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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, October 28, 1999
Council approves drug-detection dog
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 22, 1999 - Pecos Police need a drug dog readily available,
District Attorney Randy Reynolds told the Pecos City Council this morning.
The council approved an interlocal agreement with the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD to purchase a trained, non-aggressive drug detection dog at an estimated
cost of $18,000 over a six-year period, to be paid equally by the city
and school district.
Reynolds said his office would bear one-third of the initial payment
of $5,300, using seized assets and other funds available to him.
"I view it will be a great success and will assist us in prosecuting
cases," Reynolds said.
Police Chief Clay McKinney said he has three or four officers interested
in handling the dog. The successful candidate will take a three-week training
course provided by the seller, Global Canine, at their facility near San
Antonio.
The handler will be required to make a long-term commitment to the program,
because the dog bonds with its handler, and it is difficult to re-train
him, McKinney said.
He based his cost estimate on six years, but said the dog may work as
long as eight years.
"They get burn-out," he said.
McKinney included the cost of mortality insurance premiums in his estimate,
as recommended by the Monahans police chief.
"They had one that they paid a lot of money for, and he was run over
and killed," he said. "They were out a lot of money.
The nearest available dog is in Odessa, McKinney said. Van Horn also
has one.
P-B-T Superintendent Don Love has agreed to use the dog in the schools
as a deterrent to drug trafficking, said McKinney. Locker and vehicle searches
will be done at random, and Love will be the only school official notified
in advance.
The school board has already approved the inter-local agreement.
McKinney said that once the down payment is made, Global will begin
training the dog, and after eight weeks the handler will join the training.
When the drug dog is in service, he can be used in anti-drug campaigns
in the schools, McKinney said.
Reynolds commended the schools and police department on the anti-drug
programs held last week.
"The drug rally was great," said councilman Johnny Terrazas. "I appreciate
all the work on that."
The council also agreed to participate in the Texas Home Investment
Partnership Program as presented in the last meeting by Betty Oster Collier
of Austin and Jerry Carbajal of Alpine. Collier said they could apply for
a $240,000 grant to rehabilitate homes occupied by the owner at no cost
to the city.
No citizens appeared to protest closing Toliver Street through the Maxey
Park Zoo, and the council adopted an ordinance abandoning the street on
second reading. Parks Director Armando Gil will erect fences at the I-20
service road on the north and at the south end of the 2600 block.
On first reading, the council approved an ordinance creating the Municipal
Court technology fund, which will allow the court to collect fees from
everyone convicted in Municipal Court. Proceeds will be used to buy computers
and other electronic equipment for the court.
No action was taken on a new telecommunications franchise fee collection
law because City Attorney Scott Johnson was absent. It will be placed on
the Nov. 11 agenda.
Councilman Danny Rodriguez proposed that he and other interested councilmen,
along with Municipal Judge Amonario Ramon, go to El Paso to meet with a
judge who has gained national recognition for his method of handling truancy
cases.
Rodriguez said that the judge holds court in the school building, and
peer pressure has contributed to a drop in truancy cases.
"We want to see what he's doing and learn from him," Rodriguez said.
Mayor Dot Stafford read a proclamation changing Halloween trick-or-treat
night to Saturday, Oct. 30, since Halloween falls on Sunday.
Tax assessor-collector Lydia Prieto presented the 1998 errors and corrections
and the 1999 tax roll, which the council authorized. They adopted a resolution
authorizing an additional 15 percent penalty on taxes that become delinquent
after notices are sent out in May.
Prieto said the tax office has been collecting the 15 percent penalty,
but "this makes it more legal."
Firecracker fuses caused parsonage blaze
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 22, 1999 - Insurance adjusters have determined that a fire
in the West Park Baptist Church parsonage at 1407 S. Plum Street caused
heat and smoke damage throughout the four-bedroom structure, said Weldon
Brookshire, a deacon of the church.
All the windows, sheetrock, carpet, drapes and door frames will have
to be replaced, Brookshire said. Appliances covered by the contents policy
includes a cook stove, refrigerator and deep freeze.
No monetary damage estimate has been made, he said.
Fire Marshal Jack Brookshire, also a West Park member, enlisted the
assistance of an insurance investigator from Midland to determine the cause
of the fire, which was discovered about 11 p.m. Thursday by the pastor's
wife, Donna Cook.
