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Top StoriesMonday, April 6, 1998GTE to unload smaller operationsBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - Just days after celebrating the passage of the "two million milestone," GTE officials' term for surpassing a customer base of over two million, GTE plans to unload close to 1.7 million of its customers in slower growing areas of the country to invest more heavily in "higher-return" telecommunications. Layoffs of current employees may also reach as high as 1,500 workers. But the decisions of which areas to sell-off have not been made, said GTE spokesman Charles Watkins, and will not be acted upon until 1999. The decision over which properties to sell of will not only be based upon low financial return or "non-profitability," said Watkins, but would also depend on the existence of other companies interested in purchasing the service area. "Obviously we want our customers to have an easy turnover and a continued quality of service," he said. Allcomm, a local long distance provider that also provides Internet service and Cellular One distribution, has requested to be notified if the local service area should go up on the block. "We've shown interest at their national center in Irving," said Allcomm president Dick Alligood, "They're supposed to let us know before they let go of any of their properties but nothing has come of it yet." Along with the heavy migrations to GTE by phone customers has come an accompanying large number of customer complaints. It was just last Wednesday, April 1, that GTE Communications Corporation president Butch Bercher announced that the company's ability to "win a million customers in our first year . . . indicates our customer-focused approach to the market is a winner." Another perspective was eviden when the Public Utility Commission of Texas recently listed GTE Southwest, Inc., as the local telephone company with the fifth-highest number of complaints filed with PUC. Watkins said that there had been 390 complaints filed with PUC from the Texas customer base of about 1.5 million, down from about 500 complaints filed the previous year. "As the second largest telecommunications company in the state, we didn't want to see our name on any of those lists," said Watkins, "We are aware of the problem and are focusing on eliminating them." According to company officials the large number of complaints were due primarily to an inability to keep up with the tremendous company growth as well as the nationwide consolidation of service headquarters. GTE Southwest, Inc., followed complaints against (in order) United Telphone Co. of Texas; Century Telephone of San Marcos, Inc.; Alltel Sugarland Telephone Co.; and Fort Bend Telephone Co. The companies are rated on a complaint per capita basis. Worth over $23 billion in 1997, GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. GTE serves seven million customers outside of the United States, offering local service in 28 states and national long-distance. Health Fair receives good reviewsBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - More than 1,000 people took advantage of free-and reduced-health care services offered at the 11th Annual Health Fair, held at the Reeves County Hospital Saturday. "So far, going by the tickets that individuals signed up for door prizes from, we've counted a little over 1,000," said health fair committee member Nancy Ontiveros. Ontiveros stated that about 400 free pancake breakfasts were served to those attending and the barbecue plate sale went very well. "They were out of barbecue by about 1 p.m.," said Ontiveros. "All the exhibitors were very, very pleased, we had a great turnout," said Ontiveros. According to Ontiveros, about 365 complete lab tests were drawn and 100 PSA tests completed. "These PSA tests were men only and we had that many," said Ontiveros. There are still a few door prizes that are unclaimed and Ontiveros stated that people can check to see if they are winners by calling the hospital. "I've been trying to reach some of the winners, but if they call me I will give them their door prize," she said. "We had a very good day, the weather cooperated quite well and committee members are just thrilled that we had such a good turnout," said Ontiveros. This year the event was more spread out. "We had a huge crowd in the morning, but we still had people trickling in at about 2 p.m.," she said. Morning health care packages, such as lab and blood work were very popular, according to Ontiveros. "This year we also had a lot of new booths and all that participated enjoyed it," she said. All exhibitors were asked to fill in an evaluation form to state what they didn't or did like about the health fair and give their suggestions for the following year. "In the evaluation, the exhibitors stated that they found no weaknesses, however some of their suggestions, such