|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Council votes to keep current insurance firm
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, October 31, 2000 - The Town of Pecos City Council decided against
changing the insurance company that administrates the city `cafeteria'
insurance plan after listening to Police Chief Clay McKinney's recommendation
in a special meeting of the council Monday night.
McKinney is a member of the council-appointed insurance committee that
met with representatives from the currant company, Colonial Life Insurance,
and American Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC) to discuss the advantages
each company had to offer in their `cafeteria' plans, which allow city
works a variety of options in their insurance.
McKinney said the committee reviewed each policy from both companies,
but because of the short deadline were unable to go over every aspect of
each policy.
He then recommended to the Council to stay with Colonial and also to
have the employees meet with the company before choosing another insurance
company.
"They ought to see our provider first," he said.
On a related topic, McKinney also informed the council that a number
of complaints have been said about the currant major medical insurance
provider, New Era.
Pecos Police Investigator Paul Dieshler told council members that he
personally has had problems with New Era not paying bills that their insurance
covers.
He said the bills have been coming to him, even though the company told
him they have been paid.
"I'm not happy with them at all," Dieshler said. "That's the worst insurance
I've seen."
McKinney asked the council permission to allow the committee to look
at different companies.
"At least to look and see what we can get or if this is the best we
can get," he said.
Along with deciding to keep Colonial as the cafeteria plan administrator,
council members also voted to allow the city insurance committee to look
at other companies for medical insurance.
The council also requested the committee to meet at least once every
quarter.
Council members also appointed McKinney, Interim City Manager Octavio
Garcia, Councilman Johnny Terrazas and Mayor Ray Ortega to serve on the
site selection committee for the new Pecos Municipal Law Enforcement Center.
The four men will join James Parkey, president of Corplan Corrections
and U.S. Marshall Billy Johnson to meet and review various sites for the
new facility.
The city is planning to build a new facility, which would serve as the
Pecos Police Headquarters along with housing about 100 inmates for the
U.S. Marshal's Service who are awaiting trial in U.S. District Court in
Pecos. Currently, most of the Marshal's Service inmates are housed in out-of-town
facilities before their trials in Pecos.
Early voting rises slightly with election a week away
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, October 31, 2000 - The pace of early voting is has increased
slightly for the Nov. 7 General Election, according to Reeves County Clerk
Dianne Florez.
Florez said that 642 individuals have already cast their ballots by
personal appearance, as of Monday.
"We have mailed out 196 ballots and have gotten back 57 of those," said
Florez. Today is also the last day for voters to request ballots by mail.
The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. at the County Clerk's office in the Reeves
County Courthouse.
Early voting averaged about 95 people a day during the first week it
was offered, election judge Norma Briceno said last week, but fewer than
50 took advantage of Saturday's early voting period at the courthouse.
With no local contested races and only one major contested area race,
for the 23rd Congressional District, early voting for the election
a week from today has run well below the totals for the March Democratic
Party primary, but is at about the same as for the April runoff elections.
Over 2,100 people voted early in the two-week period before the March election,
while for the runoff races in April, 1,068 people cast their ballots early.
Early voting will continue until Friday at 5 p.m. on the first floor
of the Reeves County Courthouse. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, all 12 county polling
sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for people to cast their ballots.
Voters in Barstow wanting to vote early can either drive to the Ward
County Courthouse in Monahans between today and Friday, or call the Ward
County Clerk's office to request a mail ballot before 5 p.m. today. On
Nov. 7, local voters can cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the
Barstow Community Center.
Group's visit part of regional tourism effort
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, October 31, 2000 - The Town of Pecos will be seeing many new
faces this week when a tour group from the East Coast pulls through town.
Chamber of Commerce Director Tom Rivera said a group of 21 people, mostly
senior citizens, are scheduled to arrive in Pecos at about noon on Thursday.
The group is scheduled to be served lunch at the West of the Pecos Museum
before being given an afternoon tour of the museum.
Later that night the group will meet the Richard and Lillian Creasy
at the State Theater for a reception and special showing of "The Crew."
Rivera said this group is a direct result of the combined effort of
many West Texas communities including Odessa, Fort Stockton, Pecos, the
Prude Ranch in Fort Davis and other towns and businesses in the Big Bend
area.
The communities got together to raise money to be able to attend a tourism
convention in Nashville, Tenn. Rivera said the purpose of attending the
convention was to give a presentation about West Texas and to "try and
attract some of the tours to West Texas."
He said the idea of attracting tour groups to West Texas has been discussed
before.
"This is something that's been discussed on and off for years," Rivera
said.
This tour group is scheduled to fly into Midland/Odessa and spend seven
to eight days in West Texas. Pecos is the last stop on the tour before
the guests fly back to the East Coast.
Rivera said the Chamber is paying for the tour guests to stay one night
and hopefully spend money in Pecos.
"It's not costing them anything to come here," he said.
Rivera said hopefully the tour group would enjoy West Texas and the
"small town hospitality" so much they would go home and recommend the tour
to others.
"It's very important we try to build up our tourism," he said.
Hearings planned on scientific work set for WIPP site
PECOS, October 31, 2000 - The Department of Energy will hold two public
hearings in New Mexico in November on a draft environmental assessment
for conducting astrophysics and other basic scientific experiments at the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The hearings come following the release of
the draft environmental assessment on Oct. 23.
The first hearing will be at the Holiday Inn, 4048 Cerrillos Rd., in
Albuquerque, N.M. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, while the second will be on Thursday,
Nov. 16 at the Skeen-Whitlock Building, 4021 National Parks Hwy. in Carlsbad,
N.M. Both hearings will be divided into two sessions, from 3 to 6 p.m.
CST and from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. CST.
Written comments of the draft assessment will be accepted through Nov.
22. For further information, contact the U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad
Field Office, at 505-234-7327.
Obituaries
Ruby Walker
Services are incomplete for Ruby P. Walker, 91, of Pecos, who died Monday,
Oct. 30, at her residence.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Hilaria Garcia
Hilaria "Lola" R. Garcia, 86, of Barstow, died Sunday, Oct. 29, 2000, at
Odessa Regional Hospital.
A rosary will be held at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Martinez Funeral
Home Chapel.
Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2, at Our Lady of Refuge
Catholic Church in Barstow with burial in Barstow Cemetery.
She was born June 14, 1914, in Falls City, was a lifetime resident of
Barstow, a homemaker and a Catholic.
She was preceded in death by her husband Juan G. Garcia.
Survivors include five sons, Florencio R. Garcia of Barstow, Domingo
R. Garcia of La Puente, Calif., Bernabe R. Garcia of Cleburne, Juan "John"
Garcia Jr. of Fort Stockton and Santos R. Garcia of Pecos; four daughters,
Leonor G. Carrasco of Monahans, Isabel G. Abila, Luisa G. Mendoza and Guadalupe
G. Wilkins of Barstow; one brother, Hilario Riojas of Karnes City; 36 grandchildren;
66 great-grandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren.
Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Weather
PECOS, October 31, 2000 - High Monday 80. Low this morning 54. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms
early: Then decreasing cloudiness. Low in the mid 40s. South wind 15-25
mph and gusty: Becoming west and diminishing to 5-10 mph. Wednesday: Mostly
sunny and cooler. High in the upper 60s. West wind 5-15 mph. Wednesday
night: Partly cloudy. Low in the mid 40s. Thursday: Increasing cloudiness.
High 65-70.
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
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
|