|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Monday, October 15, 2001
Prison's delayed Open House set for Tuesday
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- The scheduled tour of the latest addition
to the Reeves County Detention Center, which was called off last month
following the terrorist attacks on the United States, will take place on
Tuesday, beginning at 9 a.m. at the prison located on the southwest side
of Pecos.
The tour and Open House for the general public will feature the work
done as part of the RCDC II project, a 1,000-bed addition that was completed
late last year. RCDC staff will conduct tours of the facility for local
residents and also provide a tactical demonstration. The tours will run
from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The 1,000-bed addition doubled the size of the prison, which primarily
houses federal minimum-security inmates under a contract between Reeves
County and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Currently, the county is in the
process of beginning work on another addition to the facility, RCDC III,
which will bring capacity up to 2,960 inmates.
The RCDC II tour had previously been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept.
12, but due to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 at the Pentagon near Washington
and at the World Trade Center in New York, officials at the facility decided
to reschedule the tour for a later date. Officials said part of the reason
was the attacks grounded all U.S. commercial airlines, preventing U.S.
Bureau of Prison officials from flying in from Washington for the event.
Registration will be conducted in the lobby of the new RCDC Administration
Building, located at the southwest corner of the facility on Locker Road,
one-half mile west of Highway 17.
Children 13 years and older may accompany an adult during the tour.
No cellular phones, pagers, shorts, tank tops or flip-flop shoes will be
allowed.
Blood drive at RCH nets 42 volunteers
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- The staff of Reeves County Hospital and
United Blood Services appreciated the help from numerous people who chose
to donate blood at this weekend's special blood drive held in the RCH lobby.
Director of Program Development/Community Services for Reeves Count
Hospital Nancy Ontiveros said that 42 people showed up to give blood, which
helps the local blood supply.
"We had 34 units (of blood)," she said. "Forty-two people showed up
to give blood but many of them were deferred due to their iron level."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made regulations on the blood
screening interview process tougher, according to Ontiveros, therefore
the people who donated blood this weekend had a longer wait than usual.
"The process took longer," she said. "The FDA have new regulations that
require more extensive questioning of the individuals."
"The FDA now requires additional questioning in the interview process
to insure that the blood is safe for the person receiving it."
Ontiveros said that each prospective donor receives a "mini-physical"
before they can donate blood along with the extensive health questions.
She said the mini-physical checks the donors' temperature, blood pressure
and iron level before they are allowed to donate.
Once the United Blood Services receive the donated blood, each unit
is put through 101 tests before the blood is used to make sure it is safe.
Because of the extensive interview process, Ontiveros said that some
people had to wait for as long as two hours before they could donate their
blood.
However, Ontiveros said that the donors were very patient, which she
appreciates.
She explained that there is a critical nationwide blood shortage right
now along with an extreme shortage here in Pecos.
Ontiveros said that this weekend's blood drive was held in efforts to
restore the local blood supply as well as help the victim's of the Sept.
11 disaster.
"We held it to replenish the local blood supply which at this time has
diminished," she said.
Ontiveros explained that Pecos has been hit hard by the nationwide blood
shortage because it is a rural community that sits next to two major highways.
Because Interstate 10 and 20 are so close to Pecos, many accident victims
on those roadways, along with the other area highways, come to RCH to receive
treatment.
"There is a desperate need for every type of blood," Ontiveros said.
Plans are already being made for a community wide blood drive to be
held in December, according to Ontiveros.
"The next one will be a regular one and everyone will be able to donate,"
she said.
The drive in December will be held on a weekday in a more central location
in town.
"We want to hold that one downtown in a centrally located area," Ontiveros
said. "We hold drives in different locations to see if we can attract more
people."
Front's blowing dust shuts road, more winds predicted
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- Fall winds that approached the area's high
velocities this past spring shut down Highway 17 south of Pecos and caused
some minor damage and power outages Friday afternoon and evening.
More winds are expected as part of another cold front this afternoon,
and the National Weather Service is predicting winds up to around 40 mph
this afternoon and evening, though that would still be less than the gusts
that arrived with Friday's cold front.
Visibility went to zero Friday evening for a while in Pecos when strong
winds blew in to town as part of a cold front that passed through the area.
The winds blew throughout the afternoon, but weren't strong enough for
Texas Department of Transportation crews to shut down Highway 17 due to
blowing dust until around 6 p.m.
One accident was also reported on Highway 17 due to the blowing dust
conditions, and winds in Pecos were clocked at 75 miles an hour, according
to Pecos Municipal Airport Manager Isabel Blanchard.
The cold front dropped temperatures in Pecos from the upper 80s to the
low 40s by Saturday morning, though the area escaped the more severe weather
that occurred to the north and east and forced postponement of a number
of high school football games Friday night in cities to the east of San
Angelo.
The front also dropped mid-day temperatures on Friday into the upper
30s as close to Pecos as Ruidoso, N.M., though by Saturday skies had cleared
and temperatures were back up into the 80s on Sunday.
Tuesday morning temperatures are expected to be back down around 40
degrees, following a low of 47 degrees today.
RCH sets Tuesday program on breast cancer awareness
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- Women can survive breast cancer and lead
productive, healthy lives, but early detection is critical.
Early detection through self-exams is the key to more treatment options
and a dramatic increase in survival rates, according to Nancy Ontiveros,
Director of Program Development/Community Services at Reeves County Hospital.
"Early diagnosis can prevent breast cancer," said Ontiveros.
Reeves County Hospital will be hosting a breast cancer awareness/self
breast exam program at 6 p.m. Tuesday, in the hospital classroom.
Women will be taught how to perform self-breast examinations, will receive
information on the importance of clinical breast exams and mammography.
Each person attending will receive monthly planners to record when to
perform self-exams each month, as well as other little incentives, according
to Ontiveros.
"This program is being conducted in conjunction with Breast Cancer Month,
which is celebrated in October and National Mammography Awareness Day which
is Oct. 19," said Ontiveros.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Reeves County, and Reeves
County Hospital wants to encourage women to detect the problem early and
avoid tragedy late in life, according to Ontiveros.
The hospital is a part of the West Texas Chronic Disease Consortium,
which focuses on providing education to its' residents on cancer, heart
disease and diabetes.
"Due to the declining number of women who receive mammograms, this is
the first effort that Reeves County Hospital is taking to emphasize the
importance of prevention and early detection," said Ontiveros.
There is no registration fee and the program will be offered bilingually.
Individuals interested in registering can call Reeves County Hospital
at 445-3551, extension 350.
Elementary school 'Credit by Exam' dates, deadline set
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- Credit by Exam will be held at all the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD elementary schools.
Deadline to register for Credit by Exam is this Friday at any of the
elementary school counselor's offices.
A student must able to score 90 percent on each subject matter test
at the grade level that he or she wishes to skip in each of the following
areas: language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
This Credit by Exam is for students in first through sixth grades..
Test dates are Thursday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 16, at the respective
elementary school campuses and individuals can sign up at any of the respective
campuses counselor's office.
Weather
PECOS, Mon., Oct. 15, 2001 -- High Sun. 79. Low this morning 47. Forecast
for tonight: Clear and cool. Lows in the lower 40s. NE winds 15 to 25 mph
this evening: Diminishing after midnight. Tues. Mostly sunny. Highs near
70. Light and variable winds in the morning: Becoming south 5 to 10 mph
by afternoon. Tues. night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.
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 newsdesk@nwol.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 2001 by Pecos Enterprise
|