as background music will be taken into consideration for next year," said Ontiveros. Health fair committee members will meet this week to start planning for next year's event. "One of the major strengths mentioned in the evaluations, was the organization and planning that went into the event and the participation of the media," said Ontiveros. "We're thankful for the support the media gives us, this helps tremendously," she said. BISD will meet ThursdayBALMORHEA, April 6, 1998 - Balmorhea ISD board members will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room at First and El Paso streets. Items on the agenda for discussion include: an electrical infrastructure update; BISD Improvement Advisory Committee; board/superintendent dialogue. Action items on the agenda include: TASB Update 58 - first reading; senior trip; adopt new employment contract format; approve March 3 minutes; finance, accounts payable. Other agenda items include a closed session on personnel, discussion of future agenda items and announcements. Two plead guilty in district courtPECOS, April 6, 1998 - Two defendants entered pleas of guilty in 143rd District Court Friday before Judge Bob Parks. Carole Janet Cone admitted possessing marijuana and was sentenced to four years, adjudication deferred; a $1,500 fine and $140 restitution. Florentino Florez will spend 18 months in state jail and pay a $500 fine for forgery, plus $25 restitution. Wheels of justice sometimes grind slowBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - If one were to think of the multi-faceted, cumbersome judicial system of our state as a lumbering giant, then the case of Thurman O'Neil Williams is one in which this judicial beast could not decide with which foot to lead. To say that Williams' mother, Willie Mae - who originally approached the Enterprise with her son's story on March 11 - is losing her patience with judicial bureaucracy would be an understatement. Thurman Williams, who was arrested on Nov. 7 in Midland and transported to Reeves County Jail on Nov. 25, has had his parole revoked because of misdemeanor charges, one of which has since been dropped. By the time of the parole board's most recent hearing, the 28-year-old Pecos native had spent 124 days in custody, without a lawyer, on a charge of telephone harassment that never came to trial. But as a result of other charges stemming from his arrest on the telephone harassment allegation, Williams is now sitting in Reeves County Jail, waiting for space to be made for him in a state facility, after his parole was revoked. The telephone harassment charges were filed against the young African-American man on Oct. 19, 1997, by his mother-in-law, E.T. Elliott, who said in an interview she was against "inter-racial marriage." Williams had been in the habit of making collect calls to his Caucasian wife, Sandra D. Elliot, who had left him to live with her mother. The charge of telephone harassment led to the issuance of a warrant for his arrest for parole violation. He was picked up by Midland police, tagging onto the misdemeanor charge of harassment against Williams additional charges of resisting arrest, evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. He pleaded no contest to the three new charges a week after his Nov. 7 arrest, and was transported from Midland to Reeves County Jail on November 25. Williams sat in on one parole board hearing in late January, after officials with the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole said they were tired of waiting for a criminal trial - which generally comes first in such instances - on the telephone harassment charge. When his mother looked for an explanation of her son's extended time in jail without a trial she was hard pressed to find one. "I talked to (County Attorney) Walter Holcombe. He said he needed to talk with the parole board," said Willie Mae Williams recently. "And the parole board said they can't do anything until the criminal charges are taken care of. "He's tired of sitting up there. I'm tired of going back and forth, calling Austin and wondering why he is still here." The parole board's meeting with Williams was on Jan. 16, which was 10 weeks after Williams was picked up in Midland. Then on Jan. 29 the parole board announced it would not revoke Williams' parole on the four misdemeanor charges. The board did find him guilty of the resisting arrest, evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia charges incurred in Midland, but innocent of the original charge of telephone harassment. The plaintiff who filed the harassment charge, Mrs. E.T. Elliott, did not appear at the hearing. Instead of revoking his probation then, the board decided to sentence him to 90 days at an Intermediate Sanctions Facility, said Stennett Posey, director of information services at the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. Posey said that ISF is