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Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Algae biofuel project adjusting for cold weather
A project begun earlier this year to harvest algae for use as biofuel is running a little bit behind the original schedule, as far as utilizing two new 6,000 gallon ponds at the Texas Agri-Life Sid Kyle Extension Station west of Pecos goes. But the husband and wife team in charge of the project said the other ponds built at the center for the project are in use, and that the plan to use the winter months to concentrate on other aspects of the project.
Lou and Joli Brown have been working in Pecos since the spring on a project to harvest biofuel from man-made ponds just recently built at the Experiment Station. The plans called for moving the algae species being tested from beakers inside a ‘clean room’ at the station to a series of larger and larger ponds, with the 6,000 gallon ones being the biggest of the group.
The original timetable had the biggest ponds being put into use by the end of October, starting with algae grown in the lab, transferring it to smaller ponds and working up to the 6,000 gallon level. But Lou Brown said some delays in getting equipment installed has pushed the use of those ponds back to sometime early next year.
But the other ponds both outside and inside a greenhouse next to the station, already are in use, with paddlewheels keeping the algae moving inside a mixture that takes advantage of the high salt content of the Pecos area’s water wells.
“This is all marine algae. None of this is fresh water, so we’re actually turning the well water into sea water,” Brown said. He added while the dissolved salts in area well water is high, they still have to add 80 pounds of salt for every 500 gallons of water to get the desired mixture.
Eventually, the Browns hope to get 5,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre out of the project, though he said back in July that the potential yield could be in the 10,000-15,000 gallon range. The minimum number is still about 400 times the yield per acre for corn that is converted into biodiesel.
Brown said the Pecos area was selected in part due to the water and to the hot sunny weather that can help the algae grow, though with morning temperatures now dropping to near freezing, they’re working on a few different aspects of the project for the winter months.
“Since it’s cooling off, we’re doing some small samplings,” Brown said. That includes studying difference species of algae to see what works best in the West Texas climate and at what times of year.
“It’s real critical to make sure the steps are done right, and to make sure you get your algae culture right,” Brown said.
The project is being conducted in conjunction with General Atomic, a company known for nuclear research, but which is running a similar algae harvesting facility in the San Diego area. The project is expected to take three years, with the first two years already having been funded through the company and Texas A&M, which is working with two other universities on the project.
Brown said that State Sen. Craig Estes was in Pecos to get an update on the project on Thursday, while a ribbon cutting ceremony would probably be held sometime this spring.
“As far as research goals, we’re not behind. Our goals are three months ahead of schedule,” he said. That includes studying the varieties of algae being cultivated inside the experiment station.
“We’re using that as a control, so we can compare it to the stuff out in the elements,” he said.
The outside algae also will be changed from types, which thrive better in hot weather to ones that can handle the colder temperatures. “I do think if this becomes successful here, you’ll do rotate your algae kind of like what you do with your crops right now,” Brown said.
Brown said they also plan to study techniques over the winter months for ‘stressing’ the algae, which will stimulate it to produce oil.
He also said that despite the price of oil dropping by over 50 percent from its highs this summer, the biofuel project’s funding is being maintained.
“That’s the good thing. The price of oil has dropped, but the research funds haven’t,” Brown said. “People realize we’re under the gun, no matter what happens.”
Fourth graders participate in science field day
The Earth rocked on Thursday, Oct. 16, as over 300 schoolchildren from the region participated in the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute’s annual earth science field day.
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD fourth grade students were one of the many groups that participated in the annual event.
During The Earth Rocks!!!, children learned to pan for minerals, identify rocks, and read different types of thermometers to track how weather changes. They scratched glass with a diamond, took a geology hike, learned about copper ore, and discovered pulleys and levers work.
“The Earth Rocks!!! is designed to get children interested in science and to reinforce the science concepts that they need to know for their TAKS test,” said James Saunders, Education Director for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. “You can look at pictures of the sun, but to actually look at it through a solar scope – now that’s exciting!”
Eighteen different activities encouraged hands-on exploration and learning. Over 50 volunteers helped put on the even including science-education partners from the UT McDonald Observatory, Sul Ross State University, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Chihuahuan Desert Gem and Mineral Club. The event was funded by donations from CDRI members and friends.
