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| Law Enforcement Officers at yesterday's City Council meeting. |
Several Roscoe residents led by Coilla Smith attended the meeting to voice complaints about the current situation regarding game rooms that have recently opened in Roscoe and requested that the Council take action in controlling them. Mayor Pete Porter and City Attorney Zollie Steakley explained that according to state law game rooms are legal in Texas so long as they abide by the restrictions set by the state legislature.
Two law enforcement officers invited by Police Chief Felix Pantoja to discuss the subject spoke of their cities’ experiences with the issue. One was Sweetwater Police Sergeant Armando Renteria and the other Officer Chris Friedl of Taylor County. Both made suggestions in dealing with game room issues and offered help in setting reasonable limits on their operations that are both effective and legal.
Since adapting their suggestions to Roscoe’s situation needs careful review by the City Attorney, the Council decided to table any action at yesterday’s meeting and instead discuss the matter at length at a special meeting on the topic Monday, January 25, and amend the existing Game Room Ordinance at that time.
City Manager Cody Thompson then gave the Council an update on public works. He said the new sanitary sewer plant has been certified compliant with the state’s issued permit, and the City has scheduled annual soil testing as required by the permit. However, the City is still waiting on the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) to certify closure on the old sanitary sewer plant. The holdup is a result of the current pandemic. A similar delay is holding up the City’s water line plans and bid specifications still under review by the TCEQ and the TWDB (Texas Water Development Board).
In the meantime, the recent changes in weather have exacerbated the problem of leaks in City water lines and kept City employees busy in dealing with them. They also had to replace chlorinators at the RO water treatment plant last week.
The lift stations are currently operating correctly, and the City has postponed major repair at the main lift station until budgeted revenues improve.
Police Chief Felix Pantoja reported that the Roscoe Police Department handled 93 total calls in the month of December. They made three arrests, one for disorderly conduct and two for theft. There were also five game-room incidents, one involving a stolen truck, one for a fight in the parking lot, and three for loud music in the parking lots.
The Council also approved the Quarterly Investment Report for the fourth quarter of 2020-21 and other routine items.
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NOLAN COUNTY VACCINATIONS REACH SECOND LEVEL
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| Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital |
If you are in that category, you can apply to be vaccinated by contacting the Nolan County Health Department at 325-235-5463. They will put you on the waiting list and then notify you when your turn comes.
The vaccinations are being given at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital, and Nolan County is using the Moderna vaccine, which requires two shots for full immunity—or I guess I should say 95% immunity because that’s as high as it goes.
Since I qualify, I got my first shot yesterday and can report it didn’t hurt at all. I was told my arm would probably be sore later where they shot it, but so far I haven’t even experienced that. Now, like everyone else who gets the shot, I will wait for almost a month before I get my second one. The Health Department will notify me when they have an exact time for me to receive it.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to wear my mask as recommended and follow the other precautions, but believe me, I am looking forward to getting that second shot and completing the process, especially since I just learned that a lifelong friend, Betty (Zinke) Rogers, passed away on Sunday from Covid-19.
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AUSTIN LARA EARNS BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ROSCOE
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| Austin Lara |
He follows Amanda Sanchez, who received her bachelor’s in September, in earning a degree entirely in Roscoe without accumulating any student debt. Congratulations, Austin, and here’s wishing you a successful future!
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PLOWGIRLS BEAT WINTERS, LOSE TO COLORADO CITY
After once again getting off to a slow start and trailing 10-6 at the end of the first quarter, the Plowgirls took off in the second with a 17-2 surge to lead 23-12 at halftime and roll to another district win Friday evening against Winters 47-23.
Carson Greenwood led the Plowgirl scoring with 19 points, followed by her sister Cameron with 14. Shauna McCambridge and Kaidy Ornelas both had 6, and Mia Lavalais had 2. McCambridge had 19 rebounds, Jacey Rodriquez 8, Ornelas 5, Lavalais 2, and Kirsten Welch 2.