basically a "time-out," where those on parole may benefit from job and/or substance abuse counseling in a halfway house environment. It usually involves a short period of incarceration and saves parole officers from redoing sizable amounts of paperwork. Posey also said that the parole board would not retry Williams on the same charges, unless there were additional charges that were filed "after the board process began" in January. "I don't know why the judge is waiting to try this case, unless there are charges involved that aren't reflected in the information I have here," said Posey earlier in March. However, while Williams' parole wasn't revoked at that time, the board's Jan. 29 decision left Williams was in legal limbo: by law he could not begin to serve his required 90 days of ISF as long as there were outstanding charges against him. And with no trial forth-coming, he would spend another 42 days in Reeves County Jail, until a second meeting of the parole board, which took place on March 12. At that meeting, held two days after an investigation had begun into Williams' situation, Williams was served with a transmittal notice by parole officer James Long which states that his parole has now been revoked and he is therefore considered ineligible for ISF on account of the pending criminal charges of telephone harassment. In an interview the day following Williams' parole revocation, Holcombe said that as a result of the board's action he would now drop the charge of telephone harassment against the young man. The charges were dropped on Friday, March 20. Williams said the phone calls began while the couple was separated and Elliott was living in Pecos with her mother. And many of the calls, Williams admitted, were collect calls. "That's part of the harassment Mrs. Elliott is claiming," said Holcombe, referring to the numerous collect calls. There exists a tape recording, made by the Elliott's answering machine, of a phone call that took place between Williams and his wife. Holcombe said that he had not heard the tape personally, but understood there was no foul language or threatening statements made by Williams on the tape. Williams' parole was revoked, according to his parole officer Ed Zijlstra, because of Rule Number Two, or, "failure to obey all municipal, county, state and federal law" -chiefly the charges of resisting and evading arrest and the outstanding charge of telephone harrasment. When the decision to revoke Williams' parole was finally reached, he had been incarcerated for about 130 days, even though he maintains he requested a speedy jury trial in a meeting with Holcombe in December of 1997. This Holcombe denies. "I feel like something should be done. They're not following the legal guidelines or the Constitution," Williams said. "I'm not the only one. . . there are a lot of others who have been sentenced already, up to seven, eight and nine months ago, that are still here," he said. John Miller, the community information officer for the regional branch of Pardons and Paroles, said that inmates such as Williams linger in county jails "all the time" because of backed-up case loads in local courts or because of prosecutors who are waiting for their suspect to "plea bargain." A defendant who does that, and pleads guilty to a lesser charge for a lesser penalty, spares the court the cost of conducting a trial. But Holcombe maintained in a March 12 interview that it was not a matter of a backed-up case load or an attempt to plea bargain that had been stalling Williams' case. Holcombe said he would not proceed with the case until the parole board had reached some decision regarding it, to ensure that the maximum penalty prevailed. When asked about the January board hearing, in which the parole board voted to grant ISF and not revoke parole, Holcombe said he was not informed when that decision had been reached. Though he said he was told by parole officer James Long, Williams' agent officer, on March 11, that the parole board was reconsidering the January hearing results. "I was told that there was to be a hearing to reconsider the decision of the parole board and I told Long I wanted to know the results right away." Despite Willie Mae Williams' incessant calls and complaints, Holcombe said in the March 12 interview this was the first time he had called for information concerning the parole board hearings since he heard of the scheduled January hearing in December of 1997. Reeves County Jail staff said rules permit only family members to visit with prisoners, but a note was passed to Williams that initiated a series of telephone interviews with the Enterprise before he learned of the March 12 decision to revoke his parole. "The rights of the inmates are being violated by the Reeves County court system," said Williams, who made it clear that he did not blame the jail system. "I could have been home in May, now I'm looking at