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Use "FIND" option on toolbar to search for a specific word or string. TOP STORIESNovember 10, 1997Welfare only temporary with new legislationBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, November 10, 1997 - As you enter what appears to be an old railway station covered in weathered ocher paint, the Department of Human Services on West Fourth, the message is clear. The credo of an over-hauled welfare system - From Welfare to Work - presents itself immediately. Walls pasted with public service announcements and job opportunities serve as backdrop for an attractive young latina on a video screen who announces at the start of a looped 22-minute presentation, "You can expect the help you receive to be temporary." That is the message that the new Texas Department of Human Services Commissioner Eric M. Bost recently trumpeted. That is the Texas Works program, the latest addition to Welfare Reform. Bost recently called the Texas Works program "an initiative that we hope will bury once and for all the old culture of welfare dependency in our state." Under Texas Works the Texas Department of Human Services will outfit most of the agency's field offices with "resource rooms," rooms that will contain computers with Internet access to job listings, job search and interview tips, child care and transportation information and organizations which provide work clothes. "I want the children of current welfare recipients to...realize that getting an education and a job are the real keys to success," said Bost. Here in Pecos the changes that Texas Works will bring about are all about landing a job. All welfare applicants must now file a brief Texas Works identification sheet that attempts to assess possible barriers to the recipient getting a job. Once work history, child care status and access to transportation are understood it is easier to find a client a job. "We rely heavily on the want ads...and word of mouth," said Ray Carreon, Supervisor of the Pecos and Kermit offices of Department of Human Services serving Reeves, Winkler and Loving counties. Carreon said that many Texas counties require welfare applicants to first file with the Texas Workforce Commission before they may receive assistance. These counties are called Jobs Counties and are mostly larger counties such as Ector, Midland and Howard. "We are not a Jobs County, yet," said Carreon. But, according to Carreon, the Texas Workforce Commission has a plan in place to make every Texas county a Jobs County. "They were shooting for December first, but it may be a year or so," said Carreon. Those seeking welfare assistance in Jobs Counties are given job training and, if need be, are referred to day care facilities and helped with transportation problems. Carreon said that Pecos was in a good position to become a Jobs County considering there is a Workforce office here. While our local DPH office will not be receiving a resource room, Carreon makes a strong effort to provide up-to-date job listings from a variety of sources for anyone interested. He warned against throwing in the towel when it comes to job-hunting, "You can't just throw up your hands and say 'this is Pecos!'" Local DPH job listings are compiled from regional and local newspaper want ads, local radio, word of mouth and the TWC and Governor's job bank websites. The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 set a five-year limit for those receiving welfare checks. That leaves just four years of federal assistance to some families and individuals. The local Department of Human Services is attempting to reinforce the now-truism, welfare is temporary, and let families know that it's time to get to work. "We don't want people to be caught off-guard," said Ray Carreon Keeping applicants informed of changing policies is a challenge, but sometimes it isn't even easy for the local DPH office to keep up with the changes. As new initiatives come in, Carreon said, it is often necessary to call the regional office in Abilene for clarification on specifics of new legislation. Carreon stressed that welfare reform is a gradual project and anticipates many more changes to come. But some things never change: volunteers are always welcome. "If you love to work with people then we'd be more than happy to have you," Carreon said, "Even two to three hours a week would help." Volunteers may expect to assist in clerical, phone, and information gathering duties. "We've even hired two people in the past because they had volunteer experience," he said.
Veterans Day closings listedPECOS, November 10, 1997 - All state and federal offices will be closed tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day, which is a federal holiday. Reeves County offices will be closed as well. Both First National and Security State banks will be closed. There will be no U.S. Post Office mail delivery. However, Town of Pecos City offices will be open and so will most local businesses. The Pecos Enterprise office will be open and the newspaper will be delivered as usual. In fact, we will be printing a special page in honor of our local veterans.
Sex-offender registrations rise after law passedDALLAS (AP) November 10, 1997 - A new law requiring sex offenders convicted since 1970 to register with local law enforcement has increased the number of registrations, perhaps as much as tripling it, officials said. The number is up, "but as to how many more, I really don't have a clue," said Paul Jordan, who oversees the sex-offender rolls for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The law mandating retroactive registration became effective on Sept. 1. The DPS will calculate the number of new offenders on the books when the pace slows in a few months, Jordan said. Previously, sex-offender registration applied only to parolees and probationers convicted since September 1991. OBITUARY Guillermo FierroGuillermo R. Fierro, 75, died Sunday, Nov. 9, 1997, at his residence in Pecos. A rosary is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10, at Pecos Funeral Home Chapel. Mass will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church, with Father Antonio Mena officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery. Fierro was born June 25, 1927, in Ojinaga, Mexico. He had lived in Pecos since 1968 and was a Catholic. Survivors include: his wife, Rosa Fierro of Pecos; one son, Guillermo Fierro, Jr. of Pecos; one daughter, Delia Urias of Pecos; two brothers, Agustino and Eujenio Fierro of Ojinaga, Mexico; eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and nine great-great grandchildren. Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Willie D. HenryWillie D. Henry, 62, died Thursday, Nov. 6, 1997, at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. Graveside services were held at 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, at Balmorhea Cemetery. Henry was born Jan. 6, 1935, in Amite, La. He was a former U.S. Marine, a longtime Balmorhea resident and a Baptist. Survivors include: his wife, Faye Chapman Henry of Balmorhea; one son, David A. Henry of Noble, Okla.; three daughters, Arlene C. McDonald of McCamey, Donna F. Archer of Fort Stockton and Kim A. Henry of Lubbock; one brother, Paul L. Henry of Junction; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Martinez Funeral Home was in charge of arrangments. WEATHERPECOS, November 10, 1997 - High Sunday, 54, low this morning, 38. Snow fell in the Texas Panhandle today while rain and thunderstorms developed to the south as a cold front was slicing through the state. Snow mixed with sleet was lessening as an upper-level disturbance moved east of Northwest Texas. Early morning temperatures ranged from the 20s across the Panhandle and 30s and 40s elsewhere in West Texas. Wind chills in the Panhandle were in the single digits. Patchy drizzle was expected to continue through Tuesday. Overnight lows should range from the 20s to the 30s, with daytime highs from the 50s and 60s to 70s along the Rio Grande.
Pecos Enterprise
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