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| Saturday,
April 8, 2017 | Printed on recycled paper
Hereford BRAND Volume 116 | Number 81 WHAT'S INSIDE
Proudly Serving The High Plains Since 1901
2 killed in Tuesday crash on U.S. 385
From Staff Reports
College bound seniors honored Page 3
Weather reportedly resulted in the death of two men Tuesday morning as a result of a traffic accident on U.S. 385 in Deaf Smith County. According to reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), troopers were called to a two-vehicle crash about 14 miles north of Hereford around 9:30 a.m., Tuesday.
Kenneth Bernal, 20, of Hereford, was driving a truck tractor pulling a semi-trailer south on U.S. 385 as 64-year-old Michael Betzold of Liberal, Kan., approached in the northbound lane driving a truck tractor with no trailer. Reports said Betzold’s vehicle began to hydroplane on the wet roadway, causing him to lose control. The vehicle slid into the southbound lane and collided
Page 5
Lady Whitefaces bounce back, 4-1
You take this, and we’ll take that was the main order of business Monday for the Deaf Smith County Commissioners Court. In the top item on a short agenda, commissioners approved the exchange of properties and buildings with Hereford Federal Credit Union (HFCU). Upon the official closing of the transaction, HFCU will take possession of the courthouse annex on Third Street in exchange for its branch office and property on the corner of Fourth Street and Schely, adjacent to the courthouse, and a $30,000 cash payment. While commissioners approved the exchange – which was set in motion earlier this year – it could as long as 18 months before the county actually takes possession of the HFCU building and property. With all tenants – several state agencies and Hereford Food Pantry – of the annex relocated, reports are HFCU will raze the building and begin construction of a new facility when the agreement officially closes within the next 30-45 days. However, Deaf Smith County Judge D.J. Wagner said the county would not take possession of the former HFCU property until the credit union has fully completed its move into the new facility.
FORECAST
Today
Mostly Sunny/WInd High: 86º Low: 50º
Sunrise: 7:26 a.m. Sunset: 8:16 p.m. Wind: WSW 20 MPH Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 29% UV Index: 8 of 10
Sunday
Partly Cloudy/Wind High: 79º Low: 44º
Sunrise: 7:25 a.m. Sunset: 8:17 p.m. Wind: W 25 MPH Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 23% UV Index: 8 of 10
Monday
HEREFORD HISTORY 20 years ago • April 8, 1997
With wind gusts of up to 40 mph bombarding them at almost every turn, the Lady Whitefaces breezed to fourth place in the final standing Saturday afternoon at Dick Bivins Stadium in the Amarillo Girls Relays.
Accepting the invitation Above left, Alyssa Vallejo digs for the finish line for fourth in the girls 400 meters, while, above right, Caleb Martinez goes a season-best 42-7.5 to win the boys triple jump in the annual Hereford Invitational Track Meet on March 31 and April 1. Below, Hereford’s Jasirianna Gonzalez, third from left, makes a move down the homestretch for a second-place finish in the girls 200 meters. For more on the meet, see Sports, pages 9-10. BRAND/John Carson
Obituaries................2 News......................3-6 Classifieds...............7 Real Estate..............8 Sports.................9-10
© 2017 Hereford BRAND A division of Roberts Publishing Group
PLEASE SEE COUNTY | 2
HHS JROTC cadets part of memorial march By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
INDEX
DPS Sgt. Cindy Barkley reported that U.S. 385 was closed between Rural Route 1412 and Country Road 21 for several hours Tuesday morning and afternoon as the accident site was investigated and cleared of debris. The road was re-opened for traffic by 4 p.m., Tuesday. The traffic fatalities are the first two reported in Deaf Smith County for 2017.
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Page 9
Sunrise: 7:23 a.m. Sunset: 8:18 p.m. Wind: NE 16 MPH Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 32% UV Index: 6 of 10
into Bernal’s truck and trailer. Bernal and Betzold were pronounced dead on the scene by Deaf Smith County Justice of the Peace Karen Boren. The report added that Bernal, who was ejected from his vehicle upon impact, was not wearing a seat belt. Troopers were unable to determine if Betzold was wearing a seat belt due to the severity of the damage to his vehicle.
County approves building exchange
St. Anthony’s Science Fair
Partly Cloudy High: 66º Low: 39º
10 pages | $1.00
More than 20 cadets from the Hereford High School U.S. Marine Corps JROTC tested their physical and mental limits on March 19 by taking part in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March. The march, which takes place at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, commemorates the April 9, 1942 start of the forced march of 75,000 Filipinos and Marines by the Japanese to prison camps on the Bataan peninsula in the Philippine Islands.
The 21-member HHS contingent in the 2017 memorial march – which honored the 75th anniversary of the infamous incident – was the largest ever to take part. “It was inspiring,” said U.S. Marine MSgt. and Vietnam veteran Larry Trujillo, who is one of the HHS JROTC instructors. “It shows that we’re reaching them. We’re challenging them, and they’re growing with the challenges. Their participation also challenges the other cadets in the program. PLEASE SEE JROTC | 6
A total of 21 Hereford High Marine JROTC cadets started the Bataan Memorial Death March including seven who were taking part in their second 26.2-mile event. Contributed photo