Scoring by quarters:
1 2 3 4 T
Plowgirls 6 17 8 16 47
Winters 10 2 4 5 23
Then last night, they lost to the Lady Wolves in a hard-fought game at the Special Events Center 45-40. Carson Greenwood led the scoring for the Plowgirls with 15 points, followed by Shauna McCambridge with 11, Cameron Greenwood with 6, Jacey Rodriquez with 4, Kaidy Ornelas with 2, and Kirsten Welch with 2. McCambridge had 16 rebounds, Cr. Greenwood 6, Rodrquez 2, Mia Lavalais 2, Ornelas 1, Welch 1, and Cm. Greenwood 1.
Scoring by quarters:
1 2 3 4 T
Colorado 10 11 12 12 45
Plowgirls 9 8 15 8 40
Their next game is a matchup with Coleman here at the Special Events Center Friday evening with tipoff at 6:30 following the JV game.
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ROSCOE FFA 2021 STOCK SHOW RESULTS
Steers
Class 1
1st - Kelbi Parks
2nd - Shannon Sanders
Class 2
1st - Kelbi Parks
2nd - Shannon Sanders
3rd - Shannon Sanders
Reserve Grand Champion - Shannon Sanders
Grand Champion - Kelbi Parks
Showmanship - Shannon Sanders
Rabbits
Class 1
1st - Shauna McCambridge
2nd - Nate Anderson-Jones
3rd - Athena Newman
4th - Krslyn Jackson
5th - Ryan Roberson
Reserve Breed Champion/Reserve Grand Champion - Nate Anderson-Jones
Breed Champion/Grand Champion - Shauna McCambridge
Showmanship - Ryan Roberson
Broilers
Class 1
1st - Ally Benner
2nd - Peyton Morgan
3rd - Ryleigh Mahan
4th - Kaidynce Tilley
Reserve Breed Champion/Reserve Grand Champion - Peyton Morgan
Breed Champion/Grand Champion - Ally Benner
Showmanship - Ally Benner
Goats - Boer
Class 1
1st - Kaleb Martinez
2nd - Kaycee Gunter
3rd - Jo McAnally
Class 2
1st - Jo McAnally
2nd - Cheyenne Moorhead
3rd - Marcella Saenz
Reserve Breed Champion/Reserve Grand Champion - Kaycee Gunter
Breed Champion/Grand Champion - Kaleb Martinez
Showmanship - Kaycee Gunter
Lambs
Class 1
1st - Kaycee Gunter
2nd - Kaycee Gunter
Reserve Breed Champion/Reserve Grand Champion - Kaycee Gunter
Breed Champion/Grand Champion - Kaycee Gunter
Showmanship - Marcella Saenz
Swine
Class 1 - White OPB
1st - Zeke Murphy
2nd - Aiden Richburg
White OPB Reserve Breed Champion - Zeke Murphy
White OPB Breed Champion - Aiden Richburg
Class 1 - Dark OPB
1st - Colson Moffet
2nd - Lincoln Tiemann
3rd - Alyssa Aguilar
4th - Zeke Murphy
Class 2 - Dark OPB
1st - Jacob Kiser
2nd - Seth Wilcox
3rd - Dakota Freeman
4th - Lincoln Tiemann
Dark OPB Reserve Breed Champion - Seth Wilcox
Dark OPB Breed Champion - Jacob Kiser
Class 1 - Duroc
1st - Jacob Kiser
2nd - Seth Wilcox
3rd - Dakota Freeman
4th - Aiden Richburg
5th - Savannah Little
Duroc Reserve Breed Champion - Seth Wilcox
Duroc OPB Breed Champion - Jacob Kiser
Class 1 - Hampshire
1st - Reese Kiser
2nd - Aiden Richburg
3rd - Alyssa Aguilar
4th - Ally Benner
5th - Bentlee Cunningham
Hampshire Reserve Breed Champion - Aiden Richburg
Breed Champion - Reese Kiser
Class 1 - Cross
1st - Seth Wilcox
2nd - Aiden Richburg
3rd - Xander Moffet
4th - Zeke Murphy
5th - Alyssa Aguilar
6th - Gaven Martinez
7th - Madison Castillo
Class 2 - Cross
1st - Reese Kiser
2nd - Dakota Freeman
3rd - Maggie Morris
4th - Bentlee Cunnigham
5th - Sayge McCambridge
6th - Ivy Morris
Cross Reserve Breed Champion - Seth Wilcox
Cross Breed Champion - Reese Kiser
Reserve Grand Champion Swine - Seth Wilcox
Grand Champion Swine - Reese Kiser
Jr. Swine Showmanship - Aiden Richburg
Sr. Swine Showmanship - Jacob Kiser
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WINTERS, COLORADO CITY STOP PLOWBOYS
Winters and Colorado City both defeated Roscoe in district games this past week. The Blizzards beat the Plowboys in Winters Friday, 78-10, and Colorado City won yesterday evening in the Special Events Center, 70-16.
