By STACY FERNANDEZTexas Tribune

High school athletes who attend smaller public schools in Texas can start practicing volleyball and football as soon as Aug. 3. But bigger schools, which are more likely to be in more populous areas, will have to wait longer, according to new guidelines released by the University Interscholastic League on Tuesday.

Due to the continued coronavirus pandemic, the UIL, which is the organization that governs high school sports in Texas, created two separate calendars based on school size for resuming football, volleyball, tennis and cross country.

Schools with the 1A to 4A designation can start meeting for games and meets in mid-to-late August. Schools in 5A or 6A, which are the biggest schools, will have to wait until September.

Marching bands across the state can begin their curriculums on Sept. 7.

The organization also issued guidance on face coverings, protocols for individuals exposed to COVID-19 and how to set up meeting areas like band halls and locker rooms.

Anyone ten years or older must wear a face covering or face shield when in an area where UIL activities are underway, including when not actively

participating in the sport or activity. People are exempt from the rule if they have a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering while eating or drinking or while in a body of water.

Some schools won’t have to follow UIL’s face covering rule if they are in a county with 20 or fewer active COVID-19 cases that has been approved for exemption by the Texas Department of Emergency Management. In that situation, masks can still be mandated if the local school system implements the requirements locally, according to the press release. UIL still “strongly” encourages face coverings in exempt schools.

The decision comes as discussions remain heated among parents, teachers and local and state officials about how and when to reopen schools. The state has been a coronavirus hot spot for weeks.

More than 10,500 people were in the hospital with the virus as of Monday, with hospitals across the state reporting their capacities being stretched. The state also passed 4,000 confirmed deaths on Monday.

Just last week Texas education officials relaxed a previous order that would have given public schools just three weeks from the start of the fall semester to reopen classrooms for in-person instruction.

But the UIL acknowledged that “not all schools will be able to start at the same time” and left some room for schools to decide for themselves when they’ll begin scheduling sports, according to the press release.

UIL will work directly with schools whose scheduling concerns aren’t addressed in the plan so they can participate in “as many contests as possible.”

“Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” said UIL Executive Director Charles Breithaupt in the press release. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.”

On the college end, sports decisions are still in limbo. While NCAA officials have not yet released firm guidance on fall football, University of Texas at Austin Athletics Director Chris Del Conte indicated in a report earlier this week that football preparation was moving forward in accordance with local guidelines.

Earlier this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott announced college and professional

stadiums were allowed to operate at 50% capacity, making it possible for about 50,000 Longhorn fans to be seated in stands this fall.

Demarlon (Kristti) Young of Arlington, Dennis Young (Jasmine) of Clarksville, and Trevor Doolittle of Oklahoma City, Ok.; sisters Dollie (Leland) Ward of Fort Worth, Sabrina (James) Dockins of Clarksville, Lanore (Tim) Seward of Dallas; brothers Jimmy Doolittle of Clarksville, Billy Ray Doolittle of Clarksville, Joseph (Corleen) Doolittle of Dallas, Freeman Doolittle of Mount Pleasant, and Ervin Coleman of Clarksville; and special friend Norene Harmon of Clarksville; plus a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

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Obituaries

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Ed Pryor

By ED PRYORGuest Columnist

A couple of weeks ago I was talking on the phone with my friend J.L. O’Neal, and the conversation got around to why we used to like sardines, but now we don’t.

This is the kind of deep conversations J.L. and I have, but we are also always ready to cure the world’s ills. This conversation took several twists and turns so you’ll just have to hang on and hope for the best.

J.L. and Barry Peek, his partner in crime, must have been the world’s worst at pulling pranks on their friends.

This was a long time ago but it was funny then, and it is funny now. Cars and pickups don’t have hub caps now so that joke is a thing of the past.

J.L. told me about Barry and him putting a can of sardines in each of Donny Murphy’s moon hub caps. Sardines were two cans for a quarter back then, and they bought 50 cents worth. Donny’s car got to stinking so bad that he wasn’t allowed to bring it to school.

He knew who did it, and he begged and begged until they relented and told him where the sardines were. That got rid of the stink, but stores around Annona noticed a decline in sardine sales for quite a while.

This criminal twosome were fishing one day and caught a big bass. They didn’t know what to do with just one fish. They saw Gerald Rust’s car, slipped around, took a hub cap off, and put the bass in it then replaced the hub cap.

As the days wore on Gerald’s car stunk worse and worse. Gerald tore his car almost to pieces trying to find the fish. Finally, Gerald threatened to do bodily harm if J.L. and Barry didn’t get that smell out of his car. Laughingly, but warily, they took off the hub cap and washed it out good.

My own sardine tale was far worse, I think. My good friend, Bruce Bumgarner, and I cut bodark fence posts one summer in the 1950’s for Mr. Archie Pace. (If you don’t know what a bodark fence post is, you ain’t from Red River County).

I always thought the world of Mr. Archie. He was a fine man. Mr. Archie and his wife (I can’t remember her name, but she was a smiling, sweet faced little woman that the community all loved) ran a little general store in White Rock for years.

We agreed to camp out down on his place on the bayou and cut fence posts during the day and hunt and fish at night. Mr. Archie had the good business sense to pay us by the post and not by the hour.

He furnished us with a couple of axes, a cross cut saw, a bow saw, and a couple of files. He also furnished us with a big old heavy chain saw that wouldn’t run half the time, and one meal a day. Breakfast and supper were our problem.

