CareNet baby bottle fundraiser ends this weekend

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Carenet Pregnancy Center’s annual baby bottle drive started on Mother’s Day, and ends on Father’s Day, which is this Sunday. Churches, businesses, and individuals have taken baby bottles with them to fill with spare change, dollar bills, and even checks. After Father’s Day, the baby bottles can be brought back to a Dalhart Church or delivered to Carenet at 105 E. Third Street in Dalhart.

Weekend storm leaves damage throughout Dalhart 

By Billy Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN 

Hail, heavy rain and high winds from a storm late Saturday and into early Sunday knocked down tree branches all over Dalhart and damaged cars and houses as well. A total of 1.63 inches of rain was recorded by the National Weather Service at the Dalhart airport, all falling within a two-hour period.

Airbound Gymnastics hosts grand opening

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for Airbound Gymnastics, located at 101 Denrock (alley entrance), on Thursday. Airbound Gymnastics is built around the goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle through competitive and recreational gymnastics. They are excited to offer the Dalhart community an opportunity for their children to participate in another sports program.

Highway 54 wreck leaves one injured, cattle dead

By Rhonda Butters

THE DALHART TEXAN 

According to a report from the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office, an early morning accident on U.S. Highway 54 on Thursday, June 10 left one man injured and resulted in the death of some cattle as well as two semi tractor-trailers collided.

Dalhart and the surrounding area were enveloped in a heavy fog that morning that reduced visibility to anywhere from 20 feet to 50 yards. One semi loaded with 34 cattle pulled out from a feed yard onto Highway 54. The other semi was headed west on Highway 54 and collided with the trailer, actually splitting it in half.

Xcel Energy provides tips to help reduce electric bills as summer temperatures soar

AMARILLO, Texas
(June 8, 2021) – Temperatures are headed to triple digits in some parts of Xcel Energy’s Texas-New Mexico service area later this week, driving up electricity use as customers turn to fans and air conditioners to beat the heat. But by following a few basic energy-saving tips, customers can stay cool without breaking their household budgets. “Most of us use more electricity in the summer to keep our homes and businesses cool, and that’s when we see our highest bills,” said David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “It’s important to remember we have the power to control those costs if we pay a little more attention to how we’re using electricity and when we’re using it.” Home cooling can account for about half of a summertime electric bill, and the best way customers can keep their bills low is to practice some basic conservation and efficiency habits.

City council approves rate reductions with Atmos

by Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The City of Dalhart had a regular city council meeting Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. The meeting was open to the public and held at the Dalhart City Hall on 205 Rock Island Street. This council meeting was also posted to the Dalhart City Council’s Youtube page.

Ian Van Den Heever led the council in a word of prayer before proceeding. “Dear Heavenly Father, would you please keep our minds nice and clear. Make it that whatever we decide, we keep everyone’s interest at heart. Thank you for the wonderful blessings we have everyday. In your name, Amen,” Heever prayed. The council then consented on the agenda. They approved the minutes of the regular meeting that took place May 25th, 2021. The council also approved the May financial reports and bills. There were no public comments made at this meeting.

School board considers 2021-22 budget

by Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart Independent School District held a special board meeting Tuesday in order to host a budget workshop, as well as consider four action items and personnel. A majority of this meeting was a workshop to help educate the board on how to set the budget for the following school year. A budget proposal for the school district is required by the state of Texas before June 19th and acceptance of the budget is due on June 30th. The budget workshop was spearheaded by District Business Manager Brian Walton. It is important to note that increase in faculty salary was a high priority of discussion for this budget workshop. The board was helped by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in discussing raise of salary. The board also discussed a facility improvement plan. This improvement plan highlighted entrances and parking lots that have degraded through the years.

Intermediate school holds year-end ceremony

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart Intermediate School hosted their end-of-theyear awards ceremony Thursday, March 27th within the school’s auditorium.

The awards were presented to each grade in the following manner: third grade met at 8:15 a.m., fourth grade met at 9:15 a.m., and the fifth grade met at 10:35 a.m. Parents were invited to come to this event to celebrate their child’s achievements and to take pictures with the faculty.

Nursing home seeks donation of plants

Coon Memorial Nursing Home is seeking donations of plants, including annual and perennials, for both sun and shade. Volunteers will begin planting this week in the nursing home courtyard. For more information or to donate, call 806-268-2284.

Lake center holds grand opening

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Rita Blanca Lake Center held a grand opening on Saturday, June 5. The opening began at noon and continued throughout the afternoon.