The Earth Rocks!!! is held each year in conjunction with Earth Science Week, a national celebration of geology, oceanography, and meterology.
For more information about this and other science-education events, contact James Saunders at HYPERLINK "mailto:jsaunders@cdri.org" jsaunders@cdri.org or call 432-364-2499.
Council to hear latest ordinance on truck parking
Town of Pecos City Council members will discuss the latest ordinance for truck parking inside the city limits on Tuesday, during the council’s regular meeting at City Hall.
The meeting, originally scheduled for last Thursday, was moved back five days due to Pecos’ high school football playoff game in Midland that night. Council members will have a number of other items on the agenda, but will start off with the first reading of the newest truck parking ordinance, after complaints about changes made to the 41-year-old city ordinance by council members in September prompted a second revision.
The September change banned trucks from parking or using all non-designated streets except for deliveries. On Oct. 23, after a contentious 90-minute discussion involving both supporters and opponents of the change, the council voted 3-1 to allow the trucks back into town for parking, but only with the trailer sections detached and only if the vehicles park on concrete or gravel pads on the side or rear of the house.
Councilman Gerald Tellez was the lone vote against the latest modification of the rule, while councilmen Danny Rodriguez, Frank Sanchez and Cody West voted in favor.
Council members told city attorney Scott Johnson to draw up the new ordinance, which will need a second reading before the council following Tuesday’s action before it can become law.
During the earlier meetings, council members said the drivers could park their trucks on designated truck routes within the city, which include all or parts of Third, Cedar, Eddy and Walthall streets, along with Stafford Boulevard, the Balmorhea Highway and the Interstate 20 service roads. They also said the trucks could park on city property at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Grounds.
Drivers and their family members opposed to the move told council members that parking away from home would require extra late night driving, and items inside the cabs of the trucks could be stolen. They also restated their complaint that the city was blaming the trucks for the poor condition of local streets.
The council will also hear a presentation from West of the Pecos Rodeo Committee Chairman Joe Keese on combining use of the city’s bed tax fund and its venue tax to allow for quicker funding of improvements to the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena and the Reeves County Civic Center. Several other groups and elected officials have heard from Keese and other members of the various bed tax committees in the past month about the proposal, which would relocated the Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau out of downtown to a new Reeves County Convention Center, which would then be operated by a new Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The council will also be updated on the city’s plans to build a new animal shelter next to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center, and on the city-county project to expand and improve Lincoln Street between Eddy and Cedar streets.
Other items on Tuesday’s lengthy agenda include the city seeking bids for its electricity supply; a change order in the city’s sanitary improvment project; the sale or transfer of lots in the Morris addition to the Pecos Economic Development Corp. along with the PEDC’s annual report to the council; an annexation request at 115 W. Daggett St.; a zoning change request to open a beauty salon at 702 S. Peach St.; hearing an asset forfeiture report from local law enforcement agents and discussing a solid waste grant interlocal agreement.
Three executive sessions also are on the agenda, involving auditor’s services, the city’s time-off policy, a real property request and the city’s ongoing litigation with Reeves County on water usage fees at the Reeves County Detention Center.
Machuca graduates from boot camp
PFC. Oscar M. Machuca Jr., 18, of Pecos graduated from United States Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on Oct. 31.
PFC. Machuca successfully completed 13 weeks of intensive basic training at MCRD San Diego as one of the 586 recruits in training Platoon 1021.
While in basic training, PFC. Machuca earned a sharp shooter badge in rifle marksmanship and received a national defense ribbon for joining the Marine Corps at time of war. Following 10 days home leave he will report to Camp Pendleton for one month for Military Combat Training then to MOS in Virginia.
He is the son of proud parents, Oscar and Beatriz Machuca and the grandson of proud grandparents Martin and Lourdes Machuca Sr. He was welcomed home by numerous family and friends and his two sisters, Tori and Natalia.
Police Report
EDITOR’S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves County Sheriff’s Office, or other officers of those agencies. The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were paid. In such instances we will indicate payment and release.
