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| Dr. Andy Swift explains Texas Tech's wind energy program. |
A group of 65 educators, professors, administrators, and others was on hand at the RCISD STEM Center Monday evening for the Spring P-TECH Advisory Meeting. Not everyone who wanted to be there was able to attend in person, however, so the program was also livecast as a webinar to 25 others from several CEN (College Edu-Nation) member schools.
Roscoe participants included P-TECH officials and students, RCISD administrators and faculty, school board members, and others. The evening began with several RCHS seniors informally presenting their capstone presentations to attendees who arrived early to learn about them and vote on their favorites.
After a dinner catered by Taquería las Alteñas, RCISD Superintendent Andy Wilson welcomed the group, initial formalities were observed, and Dr. Kim Alexander opened the program with a brief history of the development of the P-TECH program along with an update of its current progress.
Dan Hunter, a former Plowboy and RHS ex who is now the Associate Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, was unable to attend in person this time, so he gave his talk virtually via the livecast. He provided a brief update of the situation in Austin along with praise for Roscoe’s program as an innovative approach to rural education and the ongoing need for such efforts as long as the Texas rural areas continue to provide energy, food, and fiber for the rest of the country and world.
Morgan Martin, P-TECH’s program coordinator, updated the program’s current progress and presented several of its current students, who answered questions about working toward college degrees while remaining in their hometown.
Dr. Johnson of Angelo State University spoke of that school’s current efforts toward increased involvement in such programs as Roscoe’s. He was followed by Dr. Andy Swift, who discussed Texas Tech’s new Renewable Energy degrees and opportunities.
Then Thomas Taylor of Ludlum Measurements and Jeff Grimland of US Gypsum spoke of the Big Country Manufacturers’ Alliance and the need of local schools and manufacturers to coordinate their efforts and maintain better communication. To do so will benefit both the manufacturers as well as their communities.
Dr. John Dedwyler of Collegiate Edu-Vet spoke of progress in working with animal reproduction services at Edu-Vet along with the opportunities for students such as apprenticeships as a way to careers in that field.
Dr. Glenn Shinn closed the program with a brief question-and-answer session concerning the evening’s presentations and education as it relates to rural economic development in Texas.
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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ANNUAL AUDIT, HEARS REPORTS
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| City Manager Cody Thompson addresses the City Council. |
At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the Roscoe City Council heard and approved the annual audit report from City Accountant Ricky Bowman, approved the City’s Quarterly Investment Report, approved a proclamation establishing April as national 9-1-1 Education Month, appointed Ernestine Edmiston and Helen Perry as election judge and clerk for the May 1 City Election, approved the purchase of a replacement vehicle for the Police Department, whose previous one was totaled when it was struck on I-20 during the ice storm, and heard reports from the City Manager and Chief of Police.
City Manager Cody Thompson gave the Council an update on the water and sewer and public works. He met yesterday with TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) and learned that the City of Roscoe will likely have to relocate the City’s main force sewer line located on the southside I-20 service road due to realignment adjustments proposed by TxDOT. In such realignments, the City must bear the costs and will be out around $50,000 to $60,000 to complete the project.
The City still can’t begin work on the water line improvements on Roscoe’s south side until the improvements are approved by the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and the TWDB (Texas Water Development Board). The work has been held up for some time now with the state placing the delay on the pandemic.
The Spring Clean-Up ended yesterday as a success. Workers had five roll offs at the clean-up and emptied 3 times and hauled off two loads of tires and numerous loads of scrap iron.
The City’s 4th of July celebration will be held this year on Saturday, July 3, since the 4th falls on a Sunday.
City workers are taking a load of reverse-osmosis filters to have cleaned for re-use at the City Reverse-Osmosis Water Plant as soon as possible, probably this weekend.
The City still has not chosen a manager to run the City Swimming Pool this summer.
Police Chief Felix Pantoja gave the Police Department report for the month of March. The Department received 73 calls, 2 civil standbys, handled one vehicle crash just outside the City limits by the American Legion hall, and issued no citations.
The suspected driver of the car crash of June 1, 2020, just inside the Roscoe city limits on US Highway 84, was Thomas Richard Gamage. He was indicted by the Grand Jury for causing the crash that resulted in the death of two adults and one child. Gamage was arrested in South Dakota last month on the indictment warrant from the Nolan County Grand Jury.
No suspect has been identified for the armed robbery at the Yesway convenience store on the westbound I-20 service road on March 19. The Department is still waiting on a store video from the corporate office.
Mark Wade Kilgore of Lubbock was indicted in March for stealing a truck from West Texas Rock Resources. He is also the suspect who broke into vehicles at the same locations and burglarized Nutrien Ag Solutions.
The Sweetwater Police Department has obtained new car computers and is giving the Roscoe Department two or three of its old ones, which are in good working condition and better than what the Department currently has.
