Wellington State Bank names new Branch President for Dalhart

THE DALHART TEXAN

Wellington State Bank has named Tim Kraich as its new Senior Vice President and Branch President of their Dalhart location. Kraich will manage the daily activities and operations of the Dalhart branch and serve as a branch loan officer. Wellington State Bank offers a wide variety of personal, commercial, agriculture and real estate loans. Kraich comes to Dalhart with an extensive background in the banking industry, bringing over 30 years of experience. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from West Texas A&M University, and is a graduate of The Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Dalhart ISD registration set for next week

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

All four campuses in the Dalhart ISD will hold registration for both new and returning students next week.

Much of registration is actually now done online, and online registration has been open for over a week. Parents need to login to Parent Portal for the online portion of registration. After parents have logged in they should click the “Red” Registration button under student name and then click “Green” Start Registration button and complete the online process. The link for Parent Portal is available on dalhartisd. org under “Parent Resources,” and links have also been placed on each campus’s Facebook page. Parents of students who are new to the district at any of the four campuses will need to bring their child’s birth certificate and social security card and the parent’s driver’s license/ID.

Little Mr. and Miss XIT Pageant tomorrow

THE DALHART TEXAN

The annual Little Mr. and Miss XIT Pageant will be held tomorrow morning, July 24 at the La Rita Theatre at 10 a.m. Contestants must live within a 50-mile radius of Dalhart and be 3-5 years of age. Anna Pollard and Kye Green were named Little Miss and Mr. XIT in 2019. They are shown here with the prizes they received for winning the pageant that year.

Sandhills Beef Cattle Conference draws record crowd

By Susan Hines

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE COMMUNICATIONS

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Sandhills Beef Cattle Conference was held July 7 in Monahans at the Ward County Event Center.

The event drew over 200 participants, the conference’s largest crowd to date, and featured realworld cattle demonstrations, educational presentations and discussions, and 22 trade booths

Lunch and breakfast were prepared for participants at an authentic chuckwagon.

Local businesses present XIT plans to Rotary Club

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

Some members of the local business community talked to the Dalhart Rotary Club at the luncheon on Thursday July 15 about their plans and promotions for the weekend of the XIT Rodeo & Reunion.

Abigail Bramblett wins state pageant!

Steve Sisney Photography/Courtesy Photo

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

Abigail Bramblett of Dalhart  has been competing in the Our Diamond Miss series of pageants for three years now, and in June won the titles of Texas Tiny Tot, Texas Tiny Diamond Girl, Photogenic, and Portfolio winner at the Texas Our Diamond Miss pageant. She went on to compete at nationals and was named Second Runner up in Diamond Girl, First Runner up in Sweepstakes, Second Place Modeling, and Second Place Talent in the Tiny division.

Senate committee approves bonus check for retired teachers

By Richard Lee

SENATE NEW MEDIA SERVICE

Retired public school teachers, administrators, and staff would get a 13th check this year under a bill approved unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee on Friday July 9. SB 7, by Houston Senator Joan Huffman, would send all retired members of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas a bonus check equal to their monthly annuity or $2,400, whichever is less. This bonus would cost the state just over $700 million in general revenue. “Remember that we are not just talking about teachers -TRS also serves our librarians, our school nurses, counselors, custodial and support staff, bus drivers among other public education positions, all important people in the public education process.” said Huffman. “We are so grateful for the work that they do for us and the children of this state.”

Virginia Wedel: 100 years’ young

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

Long time Dalhart resident Virginia Wedel will be celebrating her 100th birthday today, Tuesday July 13. Her life has been full and adventurous as she has traveled the world and continues to work to this day.

Coon Memorial takes steps to improve women’s health

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

In an effort to make gains in the long-term health outcomes for many of the women in Dalhart and the surrounding counties, the Dallam-Hartley Counties Hospital District (DHCHD) recently purchased two new pieces of radiology equipment and installed them in a small suite of rooms in the radiology section of Coon Memorial Hospital. One is a 3-D mammography machine, which will be used to hopefully detect breast cancer in the earliest stages, and the other is a bone density scanner that can detect the beginning signs of osteoporosis.

Hospital board approves budget for 2022

by Andrew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

On Thursday June 24th, the Dallam-Hartley Hospital District Board of Directors held a regular monthly meeting. The meeting was open to the public and took place within the Coon Memorial board room. The meeting began with a call to order and an introduction of guests by Kevin Caddell. There were no special guests present and no audience with the public. The board approved the minutes of the previous meeting that took place on May 26.

Next, the board reviewed and approved financial reports presented by Chief Financial Officer Joe Bradick. First, Bradick discussed the financial review of May. The gross patient revenue was $3,265,469. This is higher than last May by $85,929. However, this May’s expenses were higher than prior May by $495,055. This created a net loss of $17,227. The year to date (YTD) patient revenue for May was $35,471,354. This is higher than last May’s YTD by $1,032,895. Total operating expenses were $24,262,771 which is $575,717 higher than last May’s YTD. The net income was $2,984,840, which is higher than last May’s net income of $756,537. Current ratio (Liquidity) is 1.91  which is significantly higher thanprior May’s 1.11.

