Saturday, December 24, 2016 Volume 118, Number 51 20 Pages $1.00 www.HerefordBRAND.com
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day 'till Christmas
Make Newspapers Great Again
County to bid Smith reluctant farewell By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
The traditional New Year’s Eve strains of “Auld Lang Syne” will waft a few days early this year through Deaf Smith County Courthouse. The regular Deaf Smith County Commissioners Court meeting on the last week of the month that – for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day – is usually cancelled or numbingly mundane has a special purpose this
year as the county bids a reluctant farewell to Precinct 1 Commissioner Pat Smith. With his seat for grabs in 2016, Smith’s name was noticeably absent when qualifying for the race closed in mid-December 2015. Admitting he had heard plenty of “finally decided to throw in the towel” comments, Smith revealed in January that his stepping down was not be-
SMITH
cause he really wanted to leave office, but something he believed was in the best interest of his constituents and the county. “My hearing is getting worse,” Smith said. “I have endured a hearing problem all my life, but it has gotten worse over the past two years. “I knew I was missing too much information [in meetings] because of hearing problems.”
Wishing you and yours the very best the season has to offer
Merry Christmas from the BRAND family
The three-term commissioner became aware of his increasing hearing difficulties when he was first elected in 2004. Since then, he admitted “going through” three different sets of hearing aids in attempts to ease the problem. “It is especially hard talking on the telephone,” Smith said. “I was having a hard time understanding and communicating with constituents. There was too much information I and they might be missing."
School drought officially snapped with TEA results By Chris Aguilar BRAND Staff Writer
Hereford Independent and postsecondary readiSchool District (HISD) is ness (index 4). having one of its best holiThe TEA ratings report days in more than a decade showed HISD campuses had after receiving an early little trouble achieving that Christmas last month. goal with all but one school The Texas Education meeting all four indexes. Agency (TEA) made HISD fell just one official its 2015-16 short of having all accountability ratcampuses meet ings for school sysstandard for 2105 tems around the when Hereford Hill state, and HISD has School failed to plenty for which to pass three indexes. be proud. In addition to After prelimihaving all schools nary results came meet standard, out in early SepHISD saw a marked BLANKENSHIP tember, HISD ofincrease in the ficials awaited last number of distincmonth’s official designa- tions earned. tions with proverbial held Distinctions revolve breath. around results in as many An exhale came when as seven additional categofinal results, which were ries in comparison to 41 released last month, con- other state schools of simifirmed HISD had all its cam- lar demographics. puses meet standards. In 2015, HISD finished The results with six total dismarked the first tinctions – three time in 10 years for Aikman ElemenHISD has seen all tary, two for Blueits campuses meet bonnet Elementary standard. and one for Tierra “HISD is very Blanca Elementary. proud of our stuAikman led the dents and staff for way again for 2016 having met stanas a total of 13 dard,” HISD Sudistinctions were perintendent Sheri earned by HISD STOKES Blankenship said. schools. “We recognized the Aikman finished most important account- with five of a possible six. ability system is that of our Hereford Junior High made local community.” it in three of the five. According to TEA, to Bluebonnet and Tierra earn met-standard status, Blanca each finished with a school must meet at least two distinctions, while three of four established Northwest Elementary indexes – Student achieve- earned one for student ment (Index 1), student progress. progress (index 2), closing performance gaps (index 3) PLEASE SEE HISD | 2
Jingle bells, jingle bells, oo-rah all the way JROTC elves make Christmas better in Deaf Smith County By Chris Aguilar BRAND Staff Writer Some might question if the big guy in red really does exist and, if so, how does he manage to get gifts to boys and girls all over the world? The answer can be found in the Toys for Tots program initiated by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Established in 1947, the program is designed to collect toys and
distribute to children whose parents were unable to provide gifts for Christmas. Some might say this is Santa making Christmas dreams come true through his surrogate elves in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Some of those elves can be found in Deaf Smith County, dressed in everyday clothes or posing as members of the Hereford High School U.S. Marine Corps JROTC. JROTC commander Maj. Johnny Journey and cadets helped a number of Christmas wishes become reality this year for children in the county by distributing collection boxes around town. Cadet collection efforts for Toys for Tots began in early November and ended PLEASE SEE JROTC | 2
BRAND/Chris Aguilar
Hereford High School’s U.S. Marine Corps JROTC coordination of this year’s Toys for Tots drive proved a success as 1-year-old Henry Castillo illustrates while getting acquainted with his gift.