District 19: Jodey Arrington, Greg Garrett, John Key, Donald May, and Glen Robertson, all from Lubbock; also Michael Bob Starr (Abilene) Jason Corley (Slaton), Don Parrish (Plains), and DeRenda Warren (Smyer).

And of course, Republicans will finally get the chance to vote for the Presidential candidate of their choice: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, or Ben Carson; while Democrats can choose between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Campaign signs for the local elections are all over town.

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MAY 7 ELECTION FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT NECESSARY

The May 7 election set by the Roscoe City Council at its last meeting will be canceled at the Council’s next meeting as it will not be necessary. Only two people, Suzie Alford and Edwin Duncan, signed up to run for the two available Council seats, so each will be sworn in for a new two-year term.

Alford is completing her first two-year term in May, and Duncan was appointed by the Council to complete the term of Ken Brawley, who resigned his position in December for health reasons.

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BEAL, LAVALAIS LISTED AS ALL-STATE FOOTBALL SELECTIONS

Brayden Beal                                         Kevin Lavalais

The Texas Sportswriters Association has named its All-State football teams for all classes, and two Plowboys received Honorable Mention in class 2A. Senior Kevin Lavalais was selected as one of the wide receivers, and junior Brayden Beal was listed as one of the quarterbacks. The 2A teams included both divisions I and II.

Congratulations, Brayden and Kevin!

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SOUTHERN BELLE SALON ADDS COSMETOLOGIST AND MASSAGE THERAPIST

The Southern Belle Salon

Changes are going on at the Southern Belle Salon at 200 Main. The tanning bed is gone, but in addition to getting your hair taken care of, you can now get a manicure and pedicure, and starting next Tuesday, March 1, you’ll also be able to get a massage.

The new cosmetologist is Kristi Graham Stacy, and the new massage therapist is Megan Thompson. For appointments for manicures and pedicures, contact Kristi at 325-660-8476. For massage therapy, phone Megan at 325-236-0187, and for hair care, phone Eden Baker at 325-338-5993.

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HIGHLAND GIRLS FALL TO GRADY IN REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

Lenorah Grady ended the Highland girls’ basketball team quest for another trip to state in Big Spring last night with a 53-49 victory over the Lady Hornets.

The scoring by quarters shows the kind of back and forth game it was:

Highland         13          37          43          49
Grady               18          29          45          53

In a physical contest, the ultimate difference in the outcome was the making of free throws, as the Grady girls rarely if ever missed. Hannah Allen hit some clutch 3-pointers for Highland, but ultimately it wasn't enough.

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DOLLY SHINE AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY NIGHT

Dolly Shine

Dolly Shine is a Texas Country band from Stephenville that became regulars in Lubbock before going on the road. They bill themselves as a high-energy band with genuine, soul-soothing lyrics, fiddle solos, and penned guitar licks. They have produced the CDs Dolly Shine, Room to Breathe, and All In and are currently working on a new full-length album, Walkabout, due for release in June.

Top singles include “Spinning My Wheels,”  “Should’ve Known,”  “Trouble was Her Name,” and their latest, “Rattlesnake.”

They will take the stage around 9:30pm. For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING

Skies were overcast Sunday and Monday.

The weather this past week was varied to say the least. From Wednesday through Saturday, it was nice and warm with sunny skies, but Sunday was cooler and completely overcast, Monday was even cooler with clouds and a sharp north breeze, and yesterday felt downright cold with overcast skies and again the sharp north breeze. The high temperature of the week came on Friday at 83°F with Thursday at 81° and Saturday at 79° not far behind. Yesterday’s high was only 45° with a strong wind, and with all the warm weather we’d gotten used to, it felt colder than that. The low for the week was this morning’s 31°, and there was ice on the puddle in my driveway.

I should also mention that we finally got a little rain on Monday night, ranging from a quarter up to a half-inch, depending on location. Weatherman Kenny Landfried recorded an official .3” here in town, but I had .36” in my rain gauge. Although it wasn’t much, it was still welcome because it’s the first precipitation we’ve had since January 9 when we got a paltry .05”.

