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Tuesday, January 28, 1997

Hot afternoon gets chilled out

by night snow


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From Staff and Wire Reports

PECOS, January 28, 1997 - Pecos residents were enjoying an afternoon of
calm winds and temperatures approaching the mid-70s at 3 p.m. on Monday.

But by 11 o'clock, anyone outside was shivering through temperatures
hovering around 30 and scraping about a quarter inch of snow and ice off
their cars.

The third snow of January to hit Pecos, after three years of no snow
accumulation at all in the city, came suddenly Monday night, as the
thermometer fell nearly 50 degrees in a 12 hour period. But forecasts
predict the latest cold front will be out of the area by Wednesday.

Gusty winds combined with a blast of frigid Arctic air to produce wind
chill factors well below zero across North Texas early today.

The wind chill factor dropped to 14 below at Dallas before dawn today.
The temperature had dropped to 19 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Pecos'
low this morning was slightly warmer, at 25 degrees.

The mid-afternoon temperature in Amarillo was already down to 21 degrees
on Monday when Pecos hit its high for the day at 73 degrees, just before
the front arrived, about 3:30 p.m. And the front continued to produce
vast temperature differences early today.

By 2 a.m. it had moved past Austin, where the temperature was 32
degrees, while it was still 71 in Brownsville, ahead of the cold front.

The front was accompanied by a small outbreak of thunderstorms to the
west of Pecos, and a few sprinkles fell inside the city. But by 7:30
p.m. the precipitation had turned to sleet and snow, which continued for
about another four hours.

Snow accumulation was about .25 inches, while moisture recorded by the
National Weather Service office for Pecos totalled .02 inches.

The most severe weather from the front came Monday afternoon southeast
of Houston, where a tornado caused heavy property damage in Pasadena.

The twister, caused extensive and widespread damage to buildings, a
church and mobile homes, but no injuries were reported.

``By the grace of God, nobody was hurt and nobody was trapped,''
Pasadena fire chief Richard Sellers said.

Pasadena is about 10 miles southeast of downtown Houston.

Six new police parked at the Pasadena Police Academy were damaged,
officers said.

Mayor Johnny Isbell said city officials have been unable to determine a
total city-wide damage estimate.

A church lost part of its roof, and bricks were peeled from an outside
wall. Its steeple toppled into the parking lot, and windows were
shattered.

A roof was blown off a portable school building, and a side was torn
away from a two-story office building, officials said.

Walker voices support

for water reform plans


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By MARI MALDONADO
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 28, 1997 - Water, one of Texas' most contentious issues,
is at the top of the list of bills for the current session of the Texas
Legislature, and Reeves County's House representative is pleased the
need to set controls on underground water is being recognized.

"I'm glad the State and others are recognizing the need for management
of groundwater in Texas," Representative for District 80 Gary Walker
said today.

Walker (R-Plains) was appointed last week to serve as Vice-Chairman of
the House Natural Resource Committee by House Speaker Pete Laney. His
background includes consultant for an underground water district in
Plains, according to Legislative Aide Warren Mayberry.

Walker said this morning that he was, "not displeased," with the
160-page bill, filed by Senator J.E. "Buster" Brown Wednesday and dubbed
by Lt. Governor Bob Bullock Senate Bill 1.

However, he was disappointed that the bill did not address the, "rule of
capture," otherwise known as the "right to capture law", which basically
states property owners can pump as much underground water from their
land, regardless of its effects to adjoining properties.

Walker said SB1 included some needed drought management plans and
management plans for water districts.

"Obviously I wouldn't say I agree will all of it," Walker said, "but I
can say it's something we can work with."

He said that the bill also contained, "some oversight by TNRCC (Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission) that I may not agree with,"
but added that is was necessary to have some accountability.

"I support local control," he said, which he claimed is the lowest form
of government and, "the most effective. This is due to the fact, that,
there is a lot of diversity with aquifers," which Walker explained
creates different situations for each locality.

"It's (the bill) not just for rural Texas, but for all of Texas," Walker
stated.

The state representative went on to say, "I think it (the bill) is a
positive step for rural Texas," a term that can be used to describe most
of his district, which runs from Levelland in the South Plains to
Balmorhea in southern Reeves County.

Jones picked for team headed to Russia

for worldwide Taekwon Do competition


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By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 28, 1997 - A recent Pecos High School grad will be seeing
his dream come true in July, as he travels to Russia for an
international Taekwon Do competition.

Russell Jones, a 1996 graduate of Pecos High School who is currently
attending the University of Texas-Permian Basin, will be traveling along
with five others from the United States to worldwide competition in St.
Petersburg, Russia. The group will be there from July 1-10.

Jones competed in Denver, Colo., along with about 90 other competitors
recently from cities throughout the United States.

The competitors in Denver traveled from as far away as Alaska and
Connecticut.

"Five of us were chosen to go compete in Russia, along with some
alternates," said Jones. "The alternates won't be traveling to Russia,
they are on stand-by though, in case somebody can't make it."

Among those chosen as alternates was another Pecosite, Randy Ramirez. He
placed second in black belt second degree patterns competition.

"I'm very excited to have been chosen as one of the five, it's a big
honor to me," said Jones, who is the son of Reeves County Librarian
Nancy Bentley of Pecos.

Jones holds a third degree black belt, has been in Taekwon Do since he
was 14 years old and has won numerous competitions over the years.

"In Denver I placed first in the heavyweight men's fighting," said Jones.

The five competitors who were chosen were judged on the competition and
how well they did, but also on their resumes, which included their
experience and their competition ratings.

