2021 Little Mr. & Miss XIT named

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

The 85th XIT Rodeo & Reunion had its first official event of the year as the 2021 Little Mr. & Miss XIT Pageant was held on Saturday July 24 at the La Rita Theatre. A total of six boys and 9 girls competed to be named Little Mr. and Miss XIT.

Dalhart’s Thomas Ralston qualifies for national motocross championship

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

While many people may wait years or even a lifetime to reach the pinnacle of their career or sport or hobby, if ever, Dalhart’s Thomas Ralston has made it to the top of at least one mountain while still in high school. Ralston recently qualified for the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, also known as Loretta Lynn MX since it is held at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee. This is basically the “Super Bowl” of amateur motocross.

Ralston lives in Dalhart but goes to school in Texline, and will be a sophomore this coming year at Texline High School. He has been both riding and racing motorcycles for about eight years. “Whenever I was about six years old we started watching this thing called Loretta Lynn’s MX on YouTube and that’s basically where it started.” Thomas Ralston said. His dad, Troy Ralston, said that Thomas’s first race was in August of 2013.

Governor Abbott, TDHCA announce $52.9 million in Housing Stability Services Grants for veterans, vulnerable Texans

AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) board has awarded $52.9 million in Housing Stability Service Grants to 31 organizations around the state. These grants will be used for housing stabilization activities, including outreach and shelter services, and will also allow the Texas Veterans Commission and TDHCA to work in partnership to connect veterans experiencing homelessness or those at risk of homelessness with direct local assistance, including housing, transportation, and mental health services. 

Channing’s Bryden Barber takes owned female show honors at 2021 Junior National Hereford Expo

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
Bryden Barber, Channing, Texas, and his heifer, BR Merida H031 ET, won the polled owned female show, and Kynlee Dailey, Kingston, Okla., won the horned owned female show with BK Have Points 050H ET, at the 2021 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo, July 9, in Kansas City, Mo. Josh Taylor of Stillwater, Okla., and associate judge Jordon Mullett of Stillwater, Okla., judged the owned show with 269 horned heifers and 602 polled heifers exhibited. The reserve grand champion horned owned heifer banner went to Blake Bruns, North Platte, Neb., with H Pixie 0635 ET. Beau Ann Graves, Chillicothe, Mo., with TKCC Diamond Club 001 ET, took home reserve grand champion honors in the polled owned female show. Topping the horned owned heifer show was Dailey’s Division IV champion, a March 3, 2020, daughter of H The Profit 8426 ET. Bruns’ reserve grand champion horned owned female, H Pixie 0635 ET, was first named Division II champion. She was an Aug. 29, 2020, daughter of H Montgomery 7437 ET. Barber’s grand champion polled heifer, BR Merida H031 ET, was first named Division VI champion. She was a March 21, 2020, daughter of UPS Sensation 2296 ET. Graves’ reserve grand champion polled owned female, a Feb. 15, 2020, daughter of CH High Roller 756 ET, was also Division VIII champion. The horned owned female show was sponsored by HME Herefords, Winterville, Ga., and Hopper Herefords, Maysville, Ky. The polled owned female show was sponsored by Hoffman Ranch, Thedford, Neb.

Victim airlifted to Amarillo after collision on Highway 54

By Bill Kelly
THE DALHART TEXAN

The driver of a pickup was airlifted by RICO Aviation to Northwest Texas Hospital after a collision with a semi tractor-trailer early in the morning on July 12 according to a report from the Texas Department of Public Service (DPS.)

The driver, Zaira Berenice Lozano- Rosas, age 28, of Dalhart, was heading southbound at about 2:30 a.m. on Highway 54 approximately six miles west of Dalhart, but was unable to maintain driving in one lane and crossed over into the northbound lane. The driver of the semi attempted to avoid a collision by moving over to the shoulder, but was unsuccessful and a collision between the two vehicles occurred on the shoulder of the highway. Lozano-Rosas was flown to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo by RICO Aviation with serious injuries. The driver of the semi, Francisco Javier Minjarez of Arizona, was uninjured in the collision according to the report from DPS.

Storms delay fireworks on 4th of July

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

The weather in Dalhart for the past week or so has been somewhat different from what the area usually experiences during late June and early July. Instead of temperatures in the 90s or higher, Dalhart has had temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Along with those lower temperatures have been several evenings of rain, canceling or delaying local sports events including adult softball and youth soccer.