The rain was supposed to come on Saturday and Sunday, but both those days were dry, although we did get a little drizzle on Sunday. Roofers were putting up a new metal roof on my house on Saturday, but they were missing a couple of pieces that cover the ridge, and I was worried they wouldn’t get them up if it did rain. It wasn’t until late Monday afternoon that they finally got everything in place, and about four hours later, it started raining. So, I’m thankful to the rain gods for holding off until my roof was finished.

Today should be warmer with sunny skies and a high of 63°. The low tomorrow morning, however, should be close to freezing. Friday will be warmer with a high of 66° or so, and then the next few days after that will all be sunny with highs in the seventies and lows in the upper forties and low fifties.

The long range forecast is for a 50%-60% chance of rain on Election Day next Tuesday. Let’s hope they’re right this time.

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Roscoe Man Charged in 2013 Murder in Snyder

Christopher Boyd

Recent developments in the 2013 shooting death of Justin Vaughn, 25, of Snyder have led to the arrests of two local suspects. Christopher Devon Boyd, 21, of Roscoe was apprehended on Thursday afternoon and is now in the Scurry County Jail in Snyder in lieu of a $500,000 bond on a capital murder charge. Also charged in the same crime and placed in custody two days later was Ray Anthony Gutierrez, 26, of Sweetwater. He is currently in the Nolan County Jail without a set bond.

Vaughn was shot and killed at about 2:10am on March 13, 2013, in his home in the 200 block of 36th Street in Snyder. Since then, the Snyder Police Department and the Texas Rangers have been investigating the death as a homicide. According to Snyder Police, more individuals are connected to the crime, but further information that might hinder the investigation is not being released at this time.

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FRIDAY FILING DEADLINE TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL SEAT

Roscoe residents who want to serve on the Roscoe City Council have until 4:00pm Friday to throw their hats into the ring. In May, there will be two open seats on the Council. One is temporarily filled by Edwin Duncan, who was appointed by the Council after the resignation of Council Member Ken Brawley. The other is Suzie Alford’s. She is completing the second year of her term in May.

Either one or both seats will be vacant depending on what happens between now and Friday. If you want to serve the City by running for a place on the City Council, you need to let Donna Parker in City Hall know before the Friday deadline.

The election will be on May 7. For more information, phone City Hall at 325-766-3871.

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FLU AND COLDS CAUSE MANY SCHOOL ABSENCES

Flu and colds continued this week to take their toll on Roscoe’s school attendance. Yesterday, there were 36 absences in grades 6-12 and 25 in pre-K through grade 5 for a total of 61 missing students, almost 10% of the entire student body.

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CENTRAL ROLLING PLAINS CO-OP COMPLETES GINNING SEASON

The Central Rolling Plains Co-op Cotton Gin completed its ginning season yesterday as its ginned its last bale. Right before New Year's, I asked Gin Manager Larry Black when they'd be done this year, and he said about February 15. He missed by only a day.

The grand total for the number of bales ginned this year is 75,636. Here’s how it compares to the gin’s output for the previous eight years:

                                             2007           109,991
                                             2008             57,184
                                             2009             39,626
                                             2010             70,379
                                             2011               9,966
                                             2012             66,985
                                             2013             71,849
                                             2014             32,274
                                             2015             75,636

The gin staff hasn’t yet determined who wins this year’s $100 prize for guessing the closest number of bales ginned.

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PLOWBOYS AND PLOWGIRLS FINISH BASKETBALL SEASON

A difficult year for Plowboy and Plowgirl basketball is now over with neither team qualifying for the playoffs this time around. The Plowboys won one over Haskell last week and lost to Stamford on Monday.

Here is the score by quarters followed by individual Plowboy scoring:

Plowboys 64 – Haskell 42

Plowboys          13        36        51        64
Haskell              12        18        31        42

Rafael Aguayo 20, Jose Ortega 19, Javier Leaños 15, Isaiah Gonzales 4, Johnathon Cuellar 4, Brayden Beal 2.