Mr. Archie was always on time bringing us our dinner.

It was also the same thing every day. He brought us each a can of sardines, a sleeve of crackers, a big slice of red rind rat cheese, an onion, and a sodie water (coke).

I wish I could get some of that cheese right now. Sometimes he threw in an extra can or two of sardines. Cutting bodark fence posts is hard work. Harder, I think, than hauling hay. No matter which way you throw the tree, the thorns are gonna get you.

One night after a hard day’s work and after fixing our supper Bruce and I decided we were too tired to hunt that night. Our suppers and breakfasts were about as good as our dinners. We usually cooked bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes with sometimes a can of beans thrown in.

We had all the bayou water, creek bank coffee we could drink. We counted up, and we decided that we had made a pretty good day’s pay that day. I lay down on an old quilt I had with my feet to the campfire and went to sleep.

Sometime during the night Bruce opened an extra can of them sardines that Mr. Archie gave us and dumped it all over me. He carefully poured the juice in my hair and poured the sardines all in my bed.

I don’t know how long I rolled around in that mess before I woke up, but I know I was sick of sardines. I had to take a bath in that bayou at night with all them cotton mouth moccasins and alligators, but I was glad to do it.

Bruce laid on the ground and laughed. I finally got even after a fashion, but I have never wanted another sardine. I told Mr. Archie after that to just bring me a slice of bologna or a can of pork and beans. He thought that was just as funny as Bruce did.

After J.L. and I laughed at these stories he said he had another prank to tell about. This was not a fish story but funny anyway.

Charley Jones taught Ag. class at Annona for years. J.L. said that Mr. Jones was like G.B. Parks at Clarksville. Everybody liked him, but he would tear your butt up when you needed it.

Mr. Jones class built a cattle feeder for the Ag. class project that year. This feeder was mostly of metal. It was built to last.

J.L. and Barry helped build the feeder. When the feeder was almost finished J.L. and Barry asked Mr. Jones how he intended to move the feeder when it was finished.

He said that he was going to pull it with his pickup and added “that was the reason we built it on skids.” That was all J.L. and Barry needed. They got some scraps of metal rod left over from building the feeder.

Smoking sardines and tires

Elbert Lee DoolittleA Memorial Balloon

Release Celebration for 60-year old Mr. Elbert Lee Doolittle of Clarksville, who went to be with his Lord July 13, 2020 in Paris Regional Medical Center, was held Saturday, July 18, 2020 at the Langford Lake in Clarksville with Pastor Massey officiating. Cremation was arranged by Citizens Funeral Home. 500 E. Church St., Clarksville.

Mr. Elbert Lee Doolittle was born February 22, 1960, to Elbert Coleman and Mildred Doolittle. Elbert attended school at Clarksville High School. He enjoyed playing cards and spending time with family and friends. He leaves to cherish his memories are sons Kerry (Latoya) Young of Clarksville, Germarcus Williams of Clarksville, Jahmar (Brittney) Young of Clarksville,

Norman E. Strickland, Jr.

Norman E. Strickland, Jr. passed away Sunday,

Notice is hereby given that the special meeting of the governing body of the City of Avery will be held on Monday, July 27th, 2020, promptly at 6:00 p.m. in the Avery City Hall, located at 250 US Business Hwy 82, at which time the following subjects will be discuss:

AgendaEstablish a quorum1. Call the meeting to

order2. Pledge of Allegiance

to the United States and Texas

3. Public Forum4. Approve July 13th,

2020 Regular Meeting Minutes.

5. Discuss and take action on accepting Lewis “Bud”Callaway, Seat One, resignation.

6. Discuss and take action on appointing Council person to Seat One.

7. Discuss and Take Action on accepting Frank Estes, Seat Four, resignation.

8. Discuss and Take Action on appointing Council Person to Seat Four.

9. Discuss and Take Action on filling the Mayor Pro-Tem position.

10. Future Agenda Items/Business to be added to next agenda

11. Adjourn

Avery city council plans special meeting

Some smaller Texas schools can start practices as soon as Aug. 3

July 12, 2020 at his home in Avery. He was 66.

Norman was born December 30, 1953 in Clarksville to Norman E. Strickland, Sr. and Nancy Louise Allen Strickland. He was a plumber and pipe fitter and a member of the Plumber and Pipe Fitters Union Local 100, in Dallas.

Norman was a veteran of the United States Army and he enjoyed farm work and gardening.

He is preceded in death

by his parents and three siblings, Bruce Broyles, Nancy Broyles, and Douglas Broyles.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy Strickland, of Avery, one son, Nicholas Strickland of Avery, Texas; one sister, Molly Fears of Longview, and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Online registration at www.batesfamilyfuneralhome.com

Alumni and supporters of three Texas universities now have a new way to express their pride and love for their schools.

My Plates, the state’s official specialty license plate vendor, is launching three new designs for Texas Tech University, Southern Methodist University and Texas State University.

Texans wishing to purchase any of these new designs may do so by visiting www.MyPlates.com. All plates start from only $50 a year or as low as $35 a year when purchased for a five-year term. You do not have to wait until you receive your registration renewal notice; you can order at any time.

All three plate designs were recently approved by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board during their June meeting. Each new design features a solid color background as well as the respective university’s official primary logo.

Texas Tech University opted for a full black background design that allows their highly recognizable red Double T logo to really pop from the plate.

New licenseplates approved