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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Pecos gets more rains, Abilene gets flooded
From Staff and Wire Reports
PECOS, October 18, 2000 - West Texas flood waters were receding Wednesday
after heavy thunderstorms dumped more than six inches of rain in an hour
in the Abilene area, flooding businesses, homes and cars.
Some residents who could not return to their homes because of high water
stayed at Red Cross shelters overnight.
The same line of heavy rains his the Midland-Odessa area just after
sunrise of Tuesday, flooding some streets and intersections.
The rains missed the Pecos area overnight on Tuesday, but last night
another line of showed dropped .35 inch of rain in downtown Pecos, according
to KIUN Radio, while .04 inch fell at the Texas A&M Agriculture Experiment
Station seven miles west of town. More rain was reported in the past 24
hours to the south, in the Balmorhea-Saragosa area.
Even with last night's showers, the year-to-date rainfall totals for
the are remain well below normal. KIUN reports 3.02 inch of rain so far
this year, an inch below last year's 12-month total, and eight inches below
the 11-inch average annual rainfall total for Pecos, according to the National
Weather Service.
After receiving over an inch of rain in the past five days, the Trans-Pecos
is expected to get a 36-hour break from cloudy skies, with clearing weather
tonight and Thursday, before the chance of rain increases again on Friday.
Residents in the Abilene area were told to expect rain through this
afternoon, as the line of showers that passed through Pecos around 11 p.m.
Tuesday continues to move off to the east.
On Tuesday, two lines of thunderstorms that converged on Abilene before
stalling - one out of the west and another from the south - dumped rain
so quickly that rooftop drainage and storm sewer systems could not keep
up, turning intersections into swimming pools and flooding buildings.
Dozens of motorists were rescued from flooded houses and automobiles.
The storms provided some help for Abilene's long-running drought, replenishing
the city's shrunken water source, Lake Fort Phantom Hill. But it wasn't
enough to lift water consumption restrictions.
"The Lord is giving, so I'm not going to say a thing about it," Randy
Scott, coordinator of the G.V. Daniels Recreation Center, told the Abilene
Reporter-News in Wednesday's editions.
"It all comes on God's time, and I guess today was the day," Scott said
at one of two emergency shelters designated by the city for those in need
of flood relief.
The American Red Cross had set up emergency shelters for those whose
homes were flooded, or who couldn't get to their houses due to flooded
streets. Several inches of water swept into houses on Abilene's north side.
At one intersection, three people were rescued from a city bus that
stalled on a railroad underpass, and quickly filled with several feet of
water.
"Now, you can't even see the bus; it's under water," said Larry Bell,
fire battalion chief.
No serious injuries were reported.
A police department dispatcher who declined to give her name said Wednesday
that several highway underpasses or intersections would remain closed to
traffic throughout the day.
"At one time, we had all our equipment out and calls waiting," said
Bell. Firefighters covered emergencies with the department's fleet of 11
engines and trucks and four vehicles kept in reserve.
Two American Eagle flights were canceled at Abilene Regional Airport
during the heaviest of the storm and several flights of both airlines serving
Abilene were delayed.
"The wind was really coming out of the north ... just really, really
heavy," said Keith Kaspari, airport operations manager. "I couldn't even
see across to our airport fire station."
Some flights were canceled while others were diverted at Dyess Air Force
Base Tuesday because of thunderstorms. Aircraft mechanics stopped work
on the flight line during the lightning.
Phil Baker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San
Angelo, said the thunderstorm systems also produced some hail.
Fire Department stations across the city reported from 4 to 6 1/2 inches
of rain before noon.
"Usually we can handle 4 to 6 inches of rain in a day in Abilene, but
when it comes within a couple of hours, it's too much for the drainage
system to handle," Baker said.
Phones, lights, computers and printing presses at the Reporter-News
were temporarily knocked out on Tuesday.
Firefighters evacuated about a dozen people in houses in the northern
part of town. And they had responded to about 30 calls of people trapped
in cars by noon, an emergency dispatcher said.
