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Since our last report in Thursday’s Record, Canadian ISD has received new reports of five new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed positives among staff and students to 55, and the number of active positive cases to 15. Last Wednesday evening, Superintendent Lynn Pulliam reported at CHS staff member as the 51st confirmed positive, noting that the staffer was already in quarantine and had had no close contacts. On Thursday evening, Dr. Pulliam reported the 52nd confirmed positive in a CES staff member who does not work directly with students and involving no close contacts. On Friday, the school district received notice of its 53rd and 54th confirmed positives involving students in fifth and eighth grades, both of whom had already been in quarantine. In the only report to date this week, Dr. Pulliam reported Tuesday that one more confirmed positive case involved an eleventh-grade student at CHS who had last been at school on Nov. 17.

In the last week, Hemphill County Hospital has reported 36 new cases for Hemphill County residents, and 54 out of county residents. Wednesday’s newly-reported cases brought the totals to 65 active cases for Hemphill County and 88 out-of-county active cases. To date, 247 residents of Hemphill County and 197 out of county residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. Only one resident of Hemphill County has died from COVID-19.

The main communication tower for Hemphill County’s emergency services, located at the US 60/83 Y south of Canadian, was felled two weeks ago by a winter storm that coated the Panhandle in several layers of ice and snow. County officials turned their attention Monday to what Judge George Briant said could be a quarter-million dollar project to rebuild that structure and restore those essential services.

A steady rain fell on Washington National Cemetery yesterday as President Donald Trump marked Veterans Day with the traditional laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony was the president’s first on-camera public appearance since Joe Biden successfully reassembled the so-called wall of blue states surrounding the Great Lakes—Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—to defeat the incumbent.

I don’t recognize this PayPal transaction— do I still have to pay it? What’s this $1,203 charge on Isaac Benzadon’s PayPal account? And why won’t PayPal reverse the charge? Isn’t he covered under PayPal Purchase Protection?

The atmosphere on the second floor of Hemphill County Courthouse on Election Night was spirited, as volunteers and county employees worked together to count and record every vote, from mail-in absentee ballots to early ballots to Election Day ballots. Most of those working had spent at least the last 12-14 hours in service to the common goal of free and fair elections and the resilience of the democratic process. In photo at top, clerk’s of fice employees Sylvia Guerrero and Rosa Gandara collect the ballots and reports from Keith and Vonda Robbins, who worked the Precinct 302 polling place. Above at left, Annette Walser reports in with her ballots and comments that everything went smoothly. Above right, Charlotte Rollins and Kayla Gregg deliver their day’s work, and stop to visit and enjoy a piece of pizza while the ballots are being tallied. The well-tuned operation turned out a final summary report of election results around 10 pm. In Hemphill County, 1,729 total ballots were cast, representing nearly 74 percent turnout of all registered voters, and impressive testimony to the importance Hemphill Countians place on making their votes count and their voices heard. PHOTOS BY LAURIE EZZELL BROWN