|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
Christmas fund seeking $1,300 to aid 500 kids
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Dec. 3, 2002 -- Christmas for the Kids is still seeking to
raise $1,300 over the next three weeks, in order to meet its $8,000 goal
to provide holiday gifts to over 500 Reeves County children.
Friday was the deadline for registering for the annual program, and the
group's head elf Sofia Baeza said that over 500 children were signed-up
for this year, which is slightly higher than the 492 who received Christmas
presents a year ago.
"Our goal was to raise $8,000 because of the high number of kids," she
said. "We still need $1,300, but I'm counting on businesses and individuals
who have come through in the past, but who haven't donated yet to come through
again."
Baeza said the group's barbeque fundraiser last month netted $1,200,
while a door-to-door collection effort picked up another $1,700. Donations
to the Christmas for the Kids program will continue to be accepted through
Christmas at the Reeves County Sheriff's Office, although the gift deliveries
are scheduled for one week before Christmas.
"Our goal is to deliver on the 18th, but we do have last-minute
emergencies sometimes," she said. "We had to have an emergency fund for
the last two years we've had a fire between the delivery time and the holiday,
and we've had people with other emergencies at home where we had to buy
groceries and other things."
Another `elf' with the program, Linda Clark, said Reeves County sheriff's
deputies, along with Pecos High School and Crockett Middle School student
council members and Crockett cheerleaders would help out with the deliveries
on the 18th.
"Jesse (Baeza with the sheriff's department) decorates the truck for us,
and the kids ride on the truck door-to-door to deliver presents," she said.
"The deputies are real good about taking presents to Balmorhea and Saragosa
in the outlying areas, because the truck does the deliveries only here in
Pecos."
"We're always real excited to get this done," Clark said, adding that
anyone who wanted to help out with the deliveries can do so at the sheriff's
department office on Dec. 18, beginning about 4 p.m.
"I want to thank the community for their good response year in and year
out," said Baeza. "I'm most thankful to anybody in any way, shape or form
who has helped me or who is helping me at this moment."
She said anyone wanting more information on Christmas for the Kids could
call the Reeves County Sheriff's Department, at 445-4901.
Community tree lighting delayed by rainy weather
PECOS, Tues., Dec. 3, 2002 -- The lighting of the Community Christmas
Tree at Maxey Park, scheduled for tonight, has been postponed due to bad
weather.
According to Pecos Rotary Club member Nancy Ontiveros, the lighting ceremony
has been postponed till next Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.
Ontiveros said that they decided to postpone the ceremony because they
were concerned with the safety of the children involved in the ceremony.
Rainy weather has been in the area since late Monday night, and temperatures
were expected to drop into the upper 30s this evening due to a cold front
passing through West Texas.
Arizona man identified as fatality in I-10 crash
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Dec. 3, 2002 -- A one-vehicle rollover took the life of an
Arizona man and injured three others Monday morning on Interstate 10 near
mile maker 147, in Culberson County, while no serious injuries were reported
this morning in an accident at the I-10 junction with I-20, but which did
shut down the interstate for some time.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety report on Monday's
accident, it involved a 1996 Ford Van with Arizona plates, and occurred
at about 4:50 a.m.
The driver of the vehicle, Martin Capilla Cardenas, 38, was traveling
on the westbound lane on I-10 about seven miles east of Van Horn when he
became fatigued or fell asleep and drifted onto the center of the medium.
The DPS report said that the driver then applied the brakes causing the
vehicle to go into a broadside skid and overturn several times.
After overturning the vehicle stopped facing south on its left side on
top of the driver who was partially ejected from the car.
Culberson County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Oscar Espinosa pronounced
Cardenas dead at the scene at 6 a.m. and was taken to Geeslin Funeral Home.
Cardenas was not wearing his seat belt.
The three injured were Crystal Capilla, 10, Mariano Capilla, 16 and Adriana
Capilla, 8.
The three children were taken to Culberson County Hospital and are listed
in fair condition with minor injuries.
They were all wearing their seat belt.
The report read that the conditions of the road where dry and clear.
Troopers K. Vore and E. Taylor of Van Horn investigated the accident.
This morning's accident happened in far western Reeves County at the
junction of I-10 and I-20, and involved an overturned truck-trailer that
was then struck by two other vehicles, causing the road to close for some
time.
According to Jose Rodriguez with Texas Department of Transportation out
of Balmorhea the multiple-vehicle accident was blocking traffic on the highway,
which does not have service roads to divert traffic.
"The traffic is on the shoulder," Rodriguez said.
No one was reportedly injured seriously despite the number of vehicles
involved. Further information was not available on the accident, but Rodriguez
said that the driving conditions in that area were foggy.
"Visibility is about 600-feet or more," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said that he was not sure for how long the road would be closed
but did say that it would take at least four hours for the fog to clear in
that area.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., Dec. 3, 2002 -- High Monday 68. Low this morning 51. Rainfall
last 24 hours at Texas A&M Experiment Station .12 inch. Forecast for
tonight: Cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Rain generally ending by midnight.
Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 5 to 15 mph. The chance of rain is
20 percent. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy and continued cold. Decreasing cloudiness
during the afternoon. Highs 40 to 45. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wednesday
night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 20s. Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs
45 to 50. Friday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s. Highs in the mid
50s.
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 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
|
