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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
City opening business/home resource center
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., April 23, 2002 -- A grand opening for the Town of Pecos
City's new resource center will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday and the public
is invited to attend.
The city's Main Street Project will be hosting an Open House/Ribbon
Cutting Ceremony for the newly created Small Business Resource Center and
Housing Resource Center.
"We welcome everyone to come out and see the new center," said Pecos
Main Street Director Tom Rivera.
The Resource Centers are available to anyone requiring assistance with
their business activities or for individuals/families interested in purchasing
a home, according to Rivera.
"This is part of my new duties as main street director," said Rivera.
"Our office will handle the resource centers and help individuals that
request it."
There is software available and an extensive library for small businesses,
according to Rivera. "We have a lot of valuable information for anyone
who wants to develop a small business or who is already an owner," he said.
"We'll also be working with the Small Business Development Center from
Sul Ross and they will provide consultation and work with them on a one
to one basis," said Rivera. "And everything is free of charge," he said.
Rivera said that his office will also have information on the homes
by Pecos Family Subdivision, the low-income homes that will be built in
the empty lot behind Gibson True Value on Washington Street.
"We'll have information on those homes or purchasing a home elsewhere,"
said Rivera.
The Resource Centers contain two computers that individuals can use
(free of charge) to access the Internet for their business or housing related
activities, according to Rivera.
"All this is to help families and small businesses in Pecos," said Rivera.
The center is located in the Community Center building at 508 S. Oak.
For more information on the services provided, contact Rivera at 445-9656.
Rodriguez finds winds lone fault in rooftop stay
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., April 23, 2002 -- Pecos High School Principal Danny Rodriguez
fulfilled his end of the bargain and completed his 24 hours on the roof
of PHS on Saturday morning.
After challenging the students of PHS to raise their TAAS scores, Rodriguez
was held to his end of the deal and spent a full day on top of the building,
finally climbing down at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Rodriguez said that he challenged the students to score at least 80
percent in each section of the TAAS test, which they surpassed.
The students accepted the challenge and were able to score over 90 percent
in each section.
"They just kicked it," Rodriguez said. "They took it to the next level."
The students scored 94 percent in reading, 95 percent in math and 96
percent in writing.
So early Friday morning, Rodriguez climbed up the ladder to start his
day on the roof at the main entrance on the high school.
Rodriguez said he enjoyed his time on the roof and had many visitors
come by till the early hours of Saturday morning.
"We had a lot of excitement and a lot of people visit me," he said.
"I had quite a few people come by until four o'clock in the morning."
Rodriguez' visitors included local school children, the high school
students, teachers, community members and several members of the media.
Both KWES and KMID television stations out of Odessa dropped by to check
out what the local principal was up two along with newspaper staff from
the Ojinaga paper, the Contacto.
Rodriguez said that even high school students from Presidio dropped
by and video taped him on the roof.
"They wanted to show it back home," he said. "I guess they thought that
this principal was crazy."
Rodriguez said that he got a little hot during the day however, that
night the temperatures dropped quite a bit.
He said he had to battle the wind while trying to stay warm Friday night.
"The wind blew everything I had on top of the roof down to the ground,"
he said.
Visitors drove by to make sure Rodriguez was still on the roof till
the early hours of the morning, but the principal said that only one complaint
was filed because of the noise.
"All they wanted to know was that I was still up there," he said.
However, Rodriguez said he hopes that community members realize how
his being on the roof was for the students.
"It was all for the best," he said. "It was to show support for our
students doing well."
Rodriguez said he is grateful for the support of the community, parents
and teachers K-12 showed to the students.
"This was a district-wide effort," he said.
Rodriguez explained that without the teachers in all grades and the
parents and community members this occasion might not have happened.
He said that those are the people, along with the high school teachers,
are the ones who help the students each day and in the past learn what
they need in life.
Rodriguez said that a small group of people gathered to welcome him
back to Earth on Saturday morning, which he appreciates as well.
As for next year, Rodriguez said that he has not made any plans for
another challenge.
"I will leave it open," he said.
Board to discuss next step in RCH renovation proposal
PECOS, Tues., April 23, 2002 -- The Reeves County Hospital District Board
of Directors are scheduled to discuss the next step for the Facility Master
Plan at the regular meeting tonight at 6 p.m., in the hospital's classroom.
The board was given an outline of the plan earlier this month, and the
next step includes detailed design and drawings for the possible renovation
of the facility.
The board will also discuss various resolutions including a resolution
of the medical staff and board of directors for trauma designation.
Also on the agenda is the CEO evaluation, which would be discussed in
executive session.
Regular items on the agenda that are up for discussion include the monthly
tax report, financial statements and budget amendments and payment of bills.
Firm backing Pecos County Spaceport site
HARLINGEN (AP) - Despite a late entry into the race for a spaceport, South
Texas officials remain hopeful that the county will land one.
The Willacy County Development Corp. for Spaceport Facilities met Monday
to discuss proposals to launch spaceport plans.
Willacy County entered the spaceport race after Kenedy County residents
passed on the project, deciding it involved too many environmental and
health concerns. The proposed commercial facility would serve as the launching
and landing facility for still-theoretical civilian spacecraft.
Willacy County is playing catch-up against two other counties vying
for such a facility in South Texas. Brazoria and Pecos counties have had
significantly more time to plan and rally support.
