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Archive 2004

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Weekly Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Legal questions delaying repairs on Toyah levee

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

Reeves County Commissioners debated, but took no action Monday, on repairing the levee in Toyah damaged by flood waters in early April.

The commissioners debated during their regular meeting on what would be the best way to fix the breaks in the 61-year-old levee and who would have to pay for the repairs and any future upkeep of the structure, which separates Toyah from San Martine Draw. Emergency response director Ricky Herrera presented the court with an agreement between Reeves County and the Natural Resource Conservation Service for repairs to the Toyah levee under the Emergency Waterhead Protection Program.

“There’s a number of provisions in this agreement that call for the county to hire an engineer to make plans to repair the levee,” said Reeves County Judge Jimmy B. Galindo. “I see a problem, because that is privately owned property.”

Missouri-Pacific Railroad built the levee in the early 1940s, and Herrera told the court that he had found out that the levee is built on property now owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

“The NRCC is aware of that, but will still provide 75 percent on repairs to the project,” said Herrera. “We would have to come up with 25 percent to complete this project,” he said.

Galindo said that a gentleman who had property on the eastern side of Toyah was in the courtroom to listen to the update and discuss the issue about what to do with the levee. “Mr. Jobe (Billie Mac) has some property that was impacted by that levee,” said Galindo. The old railroad motel, which houses 24 rooms was in shambles after the flooding, according to Mr. Jobe.

“About 75 percent of the carpet was ruined, some sheetrock and other damage was done during that flooding,” said Mr. Jobe.

“We have been trying to make repairs as quickly as we can,” said Mr. Jobe. “We would also like the repairs to the levee as soon as possible, it’s of major interest to me and the residents of Toyah,” he said.

Heavy rains caused three breaks in the levee in the early morning hours of April 4, sending a four-foot high wall of water through the north side of the community. The largest break was about 20 yards long.

The same floodwaters later that Sunday were blamed for the collapse of the eastbound Interstate 20 bridge over Salt Draw, five miles east of Toyah.

Mr. Jobe said that that Sunday night they were able to divert the water to keep it from causing further damage.

“I think the emergency work that has been done has helped considerably,” said Mr. Jobe. Reeves County Commissioner Precinct 3 Herman Tarin said that he knew what the problem was and that he felt it should be corrected as soon as possible.

City of Toyah Mayor Sandra Terry was also on hand for the regular meeting and said that they needed some relief.

“The citizens of Toyah are stalled again, the levee still needs to be repaired,” she said. Reeves County Road and Bridge Administrator Russ Salcido outlined several things his crew has been doing to alleviate the flooding problem in Toyah, including making a low water crossing.

“Is the ultimate long-term solution to create a low-water crossing?” asked Galindo. “I think it would be the cheapest and it would work,” said Salcido.

Galindo said that the problem he saw with this particular agreement was that it called for the county to do several things.

“For instance, if we do the repairs, the county will be in charge of maintenance at the levee,” said Galindo.

“We were hoping the railroad would come in and take over, but it hasn’t,” said Herrera. “The contract does state that the county would be in charge of maintenance,” he said. Galindo said that the first thing was to protect the people of Toyah.

“We have some issues here, because this is railroad property,” said Galindo. “In addition to that, there are some other issues that need to be addressed,” he said.

Galindo said that an engineer would have to be hired, or else, they would need to provide the design for the county crew to follow.

“I think you’re referring to the design and planning consultant and they said that if we could get together and find some levee specs, it would be enough for them,” said Herrera. “We wouldn’t have to go out and find an engineer.”

Herrera said that there are three owners for the levee. “We sent out letters to all three and received two responses,” said Herrera. “We got with the county attorney and sent out the letters and received these two responses.”

“There are some problems that I have with this agreement, items that tie the county for a long time, we need other parties at the table,” said Galindo. “I think it’s one thing do emergency repair and another to do long-term maintenance.”

Galindo said that there were a lot of issues with the agreement that compelled the county to become legally responsible.

