Daily Newspaper and Tourism Guide for Reeves County Trans Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

Use "FIND" option on toolbar to search for a specific word or string.

TOP STORIES

October 6, 1997

Battle continues to stop waste dump

Addington, the leader of a small group that has been fighting the Sierra Blanca site in the West Texas desert for six years, is entering his second month of a water-only hunger strike.

"I'm trying to get needed attention," Addington, 40, told the El Paso Times last week. "It's a small price to pay if I can affect this insanity in any way."

"The sweat and blood of my grandfather and all the old-timers - the pioneers who built Texas - are in the land," he said. "We have deep roots there. It makes me real mad to know that the state of Texas would force this on us and ruin everything.

"We grow food. That's important. And we have resources that other people want, like water."

The dump will contain everything from contaminated hospital gowns and booties to radioactive components from dismantled nuclear power plants.

That prospect has caused turmoil in the small, rural and poor ranching community. While many share Addington's fears that soil, water and air would be ruined, others see the disposal facility as a good way to bring outside money and jobs into the town of about 650 people.

The Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority has already contributed $3.4 million to the community and estimates that disposal fees will bring Sierra Blanca about $1 million a year after the dump opens.

Meanwhile, the chief of Maine's nuclear power plant has urged Congress to delay ratifying the interstate compact establishing the dump.

The owners of the 25-year-old Maine Yankee plant, which had been shut down since December after a string of safety and maintenance problems, voted two months ago to close it permanently.

Chairman David Flanagan said the Texas plant won't be ready when Maine needs it and will add more than $40 million to the plant's decommissioning costs, raising the cost of electricity in New England. Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Machuca Ranch big winner at cook-off

The event, that began Friday evening, was held inside the Reeves County Sheriff's Posse Arena. Judging was held Saturday at 1 p.m. with the winners announced shortly thereafter.

Along with winning Grand Champion, netting a silver plate and $300, the Machucas also took first and second place in the Pro Division of the contest.

First prize in each division was $200 and a trophy; second prize in each division was $100 and a trophy.

In the Amateur Division, Manuel Garcia took first place with Crooked River taking second. Crooked River won the Worst Barbecue award last year, and has certainly moved up in this year's event.

Russ Salcido took first place in the Club Division with Robert Natividad's construction Company taking second place.

Be careful what you wish for or you just might get it, is an appropriate phrase to use for the winner of the Worst Barbecue, who had earlier told the judges and others that he was going to win in that category and he did. Ruben Contreras good-naturedly accepted his trophy, depicting the back end of a steer.

The Baeza Brothers won Best Camp, featuring a cantina. The group was formerly known as Jersey Lily in previous years and had netted that same honor several times. A flag in front of the camp listed the many awards the group has won in past cookoff events, including Best Camp several times.

Buy books at Enterprise Website

Enterprise staffers regularly review new books provided by publishers. Now those reviews include a link to the Amazon on-line bookstore for the reader's convenience in purchasing that title.

In addition, the staff has browsed the Amazon bookstore to select titles you may be interested in purchasing. You may browse through the Enterprise bookstore's best-seller list, science, history, health, gardening or religion and make your choice online, paying by credit card on the secure site.

New sections are added weekly, covering a wide range of topics.

To browse the bookstore shelves, go to the www.pecos.net/news site and choose a topic from the links provided.

"I am excited about this new service to our readers," said Enterprise Publisher Mac McKinnon. "It is just one more step in our continuing effort to link our small community to the Wide World through the Web."

DEA agents lose abduction appeal

The court, without comment, let stand rulings that denied the four current or former officials legal immunity from Humberto Alvarez-Machain's lawsuit.

Alvarez, a Guadalajara doctor, was abducted in Mexico in 1990 by U.S-paid informants and taken to El Paso, Texas, for interrogation. He was a suspect in the 1985 killing of American drug agent Enrique Camarena.

After the Supreme Court ruled that Alvarez's abduction did not violate an extradition treaty with Mexico, he was tried and acquitted in a federal trial in Los Angeles.

Among others, he sued former DEA director Jack Lawn, former deputy director Pete Gruden and special agents Hector Berellez and Bill Waters.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for kidnapping, torture, assault and violation of constitutional rights.

The four sought immunity from the lawsuit, but a federal trial judge and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their requests.

In the appeal acted on today, lawyers for the four contended that the appeals court should have overturned the trial judge's denial because Alvarez's lawsuit "failed to raise any specific factual allegations" about wrongful conduct by the four defendants.

The case is Berellez vs. Alvarez-Machain, 96-1890. Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

OBITUARIES

Sammye Higgins

Services were held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, at First Baptist Church in Albany.

Higgins was born on May 28, 1909, in Mills County, was a licensed vocational nurse and worked at several hospitals in Albany, Kermit, Pecos and Fairfield. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Albany.

Survivors include: one son, Thomas D. Steddum of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico; two daughters, Mary Belle Steddum Jones of Mentone and Ocie Mozelle Steddum Bartee of Albany; three sisters, Imogene Cox Burrus of Abilene, Savonne Cox Giddins of Midland and Carlene Cox Craver of Breckenridge; one brother, Glen Cox of Haskell; nine grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

The family requests that memorials be made to the First Baptist Church Remodeling Fund or to a favorite Charity.

Dorothy Pearce

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church in Pecos.

Pearce was born Jan. 27, 1925, in Okemah, Okla., was a longtime Pecos and West Texas resident. She held a variety of jobs, most recently owning her own arts and crafts gallery, Dot's Little China Shop in Pecos and Austin, had extensive volunteer service, including Women's Auxiliary of the American Legion, the Pecos Senior Center and the Pecos Nursing Home.

She was an active member of the Porcelain Arts Club and examples of her art are installed at the West of the Pecos Museum and in the State Capitol.

She was preceded in death by husband Walter Scott Barrett, second husband, Roy Pearce, her mother and father, Beatrice and Glenn Dill and her brother, Glenn Dill, Jr.

Survivors include: two sons, Brett Barrett of Austin and Rhett Barrett of Wink; three daughters, Beatrice Rosier of Dallas, Naja Larsen of Austin and Bekky Butler of Ouray, Co.; one foster brother, Coy Coe of Okemah, Okla.; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pecos Senior Citizens Center, 119 S. Cedar, Pecos, Tx., 79772 or West of the Pecos Museum, 120 E. First Street, Pecos, Tx., 79772.

WEATHER

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.