At posting time I had still not received the stats for the Stamford game, but I know that the Plowboys lost.

--o--

Here are the stats for the Plowgirls' final game last Tuesday:

Hamlin 48 – Plowgirls 19 (Feb. 9)

Hamlin            18        32        42        48
Plowgirls           5          8         15        19

Veronica Cuellar 11, Bonnie Wilkinson 2, Lena Martinez 2, Jovana Peña 1, Spencer 1.

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2016 PLOWBOY & PLOWGIRL TRACK SCHEDULE

February 26 – Long Sleeve Relays – Hamlin
March 4 – Bulldog Relays – Stamford
March 11 – Blackland Divide Relays – Roscoe
March 19 – Pied Piper Relays – Hamlin
March 24 – Cottonwood Relays – Roby
March 31 – Lone Wolf Relays – Colorado City (JV Only)
April 1-2 – Angelo Relays – San Angelo
April 7 – District Track Meet – Hamlin
April 15 – Area Track Meet – McMurry University, Abilene
April 29-30 – Regional Track Meet – Odessa
May 13-14 – State Track Meet – Austin

JUNIOR HIGH SCHEDULE

February 29 – Haskell
March 10 – Junior High Blackland Divide Relays – Roscoe
March 22 – Junior High Cottonwood Relays – Roby
March 28 – Merkel
April 9 – Junior High District Meet – Winters

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BRANDON RHYDER RETURNS TO LUMBERYARD ON FRIDAY

Brandon Rhyder

The weather should be fine Friday night for “Red Dirt” singer/songwriter Brandon Rhyder's acoustic performance at the Lumberyard. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the  eighties that afternoon, which should carry over into a pleasant, outdoor evening for music and dancing.

Rhyder, originally from Carthage in east Texas, has been a staple of the Texas Country/Red Dirt scene for over a decade. During that time he has released eight CDs, including his most recent, That’s Just Me, and had four #1 singles on the Texas Music Charts. Notable songs include “Have I Waited Too Long,”  “Before I Knew Your Name,” “That’s Just Me,” “Back Roads,” “Leave,” and “Rock Angel.”

He will take the stage around 9:30pm. For reservations and more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: WARM AND WARMER

Yesterday's sunset.

This past week has seen warmer than average weather for this time of year. None of the low temperatures were below freezing or even really close, and the afternoon highs were either in the sixties or seventies. The low for the week was Saturday morning’s 35°F, and the high was Saturday afternoon’s 75° with highs on the other days mostly in the upper sixties. Skies were sunny, and winds were generally in the mid to upper range—although on Monday afternoon, which was beautiful, the flags hung limply in a near calm.

The forecast for the coming week seems to suggest that the Austin armadillo, Bee Caves Bob, was right when he predicted an early spring for Texas. Today’s high should be in the upper seventies, 78° or 79°, tomorrow’s is predicted to be 82° with Saturday and Sunday a balmy 85° or 86°, depending upon which weather website you want to believe. Lows for the same days will be in the mid-fifties.

This will all change on Sunday if the meteorologists are right. A cool front will move through, dropping temperatures by about ten degrees and bringing a 60% chance of precipitation on Sunday and Sunday night. If it does rain, it will be the first time for the past six weeks, as we have been caught in a dry weather pattern. The chances for rain on Monday drop to 30%, so it looks like Sunday or possibly not at all.

The long-range forecast for the first part of next week is for temperatures dropping back into a range more normal for this time of year.

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Francisco Garcia Selected to Represent Texas as 4-H STEM Youth Ambassador

Francisco Garcia and RCISD 4-H director Roxanna Reyna

Following a competitive application process, RCHS sophomore Francisco Garcia has been selected to represent the state of Texas as its 4-H Youth Ambassador. Each of thirteen participating states has chosen a Youth Ambassador who serves a two-year term to solve local challenges, speak publicly, and advise National 4-H Council and National 4-H Headquarters in Washington, DC, on national priorities. Each receives a $1000 scholarship at the end of the term.