“How do we move forward on this?” asked Herrera. “There are a lot of legal issues, that I just don’t know how to answer.”

Galindo said that several calls needed to be made to all the parties involved.

“I’ll make some calls and until we get their perspective we can’t enter into an agreement,” said Galindo. “We don’t want to get tied down with making long-term maintenance on that levee,” he said.

Chamber given update on plan for Beach Party

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

A Hawaiian Beach Party to open Labor Day weekend and updates on other activities were discussed during the regular Pecos Area Chamber of Commerce meeting held Tuesday at noon.

The Hawaiian Beach Party has been scheduled for Sept. 3, the Friday before Labor Day, according to Chamber of Commerce President Al Gomez.

Gomez said that they are still looking for a host for the reception, which will be held that afternoon. Chamber of Commerce Director Linda Gholson later told Pecos City Council members they were thinking of having this year’s event in Maxey Park, near the sand volleyball court.

Gomez also told members the Chamber would be providing “snacks” for all school personnel this Friday, the final day of teacher in-service before the start of the 2004-05 school year.

“There are six campuses and we’re looking for individuals who would like to donate something, or if you wish the chamber can take over,” said Gholson.

“This is the best thing that they can come up with for us to do for the school personnel at this time, because today they will be feeding them hamburgers at the high school,” said Gholson.

Several individuals opted to have their place of business sponsor the “snacks” and La Tienda would deliver the trays to the various schools.

Sponsors included Alfredo’s Restaurant, Reeves County Teacher’s Credit Union, Best Western/Swiss Clock Inn, Security State Bank, Dairy Queen and Oak Tree Inn.

The Chamber also decided that at least one director would be at each campus to meet the staff and welcome everyone back to school on Friday.

“I think it’s important to welcome all the school personnel back to school and thank them for the job they have to do,” said Gomez.

He said that the recent “Under West Texas Skies” project with KWES-9 proved to be a huge success. “We had a great turnout and everyone represented Pecos really well,” he said.

Gomez said that the members of the area Catholic War Veterans who were in Pecos recently was also impressed with the community.

“They met at the Swiss Clock Inn and it was good to see so many people from neighboring communities here,” he said. “They had a great time and they loved the facility.”

Gomez said that the Chamber is still looking for more volunteers for a project that the group wants to start to aid local residents.

“We want to start a lawn-mowing service for individuals who are elderly or handicapped,” said Gomez. “We don’t want to do it if there’s an able-bodied person there, but if they don’t have anyone we want to start a group that will provide that service for them.”

He said that the idea has been brought up several times and that they wanted to act on it. “Pride in Pecos has to be shown and we need to clean up and help our neighbors clean up,” he said.

Gholson told the group that the Cantaloupe Fly-In and Breakfast held at the local airport was a huge success. “Those that attended really enjoyed it and a female was the one who hit the target,” said Gholson.

A Shriner’s Circus will be in town soon and this is the third year they will be in Pecos, according to Gholson.

“They provide a great show and there’s never been a problem with them,” she said. The Women’s Division of the Chamber reported that they would once again sponsor the Pretty Baby Contest during the Annual Fall Fair in October.

“They’ll also be planning a Mother Goose Parade, to coincide with whenever the city decides to celebrate Halloween,” said Gholson.

Things are coming together for the fair, according to organizer Barbara Creager. “We’ve changed the entry dates for the quilts and stuff like that. The entry date for those items will be Monday and the perishables will be accepted on that Friday,” she said. Creager said that this year there wouldn’t be an entry fee, but that they are requesting that individuals donate a canned food item.

“We’ll take those items and donate them to a local food bank, that way we’ll be helping our community as well,” she said.

Venetta Seals, with Reeves County Hospital, told the group about the recent KOL meeting held at the hospital.

“We had 28 people there and several individuals spoke up during the meeting,” said Seals.

Seals said that representatives from Odessa College and the Texas Workforce Commission were on hand.