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RCHS RUNNERS ADVANCE TO REGIONAL MEET
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| Antonio Aguayo won the 200 meter dash at Wink. |
For the Plowboys, Antonio Aguayo won the 200 meter dash, Caleb Reed finished fourth in the 1600 meter run, and the Plowboy team of Seth Wilcox, Antonio Aguayo, Julian Cuellar, and Tyler Guelker finished third in the 4 x 200 meter relay. For the Plowgirls, Kaidy Ornelas finished third in the 1600 meter run..
The Region 1 Meet will be in Canyon on Saturday, April 24.
Here are the Roscoe Collegiate results by event:
Plowgirls
Event Finish Athlete Time/Distance
1600 meter run 3 Kaidynce Ornelas 5:55.48
800 meter run 8 Yaniez Aguilar 2:52.27
400 meter dash 7 Mia Lavalais 1:08.18
4x400 meter relay 7 Plowgirls 4:41.72
(M. Lavalais, M. Calderon-Ruiz, Cr. Greenwood, K. Ornelas)
Triple Jump 7 Kaidynce Ornelas 29-08.25
Shot Put 8 Shauna McCambridge 27-08.50
Plowboys
Event Finish Athlete Time/Distance
1600 Meter Run 4 Caleb Reed 5:08.27
200 meter dash 1 Antonio Aguayo 23.32
4 x 100 meter relay 5 Plowboys 45.32
(Tyler Guelker, Antonio Aguayo, Seth Wilcox, Julian Cuellar)
4 x 200 meter relay 3 Plowboys 1:34.52
(Seth Wilcox, Antonio Aguayo, Julian Cuellar, Tyler Guelker)
4 x 400 meter relay 8 Plowboys 4:05.88
(Julian Cuellar, Keller Vinson, Seth Wilcox, Tyler Guelker)
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NICK PANTOJA WINS BURNET DEMOLITION DERBY
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| Nick Pantoja in his '84 Ford Crown Victoria before the start of the derby. |
Burnet is a central Texas town of 6,300 people 50 miles northwest of Austin.
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SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MEGAN KIRKLAND
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| Megan Kirkland |
George Girard Johnson, Jr., 18, of Abilene was taken into custody and charged with murder with bond set at $250,000. His mother, Stephanie Avalos, along with Ramon Aguirres, Jr., and Kimberly Renee Limas have been arrested and charged with tampering with evidence, while Yahayra Gutierrez has also been charged but is still at large. Their bonds are set at $100,000 each.
Megan was apparently an innocent bystander hit when shooting broke out at around 2am during a fight at the party. She had lived in Roscoe and was a former Plowgirl before moving with her family to Wylie while she was still in high school.
The party was attended by over 150 young people, many of whom did not know one another at what Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop called a Snapchat party. Snapchat is a social medium on the Internet popular with young people because its messages, often with photos, quickly disappear after being posted and can’t be traced.
On the night of the incident, news got out on Snapchat that there was a big party outside Abilene, and young people all headed out there to see what was going on. According to the Sheriff, they came not only from in or around Abilene, but also Sweetwater, Ranger, San Angelo, Albany, Austin, and elsewhere, which made learning what actually happened so difficult because everybody scattered after the shooting broke out. Only about 15 people were still there when law enforcement arrived.
Sheriff Bishop says that the investigation is ongoing, witnesses are still being interviewed, and several other arrests will be made.
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NATIONAL COVID-19 NUMBERS RISE, LOCAL ONES FALL
NOLAN COUNTY REPORTS NO ACTIVE CASES
Vaccinations for Covid-19 continue at a steady pace of over 3 million a day with 22% of adults fully vaccinated and 36% with at least one dose. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however, has been suspended as it has caused 6 rare cases of blood clotting. In Texas, one adult in five is fully vaccinated and one of three has had at least one dose. Texas is a leader, however, in full vaccinations for people in rest homes.
The numbers in Texas remain comparatively low. Its steady drop in all categories has leveled off this past week, however, as slight upticks in numbers of new cases and hospitalizations were reported while the number of active cases and deaths continues to fall. Covid-19 hospitalizations have reached 3,002 after a couple of weeks below 3,000. Active cases statewide are at 64,307 compared to 69,241 last week, and deaths now total 48,273, 451 more than last week’s 47,822 for a daily average of 64, which is 3 less than last week’s 67.
Numbers remain low but mixed in the Big Country. The number of active cases in Taylor County has fallen to 143 from 160 last week and 206 two weeks ago. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 in Abilene are now at 14 patients compared to 13 last week. The percentage of Covid-19 patients in the Abilene trauma service area is at 1.69%, slightly above last week’s 1.45%, but still quite low. However, 8 more deaths were reported compared to only 2 last week. The total for Taylor County now stands at 398.