Pecos County's proposed site would be south on Interstate 10 and east
of Fort Stockton, and the site has an endorsement from Kistler Aerospace.
Kistler has stated that a spaceport in Willacy would not meet the firm's
needs, claiming coastal winds could potentially blow sounding rockets into
the Gulf of Mexico. Barzoria County's site would also be near the Gulf
of Mexico, but it would also be located just to the south of NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston.
Pecos County's site would be in an area of Texas with both low land
costs and a small population. The advantage of costal launch sites, such
as those at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Vandenberg AFB in California,
is launches can be directed away from land in case of any rocket malfunctions.
"We're pushing primarily because of the economic development that it
would bring," Armando Rubalcaba, board member for the Willacy County Development
Corp. for Spaceport Facilities, told the Valley Morning Star for its Tuesday
editions.
The spaceport, which could provide more than 5,000 jobs when complete,
would be used to launch reusable space vehicles called "sounding rockets"
that can be refurbished and reused.
During the next five months, the Willacy County board will study possible
sites where a spaceport might be built.
"We're now taking it to the next step," said Thomas Rodino with Shiner
Moseley and Associates Inc., which has been hired as consultants to work
with Willacy County. "We've got the public sector involved. Now, we want
to get the private sector involved. We want to look for companies that
will work with us and that will contribute their services or sponsor some
of the activities and help us get the work done."
Rubalcaba said the California-based Interorbital Systems recently contacted
the board showing interest in the project. Company representatives are
scheduled to visit Willacy County to see if the county provides the necessary
resources that would allow them to launch reusable rockets.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., April 23, 2002 -- High Monday 88. Low this morning 64. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated evening showers and thunderstorms.
Lows around 60. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Wednesday: Partly cloudy.
Highs around 90. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy.
Lows 55 to 60. Thursday: Mostly cloudy and breezy with a 20 percent chance
of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 80 to 85. Friday: Partly cloudy. Lows
around 55. Highs 85 to 90.
Police Report
EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police
Report is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves
County Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies.
The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either
traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered
arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were
paid. In such instanced we will indicate payment and release.
***
Rafael V. Medina, 40, was arrested at 3:26 p.m., on April 13 in the
1900 block of South Eddy Street on an Ector County Sheriff's Office warrant
for failure to adjudicate on a driving with license suspended.
***
Roy Carrillo, 34, was arrested at 6:41 a.m., on April 21 at the Pecos
Police Department for public intoxication.
***
Sandra Ortega, 38, was arrested at 6:32 p.m., on April 20 in the 700
block of East Fourth Street on a warrant for driving without a license
in possession and a warrant for liability insurance proof.
***
Tomas Carmona, 52, was arrested at 8:35 p.m., on April 20 in the 200
block of East Third Street on a Capias Pro Fine warrant for default of
payment on a theft under $50 charge.
***
Jose Alfredo Lujan, 40, was arrested at 11:36 p.m., on April 20 in the
400 block of Bois D'Arc Street for public intoxication.
***
Delfino Lujan, Jr., 50, was arrested at 9:47 p.m., on April 20 in the
1000 block of South Oak Street for driving while intoxicated and a Capias
Pro Fine warrant for default of payment on public intoxication.
***
Amador Salgado, 35, was arrested at 2:26 a.m., on April 21 in the 1300
block of East Third Street on a Capias Pro Fine warrant for default of
payment on an assault under the Family Violence Act charge and a warrant
for theft by check.
***
Jerardo Juarez, 17, was arrested at 12:58 a.m., on April 20 in the 1200
block of Park Street on Capias Pro Fine warrants for no seatbelt and no
driver's license.
***
William Benjamin Beaguer, 28, was arrested at 1:29 a.m., on April 20
at the Flying J Truck Stop for burglary of a coin operated machine.
***
Richard Dominguez, 45, was arrested at 8:02 a.m., on April 19 in the
600 block of West Sixth Street for assault under the Family Violence Act.
***
Alma Romo, 38, was arrested at 1:44 p.m., on April 19 at Anchor Foods
on a Reeves County warrant for motion to adjudicate.
***
David Levario, 18, was arrested at 10:30 p.m., on April 18 in the 500
block of South Oak Street on a warrant for default in payment on a minor
in possession charge. Levario paid the fine.
***
Joshua Pogue, 19, was arrested at 9:02 p.m., on April 12 in the 1400
block of Iowa Street on warrants for no seatbelt and driving without a
license.
***
Robert Halpain, 17, was arrested at 10:43 p.m., on April 12 at Third
and Park Streets on a Capias Pro Fine warrant for theft and public intoxication.
***
Yolanda Vela, 39, and Fernando Vela, 42, were arrested at 1:25 a.m.,
on April 13 at Toliver and Kerr Streets. Yolanda Vela was arrested for
driving while intoxicated and Fernando Vela was arrested for public intoxication.
***
Thomas Marquez, 34, was arrested at 2:15 a.m., on April 13 in the 700
block of South Cedar Street for public intoxication and resisting arrest.
***
Melissa Acosta Ortiz, 26, and Edna Rubio, 23, were arrested at 12:02
p.m., on April 13 in the 200 block of West Sixth Street both for family
violence.
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 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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