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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
March 15, 2001
Red Bluff Lake duck hunting given approval
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 15, 2001 - Red Bluff Water Power Control Board members
approved a proposal to allow duck hunting on certain sections of Red Bluff
Lake, and also began the process of seeking a new lake manager, during
their meeting on Monday in Pecos.
Board members voted 4-2 to approve the plan first presented to them
in August by Phillip Dickerson, area Private Lands Wildlife Biologists
for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Dickerson requested that Red
Bluff to be added to the TP&W's leased hunting land program, in which
hunters paying a $40 permit are allowed into selected sites across Texas.
He said under the plan, TP&W could pay Red Bluff up to two times
the ad valorem tax rate for use of their land
Dickerson said the best area on the lake for hunting ducks would be
a flooded area on the northeast end, and the season itself will begin in
the fall. General Manager Jim Ed Miller said the board approved allowing
hunting on the Loving County (east) side of the lake, excluding the area
near Red Bluff Dam.
Board members Lloyd Goodrich and Theresa Walker cast the votes against
the plan, questioning the safety of allow hunting on the lake. At the board's
February meeting, Goodrich said there was nothing to stop bullets from
crossing over to the west side of the lake, where all of the area's residents
live, while Walker said Game Warden Jim Allen would be unable to spend
enough time at the lake to enforce the restrictions on hunting areas.
Board members were later given names of candidates to replace Buck Deakins
as Red Bluff Lake Manager this summer. Deakins told the board he plans
to retire in June, after 26 years on the job.
The board was given the name of three area residents who have expressed
interest in the job, along with a fourth was one of the divers who worked
for Houston-based Orion Construction Co. on the replacement of the gates
and valves at Red Bluff Dam.
Miller told the board he would get more information on each candidate
and report back during the April meeting.
The board approved cash disbursements, including a $161,704 payment
to Orion for work on the dam rehab project, on Monday, as was accounts
payable and the water report for November 2000 through March of 2001, when
the gates at the dam were closed during the repair period. The report showed
the lake's level has risen from just over 54,000 acre/feet at the end of
October 2000 to just under 72,000 acre/feet as of March 1.
Winds delay racquetball construction
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 15, 2001 - The unusual weather Pecos has experienced lately
has slowed construction on the new racquetball court for the Reeves County
Community Sports and Recreation Center located next to the Pecos High School
Old Gym.
Nora Geron, recreation department director, said that the wind and rain
has caused the construction crew working on the building to slow down construction.
"The weather has kind of slowed them down a lot," she said.
Despite the weather problems, Geron said the construction is continuing.
Banes General Construction Company started construction right after
Christmas and workers have already finished the walls, roof and insulation.
"They're progressing fast," Geron said.
Geron said that installation of the air conditioning, electrical wiring
and the interior of the building are all that needs to be completed.
The installation of a racquetball court is part of the inter-local agreement
between Reeves County, the Town of Pecos City and Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent
School District in 1999.
Geron said that originally the plan was to use half of the small gym
at the back of the Old Gym for the racquetball court. However, she said
that the project's architect told county and school officials that the
ceiling in the small gym is to low and would need to be raised, which would
be very expensive.
"So they just decided to build the whole thing from scratch," Geron
said.
Geron said that many people have been asking on when the new court would
be finished.
"People want to know when, when, when," she said. "They're all excited
about it."
Geron said that originally the construction should have been completed
by the end of March, but because of the slowed construction, the completion
date is unknown.
Pecos has not had a racquetball facility since December 1990, when the
West Pecos Gym was ordered closed for safety reasons. Currently many people
are traveling at least once a week to Monahans in order to play racquetball,
according to Geron.
She said that she believes that the new court could bring in a lot more
business for the recreation center.
"I think it'll pick up business a lot," she said. "It'll be an added
something to Pecos."
Geron also said that many railroad employees come to the recreation
center to use the weight room and have asked when the court would be finished.