Learning that two separate fires were burning when Mrs. Cook opened
the door to a room used for storage, and discovering an unburned wooden
match under the debris, the investigators questioned the family.
One of the children admitted using the wooden matches to set firecracker
fuses on fire in the room, Brookshire said.
The pastor, Jim Cook, resigned Sunday morning and moved to Arlington
Tuesday. He told church members that he and his family would enter a counseling
program for displaced pastors and look for secular employment. He had assumed
the West Park pastorate on Oct. 1.
While church members helped the family wash their clothing, bedding
and dishes on Saturday, many offers of help came in from people in the
community.
Caller ID to be offered in Toyah, Coyanosa
GTE has announced the company's most popular optional service, Calling
Number Identification, is coming to Coyanosa and Toyah Nov. 8.
Caller Number Identification, as well as an enhanced companion service
that provides Calling Name Identification to those customers who prefer
seeing the name of callers as well as the number will be available to most
Coyanosa and Toyah customers on Nov. 8.
Calling Name and Number ID can benefit both residential and business
customers, according to Joe Thornton, Manager _ Region Customers Operations.
For example, with the service, parents can tell children who are home alone
to answer calls only from people they know. Businesses can personalize
their greetings and use the service to verify orders or requests.
"There is an important safety component, as well as practical benefits,
to being able to tell who is calling," said Thornton. "Harassing and obscene
callers take note, it is harder to hide."
"An overwhelming majority of our customers with Calling Number ID say
they also want Calling Name ID. A name is often more recognizable than
a telephone number," said Thornton. Calling Name ID is a supplement to
CNID and cannot be purchased separately.
A customer who subscribes to Caller ID service can see the caller's
phone number and name on their Caller ID box or telephone before answering
the call. You have choices about whether you want your phone number and
name to appear on a Caller ID subscriber's box, Thornton said.
He added that if callers don't want their phone number and account name
to show up to someone who has Caller ID, they can dial *67 (or 1167 on
a rotary phone) before making a phone call. The words "private" or "anonymous"
will display to someone subscribing to Caller ID. The number will not be
displayed for that call only.
This service is called Selective Blocking-Per Call and is automatically
provided on your phone line at no charge.
Police prepare to add patrols for Halloween
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 22, 1999 - Ghosts, goblins, witches and more will be out
and about Saturday to celebrate Halloween one day early in Pecos.
Motorists are asked to be extra cautious, as little trick-or-treaters
go door-to-door in search of treats.
Extra officers from the Pecos Police Department will be on duty both
Friday and Saturday, said Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney.
"I also talked to the commander from the Trans Pecos Drug Task Force
and they will be assisting us with additional people," McKinney said, adding
that hopefully with the extra officers on duty it would be a deterrent.
"We're hoping to have a safe and happy Halloween and with the extra
security provided we hope the community feels secure," he said.
Tips offered by McKinney included that all parents check the candy or
treats before allowing the child to eat it. "If they find anything that
looks suspicious, we recommend that they throw it out, or contact us and
we'll check it out," he said.
Parents should accompany all little ones and he recommends that they
wear some type of reflective clothing. "Go to homes that are well lit and
preferably, to homes of people that they know only," said McKinney.
McKinney said that this Halloween the police department is going to
go all out in assuring the community a safe holiday.
Meanwhile, Reeves County Hospital will not be x-raying candy this year,
a practice the hospital has maintained for the past several years.
"The reason we will not be doing that this year, is because through
x-rays it is difficult to tell parents if the candy is really safe," said
Director of Program Development and Community Services Nancy Ontiveros.
Ontiveros stated that with x-rays, it can detect metal or other sharp
objects, but they won't detect if the candy has been laced with poison
or some other components.
"The x-rays can only detect metal, but it won't detect if some other
substance has been put into the candy," said Ontiveros.
Ontiveros agreed with McKinney that the only way to ensure the safety
of the children is to only take them trick-or-treating at the homes of
friends and relatives they know well. "And by following simple tips and
being extra cautious during that evening," she added.
Other safety measures include having children wear brightly colored
clothing with masks that provide good visibility _ children have been injured
from masks that do not provide good visibility causing them to trip over
a sprinkler or some other object and get hurt.
If darkness sets in, each child should carry a flashlight or light stick
to make sure passer-bys can see them. Reflective tape could also be affixed
to costumes.
Club planning scholarship cake sale event
PECOS, Oct. 22, 1999 - A fundraiser bake sale to help with high school
scholarships will be held by The Modern Study Club on Friday beginning
at 9 a.m., in the lobby of Security State Bank.
