Texas Monthly Says Roscoe Good Place to Visit

A nice article by Pam LeBlanc about Roscoe and Sweetwater has been published in the current Texas Monthly.

Entitled “How to Spend a West Texas Weekend in Roscoe and Sweetwater,” it includes brief comments from City Manager Cody Thompson, Mayor Pete Porter, Greg Wortham, and me, and in doing so brings up the Lumberyard, the Roscoe Collegiate program, the Blackland Smokehouse, Vickie’s Gifts, the Roscoe Historical Museum, and a little bit about the town’s history and current situation, including mention of its annual West Texas Wind Festival.

Its discussion of Sweetwater mentions the Rattlesnake Roundup but focuses more on the WASP Museum and Allen’s Family Style Meals.

The article is available online and may be accessed by clicking here.

In a separate online article, the current Texas Monthly also includes an interview with Gaylan Marth, formerly of Roscoe, and now owner and operator of Big Boys Bar-B-Cue in Sweetwater. Although conducted in 2013, the conversation is still timely because it focuses on Marth’s special methods of cooking and preparing the meats.

It is available by clicking here.

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ARMED ROBBERY AT YESWAY LAST FRIDAY

Yesway at the Alon service station in south Roscoe.

Roscoe Police are working to identify the perpetrator of an armed robbery on Friday of the Yesway convenience store on Main and the I-20 west service road. The holdup occurred at about 10:15pm, and the suspect got away with an unspecified amount of cash in excess of $100. In a video of the incident, he appears to be wearing a black hoodie and a mask covering most of his face. He is also wearing blue jeans and holding a pistol.

Anyone with any information of the incident is urged to contact the Nolan County dispatch at 325-235-5471 and ask for the Roscoe Police Department.

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ROSCOE COLLEGIATE ISD UPDATE

We are still COVID-19 free at the school.

At the March 15th board meeting, the board of trustees passed a resolution giving the superintendent the authority to rescind or reinstate COVID-19 protocols as appropriate.  The superintendent will likely rescind the protocols after Easter if we continue to have a low number of infections among staff and students.

A recent survey of RCISD faculty and staff revealed that 30% of respondents have been vaccinated, 6% are on a waiting list, 10% plan to be vaccinated, 36% have not made a decision yet, 3% have had COVID-19 too recently to be vaccinated, and 15% do not plan to be vaccinated.  The school is currently working with local health officials to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at the school building for faculty and staff.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD is inviting the community to complete a survey about the culture of our school.  To access the survey, click here.

Andrew J. Wilson, Superintendent
Roscoe Collegiate ISD

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PLOWBOY TRACK TEAMS AT COLORADO CITY TOMORROW

Spring Break is over now, and the Plowboy and Plowgirl teams resume their seasons tomorrow at the Lone Wolf Relays in Colorado City. 

 

This is their last meet before the District 8-2A meet, which will be held here in Roscoe next week. Events begin at 3:00pm

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BLOOD BANK SEEKS DONORS FOR BLOOD DRIVE

The Hendrick Regional Blood Center of Abilene is looking for volunteers to donate blood tomorrow, Thursday, March 25, from 9:00am to 3:00pm. The Bloodmobile will be located on 7th Street in front of the Roscoe Collegiate High School Special Events Center. Donations will take approximately 30-45 minutes, and donors are advised to eat a good meal and drink plenty of fluid beforehand.  

In addition to knowing their donations could help save a life, donors may receive anti-body blood testing at no charge if they successfully donate. There is a sign-up sheet in the RCHS office.  Walk-up donors are also welcome.

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NOLAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO BEGIN VACCINATING ADULTS OF ALL AGES ON MONDAY

The Nolan County Health Department will follow the state directive to open up vaccinations to adults of all ages starting this coming Monday, March 31. The state order is to allow anyone 16 or above to be vaccinated, but Nolan County has the Moderna vaccine, and Moderna doses are restricted to people ages 18 or older, so until the County gets some Pfizer doses, 18 will be the minimum age offered here.  

Health service providers will still prioritize appointments for people who are 80 and older. Vaccines are not limited to Texas residents, and citizenship is not a requirement for the vaccine.

Although vaccinations for people not in the first three phases don’t become eligible until next week, they may still go ahead and get on the waiting list now. To get your name on the waiting list for an appointment, contact the Nolan County Health Department at 325-235-5463.

Editor’s note: You may have read, heard, or seen on TV that Taylor County is already opening up vaccinations to adults of all ages.  That’s because they have plenty of doses now, including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Nolan County, however, currently has only a limited supply of Moderna, so they won’t open up to all adults until next week.

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RESTRICTIONS RELAXED AS COVID-19 CASES DROP

Case numbers over the entire country have dropped 8% in the past two weeks, but some places like New York, New England, New Jersey, and Michigan are offsetting the progress seen in other areas. Overall, there are now fewer hospitalizations since early last October and fewer deaths since November. The vaccination rollout is improving, and about 2.5 million people are getting vaccinated every day. Texas and Georgia are joining West Virginia, Alaska, and Mississippi in making all adults eligible for the vaccine.

In Texas, nursing home residents who are fully vaccinated can finally have unlimited hugs and visits from loved ones after a year of isolation. And, starting on Monday, anyone 16 or over is eligible for a vaccination. The state is opening up as many schools and businesses drop mask requirements. The Texas Rangers announced they will allow 100% capacity for the season’s opening baseball game on April 5. Texas state parks are also working toward opening to 100% capacity. Hospitalizations, new cases, and deaths have all decreased in this past week.

