Levelland and Hockley County News-Press (Levelland, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 15, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 20, 1984 Page: 1 of 36
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Levelland And
Hockley County
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73TJW
BER 15
J 146 380
Sunday, May 20, 1984-
40 PAGES IN FOUR SECTIONS AND
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McCollough resigns as staff chief at hospital
By Beverly Taylor
News Editor
Dr. Bill McCollough, chief of
staff at Cook Memorial Hospital
for 11 and a half years, submits
ted his resignation from that
position on Wednesday citing
differences in his philosophy of
health care and that of Summit
Health, Ltd., which purchased
the hospital in March from
Hospital Corporation of America
(HCA).
McCollough submitted let-
ters of resignation both to the
corporate headquarters of Sum-
mit in California and to the local
doctors who for over 11 years
have chosen him to direct the
hospital staff. The letter to the
corporation was a resignation
from the . hospital—board of
directors, and the resignation to
the doctors was as chief of staff.
In his letter to the corpora-
tion president, McCollough said
“I shall have no further com-
ment other ‘than to state that
now my wishes are for you and
your company to endeavor to
become fully cognizant of the
needs and wishes and inherent
good judgement of the people of
West Texas and to serve them
well.”
In an interview with the
News-Press, McCollough declin-
ed to list his complaints with the
management, but said that the
new owners are threatening the
quality of health care in Level-
land and the stability of local
doctors.
“The company has directly
and indirectly assumed all con-
trol of this hospital,” McCol-
lough said. “The doctors of this
community are not really able to
control our health care system
anymore.”
At the basis of McCollough's
division with the new ownership
is the corporate nature of Sum-
mit. However, he said he had no
such problems with HCA, the
hospital's'former corporate own-
er. _____' ___
In expressing his separation
from corporate medicine, Mc-
Collough cites an article by Dr.
Gayle Stephens, head of the
See HOSPfTAL Page 2
Skies finally give up precipitation
The fruition of a week of
taunting cloudy skies came on
Thursday and Friday for local
residents when a four-month dry
spell ended and up to two inches
of badly needed moisture fell on
parts of Hockley County.
The cloudy skies had persist-
ed across the South Plains all
week because of a rise in the
dew point which created insta-
bility in the atmosphere, allow-
ing storms to form. But, the
clouds did not show their silver
linings until late in thd week
when they brought the moisture.
Until Thursday only .44 of an
inch of precipitation had been
recorded since January--a figure
which undoubtedly qualifies the
area as a drought situation.
Farmers who are beginning to
plant cotton crops had said that
if the area did not get some
moisture before June, this
year’s crop would not have much
of a chance.
As of late Friday, KLVT
Radio had recorded 1.25 of an
inch of moisture since the start
of the precipitation late Wednes-
day.
" — _> j—:
West Elementary hit
once again by burglars
GRADUATES--Around 190 Levelland High School
seniors will graduate at 3 p.m. today in Texan
- Dome. Here candidates for graduation Raeann
Foster and Ben Dearman try on the traditional caps
and gowns. Foster is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Ken Foster, and Dearman is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Jim Dearman. (Staff Photo)
City officials conducting search
for state grant project possibility
Levelland r.itv officials aro __________• _______
Levelland city officials are
currently studying the city in
search of a project which they
will submit to the state in an
attempt to get a grant from the
Texas Community Development
Program.
At Tuesday night’s meeting
of the city council, a public
hearing was held in order to
inform local residents of the
city’s opportunity to apply for
the grant money and to allow
residents to provide suggestions
for projects the city might con-
sider. . -
The program is the state’s
version of the federal Communi-
ty Development Block Grant
program, which the city is
currently involved in spending
the last year of funds of a three-
Sundown names acting chief
Nicholas Gonzales was
named acting police chief in
Sundown on Tuesday night by
that city’s board of aldermen.
Gonzales is taking over the
duties of Mike Smith who left
Wednesday to assume the
duties of police chief in the
10-officer Littlefield Police De-
partment.
A police chief will not be<
permanently named until the
aldermen fill another vacant
position in city government —
that of the city manager. In a
one-week period in late April
the city lost both its city
manager and police chief to
larger cities._____
Ron Holifield, former city
manager, left Sundown on May
See SUNDOWN Page 2
year program to improve hous-
ing in a targeted area in the city.
The program was turned over to
the states recently by President
Ronald Reagan.
The city only has about a
mfinth to come up with a project
which will be submitted to the
state for consideration. After
city officials come up with a
project which meets the state
guidelines, they will then have
another public hearing concern-
ing the specific application.
“Right now we’re looking
See SEARCH Page 2
A burglary Wednesday night
at West Elementary is most
likely connected to a burglary at
the school which happened al-
most a month ago and a recent
one at the junior high.
