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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, December 23, 1999
Feds give emergency cash for food, shelter
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 23, 1999 - Reeves County has been awarded federal funds
under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, and other
local organizations can also benefit from the funds.
The county has been chosen to receive $16,676 to supplement emergency
food and shelter programs in the county, said Reeves County Community Council
Family Services Director Bertha Meierhoff.
"We helped about 131 clients this past year," said Meierhoff, who explained
that the program provides help with utility bills, rent, food and other
necessities. "Something new this year, is that we can also help with diapers,"
said Meierhoff.
A National Board overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) made the selection of the funds. It consists of representative from
The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Jewish Communities, Catholic
Charities, USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
and United Way of America which will provide the administrative staff and
function as fiscal agent.
The Board was charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to
help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas
around the country.
A local board made up of representatives from the Ministerial Alliance,
Catholic Charities, local government, the Salvation Army, and various church
organizations will determine how the funds awarded to Reeves County are
to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by
local service organizations in the area. The local board is responsible
for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds
available under this phase of the program.
"We usually get a supplement, additional amount of money where we were
able to provide for more families," said Meierhoff.
Under the terms of the grant from the National board, local organizations
chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private voluntary non-profits or units
of government, 2) have an accounting system, 3) practice non-discrimination,
4) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter
programs, and 5) if they are a private voluntary organization, they must
have a voluntary board.
Reeves County has distributed Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously
through the City of Toyah, City of Balmorhea, and Reeves County offices.
"We want to provide not just for the month, but also if individuals
need help finding a job or need educational assistance," said Meierhoff.
"We want to assist them long-term."
She said the group has seen a lot more new people. "Which is good, because
we want to reach those that have not been assisted in the past, instead
of just helping the same ones over and over again," said Meierhoff.
The state also requires that the local agency provide figures on the
number and the names of the people who have been assisted through the FEMA
program. "They require that we have totals and accountability, but we have
been seeing a lot more new faces," she said.
"We try to give priority to new families," said Meierhoff.
Air conditioners and heaters are also among the items the program provides.
Public or private voluntary organizations interested in applying for
Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds to distribute to need families
must contact Bruce Dury at 445-2049 for an application. The deadline for
applications is Jan. 30, 2000.
Midland FM station broadcasting in area
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 23, 1999 - Pecos has a new country music radio station
… sort of.
KKLY has signed on the air at 97.3 on the FM dial, but while the station
is licensed for Pecos, its antenna is located 20 miles to the east near
Pyote. Meanwhile, the station's offices are even farther away, in Midland,
and it is rebroadcasting the programming of KKJW, an FM station that went
on the air two years ago in the Midland-Odessa area.
KKLY is listed as having a 51-mile radius coverage from its Pyote antenna,
allowing it to reach both Monahans and Fort Stockton along with Pecos.
But signal strength in its first days has been spotty into Pecos area during
its first days of broadcasting. How long that will continue is unknown,
and calls to the office of KKJW this morning were not answered.
NIA Broadcasting is the owner of both the new station and KKJW, though
the two stations have different license owners, according to the filing
with the Federal Communications Commission. Ronald W. Latiner of Bay City
holds the license for KKLY, while KKJW is licensed for Stanton and operated
by Unique Broadcasting, LLC of Van Vleck.
The station went on the air in June of 1997 and broadcasts a "Classic
Country" format, featuring mostly older country and western songs, along
with occasional newer ones that, according to the station's website (www.caprock.net/purecountry)
fit into the "classic" format.
"I don't know anything about them at all," said KIUN/KPTX general manager
Bill Randall Cole. KKLY's country format will be in competition with KPTX,
though Cole's station has been playing more modern country and western
music since the early 1990s.
Some plan to stay open Christmas Day
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 23, 1999 - Not everybody will be taking the day off on
Christmas Eve with several businesses scheduled to be open.
Pecos Postal employees will be delivering their mail as usual, but the
window at the Post Office at Fourth and Oak streets will close at noon
on Christmas Eve and again on New Year's Eve. Mail will be delivered as
usual.
First National Bank will open it's doors until noon Friday, Christmas
Eve, but Security State Bank employees will take the day off and the bank
will be closed for the day.
With the number of toys that need batteries nowadays, Radio Shack, 1120
S. Eddy St., will be open both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, for
those who want to either pick up some needed accessories for those toys
or to do some last minute shopping.
