HerefordBRAND.com
| Saturday,
July 15, 2017 | Printed on recycled paper
Hereford BRAND Proudly Serving The High Plains Since 1901
Volume 117 | Number 5 WHAT'S INSIDE
Boots vs. Badges does 'great job' Pages 4-5
10 pages | $1.00
Pipe break forces lane closure on 25 Mile
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Phone, computer scams rampant Page 6
Wrestling camp a de-facto tryout Page 9
FORECAST
Today
Mostly Sunny High: 93º Low: 66º
Sunrise: 6:47 a.m. Sunset: 9:03 p.m. Wind: SW 9 MPH Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 41% UV Index: Extreme
Sunday
Partly Cloudy High: 91º Low: 65º
Sunrise: 6:48 a.m. Sunset: 9:02 p.m. Wind: SSE 11 MPH Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 47% UV Index: Extreme
Monday
Mostly Sunny High: 94º Low: 66º
Sunrise: 6:49 a.m. Sunset: 9:02 p.m. Wind: SSE 13 MPH Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 59% UV Index: Extreme
HEREFORD HISTORY 30 year ago • July 15, 1987
On this day in 1987, the temperature reached a high of 79 degrees. It was nice weather for the middle of July.
INDEX
Obits.........................2 News......................3,6 Community....4-6, 9-10 Classifieds...........7-8 Sports.................9-10
© 2017 Hereford BRAND A division of Roberts Publishing Group
City utility workers get a face full as water gushes up from a break in a line break Tuesday on 25 Mile Avenue at the intersection with Catalpa Street as they work to drain leaking water before repair efforts could begin. BRAND/John Carson
City of Hereford utility workers got a chance to escape the summer heat Tuesday, but not exactly in the way they might have liked. Workers were chest deep in water after the mid-day rupture of a water line at the intersection of 25 Mile Avenue and Catalpa Street. According to Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna, a 3-inch water line going west down Catalpa broke at its connection with a 6-inch water main that runs down the outer side of the right lane of 25 Mile. The result was a veritable flood of water that saturated the roadbed for more than 30 feet and had workers using three pumps to remove leaking water from the affected area, as well as a pair of fire hydrants to HANNA limit the amount of water coming into the damaged area, before repairs on the break could begin. Workers had to tear up a portion of the roadway on both 25 Mile and Catalpa and dig a 4-foot deep trench to facilitate repairs. “Age of the pipes was the reason for the break,” Hanna said. “Those are cast-iron pipes and have been in the ground a long time. We don’t even use those type pipes anymore. “It would be nice to provide protection against corrosion, but it is not cost effective. At some point in the future, those pipes will need to be replaced.” He added that no residents or businesses in the area went without water due to the break and subsequent repairs, although some may have experienced a drop in water pressure. An estimated 150,000 gallons of water was lost due to the break, which Hanna said amounts to about 6 percent of the
County gets good news on collections By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
When it comes to collecting past due taxes, court fines and fees, Deaf Smith County is faring much better than some of its counterparts in the Panhandle and state. That was the gist of a presentation by representatives from the law firm of PerdueBrandonFielderCollins & Mott, which handles the county’s delinquent collections, to the Deaf Smith County Commissioners Court during its regular meeting Monday. “We work very hard for our 20 percent,” Brent Sherrod said. “Our fee is tacked on top of what we collect. We only get paid if we collect. We do all we can to collect to make our money. “The county gets 100 percent of what it is owed when payments are made
to us.” In a breakdown of delinquent tax collections, attorney Blake Newton noted that 41 percent of the county’s tax base is untouchable for collection for a number of reasons, but was pleased with the overall collections made between 2012-15 – 2016 delinquent taxes could not yet be included. Of the $581,817 overdue taxes owed for 2012, Newton reported that 96.4 percent ($560,780) had been collected. With a 12 percent penalty and 6 percent interest rate added, that total jumped to $661,720 – 113.7 percent of the total amount owed. Numbers were similar for 2013 delinquencies with 94.3 percent ($512,972) of the total $543,879 collected. Totals dipped for 2014 PLEASE SEE COLLECTIONS | 3
PLEASE SEE LEAK | 10
HISD reinstates finals waiver By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
A vein attempt
Nurse Nicole LeMaster looks for a vein as Hereford Police Officer Jeff Poindexter is ready to donate blood during this week’s Boots vs. Badges blood drive at Hereford Community Center. BRAND/John Carson
Thanks to the shift in how a school year is figured, students in Hereford Independent School District (HISD) now have the proverbial carrot on a stick dangling in from of them. The HISD Board of Trustees gave unanimous approval at its June 26 regular meeting to an academic incentive waiver proposal that would allow students who meet specified criteria to exempt taking semester final tests or even come to school during finals week. PLEASE SEE WAIVER | 6
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