Students selected have leadership experience in the state and/or national 4-H programs, an interest in sharing knowledge, excellent social media and communication skills, the ability to work with local and state professionals to share resources and opportunities, and a willingness to promote the 4-H Science Mission Mandate and STEM Futures program.

Francisco will travel to the 4-H National Headquarters in Washington, DC, in April for the national meeting. His Roscoe 4-H mentor is Roxanna Reyna, local Program Specialist of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Congratulations, Francisco! We know you’ll do a good job as the Youth Ambassador from Texas!

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CITY COUNCIL SETS ELECTION DATE AT MAY 7

City Manager reports to City Council at last night's meeting.

At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the City Council approved Tuesday, May 7, as the date for the City Council election whose purpose is electing one Councilmember and one Councilmember to fill an unexpired term expiring May 5. 2018. Deadline for filing to run for either of these positions is next Friday, February 19.

City Hall will be open for voting from 7am-7pm on May 2 and 3 during the regular early voting period. Early voting judges will be Belinda Ince and Donna Porter, and election judges on May 7 will be Jeannie McBurnett and Ann Teaff.

In his report to the Council, City Manager Cody Thompson said the City plans to put a new roof on the Community Center and is leaning toward using foam instead of steel as it will be cheaper and will insulate the Center better.

He also reported that work has begun on Young Farm Estates with the building of the forms for pouring the concrete slab at 112 Tom Dobbins Drive. Construction of another home at 113 James Wells Drive will begin next week.

Work at the old sanitary sewer plant will begin on March 13, when daylight savings times changes, and Roscoe’s annual Spring Clean-Up will be either March 21-26 or March 28-April 2.

Roscoe’s Spring Super Sunday will be on April 17 and will feature country music legend Robert Earl Keen.

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PLOWBOYS LOSE TO HAWLEY, BEAT HAMLIN

The Plowboys once again split district games for the week, losing to Hawley 71-38 in Roscoe Friday night and defeating Hamlin in Hamlin 53-42 last night.

Here are the games’ scores by quarters, followed by the Plowboys’ individual scoring:

Hawley 71 – Plowboys 38

Hawley             25        40        57        71
Roscoe              11        24        30        38

Javier Leaños 13, Jose Ortega 12, Isaiah Gonzales 6, Rafael Aguayo, Brayden Beal 3.

Plowboys 53 – Hamlin 42

Plowboys          9          20        37        53
Hamlin              7          17        34        42

Leaños 24, Aguayo 14, Ortega 7, Gonzales 6, Beal 2.

This Friday the Plowboys will play in Haskell, followed by their last regular season game against Stamford here next Tuesday.              

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PLOWGIRLS FALL TO HAWLEY

The Plowgirls lost to Hawley here Friday night 53-25.  (At time of posting this week's edition, I had not yet received the stats and outcome for the Plowgirls' game at Hamlin last night.)

Here is the scoring by quarters followed by individual Plowgirl scoring:

Hawley 53 – Plowgirls 25

Hawley             15        24        43        53
Plowgirls            7        14         19        25

Veronica Cuellar 7, Bonnie Wilkinson 5, Bergan Trevino 4, Jovana Peña 4, Lynzie Atkinson 2, Alejandra Solis 1.

The Plowgirls' final two games are with Haskell there on Friday and Stamford here next Tuesday.

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FLU BUG HITS ROSCOE AREA

The flu bug is here. Over 30 students called in sick at the Roscoe school yesterday, and Ira had to cancel school because so many kids were out.

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BART CROW BAND SATURDAY, TWO TONS OF STEEL FRIDAY AT LUMBERYARD

It looks like another big weekend for the Lumberyard with nice weather, the bands playing outside, and two noted Texas Country bands in town. Friday night will feature Two Tons of Steel and Saturday the Bart Crow Band.

Bart Crow

The Bart Crow Band has long been regarded as a premier honky-tonk act. Crow grew up in Maypearl, a small farming community southwest of Dallas, and began his singing and songwriting career while a student at Tarleton State. Now based in Austin, his CD Dandelion featured Pat Green as drummer and co-producer, and his single “Saying Goodbye” hit #1 on the Texas Music Chart. Other singles include “Wear My Ring (Angel with the Bottle),” and “Forever.”