Flying J will be joining Radio Shack and will be open all day tomorrow
and Christmas Day for their normal hours. Other local convenience stores
also will be open for business on Saturday.
If you haven't finished all your grocery shopping, you have until 8
p.m., tomorrow to get it done. Both La Tienda and Bob's Thriftway will
remain open until then on Friday, but will close it's doors on Saturday
to give employees a chance to spend Christmas Day with their families.
Town of Pecos City will be closed both Friday and Monday in honor of
the holy holiday, while Reeves County employees took the day off today
and Friday.
The Pecos Enterprise will be closed for Christmas Eve, but will resume
publication on Monday. Television listings for next week are in the B section
of today's paper.
The Pecos Free Press will be delivered as usual on Sunday.
TxDOT announces holiday road closures
Motorists traveling on Texas highways during the Christmas and New Year's
holidays are encouraged to allow extra travel time due to high traffic
volumes and construction on some highways.
"Many people will be traveling this holiday period and we want them
to arrive at their destinations safe and sound," said Wes Heald, executive
director of the Texas Department of Transportation. "Most construction
zones will be completely open to traffic, but we have a few areas where
lane closures are necessary to move traffic safely through an ongoing work
site."
In the Pecos area, roadwork is almost completed on Interstate 20 in
the Monahans-Pyote area. The right lane in both directions has been closed
at times over the past several weeks for repaving. Currently, the right
lane just east of Exit 76 on the west side of Monahans is being repaired.
Another construction area just begun this week is the relocation of
the entrance ramp to Interstate 20 westbound at U.S. 285. The ramp and
the Exit 40 ramp (Country Club Drive) will be moved to the west over the
next few months in order to ease the traffic flow from the Flying J truck
stop in Pecos.
One of the biggest construction zones is a 10-mile section of U.S. 77
in Refugio County where northbound traffic is reduced to one lane. Motorists
are urged to consider using Texas 35, U.S. 181 and U.S. 59 as alternate
routes.
There is good news for motorists traveling between Houston and Dallas
_ construction on Interstate 45 in Walker County has been completed and
there are no lane closures as there were during the Thanksgiving holidays.
No matter where they are, Heald said motorists should travel at a speed
appropriate for the conditions, make sure all occupants in their vehicle
are buckled up, and never drink and drive.
Road closures include:
· Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County _ Traffic is reduced to one
lane in each direction for approximately 11 miles from Fabens city limits
east to the county line.
· Interstate 10 in Orange County. Eastbound traffic is reduced
to one lane at Texas 62.
· Interstate 20 in Nolan County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane
in each direction for a five-mile stretch east of Sweetwater.
· Interstate 30 in Sulphur Springs _ Traffic is reduced to one
lane in each direction for approximately three miles.
· Interstate 40 in Wheeler County _ Traffic is reduced to one
lane in each direction for a three-mile section at Shamrock.
· U.S. 77 in Refugio County _ Northbound traffic is reduced to
one lane for approximately 10 miles. Suggested alternate routes include
Texas 35, U.S. 181 and U.S. 59.
· U.S. 83 in Abilene _ Traffic is reduced to one lane in each
direction from FM 89 to South 7th St.
· U.S. 84 in Garza County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane in
each direction for a six-mile section between Post and Justiceburg.
· U.S. 283 in Callahan County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane
in each direction for a four-mile section north of Texas 36.
· U.S. 277 in Haskell County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane
in each direction for 10 miles.
· Texas 31 in Navarro County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane
in each direction for nearly four miles west of the Trinity River.
· FM 120 in Grayson County _ Traffic is reduced to one lane in
each direction between Denison and Pottsboro.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Lotto Texas drawing Wednesday night: Winning
numbers drawn: 26-13-49-39-37-08. Estimated jackpot: $4 million. Number
matching six of six: ONE (1) Winning ticket(s) sold in: Austin. Matching
five of six: 71. Prize: $1,440. Matching four of six: 3,680. Prize: $100.
***
AUSTIN (AP) - The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Wednesday by the Texas
Lottery, in order: 8-4-1 (eight, four, one)
Weather
PECOS, Dec. 23, 1999 - High Wednesday 41. Low this morning 25. Forecast
for tonight: Fair. Low around 25. Light wind. Friday: Partly cloudy. High
50-55. Northeast wind 5-15 mph. Christmas Eve: Partly cloudy. Low around
25. Christmas Day: Partly cloudy. High 55-60. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Lows
around 30. Highs around 60.
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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