“We’re also planning a blood drive on Aug. 31, for those individuals who didn’t have a chance to donate during the Under West Texas Skies,” she said.

Pecos Police Officer Mike Balog talked about the Business Watch program.

“I’ve talked about this before, but nobody has come up and said that they want to start it,” he said.

Balog that this was a great program, where businesses would take care of each other and just knowing that they participated in this particular program was a deterrent to thieves and other individuals who wanted to pass bad checks or hurt businesses.

“We also provided all kinds of services for the community, we can teach CPR to employees, crime prevention and other programs,” he said. “We have a lot of things and ways to help the community.”

Balog told the group that the Pecos Police Department was always willing to help and to call for assistance.

“We provide a lot of proactive programs that can help businesses and individuals,” said Balog. “Our main thing is to protect the community,” he said.

Cable company tells council new ABC, Fox stations eyed

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer

Garry Pomonis got to see for himself what Cebridge Connections cable customers in Pecos haven’t been seeing on their system in recent years, and as a result local viewers may be seeing changes to the Pecos cable lineup sometime after Labor Day.

Pomonis, the regional business director for Cebridge, was at the Town of Pecos City Council meeting Thursday morning to discuss ongoing complaints about the local cable system. But before going to the 7 a.m. meeting he spent the night in Pecos, and got a chance to see the problems with the local ABC and Fox Network affiliates, KMID and KPEJ.

“I watched it in my hotel room, and waited until 11:22 p.m. when a signal that was viewable finally came on,” said Pomonis of the KMID signal on Wednesday night. He also said he didn’t know about the problem with the KPEJ signal, but would look into problems with reception on that station as well.

Council members were asked Pomonis about the timetable for solving the long-standing problems with the two stations, and were told Cebridge hopes to improve the signals within the next one to 2 1/2 months. However, he added the answer may end up being to bring in stations from outside the Permian Basin to serve Pecos.

“We can’t just come in and say ‘you’re not providing me with a good signal’ and just flip a switch and get another channel,” he said. Cebridge will have to file a request with the Federal Communications Commission to bring in any new Fox or ABC station.

KMID and KPEJ both transmit their signals from antennas north of Midland International Airport. KMID’s signal was received in Pecos by microwave transmitter for many years. But that option was eliminated three years ago, and since then the signal has been poor to non-existent at times in Pecos, as Cebridge and its predecessor, Classic Cable, attempted to pick up KIMD directly from its antenna north of the airport.

“We’ve tried to peak the head-end equipment, but we’ve got as much head-end signal as we’re going to get,” Pomonis said. He added the company has looked at two other options, sending the signal to Pecos over a T-1 cable, or using wireless transmission, but neither provides enough bandwidth for the TV station’s signal.

The other options are to ask KMID to boost their signal’s power in order to reach the Pecos area, or to seek a ABC station off a satellite to replace KMID.

“Yesterday (Aug. 4) we sent a formal notice to KMID that we intend to drop their signal unless they can produce a high-quality signal,” Pomonis told the council. That change could take effect in 30 days, or between 60 and 75 days if KMID fights the decision. Pomonis added that Cebridge has been asked by KMID general manager Chris Pruitt in an e-mail to keep the station in the Pecos cable line-up, even if another station is brought in.

“It seems in his opinion nothing can be done at this time,” he said.

Pomonis’ boss, Pete Abel, said at this time Cebridge was not inclined to keep KMID on the system as a second ABC station unless it could provide a better signal into Pecos. “I’d rather bring in a distant feed, and when they get their signal fixed put them back on,” he said.

Pomonis told the council they have had more trouble working with KMID on the signal problems than with KPEJ. “They’ve been a little more approachable. At least when we contract them, they sent out an engineer,” he said. “With KMID there were no steps until we sent the letter saying we’re taking you guys off.”