June. My mother doesn't like idea of a lawsuit, but it may be the only thing to get them (the court system) to do what they are supposed to do." Concerning legal representation, Holcombe said, "He never asked for one. I told him he needed to hire a lawyer, that if he couldn't one would be appointed to him." The county attorney said Williams rejected that option. "He said he did not want to plead guilty and did not want to plea bargain. But wanted a jury trial." Williams claims that he did, in fact, request a lawyer from Holcombe that was never provided. Williams' mother, Willie Mae, said Holcombe's secretary told both she and her son that a jury trial would be "a waste of the taxpayers money." Ostensibly because the charges against her son are so flimsy. Holcombe maintained, "I'm just trying to stop the harassment by whatever is feasible." Holcombe said that the long wait in county jail was not an attempt to force Williams to plea bargain. "I wouldn't try to coerce him to do anything. If the parole board would have notified us on this I would have dumped (the case) long ago," said Holcombe. Holcombe said that he would look into the matter further if it were still unresolved on Monday, March 16. But the parole board's action on March 12 made that move unnecessary. Laura Cortez, unit supervisor for Parole Department in Odessa, said that the March 12 parole board meeting in Abilene was held because the board had failed to understand at their Jan. 16 meeting that there were still charges pending against Williams. Pardon and Paroles information officer Miller explained that the parole board did not need the same level of certainty on the three Midland charges to convict Williams that a normal jury trial would require. "If they can get rid of this guy without a trial, it saves the county money," said Miller. "And to prosecute the guy locally, you must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." But, he said, with a parole board you do not need to be as certain of guilt, a "55 percent" suspicion will suffice. The legal term for this is a "preponderance of evidence." Meanwhile, Sandra D. Elliott's mother, the plaintiff in the telephone harassment charge, also wants to know what Williams is doing still sitting in county jail. She wants to know why he hasn't been sent back to the pen yet. "The question to ask is, 'why the law is so lenient?'" Citing the Williams case, Miller said it was a "difficult" situation. "Counties tend to prioritize their dockets (based on) who are the victims, how much clout they have in the community, what a trial will cost and the benefit of prosecuting the case." And should the defendant be innocent, Miller continued, "Is justice served? I don't know." Meanwhile, he said, with Williams' parole revoked, the state has 90 days to find him a bed in one of their facilities. "He's gonna go back for a while," Miller said. Peace Maker almost loses legBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - Earl Standberry, aka "Peace Maker," earned a new name for himself riding his sturdy, new crutches through the halls of Tucson Medical Center with a virtual erector set of pins and screws orbiting the mid-section of his right leg. "They call me Miracle Kid' out here," he said. Standberry had devoted himself to spreading the international message of peace by following the original footsteps of peace-activist Mildred Norman, better known as the "Peace Pilgrim," before nearly losing his leg to a transport train outside Benson, N.M., March 18. The six-foot-three-inches high Persian Gulf War veteran and Pecos High School graduate began his inspired trek on the first of January this year, departing, as Norman had 45 years earlier, amidst the hoopla of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. To be de-commissioned so early in his journey has not dissuaded the Peace Maker. Standberry, already moving along on crutches two weeks after the accident which left only a stretch of skin, a lone artery and vital nerve connecting his upper and lower leg, takes comfort in the fact that the Peace Pilgrim also experienced a life threatening experience at the same stage of her journey in the form of a violent snow-storm. He plans to be back on his journey as soon as he can, in fact, for the Peace Maker, the hospital has become a part of his journey. "Everything happens for a reason," Standberry stated from his hospital bed on Tuesday, March 31, "I believe I was meant to come back to meet Dr. Parseghian." Parseghian, orthopedic surgeon and son of famous Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian, may have helped to inspire a new element in Standberry's mission: to fight for a cure to an as-yet incurable genetically-acquired disease. Parseghian recently lost his 10-year-old son, Michael, to what he described as a juvenile form of Alzheimers, known as Neiman-Pick Type C. His two other children, Marcia, 9, and Christa, 