In our four-county area, the numbers are also mixed. Nolan County reports 0 active cases—that’s zero, nil, nada—down from 3 last week. Fisher County has only 1, 2 less than last week, and Mitchell County has 2, down from 3 last week, along with the same 2 in the Wallace unit prison staff. Scurry County, however, is now listed as having 46, down from 65 last week. So, even though their numbers are still high, at least they’re moving in the right direction. And none of the four counties report any Covid-19 deaths this past week.
Roscoe schools remain Covid-19 free and have lifted their Covid-19 protocols.
Here are the Big Country’s estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Scurry, 46 (65); Jones, 38 (35); Howard, 38 (16); Coke, 12 (0); Erath, 8 (27); Brown, 3 (11); Comanche, 3 (3); Callahan, 2 (4); Mitchell, 2 (4); Stephens, 2 (2); Eastland, 2 (2); Shackelford, 2 (0); Fisher, 1 (2); Haskell, 1 (1); Runnels, 0 (3); Nolan, 0 (3); Coleman, 0 (0); Kent, 0 (1); Stonewall, 0 (0); Knox, 0 (0); Throckmorton, 0 (0).
Selected west Texas counties’ estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Midland 260 (232), Ector (Odessa) 219 (171), Lubbock 101 (141); Tom Green (San Angelo) 90 (91); Wichita (Wichita Falls) 38 (47).
Texas now has had a total of 2,428,867 cases (2,408,440 last week), 64,307 active cases (69,241 last week) and 48,273 total deaths (47,822 last week).
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WEATHER REPORT: MIXED SPRING WEATHER, MAYBE RAIN
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| Yesterday's cloudy sky. |
Last Wednesday and Thursday were mostly cloudy and warm with 78°F on Wednesday and 88° on Thursday. Friday’s high was 92° with a strong southwest breeze, and Saturday’s wind was from the north with a high of 76°. The wind shifted to the southwest on Sunday and reached a high of 92°. Monday’s high was only 68° with cloudy skies and a north wind, and yesterday was also cool with a high of 56°.
The forecast is for continued cloudy skies and cool weather today and tomorrow with a good chance of rain. Today’s high will be only 57° with wind from the north, scattered thunderstorms, and a 50% chance of rain. Tomorrow will be similar with a high of 61°, wind from the east, cloudy skies, and an 80% chance of rain. Friday will be partly cloudy with a 66° high, a strong north wind, and a 35% chance of rain.
Saturday will probably be dry with a high of only 59° with a strong north wind, and Sunday’s high will be 62°, also with a north wind.
So, the possibility of precipitation is there. Maybe this time we’ll get some.
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† ROY LEE McMILLAN
Roy was born October 10, 1929, in Big Spring to the late Ray D. and Mary L. (Ashbrook) McMillan. He married Jo Ann Roberds October 16, 1976 at Friona, Texas. Roy joined the U.S. Navy in September of 1948. After boot camp in San Diego, he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Sicily in Norfolk, Virginia. From there, the Sicily was deployed to service in the Atlantic and then to the Pacific Oceans. When the Korean War broke out, it was ordered to Korea. “We did tours in Korea from August 1950 until August 1952. We received three battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation and Ribbon.”
After Roy was honorably discharged on September 3, 1952, he returned to Big Spring, where he worked for the Texas and Pacific Railroad as an electrician apprentice and worked for the T & P for 18 years. He moved to Roscoe in September of 1967, where he worked for the RS&P Railroad for 17 years. He retired after 35 years of faithful service. Upon retirement, he became the custodian of Roscoe Church of Christ, where he was a member with his beloved wife, Jo Ann, since 1976. He served the church faithfully and with great love and devotion until his death. Truly, he was a good and faithful servant of his Lord. He was a member of the Roscoe Lions Club for 14 years and served one year as a Director and 12 years as the Club Treasurer.
Roy is survived by his stepdaughter, Billie Jo Selby and husband Leonard of Vancouver, Washington; brother. Bobby J. McMillan and wife Marilyn of Lubbock; nieces and nephews, Allison McMillan of Lubbock, Scott McMillan of Houston, Alicia Holligan and husband Dale of Lubbock, Kathy (McMillan) Odum of Jasper, Texas, and Riley Ray “Butch” McMillan of Oliver Springs, TN. He is also survived by great nephews, Conner and Brendan Burkholder, Taylor and Tanner Holligan; and great-great nephew, Aden Holligan.
Roy was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann, and his brother, Ray D. McMillan, Jr.
Pallbearers were Kim Alexander, Randall Smith, Ignacio Castillo, Dale Holligan, Ronnie Helm and Don Martin. Honorary pallbearers were Danny Allred, Ed Althof, Allen Pharis, and Danny Boren.
Memorials may be made to Roscoe Church of Christ, Lubbock Children’s Home, or South Plains Food Bank in Lubbock.
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