In the Winters game Antonio Aguayo had 4 points, Jax Watts 3, Parker Gleaton 2 and Lupe Leaños 1.
Scoring by quarters:
1 2 3 4 T
Winters 25 16 24 12 78
Plowboys 3 3 9 4 10
Against Colorado City, Aguayo and Wilcox both made 4 points. Gleaton had 3, Wells 2, Martin 2, and Gonzalez 1.
Scoring by quarters:
1 2 3 4 T
Colorado 22 13 19 16 70
Plowboys 4 2 7 3 16
The Plowboys’ next game is with Coleman at home in the Special Events Center. The game begins at 8:00pm.
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COVID-19 CONTINUES TO BE A BIG PROBLEM
Nationally, the Covid-19 numbers just keep going up. The US is now averaging over 3,000 deaths every day along with over 250,000 new cases per day, meaning over a million new cases in the US every four days. Hardest hit states are Arizona, California, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Texas is somewhere near the middle—23rd in new cases and 22nd in deaths.
However, Texas is rapidly approaching two million total cases since the pandemic began. The numbers of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are also still increasing. On Monday, 15,976 new cases were reported, an increase of 4,736 over the daily average a week ago. Hospitalizations are also at a record level with 13,397 Covid-19 patients across the state, an increase of 436 over a week ago. And for the first time, one patient in five in Texas hospitals is there because of Covid-19. The average of new daily deaths this week is 74 more than it was a week ago, and over 30,000 Texans have now died from Covid-19.
In Abilene, over 25%, or one in four beds in the Big Country’s trauma service area is for Covid-19 patients, the highest percentage ever. Active cases have also started going back up again after dropping for the last couple of weeks. There are now 2,386 active cases compared to 2,094 a week ago. Also 21 more patients have died of Covid-19 in Abilene since last Tuesday. The total for Taylor County is now 226 deaths. Covid-19 hospitalizations are currently at 128, compared to 139 last week.
In our four-county area, the numbers are mixed but remain serious. Nolan County now has a record 328 active cases, 5 more than last week’s 323, and Fisher County has 33 active cases, 17 more than last week’s 16. On the other hand, Mitchell County has just 48 active cases, 19 fewer than last week’s 67, while Scurry County has 137 active cases, a drop from the 178 of last week. However, it did have 8 more deaths this past week.
Here are the Big Country’s county totals for the year as of yesterday (with last Tuesday in parentheses): Howard, 2,616 (2,529); Erath, 2,308 (2,182); Scurry, 2,202 (2,117); Jones, 1,930 (1,882); Brown, 1,532 (1,381); Nolan, 1,367 (1,266); Comanche, 909 (892); Eastland, 671 (631); Runnels, 653 (592); Mitchell, 522 (503); Callahan 467 (424); Stephens, 392 (376); Coleman, 392 (311); Fisher, 258 (227); Coke, 229 (222); Haskell, 169 (153); Knox, 141 (135); Shackelford, 91 (78); Stonewall, 46 (43); Throckmorton, 34 (33); Kent, 30 (30).