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Pedro Evaro Mendoza 40, 416 s. Locust St., was arrested by police on Oct. 29 on a warrant issued out of the Reeves County Sheriff’s Office. Police said the arrest was made at Walmart, 1901 S. Cedar St., and Mendoza was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Amy Lee Barboza, 31, 416 S. Locust St., was arrested by police on Oct. 29 on warrants issued out of the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office in San Angelo for a public order crime of tampering with a government record. Police said the arrest was made at 10:17 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Cedar Street, and Barboza was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Deida Tarin, 33, 1615 S. Plum St., was arrested by police on Oct. 30 on warrants charging her with theft by appropriation over $20 and under $500 and theft by appropriation over $500 and under $1,500. Police said the arrest was made at 1200 S. Park St., and Tarin was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Jamie Demor, 19, 51 County Road 131, was arrested by police on Oct. 31 on a warrant for failure to pay a fine on a previous charge of failure to display driver’s license. Police said the arrest was made following a records check, after police were called to the 1900 block of Jefferson Street on a report of juveniles jumping on the hood of a moving vehicle. Demor was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Ivan Daniel Paredez, 21, 2308 Cactus St., Apt. B, was arrested by police on Oct. 31 on a warrant for non-payment of a fine on an earlier charge of speeding. Police said the arrest was made at Cash’s Sports Bar, 1330 E. Third St., and Paredez was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Eloy Vasquez Navarrette, 17, 2203 Country Club Dr., was arrested by police on Nov. 1 on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the 400 block of South Hackberry Street, and Navarrette was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Richard J. Maruffo, 27, 909 S. Almond St., was arrested by police on Nov. 2 on a warrant for assault causing bodily injury issued by Pecos Municipal Court Judge Lali Rivera. Police said the arrest was made at 2:40 a.m. in the 600 block of South Cypress Street, and Maruffo was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Leticia Romero, 311 E. 14th St., was arrested by police on a warrant for DWI with a child passenger, a State Jail Felony. Police said the arrest was made at Romero’s home after police were called there on a separate matter. She was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Nelson Lee McGrew, 44, 811 E. 11th St., was arrested by police on Nov. 4 on a charge of assault under the Family Violence Act, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made at McGrew’s home, and he was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Edwardo Gamboa Garcia, 68, 1906 Scott St., was arrested by police on Oct. 26 on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the 100 block of South Cedar Street, and Garcia was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Bernardino Mora, 43, 812 S. Cypress St., was arrested by police on Oct. 21 on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said the arrest was made at 3:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Pine Street, when Mora was found with a digital scale police said is commonly used to weigh narcotics. He was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Lilah Renee Rodriguez, 23, 413 S. Alberta St., was arrested by police on Oct. 22 on a warrant for child endangerment, a State Jail Felony. Police said Rodriguez turned herself in at the Pecos Criminal Justice Center , and was then placed under arrest.
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Jose Angel Vasquez, 48, 1410 S. Plum St., was arrested by police on Oct. 25 on a charge of public intoxication. Police said the arrest was made at 6:42 p.m. in the 300 block of South Sycamore St., when the 1991 Chevrolet Vasquez was driving was stopped on a traffic violation. He was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Manuel Jose Ortiz, 58, 815 S. Cedar St., was arrested by police on Oct. 25 on a charge of public intoxication. Police said the arrest was made at 6:42 p.m. in the 300 block of South Sycamore St., and a second charge of possession of a prohibited substance in an adult correctional facility was added after a search turned up the item at the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Veronica Herrera Fuentes, 43, 2260 Limpia Rd., was arrested by police on Oct. 25 on a warrant for probation revocation, on an earlier charge of possession of marijuana under two ounces, issued out of the Ward County Sheriff’s Office. Police said the arrest was made at 1:17 a.m. at the Suavacito Club, 900 S. Cedar St., and Fuentes was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Jose Luis Rodriguez, 18, 300 W. County Rd., was arrested by police on Oct. 25 on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the 800 block of South Eddy Street, and Rodriguez was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Adan Sais Barrera, 37, 1109 S. Ash St., was arrested by police on Oct. 28 on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor, and a warrant for motion to revoke probation for child support, issued out of the Ector County Sheriff’s Office. Police said the arrest was made at 12:22 a.m. at Allsup’s, 708 S. Cedar St., and Barrera was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Enrique Romero, 377, 311 E. 14th St., was