Improvement also continues in the Big Country. The number of active cases in Taylor County has fallen to 206 from 347 last week and 691 on March 1. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 in Abilene are now at 13 compared to 17 last week, and for the first time in a long time, there were no deaths, and an ICU unit is vacant.

In our four-county area, the numbers are also still low. Nolan County reports only 7 active cases, down from 8 last week. Fisher County has had no cases for five weeks now and only one the week before that. Mitchell County still has 8 active cases, the same as last week, and Scurry County reported 4 new cases. Once again, there were no new Covid-19 deaths in Nolan, Fisher, Mitchell, or Scurry Counties.

Here are the Big Country’s estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Brown, 64 (67); Howard, 46 (33); Jones, 39 (44); Erath, 13 (13); Kent, 9 (10); Mitchell, 8 (8); Nolan, 7 (8); Eastland, 6 (2); Comanche, 5 (7); Shackelford, 3 (3); Callahan, 1 (3); Coleman, 1 (1); Runnels, 1 (1); Stephens, 1 (1); Haskell, 1 (0); Coke, 0 (3); Scurry, 0 (1); Stonewall, 0 (1); Fisher, 0 (0), Knox, 0 (0); Throckmorton, 0 (0).
 
Selected west Texas counties’ estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Midland 298 (552), Ector (Odessa) 282 (111), Lubbock 155 (217); Tom Green (San Angelo) 132 (133); Wichita (Wichita Falls) 82 (94).

Texas now has had a total of 2,368,222 cases (2,351,382 last week), 104,994 active cases (111,691 last week) and 46,478 total deaths (45,700 last week).

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SUNDAY MORNING’S SOUTH WIND NOT A GOOD SIGN

A fire from a previous year.

There’s an old saying that great minds run in the same channels. If it’s true, then Injun Robert and I may have great minds because we both forgot to check to see which was the first day of Spring this year. It is usually March 21, but not always. And I’d intended to check to make sure but forgot to do so until Sunday morning—when I learned that it had been the day before, Saturday, March 20.

The “Sunrise Wind” ceremony was always performed by the Plains Indians at sunrise on the first day after the first day of Spring. So, it should have been done as the sun rose on Sunday morning. I checked shortly after sunrise, which was about 15 minutes too late. But there was still hope—if Injun Robert had remembered—so I texted him to see if he had. Unfortunately, he hadn’t either.

So, this year there was no fire and no smoke to watch as the sun rose in the east. However, it was pretty clear which way the smoke would have been going if it had, as there was a fairly strong breeze, about 15mph, coming directly from the south.

Those familiar with the the Taba’na Yuan’e, as the Comanches called the ritual, know that an east or northeast wind at sunrise was an omen that crops would be plentiful. A north or northwest wind foretold average yields, but a west wind was bad, and a southwest wind worse. But worst of all was a wind from the south—not a good sign!

So, maybe it’s just as well that the fire wasn’t made and the ceremony not performed this year. And, who knows? Perhaps our forgetfulness was the doing of the Great Spirit in the Sky, who didn’t want to break the bad news to us. In any case, we’ll try to remember when the cotton bales are counted at the end of this season to see if the wind’s prediction was accurate. Let’s hope we do better than that.

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WEATHER REPORT: MOSTLY MILD BUT SOME CRAZY WEATHER

 

Monday's sandstorm approaches from the west.

It's Spring. But West Texas springs are not like springs in other parts of the world. Kids growing up here slowly figure out the disconnect between our springs and the ones we learn about in nursery rhymes, where the little birds chirp, the meadows burst with beautiful blooms, and gentle breezes waft beneath a bright, blue sky. This is not to say we never get any of the above. On good days we do.

But that’s only half the story. We never hear any nursery rhymes about farmers staring at the sky day after day looking for clouds that might bring enough moisture to plant their crops, or about people trying to get to the house before it starts hailing or heading for the storm cellar to escape a tornado—or of sandstorms that suddenly descend upon us like the one we got on Monday afternoon.

In fact, Monday was just the kind of day that exemplifies West Texas weather. In the morning, there was strong wind that blew clouds in, which forecasters said would create showers. The next few hours were dark and gloomy, but nothing happened until about three in the afternoon when suddenly a shower hit, lasting about twenty minutes or so and then stopping almost as quick as it had started. Then followed a period with little wind, during which I walked to the post office and never got wet at all. Then, a couple of hours later, my phone started beeping to warn me of a wind advisory for a strong sandstorm due to hit soon. I looked outside and noticed that the sky was already turning red. Then about ten minutes later a giant sandstorm came directly out of the west and filled the sky with dust, which lasted at least until dark.

Then, yesterday morning when I woke up, the sandstorm was gone, the sky was blue and clear, and for a big part of the day there was so little wind that the flags around town were hanging limp. So, in just a couple of days, we’d had strong winds, sunny skies, overcast skies, some rain, a sandstorm, and a return to clear blue skies with little to no wind.

The shower was welcome even if it didn’t last long. I got .34”, which I think was general for the area, although Kenny Landfried recorded an official .17” at his house in east Roscoe, and I heard that it didn't rain at all in some places.

Temperatures were mild for most of the past week. The high was Sunday afternoon’s 77°F, and the low was Thursday morning’s 34°. Other daily highs were in the mid-sixties or low seventies.

This week should be warmer than last. Today and tomorrow have forecast highs of 70° with a slight (20%) chance of rain and medium-strength winds. Friday will have strong south winds with an afternoon high of 81° and Saturday will follow with a high of 79°. Sunday and Monday should be similar with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 70s.

The forecasters give us a 24% chance of precipitation on Sunday, but we will probably have to wait until next week for better chances of rain.

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