"They went by how well we did at that competition, but also by what was
on our resumes," said Jones. "Maybe if we didn't do as well, they might
have accounted it as a bad day for one of the competitors, but would
look at what was on the resume," he said.

Jones stated that this is a dream come true to him, that he somehow
never thought would materialize.

"Now that I get to go, I haven't fully realized it yet, I'm still
dazed," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to it," said Jones, who has already started
preparing for the Summer competition.

"I started yesterday by running a minimum of five miles per day, and
will be training strenuously for the next six months," he said.

His regimen will consist of running, practicing Taekwon Do at least
three to four hours a day and hitting the weight jumps three or four
times a week.

"I'll be training hard in every way possible," said Jones.

Jones will not only be competing with the U.S. team, but also as an
individual.

"Since I won first place in an individual competition, I will be
competing as both," he said.

The group will gather in Denver in late June and practice for a few days
before begin their trek to Russia.

"I'm so excited, I still can't believe it," he said.

Each individual on the team is required to fund their own way. "We'll
get a little bit of help from fundraisers for the team, but 95 percent
will have to come out of our own pocket," said Jones.

County approves funds for firefighters


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By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 28, 1997 - An interlocal agreement between Reeves County
and the Town of Pecos City for financing of the Pecos Volunteer Fire
Department was approved at Monday evening's regular Reeves County
Commissioners Court meeting.

Commissioners for Precinct 2, W.J. Bang, Precinct 3, Herman Tarin, and
Precinct 4, Bernardo Martinez, were the only ones able to attend the
meeting, the first regularly scheduled session held in the evening,
instead of the past morning meeting hours.

Martinez was presiding over the meeting in the absence of County Judge
Jimmy B. Galindo.

"This is just a standard form, same as last year," said County Auditor
Lynn Owens of the agreement on the fire department.

He explained that the county and city each pay half of the department's
budget. This year, the fire department's total budget was set at
$182,710, with the county's payment coming out to $91,355.

"It's close to what it was last year," said Owens.

In other business, commissioners agreed to rescind a dairy products bid
and award it to the second lowest bidder.

"It turns out that the item they bid on, they couldn't supply it," said
Owens.

Sysco was the lowest bidder and commissioners agreed to give the bid to
Gandy's Dairy Products, the lowest second bidder.

Grant administrator Mari Maldonado was named Labor Standards Officer.
Maldonado is currently overseeing the septic tank installation project.

"Since I'm the one working on the grants and the project for septic tank
installations it was recommended that I be appointed the labor officer,"
she said.

Maldonado will be in charge of all payroll, overseeing the entire
project and making sure everything is in compliance with the different
agencies, such as HUD.

A contract for the detention of juvenile offenders between Reeves County
and Moore County (Dumas) was approved.

Personnel and salary changes included new hires at the Reeves County
Detention Center.

Edward G. Prieto was hired as a Correctional Officer I at $16,000 per
year; Ricky Jaso was hired as a Correctional Officer I at $16,000
yearly; Ricky Sanchez will be working at the Reeves County Sheriff's
office as an introductory jailer at a salary of $14,000 per year and
Gilbert Urias at the Sheriff's office also at $14,000 per year.

The two positions at the Sheriff's office are newly created positions
approved at the last commissioners court meeting. The jail is currently
operating at capacity and was in need of additional staff.

Spread on the minutes was a resolution noting that Raul Garcia was
appointed as representative to the Reeves County Tax Appraisal District.

School's scores earn recognition

for ex-Pecosiste in Houston ISD


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PECOS, January 28, 1997 - A former Pecos resident is settling into her
new job, after being named principal of an elementary school in the
Houston area this past fall.

Cynthia Wilson was chosen as principal of
Pleastantville Elementary School, part of the Houston Independent School
District.

The HISD school board confirmed her transfer from assistant principal at
Uptown's Grady Middle School to principal of Pleasantville in November.

A recent article in the«MDUL» Houston Chronicle «MDNM» said
Pleasantville's academic achievements, especially in the most recent
round of test scores, have been noted by both Houston ISD and the Texas
Education Agency.

One classroom in each grade level at Pleasantville is set aside for
gifted-and-talented Vanguard students. Innovative programs on campus
include multi-age classrooms and a behavior intervention program for
students with emotional difficulties.

Wilson's parents, the late Sydney Sadler and Billie Sadler, were
principals; her sister, Sylvia Sadler is a Pecos Kindergarten teacher;
her middle brother, Mike Sadler is head basketball coach, assistant
football coach at Pecos High School after serving as Zavala Middle
School principal during the 1995-96 school year.

When she decided to get a master's degree in education, it seemed a
natural fit.

Wilson did not always intend to teach. When she graduated from the
University of Texas with a degree in psychology, she took a job as a
buyer for Joske's in San Antonio. It was only after a two-year break for
the birth of her first child that she actually began to consider
education as a career.

During her nine years in HISD, Wilson has served as an elementary school
teacher and a vocational teacher and, before serving the last three
years as the assistant principal of Grady Middle School.

OBITUARIES

Enid Davenport


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Enid Davenport, 75, died this morning at Reeves County Hospital.

Her services are being handled by Pecos Funeral Home and are incomplete
as of press time.

Guadalupe Ramon


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Services are incomplete for Guadalupe Ramon, 83, who died Monday night,
Jan. 27, at Odessa Medical Center.

Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

WEATHER


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High Monday 73, low this morning 25. Snowfall .25 inch. Precipitation
total for past 24 hours .02 inches. Total for month/year .27 inches.
Tonight, fair. Low 20 25. Light wind. Wednesday, partly cloudy and
warmer. High around 60. Southwest to west wind 5-15 mph.

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Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
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