The Wednesday night break-
in netted^the burglars a $200
AM/FM radio and cassette play-
er from the principal’s office. In
the April 18 burglary at West
around $180 in cash and change
was taken from a safe in the
principal’s office. Just a week
later, the junior high was bur-
glarized.
Police say they believe the
three school burglaries are con-
nected because the method of
entry is the same. In each case,
the burglars have entered by
breaking out or crawling through
windows.
In the most recent incident at
West, the burglars ransacked
the principal’s and secretary's
offices, pulling papers out of
drawers and cabinets and scat- "
taring them on the floor.
' About $65 in change was
taken from the secretary’s office
and $15 in change was taken
from pen and pencil machines
which were broken into. The
burglars also attempted to get
into a soft drink machine but
were unsuccessful. Five half
pints of milk were also taken
from a cooler in the cafeteria.
Officers also discovered what
appeared to be human feces on
the floor in the school. >
A 2 p.m. check with various
persons around the county re-
vealed that rainfall had ranged
from two inches at Sundown to
practically nothing at Whithar-
ral.
Paul Green of Sundown re-
ported a total of two inches had
fallen there. Representatives of
Farmer’s Co-Op Gin at Whithar-
ral said it was raining at 2 p.m.
Friday but that no measurable
amounts had been recorded.
Officials at Citizens Co-Op
Gin at Anton said to at area had
received about a half inch, and
Bill Burleson at Rudy’s Gas
Company in Sfnyer said , the
Smyer area had only received a
slight. 20 of an inch.
Dean Ivey at Pettit Co-Op
Gin said they have received
about .80 of an inch, "and Travis
Turnipseed of the Arnett com-
munity reported that .40 of an
See RAIN Page 2
300 local, area seniors
to become graduates
Around 190 seniors will grad-
uate from Levelland High School
today, and over 100 other county
youths will be featured in com-
mencement ceremonies later in
the week.
Graduation for Levelland
seniors will be at 3 p.m. today in
Texan Dome. Highlighting the
ceremony will be speeches by
David Parmer, valedictorian,
, 2.
H
*
and Jeff James, salutatorian.
Parmer finished his high school
career with a 99.23 average and
James maintained a 98.26 grade
point.
~ Anton graduation will be on
Thursday, and Ropes and Mor-
ton students will cross the stage
on Friday.
Rev. Robert Smith, Jr., pas-
See GRADUATIONS Page 2
Time factor poses problem
in printing run-off ballots
Rural burglaries cleared
with charges against man
At least five rural burglaries
which occurred from December
through March were cleared
recently with the charging of a
Shallowater man with burglary
of a building.
Mansell Kevin Lusk wes
charged on Wednesday ia.
felony burglary of a building in
connection with the Feb. 20
burglary of a barn owned by area
fanner Bob Whitley.
Burglaries of buildings own-
ed by Carl Butler, Everett
1
Butler, Jack Brown and Ben
Shaw were also cleared with the
charges.
The charges came about
after a man who bought some
items from Whitley atnis home
in "Shallowater learned from a
friend that the items may have
belonged to Whitley. Hie man
reportedly called Whitley, who
then went to top Lusk residence.
Whitley saw a tool box which he
said was his and for which he a
produced a key.
Absentee balloting is sched-
uled to begin Wednesday for the
June 2 statewide primary run-off
elections, but according to Conn,
ty Clerk Raymond Dennis that
may be a difficult task to
perform because as of late
FViday he did not have official
information concerning what
names to have printed on the
ballots for the Democratic and
Republican primary run-offs.
The primary elections were
May 6, but the state Democratic
and Republican Parties did not
meet until Thursday to officially
canvas votes and until then all
election results were actually
unofficial.
Dennis said he expected to
hear on FViday the results of
Thursday’s state canvassing
from Hockley County Democrat-
ic chairwoman Laura Garner,
but did not Dennis said Garner
may not have been notified of
the results.
After Dennis hears officially
what names will be put on the
ballot, he will then have to call
the printing firm in Dallas,
which prints ballots for Hockley
County, to give them the word.
The ballots will then have to be
printed and shipped here by
Tuesday for balloting to begin as
scheduled on Wednesday.
Absentee voting is supposed
to run through Tuesday, howev-
er the polls will not be open on
Monday which is Memorial Day.
Voting is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in
the county clerk’s office in the
Courthouse for both Democrats
and Republicans.
See BALLOTS Page 2
GET YOUR FEET WET--Friday's rain created rivers which
flooded areas of Levelland and washed away the dirt and dust
, which had accumulated during the recent dry and dusty weather.
Here Samantha Arriaga, frian Rosser and Jennifer Reeser wade
through a stream and get their feet wet but manage to protect
their heads. (Staff Photo by Jacky Howard)
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Taylor, Beverly. Levelland and Hockley County News-Press (Levelland, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 15, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 20, 1984, newspaper, May 20, 1984; Levelland, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1147249/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Plains College.