"I think it's definitely going to be a plus for Pecos," she said.
The center, in the small gym, is open to the public from 10 a.m. to
10 p.m., Monday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday; and
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, year round.
Membership fees are $10 each month per person and $20 per month per
family. All school, city and county employees' fees are waived.
Moore takes over from Alvarez at juvenile center
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 15, 2001 - Reeves County's Interim Juvenile Probation Officer
says providing good quality service to the youth and the Reeves County
Community are her top priorities, after taking over for the county's longtime
probation officer at Reeves County Juvenile Probation Facility.
"We're just here providing the best service we can," said Interim Chief
Juvenile Probation Officer Louise Moore, who is taking over for retired
juvenile probation officer Alberto Alvarez, who left recently and is living
in El Paso.
The position for a new Chief Juvenile Probation Officer will be posted
soon by Reeves County, applications accepted and a committee will then
make the selection.
"The committee will decide who gets the permanent position," said Moore,
who is planning to apply for the permanent post.
The number of juveniles referred to the facility has been about the
same in recent months and things have just been steady, according to Moore.
Among those referred to the juvenile probation department since the
beginning of the year was a youth that was involved in an altercation in
Midland in January.
Officers ere called to a disturbance involving a gun in early January,
in the 2400 block of Kentucky Avenue in Midland.
Midland Police Gang Unit Detective Chad Bullard said members of the
Pecos BPG or Brown Pride Gang had gathered at a fellow gang member's house
when hostilities erupted with Midland gang members.
The fight started in the middle of the street and a Midland gang member
threw a pipe through the window of the BPG member's house, according to
Bullard.
"A Pecos gang member then retaliated by pulling out a handgun," said
Bullard.
Bullard said at least four shots were fired, but no injuries were reported.
Three suspected BPG members _ two men and a 16-year-old Pecos juvenile
_ were arrested in the incident. Midland Police identified two of those
arrested Jaime Rodriguez Lasoya, 17, Alex Plasencia, who were taken to
Midland County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,
unlawfully carrying a weapon and evading arrest, while the juvenile was
detained at a Midland juvenile facility.
"Midland handled the adults and we handled the juvenile case," said
Moore. "We handled the disposition and he's currently at a boot camp."
The juvenile was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
and engaging in organized criminal activity, according to Bullard.
For the month of February in Reeves County, detention hearings were
held for nine juveniles; four had a waiver of hearing to modify disposition
and four had a motion to modify disposition filed.
There are currently 20 juveniles on probation; three are currently on
courtesy supervision; six are on deferred prosecution probation; two had
petition requests submitted for court action; two had petitions filed with
the court and one case was dismissed in February.
Two juveniles in Reeves County are pending placement in setting out-of-the-home
and one has already been placed outside of the home.
Six had monies paid for restitution, according to the Reeves County
Juvenile Court report.
Candidate filings for May election enters final week
PECOS, March 15, 2001 - No new candidate filings have been reported in
the past three days in area city, school or hospital district elections,
with the deadline to file for the May 5 area elections next Wednesday at
5 p.m.
Candidates in the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD election can file during spring
break at the school administration building, 1302 S. Park St., while Balmorhea
ISD candidates can file on Friday at the school adiminstration office there.
Other races voters will decide on May 5 are the city elections in Pecos,
Barstow, Toyah and Balmorhea and the Precinct 2 and 4 seats on the Reeves
County Hospital Board. Currently, only one area election, for Precinct
2 on the hospital board, is a contested race. Linda Gholson and Clark Lindley
are seeking the seat currently held by Marcella Lovett.
Weather
PECOS, March 15, 2001 - High Wednesday 78. Low this morning 48. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy. Low in the lower 30s. Light wind. Friday: Partly
cloudy. High near 65. Southeast wind 10 to 20 mph and gusty. Friday night:
Partly cloudy. Low in the upper 30s. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High in the
60s. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Low 35 to 40. High 55 to 65.
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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