Emma Lathem receives McKnight Scholarship at Oklahoma State University

by Rhonda Butters

THE DALHART TEXAN

Dalhart High graduate Emma Lathem was recently awarded the prestigious McKnight Scholars Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and service. The McKnight Scholars Leadership Program is a prestigious leadership program at Oklahoma State University. Named after its benefactors, Ross and Billie McKnight, the McKnight Scholars Leadership Program is one of the premier undergraduate leadership cohorts in the nation. Only 30 to 35 students are selected annually for the program, which includes a scholarship valued at over $70,000, a fully-funded study abroad experience, and leadership courses. Students were selected based on a rigorous application process that evaluated demonstrated leadership ability, commitment to service, and academic strength.

End of an era

by Brittni Turner

THE DALHART TEXAN

Central United Methodist Church moved into its new building in the fall of 2017, across 6th Street from its old building. The old church building began being torn down on Friday June 25, marking the end of an era for the church and for Dalhart as it not only served as a church building, but as a preschool as well.

Some work remained to be done after demolition of the old Central United Methodist Church building
began on June 25

Dalhart ISD holds summer school programs

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

Summer school officially ends tomorrow at Dalhart High School, while a couple of summer school programs for migrant students ended at Dalhart Elementary on Wednesday June 23 with a drawing for eight bicycles that were donated by CSS Farms.

Space, exercise may be critical to drylot beef heifer reproduction

By Kay Ledbetter

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE COMMUNICATIONS

Space and exercise could be almost as important as food and water to the successful development of beef heifers raised in drylots, and quantifying that importance is the aim of a planned study by a Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science researcher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Reproductive development of replacement heifers dictates the overall efficiency of cow-calf operations. In order to maximize efficiency and minimize resource use, beef industry replacement heifers are increasingly being housed in drylots. While the practice is less common in Texas than in other areas of the country, land-use trends suggest it may become more prevalent, said Texas A&M’s Reinaldo Cooke, Ph.D., beef cattle production associate professor.

“As an example, Houston, Navasota and College Station will soon become one big metropolitan area,” Cooke said. “We are going to have less grass resources for cattle, competing with urban development and crop production. I don’t believe the whole industry will change to confined operations, but we need to find management systems to make sure we are maintaining or promoting production efficiency and fostering animal welfare.”

That is why, he said, management and stocking density guidelines for heifers reared in drylots are urgently needed. Optimal nutritional programs have been developed and disseminated, but not those for heifer welfare aspects, including stocking density. These stocking density guidelines exist for poultry, swine and dairy cows, yet there is a dearth of information regarding stocking density for beef cattle, Cooke said.

He will address this critical need with a Texas A&M Department of Animal Science team consisting of animal welfare specialist Courtney Daigle, Ph.D., and reproductive physiologists Ky Pohler, Ph.D., Rodolfo Cardoso, Ph.D., and Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., who is also department chair.

The team received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture to look at stocking density and determine if management of stocking density can prevent development of the reproductive pathways needed for the heifer to reach puberty.

Jasmine’s Fight 3-on-3 tournament raises $3,500

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

A “Jasmine’s Fight” 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for Jasmine Bustillos and her family was held on Wednesday June 23 at the Dalhart High gyms.

Bustillos is an incoming junior at Dalhart High and has been a cheerleader her entire time in high school. She suffered a very severe head injury right before school ended, and had to be airlifted to Amarillo and has since been flown to Dallas for further treatment. A number of fundraisers are being held in Dalhart to help her family pay for all the expenses that are accumulating from the injury.

Two members of the Dalhart Lady Wolves’ athletic teams, junior Maddy Stady and sophomore Dylan Moore, got together and organized the 3-on-3 tournament as another fundraiser for the Bustillos family. Stady is in the same grade as Bustillos, and plays volleyball with her. Moore also plays volleyball with Bustillos, and is also a fellow cheerleader. Both young ladies wanted to do something for the family, and came up with the idea of a benefit 3-on-3 tournament.

City council holds regular meeting

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart City Council held a regular meeting Tuesday June 22nd at the City Council Chambers on 205 Rock Island Street. This meeting was open to the public and is available to re-watch on the City of Dalhart’s YouTube Channel. The meeting began with Mayor Justin Moore leading the council in prayer. Next, the council approved the minutes of the regular meeting that took place on June 8. There were no public comments made at this meeting.

XIT “Plaster Day’ Poster

By Rohnda Butters

THE DALHART TEXAN

 2019-2020 XIT Queen Kaylee Mitchell and 2021 queen candidate Sam Unruh put up an XIT poster at the Dalhart Texan’s office during “Plaster Day” on Wednesday June 23.

Texline Tornadoes receive state championship rings

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

While it has been over three months since the Texline Tornadoes won the Class 1A state basketball championship, they had one final ceremony to commemorate their title as they received their state championship rings on Tuesday June 22 at the Texline gym.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for Better Health

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN 

The Dalhart Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for Better Health on Saturday June, 19. Better Health is located at 201 Denrock and is owned by Rocio Guerrero, and serves healthy foods and drinks 

'Doc' Graham Center opening celebrated at West Texas A&M University 

By Kay Ledbetter

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE

The Charles W. “Doc” Graham ‘53 DVM, The Texas A&M University SystemCenter officially opened on the West Texas A&M University campus with celebratory comments from Chancellor John Sharp and West Texas A&M President Walter V. Wendler, Ph.D., as well as other dignitaries such as Patrick J. Stover, Ph.D., vice chancellor of Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and Bruce Akey, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory director.