KPEJ’s problem getting a signal to Pecos is different from the troubles with KMID. For the past 10 years, the Fox station has been available in Reeves County on a UHF translator station, which comes from the original signal being beamed down to an antenna on Gomez Peak, near the Interstate 10-Interstate 20 junction. Cebridge then picks up that signal for broadcast in Pecos, 40 miles to the northeast.

Both KMID and KPEJ broadcast National Football League games. KMID airs Monday Night Football, which is the same on all ABC affiliates. Abel said as of now, the best option would be to bring in ABC’s affiliate out of Nashville, Tenn. , to replace KMID. KPEJ carries Fox’s Sunday NFL broadcasts, meaning they’ll air about 10 of Dallas’ 16 games this season. Abel said getting a satellite signal from outside Texas may mean not having access to all of those games.

“The hold-up may be negotiating for carriage of a Fox station that makes the Cowboys their prime game on game-day,” he said. Two years ago, Pecos viewers missed a number of Cowboy games that were not broadcast over Fox Net, until the KPEJ signal was restored in November of 2002.

“We’re at our wits end about it,” Pomonis said. “Nothing can be done except pull those channels off the air.”

Engineers for both KMID and KPEJ declined to comment about the current situation, and Pruitt and KPEJ general manager John Rockweiler were out of town this week and unavailable for comment.

Aside from the ABC and Fox signal problems, councilman Frank Sanchez also questioned Pomonis about delays in getting company workers to fix line problems, citing his own experience recently with Cebridge as an example.

“We try to get the job done within two days of the call,” Pomonis said, after Sanchez told him it took three months to solve his reception problems. “We can’t do it right away, because the guy working that day already has his route.”

“In my particular case, that was not the case,” Sanchez replied.

Pomonis said Cebridge’s repair times are supposed to be 48 hours for individuals service calls and 24 hours to repair major outages. But he added problems such as the poor signals received from KMID and KPEJ are not the company’s fault.

“We won’t compensate for outages of local (channel) services,” he said. “But we have a new program. If you call in with a service problem and it’s our fault, I’m going to give you $5 credit for the next three months.”

City’s tax rolls given OK, options on tax rate studied

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer

The Town of Pecos City Council was given preliminary numbers Tuesday afternoon on the effective and rollback tax rates for the 2005 fiscal year, and discussed several future projects during a special meeting held in council chambers at City Hall.

The meeting was the second by the council during the past week. In their first, council members voted too give city manager Joseph Torres a $15,000 raise following an executive session to evaluate his work after six months on the job.

The council approved planning calendars and the tax roll during Tuesday’s meeting, after both were presented to them by Lydia Prieto with the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD tax office, which handles the city’s tax calculations and collections. The two calendars were for situations where the council either maintains the current tax rate or approves a higher rate, and Prieto said she would submit the official numbers to the council during the council’s Aug. 26 meeting.

Prieto said that based on an increase of just under $900,000 in valuations over the past year, the preliminary numbers for effective tax rate show that the city would have to have a rate of .69287 cents per $100 in valuations to collect the same amount of taxes as a year ago. That’s down slightly from last year’s .6967-cent tax rate.

She also told the council that city could raise its tax rate by up to 3 percent without having to hold public hearings, while an increase of eight percent or more would allow city residents to petition for a rollback election. Preito said a rate of .71365 cents would trigger hearings, while a .75478 or higher rate would permit a rollback election. “We don’t have to go there,” said mayor Dot Stafford about the two higher rates presented by Prieto.

The tax rate will be used t determine the city’s fiscal 2005 budget, which Prieto said must be approved by the council no later than Sept. 30. This past year, the city’s budget had $5.675 million going toward the general fund, which was up about $400,000 from the previous year.

The other discussions Tuesday came after the council approved the calendars and tax roll and formally adjourned the meeting, so that no action could be taken.

City utilities department supervisor Edgardo Madrid told the council they were hoping to finalize a contract soon that would substantially increase the rate paid to Pecos for commercial haulers too dump trash in the city’s landfill. The new rate would be $35 a ton, an increase of over $10.