The grand opening included hamburgers and hot dogs that were served to everyone who came out for the event. There were also several activities available for families. The Dalhart Volunteer Fire Department set up two different water polo lines, a smaller one for younger kids and a longer line for older kids and adults. There was also an inflatable water slide available for kids and water balloons. Horseshoe pits and cornhole games were also set up forthose who wanted to play.

Dalhart ISD releases summer meal program information

THE DALHART TEXAN

Bringing healthy summer meals to the Dalhart Community children ensures kids have a healthy vacation and return to school ready to learn.

This summer. Dalhart ISD will connect children 18 and younger and enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 years old with healthy, no cost summer meals. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a U.s. Department of Agriculture nutrition program administered in the Lone Star State by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). For the children who rely on school meals during the academic year, these meals offer a source of good nutrition when school is out for the long summer vacation.

Dalhart children need good nutrition year-round so they can lea rn, grow and succeed in life. “With nearly 2 million food insecure children living in Texas, these healthy meals are vital to nourishing young Texans during the summer vacation.”

Dalhart ISD hands out service awards

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart Independent School District held its annual service awards ceremony for teachers and staff on the final day of the 2020- 2021 school year, Friday, May 28. A number of teachers received awards for being with the district for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years, and five received rocking chairs as theyretired.

Honoring those who gave all

By Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN

Memorial Day services were held in the Dalhart Memorial Cemetery Monday morning as the community paid tribute to those who gave all in the line of service. Recent Dalhart High School graduate Ani Lees led the music, while Central United Methodist Church pastor Josh Stueve was the keynote speaker. The XIT Rangers posted the colors. Following the service, a brunch was held at Dalhart Senior Center. See page three for additional photos.

Dalhart Junior High recognizes students with top honors

By: Drew Stegall

THE DALHART TEXAN 

Dalhart Junior High School conducted the end of the year awards ceremony Wednesday. Parents and teachers gathered to support the DJHS students and celebrate all of the hard work that they have put in over the semester.

“These students have put in a lot of work in one of the roughest seasons. They have performed excellently through a pandemic as well as an energy crisis,” Principle Maddox said.

The awards ceremonies split up the times based on grade level. The eighth grade started at 9 a.m. The seventh grade celebrated at 10 a.m. The sixth grade concluded the award ceremonies at 11 a.m. In between ceremonies, students were encouraged to take pictures with their friends and sign each other’s yearbooks.

Third grade students have visitor from sheriff’s office

Dallam County Deputy Cory Hass visited with the third grade students of Dalhart Intermediate last week, and the students had the opportunity to see some of the equipment used by deputies.

The One Where They Graduate: DHS Class of 2021 says goodbye

By Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

After a long year that began with uncertainty, masks, quarantines and virtual school, the Dalhart High Class of 2021 was able to graduate in fairly normal circumstances as their senior year ended with the COVID-19 pandemic basically under control in the local area.

The commencement ceremony took place in Memorial Stadium on Thursday, May 27. The school did take the precaution of limiting the number of tickets that were made available for graduation and had family members sit on both sides of the stadium instead of just the home side to facilitate social distancing, but otherwise the ceremony was basically the same as all other graduation ceremonies in the past, with the exception of last year’s drive-by graduation.

Dalhart City Pool opens tomorrow

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart City Pool is set to open tomorrow. Admission will be free for this first day of the swimming season.

The pool will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Adult swim will be from 5 p.m. unitl 6 p.m. Family night will be from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Admission to the pool will be $3 for the remainder of the summer. No outside food or drinks are permitted.

Dalhart FFA hosts annual banquet

by Bill Kelly

THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart High FFA held it's annual banquet on Thursday, May 20 at the Rita Blanca Coliseum. The FFA looked back on the past year and announced a large number of awards that were won throughout the year by different members of the organization.

Hartley, Channing and Texline host commencement

by Rhonda Butters, Bill Kelly & Nixie Sanderson

THE DALHART TEXAN

Hartley, Channing and Texline graduates participated in commencement ceremonies Friday, May 21 at
their respective high schools.

Higher food prices reflect variety of factors

By: Paul Schattenberg

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE COMMUNICATIONS

Factors contributing to some higher prices at the local grocery tore are the result of a perfect storm of short and long-term retractions, disruptions, disasters and wide fluctuations in supply and demand, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists. And that’s just the short list.