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Hereford BRAND Countdown to Thanksgiving 2018 - Thursday, November 22: 12 Days
Volume 118 | Number 37 WHAT'S INSIDE
Third time’s a charm
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Police Blotter Page 2
Whitefaces dominate All-District tennis Page 8
Annual dessert auction to aid KM playground
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The metaphorical dead horse Hereford Independent School District (HISD) appeared to be beating over getting a bond issue passed must have been named Lazarus after it revived and bolted across the finish line Tuesday. In an ironic turn at the ballot box, voters approved a $22.4 million HISD bond proposal in Tuesday’s general election. “We are very excited about the bond passing and very grateful to the
Where will the money go?
Below is a breakdown of preliminary cost estimates used to determine HISD’s $22.4 million and on what campuses funding has been allocated for specific projects. The measure was approved by HISD voters in the Nov. 6 general election.
Athletics ($5.7 million)
Safety and Security ($16.7 million) Aikman Elementary – $1,960,627.20 Bluebonnet Elementary – $3,540,544 Northwest Elementary – 3,869,275.20 West Central Elementary – $369,600 Hereford Junior High/HPA – $5,464,211.20 Hereford High – $1,523,200 voters for believing in us and trusting us with this opportunity,” HISD Super-
Whiteface Stadium fieldhouse
(includes stadium concession stands, restrooms)
$4,060,000 Lights for baseball, softball, tennis arenas
(includes softball/tennis concession stand and restrooms)
$1,000,000
(additional “soft costs” – $607,200)
intendent Sheri Blankenship said. “We believe this is the beginning of many
positive changes for Hereford ISD and for the Hereford community.”
The bond was the third floated by HISD since 2015 and saw a complete turnaround at the polls than the previous two. After both a $42.6 million plan and $45 million measure were defeated by 2:1 and 60-40 margins, respectively, in 2015 and 2017, the $22.4 million bond passed with 67 percent of the vote. Crafting the 2018 bond based on feedback from the previous failed attempts, HISD took advantage of the fall election PLEASE SEE BOND | 4
Good turnout, no problems for elections
Finally
Page 10
FORECAST
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Today
Sunny/Wind High: 55º Low: 33º
Sunday
Mostly Sunny High: 44º Low: 26º
Monday
AM Snow Showers High: 36º Low: 18º
Tuesday
Sunny High: 44º Low: 28º
Wednesday
Sunny High: 50º Low: 31º
Thursday
Sunny High: 54º Low: 31º
Friday
Sunny High: 53º Low: 30º For 9-year-old Luke Harmon, Tuesday could not come fast enough as he devours pancakes at the Hereford Kiwanis Club's annual pancake supper. Halloween was no big deal since Harmon had been admittedly anticipating the event for more than two months. BRAND/John Carson
In numbers that far surpassed any from recent non-presidential elections, Tuesday’s Election Day in Deaf Smith County definitely drew a crowd. In the mid-term election that included key state and national races, it was a pair of local issues that drove interest and resulted in 43.1 percent of the county’s 8.860 registered voters casting ballots. Unofficial tallies from Tuesday showed 3,816 county voters pushed the button between 10 days of early voting and Tuesday’s official Election Day. “The turnout was better than expected,” Deaf Smith County Clerk of Court Imelda DeLaCerda said. “Everything went well. There were no problems at all.” DeLaCerda was overseeing DELACERDA her final election as county clerk after her re-election bid failed in the March Republican primary. Primary winner Rachel Garman, who ran unopposed Tuesday, will take the office in January. However, it was not races, but issues that topped the local ballot with Hereford Independent School District (HISD) seeing a $22.4 million bond proposal approved and voters passing a non-binding City of Hereford referendum to use $6.5 million of city and Hereford Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) funds to build a proposed civic center. Although the ballot included nine races for county offices, only one of those – county judge – was contested.
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PLEASE SEE ELECTION | 6
Voters have say, OK funding for new civic center By Jim Steiert Contributing Writer
In the crapshoot that officials expected, the dice came up seven Tuesday as voters approved funding for a new civic center in Hereford. With prospects uncertain of the non-binding referendum passing, 55 percent of voters approved the proposal to use $6.5 million of city and Hereford Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) funds to construct a new civic center. “I am certainly glad it passed,” Hereford Mayor Tom Simons said. “I hoped
After months of uncertainty on whether it would come to fruition, voters gave their approval Tuesday for $6.5 million of city and HEDC funds to be used to build a new civic center in Hereford. Contributed image it would. I look forward to
taking the next steps.
and the school bond passing. It is giving us momentum for the community to move in the right direction.” Unofficial results from Tuesday – election results are not official until canvassed and certified by the election’s governing body – showed 2,701 cast ballots on the issue with 1,485 favoring it and 1,216 in opposition. While that translates into a 10 percent difference in vote total (55-45 percent), the difference only amounted to 269 votes.
“I am excited about it
PLEASE SEE CENTER | 5
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