arrested by police on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the parking lot of the Flying J Truck Stop, 100 E. Pinehurst St., and Romero was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Guadalupe Barrera, 41, 1109 S. Ash St., was arrested by police on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of an accident after striking a vehicle, a Class B misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the parking lot of the Flying J Truck Stop, 100 E. Pinehurst St., and Barrera was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Emilio Acosta Jr., 28, was arrested by police on Nov. 12 on a warrant for making alcohol available to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. Police said Acosta was stopped on a traffic violation at 11:58 p.m. at Eighth and Cedar streets, and the warrant, issued out of Ward County, turned up during a records check. Acosta was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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John Stuart Nobel, 18, 5563 S. Highway 17, was arrested by police on Nov. 15 on a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the parking lot of Walmart, 1903 S. Cedar St., and Noble was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Joseph Marks Tarin, 19, 1919 Jefferson St., and Michael Tarin, 17, 2231 Sage St., Apt. A, were arrested by police on Nov. 16 in the 2200 block of Texas St. Police said Joseph Tarin was charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor, while Michael Tarin was charged with public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. Both were then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Vanessa Jasmine Natividad, 22, 104 E. Iglesia St., in Saragosa, was arrested by police on Nov. 15 on charges of driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made at 5 a.m. in the 1500 block of South Eddy Street, and a later charge of brining a prohibited substance into a correctional facility, a 3rd degree felony, was later added when a substance police said was cocaine was found in her possession during a search at the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Miguel Pesina Jr., 33, 2405 Sage St., Apt. A, was arrested by police on Nov. 8 on a warrant for motion to revoke probation on a previous unidentified charge. Police said the arrest was made after they were called to the Flying J truck stop about a man arguing with his wife, and a records check turned up the warrant. Pesina was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Juan J. Lopez-Hinojosa, 30, 300 W. County Rd., Apt. 803, was arrested by police on Nov. 8 on a warrant for an unidentified charge. Police said the arrest was made after a traffic stop at 9:40 p.m. in the 800 block of South Eddy Street, and he was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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David Angel Quiroz, 20, 112 W. ‘C’ St., was arrested by police on Nov. 8 on a warrant for assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor, and escape, a third degree felony. Police said the arrest was made at Ninth and Willow Street, with the second charge added after he tried to flee from officers. Quiroz was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Charles Ray Forbes, 57, 533 Rancho Rd., was arrested by police on Nov. 8 on a charge of driving while license invalid, a Class B misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made following a traffic stop at Third and Walnut streets, and Forbes was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Ramon Natividad, 63, 2318 Country Club Dr., was arrested by police on Nov. 4 on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance (heroin), a state jail felony. Police said the arrest was made at 8:15 p.m. at Natividad’s home, and he was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
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Francisco Salcido Menchaca, 35, 214 W. 14th St., was arrested by police on Nov. 6 on a charge of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the arrest was made in the 1100 block of South Cedar Street, and Menchaca was then transported to the Pecos Criminal Justice Center.
Pina completes basic training
Army Reserve Pvt. Gracia C. Pina has graduated from basic military training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C., to be a member of the Army National Guard or Reserve Split-option Program.
The program allows students between their junior and senior year of high school to attend national guard or reserve weekend drills while still in school and pursue a military career specialty after they graduate from high school.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
Pina is the daughter of Manuela Pina of Odessa and niece of Isela Lujan of Pecos.
She is a student at Odessa High School.
Scott deployed to Iraq in October
Rosario Natividad Scott was deployed to Iraq on Oct. 13.
She is with the 25th Infantry Division Tropic lighting out of Scohflied Barracks Hawii.
Scott is the fifth member of one family to serve in a war zone.
She and one of two other army active siblings will be serving in Iraq for one year.
She is a Pecos High School graduate, attended the University of Devry and graduated with a Master’s in business and a Bachelor’s in Computer Tech.
Scott is married to Edward Scott and is the mother of three children, Ben, Jacob and Marie.
She is the daughter of proud parents, Ruben and Margarita Natividad.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2003-04 by Pecos Enterprise
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