Two Tons of Steel

Friday night’s band, Two Tons of Steel, got their start in San Antonio in the mid-nineties and are still one of that city's favorite bands, winning “Band of the Year” twelve times and the San Antonio Current’s “Best Country Band” ten times. They have released eight albums and appeared on the cover of Billboard Magazine. Top singles include “Sedated,” “Hold Over Me,” “Your Kiss,” and “Crazy Heart.”

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

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WEATHER REPORT: WARMER WEATHER ON THE WAY

"Nothing but blue skies do I see." The sky over the water tower this morning.

It’s been another chilly week in Roscoe. There was nothing drastic about the weather—no snow, sleet, extremely high winds, or temperatures in the teens. In fact, skies were clear and days were sunny with hardly any clouds at all. Even so, with the breezes it was cold enough to be uncomfortable and make everyone wish it would warm up a little. The only days with highs above sixty were Sunday with a high of 65°F and yesterday with a high of 68°. And lows were below freezing every morning except on Sunday.

However, the rest of this week and the beginning of next should be warmer. Today’s forecast is for a high of 77°, tomorrow 69°, and the rest of this week and the beginning of next in the low to mid-seventies. And, currently, the long-range forecast for the end of next week should see highs going into the eighties.

Unfortunately, there has not even been a hint of precipitation for over a month now and none is in the forecast.

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Plowboys' New Football District for Fall Announced

The new alignments for 2A districts for football for the next two seasons have been set, and the Plowboys will be playing teams north and west of Roscoe this time around. District 4-2A, Div. II, will be made up of the following schools:

1.      Hamlin Pied Pipers
2.      Plains Cowboys
3.      Roby Lions
4.      Roscoe Plowboys
5.      Seagraves Eagles
6.      Tahoka Bulldogs

Travel to away games will in some cases be farther than this year. Plains is near the New Mexico line and is 158 miles from Roscoe, while Seagraves is 136 miles away, and Tahoka 100 miles. Competition should also be tough. As Roscoe fans already know, Hamlin is almost always good, and Seagraves made it all the way to the state semifinals this year before losing to Albany 12-7.

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PLOWGIRLS DEFEAT ALBANY IN OVERTIME, LOSE TO ANSON

The Plowgirls won an overtime thriller here Friday night against the Lady Lions of Albany, but lost to Anson in Anson last night.

Here are the scores by quarters followed by individual scoring by the Plowgirls:

Plowgirls 39 – Albany 38 (OT)

Plowgirls         15        21        28        36        39
Albany             12        22       29        36        38

Veronica Cuellar 10, Bonnie Wilkinson 9, Karina Cisneros 9, Jovana Peña 5, Bergan Trevino 4, Lynzie Atkinson 2, Alejandra Solis 2.

Anson 71 – Plowgirls 15

Anson               17        36        51        71
Plowgirls           9        12        15        15

Cuellar 5, Atkinson 4, Cisneros 3, Wilkinson 2, Peña 1.

Both the Plowgirls and Plowboys face Hawley here Friday evening, followed by Hamlin in Hamlin next Tuesday. Girls’ games begin at 6:30pm followed by the boys at about 8:00.

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PLOWBOYS LOSE TWO, ONE TO ALBANY, ONE TO ANSON

The Plowboys lost district outings this past week, falling to Albany here on Friday and to Anson in Anson last night. They are now 4-6 in district play.

Here are the scores by quarters, followed by Plowboys’ individual scoring:

Albany 71 – Plowboys 43

Albany            20        42        56        71
Plowboys          2        23        37        43

Jose Ortega 13, Javier Leaños 12, Rafael Aguayo 5, Isaiah Gonzales 4, Brayden Beal 3, Kevin Lavalais 3, Johnathon Cuellar 3.

Anson 45 – Plowboys 37

Anson              10        26        32        45
Plowboys        11         17         29        37

Leaños 14, Aguayo 9, Ortega 8, Cuellar 4.