Selected west Texas counties yesterday (with last week in parentheses): Lubbock, 44,547 (42,591); Wichita (Wichita Falls), 12,595 (11,544); Midland, 12,421 (11,726); Ector (Odessa), 6,363 (6,363); Tom Green (San Angelo), 4,146 (4,061).
Texas now has had a total of 1,753,059 cases (1,626,568 last week) and 30,219 total deaths (28,219 last week).
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WEATHER REPORT: ANOTHER SNOW
For the second time in less than two weeks, the Roscoe area got a big snow, the first on New Year’s Day and the second on Sunday.
This second one was the larger of the two, although both put a nice, white blanket on everything. The first one was about 3½ inches and the second anywhere from 5 to a little over 7 inches, depending on who you asked. The students didn’t get a snow day, though. All they got was a ten o’clock start on Monday. Both snows were beautiful while they lasted. Roscoe weatherman Kenny Landfried reports .61” precipitation from this second snow.
Temperatures this week were the lowest of any we’ve had so far this winter. The high temperature this week was Thursday’s 52°F, the low was Monday’s 23°. The other daily highs were all in the thirties or forties, and all the lows were around or below freezing. But, as they say, the second half of January is the coldest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, and we’re almost there.
Despite that average, the upcoming week should be warmer than the one we’ve just been through. Today’s high should climb to 59° with a southwest wind. Tomorrow the wind will shift to the north and have strong breezes with sustained high winds of over 20mph. The high will be about 56° with partly cloudy sky. Friday’s high will be 52°. Saturday’s 57°, Sunday’s 53°, and Monday’s all the way up to 60°. Lows will be in the thirties, with only Friday morning’s falling below freezing to 31°.
There is no rain in the forecast.
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† BETTY ANN (ZINKE) ROGERS
Private graveside services for Betty Ann (Zinke) Rogers, of Roscoe, will be at 2:00pm today, January 13, at Roscoe Cemetery with Rev. Juanelle Jordan officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home. She passed away Sunday, January 10, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.
She was born May 13, 1942, in Roscoe to Charlie and Lucille (Sanders) Zinke. A 1960 graduate of Roscoe High, she married Robert Bryan Rogers. He preceded her in death in 1996. Betty was an L.V.N. working in the medical field several years.
She is survived by a grandson, Casey Rogers and wife Vanessa of Morrilton, AR; a great granddaughter, Laira Beth Rogers of Morrilton, AR.; a sister, Sandra Lecroy; twin brothers, Jimmy Zinke of Arizona, and Billy Zinke of Weatherford.
She was preceded in death by her husband Robert Bryan Rogers in 1996; a son, Robert Lawson Rogers in 2003; and her parents.
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† LAVERNE ANNIE BROOKES
A family and friend’s visitation for Laverne Annie Brookes, 96, of Sweetwater and formerly of Roscoe, was held from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm. Friday, January 8, at McCoy Funeral Home. No other public services will be held. She passed away Tuesday, January 5, at Sweetwater Health Care.
Laverne was born October 28, 1924, at Crawford, Texas, to the late Frank William and Ida Louise (Teetz) Pietzsch. She was a graduate of Roscoe High School in 1943. She married William Paul “Juno” Brookes July 11, 1963, at Sweetwater, after the death of her first husband, Walter Thomas Watt, in 1961. She worked for many years at Cardwell Beauty Salon in Sweetwater as a hairdresser. Laverne has lived in the area since 1939, was a member of First Salem Lutheran Church in Roscoe, American Legion, and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.
She is survived by her children, Thomas Watt and wife Maxine of Aiken, South Carolina, and Tracy Coffman and husband Wayne of Odessa; grandchildren, Derrick Kidd of Sweetwater, Jennifer Elliott of Fort Worth, and Leigh Brookes of Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Laverne is also preceded in death by her husband “Juno” Brookes and her brothers; Frank, Wilbert and Herbert Pietzsch.
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Enjoyed your sledding memories. I remember them fondly but much preferred sledding in a cotton field with the stocks cut. Otherwise they pummeled you pretty good!
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