“It’s a good rate, based on what we got,” said Madrid. He told the council that no other city besides Monahans charges that much for landfill disposal, and Monahans’ high rate was due to their landfill’s ability to accept hazardous materials.

He also said computerized equipment was in place to weigh trucks as they enter and leave the landfill, in order to calculate the billing rate for the amount of trash deposited. Madrid also said work is almost done on the caliche roads at the South Worsham water field project. State inspectors were to tour the site on Wednesday, and once approved, the city can submit an invoice for $140,000 to be reimbursed by the state as part of the water project.

He also said the city needs to begin work on a grant to the Office of Rural Community Affairs for sewer improvements in Pecos. “We have the equipment, and we have the workers. If we can get it, it would be no cost to us,” Madrid said.

The grant would be for $350,000 and needs to be sent to ORCA by Nov. 25, Madrid said. The vote on a higher salary for Torres came following a 50 minute executive session on Aug. 5 to evaluate his job performance since being selected as city manager in February. Council members voted to for an increase from $55,000 to $70,000, with the next evaluation to come at the end of the one-year period in February of 2005.

Inmates injured in Friday fight inside RCDC I

Over half a dozen inmates were treated for injuries last Friday, following an altercation at the Reeves County Detention Center.

According to a press release on Wednesday morning from RCDC Warden Rudy Franco. The incident began at 3 p.m. on Friday between several inmates at the RCDC I unit, located on the southwest side of Pecos. Several inmates received injuries and were taken to local hospitals for medical treatment.

According to the warden’s statement, “All inmates taken to local hospitals were returned to the facility either later that evening or by the following day.” Pecos Ambulance Service Chief John Cravey told KIUN radio on Monday that eight persons had been taken by ambulance from the RCDC, and that one had been airlifted from Reeves County Hospital for further treatment.

The press release from the RCDC did not mention any inmates being airlifted as a result of Friday’s incident, nor the type of injuries suffered as a result of the Friday incident. Franco and other RCDC officials were in a meeting this morning and did not return a call by press time on whether or not any inmate had to be taken by air ambulance to another medical facility.

“RCDC staff responded immediately and the incident was under control within a matter of minutes,” the press release said. Reeves County Sheriff’s Deputies and Department of Public Safety troopers were called to the prison following the incident, but remained on stand-by outside the RCDC I unit for only about an hour, while the injured inmates were taken to Reeves County Hospital.

Franco’s release said the facility was placed on lockdown status with limited activities, but that normal operations resumed on Sunday. A total of 34 inmates involved in the Friday incident were placed in the prison’s Segregated Housing Unit.

RCDC I is a county-owned prison that houses about 1,100 inmates under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is one of three units at the prison that house around 3,000 prisoners from the BOP and the State of Arizona.

Red Bluff, Ward districts await election ruling

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer

Red Bluff Water Power Control Board members and potential board members from Ward County Irrigation Districts 1 and 3 are awaiting a decision by 143rd District Court Judge Bob Parks on a dispute over the legality of elections held by those two boards earlier this year.

Both sides were in Monahans last week for a court hearing on the matter, and both were in Pecos on Tuesday for Red Bluff’s regular monthly meeting, though the issue never came up during the board’s 35-minute session.

“It will be a couple of weeks before we hear anything,” Red Bluff managing director Randal Hartman said last Friday. “He said he would think about it.”

Judge Parks held a hearing on Aug. 4 on the suit, brought by the Red Bluff board, which questions the legality of the elections in WCWID 1 and 3, both of which have changed from water improvement to water irrigation districts. The change to a more limited form of water district also meant a change in the eligibility of voters in the district’s election to select a member to the Red Bluff board.

