Saturday, December 3, 2016
Volume 118, Number 45 8 Pages $1.00 www.HerefordBRAND.com
21
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Officials alert residents to 'scam' involving legal aid
By Chris Aguilar BRAND Staff Writer
Deaf Smith County officials have sounded the alarm to alert citizens of legal scams being perpetuated in the county. Deaf Smith County Clerk of District Court Elaine Gerber reported her office has dealt with an increasing number of residents who appear to be victims of a legal aid scam. The issue specifically surrounds court documents – most often divorce
The scam is the illusion of helping residents, when in reality it is doing the complete opposite. Elaine Gerber Deaf Smith County Clerk of District Court papers, Gerber said - that have reportedly been obtained through what victims believe is the state’s Legal Aid
service. A government agency, Legal Aid is designed to provide legal assistance
Beginning to look a lot like...
to eligible, low-income clients free of charge. According to Gerber, victims have reported paying hundreds of dollars to obtain documents – off the Internet – from what they believe to be Legal Aid. “The scam is the illusion of helping residents, when in reality it is doing the complete opposite,” Gerber said. “Residents are going online, filling out paper work and paying fees believing they are working with Legal Aid.” PLEASE SEE 'SCAM' | 4
Weather yet to slow down airport work By Chris Aguilar BRAND Staff Writer
BRAND/Chris Aguilar
Above, Hereford city workers Richard Sanchez and Joseph Hernandez, and, below, Cesar Vega and Steve Gavina put the finishing touches on holiday decorations in Dameron Park for Monday’s annual Christmas Celebration of Lights.
Meeting cancelled to light up night From Staff Reports
Anyone looking for the Hereford City Commission meeting at city hall on Monday evening is going to come up empty. The board formally cancelled that meeting at its final November meeting on Nov. 21. While commissioners will be assembled Monday, it will not be for their regularly scheduled meeting on the first Monday of the month. Instead, they are planning to gather with most of the rest of the community at Dameron Park as Hereford officially kicks off the holiday season with the annual Christmas Celebration of Lights. City workers put the PLEASE SEE CITY | 4
Crews began work at Hereford Municipal Airport in October with specific plans to bring secondary areas of the facility up to standards of others. After extending and reinforcing the current runway several years ago to accommodate larger aircraft, officials found accompanying taxiways were unable to sustain the increased weight of that traffic. In the spring, Hereford City Commission approved a plan to bring those taxiways up to standards of the runway, as well as reinforce the current aircraft parking lot to handle larger and heavier craft. “Construction is going fine,” Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna said shortly after construction began. “It’s in the early stages and will take nearly a year before completion.” Weather was expected to shut down construction for several months between mid-November and March 2017. With earlier forecasts not holding true, Hanna said construction is on schedule and the crew is finishing up pouring concrete. “All is moving as planned,” Hanna said. “Weather has been good to workers, and they will continue to work until the weather changes.” Dropping temperatures will be a factor HANNA in delaying construction – particularly pouring and setting concrete – turning the workers job from difficult to nearly impossible. According to the Americas Cement Manufactures website, all concrete must be protected from freezing until it has reached a minimum strength of 500 pounds per square inch, which typically happens within the first 24 hours. If concrete freezes while it is still fresh or before it has developed sufficient strength, it may result an irreparable loss in strength. Early freezing can result in a reduction of up to 50 percent in the ultimate strength. “The project is expected to be completed mid-to-late spring 2017,” said project engineer Michael Kruzing of Lubbock-based Parkhill Smith and Cooper. “Everything has been going great, no issues and no concerns.” Kruzing added that the project is being tackled in three phases and roughly 25 percent of the overall work is complete. Concrete, which dominates phase 1 of the project, is approximately halfway complete, he said. “Workers have slowed down due to the Thanksgiving holiday and cold weather,” Kurzing said. “We hope to be done with phase one within the next few weeks.” Depending on weather, phase two of the project should begin early in the new year and run some 90 days before another 90-day phase 3 period prior to completion. “An important part of a successful project is good communication, luckily we have the honor of working with the City of Hereford and good contractors at J. Lee Milligan,” Kruzing said. “We have not had any communication problems so far which has resulted in a very seamless project. “We do not anticipate any problems going forward and anticipate a very successful project completion in 2017.”
Blood drive adds perks as need rises around holidays
By Chris Aguilar BRAND Staff Writer
When thinking about the holidays, folks all know it is better to give than receive. Arguably, the best gift to give this holiday season is the gift of life, and nowhere is this truer than in donating blood to save
a life. Amarillo’s Coffee Memorial Blood Center (CMBC) will be making its final 2016 blood drive stop in Hereford in hopes of bringing awareness and the importance of blood donations. The drive will take place at Hereford Community Center on Wednesday from noon-7:00 p.m.
“All blood types are welcomed, and we would like to see the community come together to show their support,” CMBC Marketing and Community Director Suzanne Talley said. “Blood donations tend to go down around the holidays. Blood supply gets very low, and the need for blood increases.”
This event will meet the community center’s yearly goal of hosting five blood drives. Talley encourages the community to take advantage of recently added ways to make your donation the most convenient. To save time, the community is encouraged to set appointments prior to the drive day. Appoint-
ments can be made by calling 806-334-8800 or visiting www. yourbloodinstitute.org. “We have limited time slots available, so we encourage the community to make an appointment to avoid a long wait time,” Talley said. PLEASE SEE NEED | 3
Advertisers! 'Letters to Santa' is near!
One of our largest and most viewed special sections of the year ‘Letters to Santa’ will be distributed December 24th. Don’t miss out this year. Get your ads in early to show your support for Hereford children as they write letters to Santa. Also a good place to run your Merry Christmas ads! Deadline for ad space is 5:00 p.m., Monday, Dec. 12th. All ads must be approved and ready to print by 5:00 p.m., Friday, Dec. 16th.
Call the Hereford BRAND at (806) 364-2030 to reserve your ad space today!