6, have both been diagnosed with the disease. Standberry said he was strongly affected while sharing the photos of his mangled leg to a staff nurse who made the observation, "It's amazing he can put your leg back together but he can't even help his own kids," he said. "I am so appreciative for what this man has done. I am truly indebted," said Standberry. "He works magic. I still have feeling in my toes." Standberry's doctor said it is normal for patients to become attached to their doctors after such a stressful ordeal, but refused talk of a miracle recovery. If there was a miracle involved in Standberry's experience, Parseghian said, it was in the "type of injury that he received" and not in the care given or his rapid recovery. According to Parseghian, the would-be Peace Maker came very close to losing his right leg, which had been severed almost completely under the knee. But fortunately Standberry still had the important blood vessels and nerve intact that made the repair possible. Standberry had been double-backing to Tucson to recover a package of literature to be distributed on his journey, when he decided to speed his way by hopping a train. He dismounted the vehicle when it slowed to about 45 mph on an incline, but he didn't jump far enough and got his leg caught up in the tracks. "It was stupid of me to get off while it was still moving," he reflected. He said he understood, even as he jumped from the train, that he was "bound to hurt himself somehow," but he didn't bank on losing a leg or his life. "My leg was folded in a way that no leg should be folded." According to Standberry, he sat near the tracks watching blood trickle from his leg for over an hour. "I came to terms with the Lord that I may lose my leg," he said. Then, as time continued to crawl by and no help appeared to be forthcoming, Standberry said, "I came to terms that I may bleed to death." Then came Standberry's savior: Union Pacific employee Jim Miller, came across the grisly morning scene and called for medical assistance. Soon Standberry was being air-lifted to Tucson Medical Center. "I'm still searching for the guy who saved my life," he said. Standberry, aka "Peace Maker," aka "Miracle Kid," was inspired to commit to a life of wandering similar to that of Peace Pilgrim Mildred Norman after a series of spiritual experiences Standberry had while in living in California. Norman committed herself to walking the highways and bi-ways of the nation in 1953 when she took her vow to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." That's exactly what she did until being struck and killed in an automobile accident in 1981. Standberry hopes to be received by President Clinton upon arrival in Washington, D.C., around December, and will then walk to New York in the hopes of addressing the United Nations. Standberry walks, as Norman before him, for the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace, an end to Korean hostilities and global disarmament. He urges anyone interested in finding a cure for Neiman-Pick Type C to contact the Ara Parseghian Foundation at 1760 East River Road, Suite 115, Tucson, Ariz., 85718. Burn victim listed as "satisfactory"By ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - An elderly Pecos woman was listed in satisfactory condition at University Medical Center in Lubbock this morning, after she was transferred there Friday following an accident which occurred in her home. Willie Mayes, 84, of Pecos, was first transported to Reeves County Hospital after she was burned in a fire Thursday evening, according to assistant hospital administrator Nadine Smith. She was injured in an accident at her home late Thursday evening. According to her niece, Willie Shorter, Mayes was trying to light a heater, when the fire flared up setting her hair on fire. "She put the bedspread over her head, which was good, but it still caught fire and burned her head and face," said Shorter. Mayes suffered first and second degree burns to both her head and face. The family will be waiting to see what Lubbock physicians have to say before establishing a fund for Mayes, who is a life-long Pecos resident. She was also a Pecos Enterprise employee for many years, along with her husband Arthur, who died in 1987. Pellet gun vandal opens fire on libraryPECOS, April 6, 1998 - It is not yet known how much it will cost to replace the laminated safety glass that sat in the front door of the Reeves County Public Library, but head librarian Nancy Bentley is growing tired of the harassment. "Since we're not on the main drag the public doesn't know this is happening," she said. At about 7 p.m. Saturday a Pecos Police Department officer responded to a call that the front window was broken out at the library. What was found was a series of pellet gun welts across the glass of two windows and the front door completely shot out, a pile of fractured glass shimmering