Proceeds will benefit The Modern Study Club Pecos High School Senior
Scholarship for 2000.
Some of the organization's other projects include Maintenance of the
West of the Pecos Museum Bridal Suite, Christmas Gifts for all Pecos Nursing
Home residents, Toys for Tots, and contributions to the West of the Pecos
Museum, M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center, Reeves County Library, Newspapers
in Educaiton Fund, the Western District Alma Van Sickle Scholarship, the
state Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Scholarships, Operation Smile for
Children and Special Olympics.
The Modern Study Club would appreciate your support. Come early for
the best selection from an array of home-cooked goodies.
Ward waste dump opponents to meet Sunday
A meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in Monahans to discuss a proposed
low-level radioactive waste dump in Ward County.
The meeting will take place at the Ward County Convention Center and
will be hosted by the "Friends of Ward County," a group opposed to Envirocare
of Texas' plans to locate a radioactive waste dump at one of three sites
in West Texas. Of the three locations, one is located in western Ward County,
northeast of Barstow, while a second is in Loving County. The third site
is in Borden County, east of Lamesa.
Envirocare of Texas has proposed building an above ground storage facility
that would dispose of radioactive waste from Maine, Vermont and Texas in
one of three West Texas counties, including an area north of Barstow in
Ward County. The area was chosen because of a lack of underground water,
which was detected beneath the company's original location, in western
Andrews County.
The Ward County site has met with opposition from both residents in
Barstow and from Pecos, which is 14 miles southwest of the location.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) — No ticket correctly matched all six numbers drawn Wednesday
night for the twice-weekly Lotto Texas game, state lottery officials said.
The numbers drawn Wednesday night from a field of 50 were: 1-12-20-27-44-50.
Saturday night's drawing will be worth an estimated $7 million.
***
AUSTIN (AP) — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Wednesday by the Texas
Lottery, in order: 4-8-5 (four, eight, five)
Obituaries
Margaret Bragg
Margaret Bragg, 76, of Pecos, died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1999, at Reeves County
Hospital.
Services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday in Pecos Funeral Home Chapel
with Rev. Bruce Abbott officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Evergreen Cemetery.
She was born Nov. 16, 1922, in Benoit, had lived in Pecos since 1954,
was a homemaker and a Methodist.
Survivors include three sons, Mark Bragg of Pecos, Richard Bragg of
Ozona and Rex Bragg of Carlisle, Pa.; three daughters, Betsy Bragg of Pecos,
Pat Morrison of Alpine and Claudia Conn of Sulfur, La.; one sister, Louise
Williams of Ballinger; 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Pecos Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Jay Twilley
Jay Twilley, 66, of Roswell, N.M., died Oct. 16, 1999, at his home.
Graveside services were held at Southpark Cemetery in Roswell, with
the Rev. Richard Smith officiating. Masonic graveside rites were provided
by Roswell Masonic Bodies.
He was born Oct. 25, 1932, in Dexter, graduated from Pecos High School
in 1951, was a retired Greyhound bus driver, and employed with Roswell
Job Corps for seven years and for Renown Aviation in Roswell. He served
two years in the U.S. Army and eight years in the Reserve. He had been
the past exalted ruler of an Elks Lodge in Pecos, was very active in the
Masonic Lodge and was past master of Roswell Lodge No. 18 AF & AM,
a charter member of Valley Daylight No. 79 AF & AM, and was past district
deputy grand marshal of the grand Lodge of New Mexico.
Twilley was preceded in death by his first wife, Marge Vickers Twilley
on Aug. 7, 1984.
Survivors include his wife, Gladys "Toni" Maples Twilley of Roswell,
N.M.; one brother, Richard Lane Twilley; two sisters, Jane Ann shore of
Bosque Farms and Martha Nancy Gilbert of Roswell, N.M.; six nieces, three
nephews, six great-nieces, 11 great nephews and numerous cousins.
Weather
PECOS, Oct. 22, 1999 - High Wednesday 87; low last night 50. There is a
chance of showers over North Texas tonight and Friday. The rest of the
state will have continued clear to partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures.
It will be partly cloudy across West Texas through Friday. Lows tonight
will be in the 40s and 50s. Highs Friday will be mostly in the 70s and
80s except in extreme northern areas where readings will be in the 60s.
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 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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