--o--

TWO YOUNG FARM ESTATES LOTS SOLD AND READY FOR BUILDERS

After several frustrating delays, two Abilene builders are set to begin construction on two lots at Young Farm Estates sometime within the next week. One is on James Wells Drive, the other on Tom Dobbins Drive. When complete, they will be the first new houses built for sale in Roscoe in thirty years.

Here are the plans the builders submitted for the two homes:

(Click image to enlarge.)

(Click image to enlarge.)

Lots are ready for sale. For more information, contact Carl Childers at 325-766-3319.

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EARLY RELEASE TOMORROW FOR ROSCOE COLLEGIATE ISD

Roscoe schools will release students early tomorrow (Thursday, February 4) as teachers will be in professional development workshops all afternoon. Students in Grades 1-12 get out at 12:35pm and kindergarten at 12:15pm. Three-year-olds will not attend tomorrow, and four-year-olds will start at 7:45am and be dismissed at 11:10.

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WEATHER REPORT: WARM AND BREEZY

Haboob! This sandstorm rolled into Roscoe on Monday.
(Photo by David Duncan)

The predictions for the rest of the winter are now in. Up north in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow when he got up yesterday morning, which forecasts an early spring, and closer to home, the Austin armadillo Bee Caves Bob turned to his left when he came out of his hole, which means the same thing. We’ll have to wait and see how right they are.

Here in Roscoe, we had a “false spring” weekend with some nice, warm weather with a 68°F high on Thursday, 75° on Friday, 80° on Saturday, 68° on Sunday, and 80° again on Monday. Lows were in the mid-forties. Saturday was gorgeous, and a large crowd was outside at the Lumberyard Saturday night enjoying the warm weather. We did get some windy weather along with the warm temperatures, and there were fire weather warnings for most of those days.

We also got our first west Texas harbinger of spring on Monday afternoon when a sandstorm came rolling in from the northwest, our first of the year. It didn’t last long but was pretty intense while it did with sustained winds of 35mph and gusts up to 50mph with visibility down to practically nothing. Since then, it’s been considerably cooler. Yesterday’s high was only 57°. The forecast for today is for a high of 49°, and the low this morning was 26°. The forecast for the rest of the week through the weekend is for highs in the upper fifties and lows in the low to mid-thirties.

We also have a good chance for rain on Friday evening, about 40% according to the meteorologists. We’ve had absolutely nothing for over a month now, so it would be nice to get something, if for no other reason than to break this dry weather pattern we’ve been in. Of course, there’s nothing unusual about January being dry—or February, either, for that matter. Roscoe’s 80-year average precipitation for the two months is right at an inch each, but the NOAA forecasters predicted for us to have cooler and wetter weather than usual for January, February, and March, so we’re still waiting.

Also, for what it’s worth, Chinese New Year was on Monday. We are now in the Year of the Monkey, so it could be a crazy year. If the presidential nomination races are any indication, it may very well be.

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† FRANK EDWARD CLECKLER

No public services are planned at this time for Frank Edward Cleckler, 81, who passed away on Tuesday, January 26, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Cleckler was born on October 5, 1934, in Wastella. Frank Ed was a graduate of Roscoe High School and a farmer and rancher in the Roscoe area for many years. On May 28, 1955, he married Virginia Carole Kerby. He also lived in Arizona for about three years before moving back to Nolan County. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Roscoe, past member of Roscoe Lions Club, Nolan County Farm Bureau, Roscoe Swine Breeders Association, and Nolan County Livestock Association.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia Cleckler of Roscoe; son, James Cleckler of Roscoe; brother, Nick Cleckler of Ruidoso, NM; granddaughters, Andrea King and husband, Shelby of San Diego, CA; Lexee Cleckler of Midland; Addisyn Cleckler of College Station; and great granddaughter, Mallory King of San Diego, CA.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jacob Frank Cleckler on October 31, 1979, and Hortense T. (Williams) Cleckler on August 7, 2000.

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