in two heaps on the inside and outside of the building. This is the fourth time in the past year the building has been vandalized, said Bentley. The past three instances had involved graffiti. "I didn't make a big deal out of the graffiti," said Bentley, "but this is just awful." No arrests have yet been made in connection with the crime. Unlicensed drivers involved in two accidentsBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, April 6, 1998 - Two accidents over the weekend in Pecos involved unlicensed drivers. A passenger in one of the vehicles was transported to the hospital, but there were no fatalities. The first accident occurred Friday afternoon on East Eleventh Street. Yesenia Arenivas, 17, 505 N. Cedar, was driving a dark blue, 1991 Ford Explorer owned by Walter Vidal of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, according to a police department accident report. Arenivas was traveling east in the 100 block of East Eleventh at about 3:36 p.m. As she reached over and tried to place a seatbelt on a child passenger, she drove up onto the curb, traveled about 31.1 feet before striking a utility pole and another 7.1 feet before coming to a stop, according to the report. The passenger was transported to Reeves County Hospital and the vehicle was towed by G&G Wrecker. The owner of the vehicle had liability insurance, and a specimen was not taken from the driver for alcohol/drug analysis. Arenivas was cited for no driver's license. Distraction in the vehicle, driver inattention and failure to control speed were listed on the report as factors that contributed to the accident. The second accident happened at 3:26 p.m. Saturday. Manuela K. Lozano, 27, 214 West Fourteenth Street, was stopped at a stop sign in the 200 block of East Thirteenth Street in a 1998, green GMC pickup. A second vehicle, a 1984 Dodge Aries, was traveling north in the 1300 block of South Cedar Street when Lozano tried to cross the intersection, going west on Thirteenth Street. The driver of the Aries applied the brakes but was unable to avoid the collision, according to the accident report. Lozano received a citation for no driver's license. Failure to yield right-of-way at a stop sign and visibility being limited by parked cars were listed on the report as factors contributing to the accident. Neither vehicle was towed and no specimens were taken for alcohol/ drug analysis. ObituariesApril 6, 1998Alfredo ChabarriaAlfredo (Freddy) Chabarria, 32, died Wednesday, April 1, in Kenedy, Tex. Graveside services are scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 7 at Fairview Cemetery with Brother Vincent from Kerville officiating. Chabarria was born Aug. 13, 1965, in Pecos. He was a lead man for Trace Ventures Exploration Inc. and was a lifetime Pecos resident. Survivors include: his wife, Irma Rodriguez Chabarria of Pecos; two sons, Abdiel Chabarria of Arlington and Sean Michael Jasso of Pecos; two daughters, Ashley and Stephanie Jasso of Pecos; his father, Manuel Chabarria of Pecos; four brothers, Manuel and Alex Chabarria of Kerville, Martin Chabarria of Odessa and Adolfo Chabarria of Weatherford, Okla.; three sisters, Esmerelda Castillo of Grand Prairie, Yvonne Amarillas of Snyder and Gloria Lopez Martinez of Pecos; his grandmother, Josephina Gonzales of El Paso; and several nieces and nephews. Francisca AcostaFrancisca P. Acosta, 70, died Sunday, April 5, 1998, in Pecos. A rosary will be held at 7 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel. Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 8, at Santa Rosa Catholic Church with burial in Greenwood Cemetery. Acosta was born Dec. 4, 1927, in Barrancos, Chih., Mexico. She was a housewife, a lifetime Pecos resident and a Catholic. Survivors include: her husband, Agapito Acosta of Pecos; two sons, Gregory Acosta of Yakima, Wash. and Agapito Acosta, Jr. of Pecos; two daughters, Teodora Acosta of Pecos and Dora Talamantez of Odessa; four brothers, Manuel Porras of Mesa, Ariz., Jose Porras of Artesia, N.M., Enrique Porras of Midland and Bernardo Porras of Presidio; two sisters, Juan Porras of Barancos, Mexico and Angelita Porras Martinez of Pecos; 17 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren. Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. WEATHERPECOS, April 6, 1998 - High Sunday, 85, low this morning, 44. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast for most of Texas tonight and Tuesday. It will be windy across West Texas and North Texas through tonight. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms over the Panhandle, Concho Valley and Edwards Plateau of West Texas through Tuesday. The rest of West Texas will have mostly fair skies tonight and mostly sunny on Tuesday. Lows tonight will be in the 30s and 40s in West Texas, highs Wednesday will be in the 70s and 80s.
Pecos Enterprise
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