Early voting ends next Tuesday
Five candidates are running for the three open positions on the FISD Board of Trustees. Election Day is Saturday, May 1st and the voting location is the Friona City Council Board Room at 619 Main Street. Voting will take place from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on that day.
Antonio Rocha, Jason Rector, Kody Kimbrough, Dustin Thompson, and Andy Montana are vying for the opportunity to represent the community by serving on the board which oversees the operations of the Friona Independent School District. The three candidates elected will serve three year terms.
Each of the candidate's names will be listed three times on the ballot. Voters may cast three votes. Some of the voting options include; (1) voting for the same candidate three times, (2) voting for three different candidates, and (3) voting twice for one candidate and once for a another candidate.
Early voting continues this week at the FISD Administration Building at 909 E. 11th. You can vote from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 22nd and Friday, April 23rd. The final two days of early voting are 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 26th and Tuesday, April 27th.
Anahi Gonzalez advanced to the state academic UIL contest with the top physics score at the regional meet last week. She also had the top score in physics at the district academic UIL meet. Anahi is a Junior at Friona High School and is the daughter of David and Erminia Gonzalez.
Teinert Construction will finish work on the new Primary School building in the next 3-4 weeks. This photo of the west side of the new facility also shows the empty lot where work on parking, playground, and general landscaping will soon begin.
On Tuesday, the Texas Municipal Police Association, the Texas Fraternal Order of Police, the Dallas Police Association, the Houston Police Officers' Union and the Harris County Deputies' Organization released the results of a statewide poll of likely voters that reveal overwhelmingly favorable opinions of their local law enforcement, support for more police officers on the street and higher budgets for police departments, and concerns that law enforcement reforms being considered by the Texas Legislature could make their communities less safe.
The statewide poll of likely Texas voters conducted from March 22-24 by the polling firm Cygnal found:
• 72.3 percent have a favorable opinion of local law enforcement.
• 58.1 percent want their local police force budget to be increased.
• 63.2 percent want more police officers on the street.
• 60.3 percent are concerned the reforms could make their city or town less safe.
• 46.8 percent believe Texas is less safe than it was 5-10 years ago.
"The results of the survey are clear: A vast majority of Texans have a favorable opinion of their local law enforcement, they want more officers on the ground and larger local police budgets," said Kevin Lawrence, Executive Director of the Texas Municipal Police Association.
Lawrence added, "The TMPA, the Texas Fraternal Order of Police, the Dallas Police Association and the Houston Police Officers' Union share the concerns of Texans who believe reforms being considered by the Texas Legislature could make their communities LESS safe. We will continue to work closely with lawmakers to ensure reforms protect the public and our brave law enforcement officers."
Next Wednesday is National Superhero Day. It honors superheroes, both real and fictional. Batman, Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Hulk, and Spiderman are just some of the superheroes whose names we recognize. Even though they are fictional, these superheroes are great role models for our children. They serve and protect while fighting evil. Our real-life superheroes may not have superpowers or wear capes, but they are also great role models who serve and protect while fighting evil. Police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, doctors, nurses, and teachers are just a few of the heroes who protect us on a daily basis. They deserve our admiration and support.
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Congratulations to the Friona FFA Chapter. In the past few weeks, the Floriculture, Meat, & Dairy teams have qualified for the State contest. The Star will have photos and details in next week's edition.
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A Playa Field Day was held in Friona on Tuesday and featured a visit to John Fred White's reconditioned playa lake south of Friona. Local "playa guru" Jim Steiert of Hereford will have a feature story and photos in next week's Star.
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Early voting for school board continues this week at the FISD Administration Building at 909 E. 11th. You can vote from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 22nd and Friday, April 23rd. The final two days of early voting are 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 26th and Tuesday, April 27th.
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Do not forget to drop by the Friona Public Library this month and purchase tickets for a chance to win one (or more) of the 10 awesome Gift Baskets in the annual fundraiser raffle by the Friends of the Library. See more on back page. The Friends Annual Meeting is May 2, 2021 at 2 p.m. in the Friona Public Library. Drawings for the Gift Baskets will be held then.
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Tickets are on sale for the 2021 FHS All Sports Banquet. The event will be held on Friday, April 30th at the Friona Community Center. The meal begins at 7:00 p.m. and the ticket price for non-athletes/parents is $10 per plate. The menu is Steak & Fries with the Noon Lions Club cooking the "world famous" fries. All non-athletes/Parents who plan to attend are asked to purchase tickets in advance. Contact Mayra Olmos at 250-2900 for tickets. The Booster Club will be accepting memberships for 2021-22 at the banquet.
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National Days
April 22:
Earth Day
April 23:
Talk Like Shakespeare Day
April 24:
Sense of Smell Day
April 25:
DNA Day
April 26:
Audubon Day
April 27:
Tell A Story Day
April 28:
Superhero Day
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At a ceremony last Wednesday, FHS track stand-out Rebecca Schlenker signed a letter of intent to continue her track career at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. She will focus on the long jump and triple jump events. Her parents, Karen Hansard and John Schlenker, as well as family, friends, teammates, and coaches were there to help celebrate her decision to compete at the collegiate level. Congratulations Rebecca and Go Buffs!!!