Several firefighters rescued two people from atop a CityLink bus that
drove into a flooded underpass.
Scott Riggins, a fire department public education officer, called for
assistance after seeing what appeared to be a person's head inside the
bus. With ropes draped on either side of the bus, firefighters climbed
across to extract the passengers, one of whom was an elderly man, he said.
"We were pretty fearful that he couldn't swim because there was a lot
of water dumping in from the streets," he said.
The flooding was bittersweet for area farmers, said assistant Taylor
County agricultural extension agent Richie Griffin. It was beneficial to
wheat growers, who were banking on some good rains to make a crop this
winter, but a disaster to cotton growers.
Tuesday's flooding and sporadic hail probably wiped out what little
was still in the fields, said Griffin.
OC hosting local job fair on Saturday
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, October 18, 2000 - The Pecos Technical Training Center of Odessa
College is hosting the first Reeves County Job Fair and Trade Exposition
from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on Saturday at the Pecos campus located at 1000 S.
Eddy St.
Job fair committee members planned the event to help the citizens of
the community and the surrounding areas learn about job opportunities in
Pecos.
"It's to help the employers and potential employees looking for work,"
said Joe Garcia, Workforce Development Specialist for the Texas Workforce
Commission.
The job fair is a joint effort of Odessa College and TWC along with
the Texas Department of Human Services, Odessa College, Reeves County Judges
Office, City of Pecos, Economic Development Program, Reeves County Hospital
and the Balmorhea Independent School District.
Director of the OC-Pecos Training Center, Michelle Workman, said Ray
Carreon and Maribel Alvarez are the people who came up with the idea of
having a job fair and asked people to help.
"We thought it was the best idea ever," she said.
The job fair will allow many different businesses and agencies to give
demonstrations, exhibitions and displays that highlight area employment,
training and resources available to individuals.
"It will have a little bit of everything," Garcia said.
Workman said there would be many booths set up for the different agencies
and businesses to answer questions and hand out job applications.
"We will have available two small rooms if any agencies want to conduct
interviews on the spot," she said.
The TWC is also planning to have demonstrations of software for resume
writing.
Garcia said the purpose of the job fair is to give the community members
information on job requirements and what employers expect.
"It brings the community together and also puts out some exposure for
the businesses," he said.
Workman said Odessa College would also have a booth to answer any questions
about any available programs, including the truck driving school, the culinary
arts program and the auto/diesel mechanic program.
Workman said they have invited many people to come to the job fair including
junior high and high school students and welcomes anyone to join.
"We do invite everybody to come in," she said. "It's for everyone, even
the people from out of town."
Workman also said booths are still available if any more businesses
or agencies want to participate.
For more information call Workman at 445-5535 or Maribel Alvarez at
445-5487.
Bank's ATM project stuck in mud for now
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, October 18, 2000 - Rain has slowed down construction of the new
automated teller machine and drive-through lane for West Texas National
Bank, formerly First National Bank.
Construction crews have been working on clearing the land next to the
bank at Seventh and Cedar streets for the ATM for about two weeks, but
last weekend's rains turned the excavated path for the drive though into
a moat, and Wednesday night's thunderstorm added more mud and water to
the construction site.
Marketing Manager Dot Stafford said completion of the ATM is planned
for November 15th.
"We're real eager to get it finished," she said.
Once finished customers can drive up to the ATM from Cedar Street and
exit on Seventh Street.
Stafford said the drive up teller windows would also receive a facelift.
West Texas National Bank President John Grant said back in August that
construction on the drive-thru would take place before the year-end.
New extended hours for the drive-thru will also be introduced soon.
First National Bank recently went through the name change to Western
National Bank as a result of the merger between the First National Banks
in Pecos, Kermit, Crane, Alpine, Terlingua and the Seminole National Bank
in Seminole and Denver City.
Pecos was one of the last medium-sized cities in West Texas to get ATM
machines, when Security State Bank and the Flying J Travel Plaza installed
their own ATMs six years ago. Other ATMs are now available at Wal-Mart,
Uncle's Convenience Store at Third and Cedar streets and at Town &
Country Convenience Store on Interstate 20 at Country Club Drive.
Friday `cake walk' at Nursing Home seeking donations
PECOS, October 18, 2000 - Pecos Nursing Home will be having a "Cake Walk"
at 6 p.m., Friday at the home.
Any donations for the cakewalk will be appreciated.
The event is sponsored by the Nursing Home Resident Council.
For more information call 447-2183.
Obituaries
Josie Chacon
Josie D. Chacon, 76, of McKinney, died Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2000, in McKinney.
Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 20, at St. Michaels Catholic
Church in McKinney, with Father Carl Vogel officiating. Burial will be
in Ridgeview Memorial Park.
She was born Feb. 29, 1924, in Redford, was a manager in the clothing
manufacturing industry and a Catholic.
Survivors include her husband, Joe L. Chacon of Bakersville, Calif.;
four daughters, Yolanda Ryan and Irma Arismendez of McKinney, Thelma Chacon
of San Francisco, Calif. and Debra Maestes of Folsom, Calif.; seven brothers,
Robert Dominguez of San Antonio, Oscar and Ysidro Dominguez of Odessa,
Ruben and Inocente Dominguez of Pecos, Esequiel Dominguez of California
and Cipriano Dominguez of Lytle, Tx.; and three sisters, Mary Jane Villanueva
of Midland, Hope Galvan of Odessa and Paula Gonzales of Odessa.
Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Daniel Sandoval
Daniel Palma Sandoval, 64, of Pecos, died Monday, Oct. 16, 2000, at Reeves
County Hospital.
A rosary will be held at 7 p.m., today, at West "F" Street in Pecos.
Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., Thursday, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church
with burial in Greenwood Cemetery.
He was born Jan. 28, 1936, in Vado De Piedra, Ojinaga, Mex., was retired
and a Catholic.
He was preceded in death by one son Abram Sandoval.
Survivors include his wife, Pascuala Sandoval of Pecos; seven daughters,
Rosa Mesta, Lorena Munoz, Monica Orosco, Michelle Sandoval, Martina Samaguey
all of Pecos, Adelita Gonzales of Monahans and Malisa Molinar of Bledsoe;
seven sons, Daniel Sandoval, Jr., Victor, Jacob and Jesus Sandoval of Pecos,
Hugo Sandoval of Barstow, Benito Sandoval of Kermit and Hugo Zubiate of
Mexico; four brothers, Marcos Sandoval, Federico Sandoval of Lovington,
N.M., Benigno Sandoval of Andrews and Gonzalo Sandoval of Pecos; two sisters,
Evangelina Sotelo and Hermila Carrasco of Pecos and 29 grandchildren.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Lela Schneider
Lela Ivy Schneider, 94, of Pecos, died Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2000, at the Pecos
Nursing Home.
Graveside services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 19, at
Mt. Evergreen Cemetery with Rev. Greer Willis officiating.
She was born Aug. 6, 1906, in Anadarko, Okla., had lived in Pecos since
1928, was retired and a member of the First Christian Church.
Survivors include one stepson Woody Ivy of Pecos; four grandsons, Jim
Ivy of Pecos, Jack Ivy of Flower Mount, Tx., John Ivy of Lille Elm, Tx.,
Joel Ivy of Dickinson; two nieces Irene Myles of Shreveport, La., Dorothy
Jo Master of Monroe, La., six great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Weather
PECOS, October 18, 2000 - High Tuesday 72. Low this morning 53. Rainfall
last 24 hours at Texas A&M Experiment Station .04 inch. Total for year
6.90 inches. Forecast for tonight: Decreasing cloudiness. Low in the upper
40s. Light and variable wind. Thursday: Partly cloudy. High in the mid
70s. South wind 5-15 mph. Thursday night: Increasing cloudiness. Low near
50. Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low
in the upper 40s to the lower 50s. High in the lower to mid 70s.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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