In the lawsuit Red Bluff said that because the new district limits voting to landowners who live within the water district, the status went against the charter for voting eligibility under which the water districts were originally created. Water improvement districts allow all landowners within the district to vote in the election, regardless of residency. Officials with the two Ward County water districts, along with Reeves County Water Improvement District 2, which supports their petition, argued that the changes from water improvement to water irrigation districts, allowed under Chapter 58 of the Texas Water Code, did not prevent the districts from altering their legal status while remaining voting members of the Red Bluff board.

The attorneys for the districts argued that neither the original 1934 Master Contract nor the Chapter 58 addition in 1977 prevented the districts from making the changes while retaining their seats on the board.

Hartman said Parks gave attorneys for both sides two weeks from the Aug. 4 hearing to submit new documentation in the case. “Most of what was done at the trial was (submitted) as paperwork. The judge is going to read the paperwork and make a decision,” he said.

In the May elections for the Red Bluff board, Tom Nance was elected to represent Ward County WID 1 on the Red Bluff board, while Ava Gerke was elected the Ward County WID 3 representative. Both have been given non-voting observer status on the board until the issue is resolved.

Nance was at Tuesday’s board meeting in Pecos, and said Ward 1 has not yet submitted any new documentation to Judge Parks.

“I really didn’t come up with any kind of indication how the judge was leaning one way or another,” Nance said of the Aug. 4 hearing. “All we can do is wait patiently.” “What’s there the judge said was in the books already, and that’s what he’s going to base everything on,” Hartman said.

Tuesday’s Red Bluff meeting featured only discussions and voted on regular items, including cash disbursements, accounts payable, the district’s fund balance and the quarterly investment report.

Hartman told board members that the government securities the district’s funds are invested in a part of the 1989 Pecos River compact settlement have increased their average yield, which boosted income for the district from $7,000 to $32,000, “so that’s a pretty significant increase,” he said.

Rains during July allowed red Bluff Lake to add just over 1,000 acre/feet in water, despite the release of 5,100 acre/feet downstream for farmers in the seven sub-districts. The districts have only used 2,164 acre/feet of their 25,000 acre/feet allotment for 2004, while the lake’s level was at 68,145 acre/feet at the end of last month.

Hartman also said that pumping of salt spring water away from the Pecos River at Malaga Bend continues, and that Sun West Salt Co., is planning to built more large evaporation ponds in the area, to go along with the two small ponds and the larger 10-acre pond already in place.

“They say they’re looking at building two more pits, one as large as 25 acres,” Hartman said. Sun West is pumping about 50 acre/feet monthly into the ponds, where water is then evaporated so the salt can be mined out, though none of the new ponds have been mined since pumping started 18 months ago.

“They said in a gallon of water there’s 2 1/2 pounds of salt,” Hartman said of the water pumped out of the spring, while board member Jay Lee added, “You can fill a glass up and see the salt fall out of it. It’s like snow.”

Dialysis center Open House on Thursday

Reeves County Hospital will be holding an open house for its new kidney dialysis unit Thursday afternoon from 3 to 6 p.m.

Reeves County Hospital District board president Linda Gholson said the new area was open to the public during last month’s tour of the entire new addition to the hospital, but added, “The equipment wasn’t in place yet.”

Gholson said the new center will begin handling patients next Monday, but can only work with one at a time until final approval is given by state inspectors. She added that the dialysis center has already received 20 inquiries from area residents about using the new facility.

Barbeque plate fundraiser on Friday

A barbecue plate fundraiser will be held Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Saragosa Hall.

Plates will be $4.50 and consist of barbecue brisket with all the trimmings.

All proceeds will go towards medical expenses for Ruben Flores who was injured in a four-wheeler accident two weeks ago and is currently in Covenant Hospital in Lubbock. To order on Friday, call 445-5225.

Aquatic Club signing up youth swimmers

The Pecos Aquatic Club is sponsoring pre-competitive swimming lessons. Lessons will be taught on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-6:15 p.m.

The first session will run for six weeks, from Sept. 7 to Oct. 14.

Cost is $20 per session.

Registration will be Monday, Sept. 7, at 5:30 p.m., at the high school swimming pool. This program is available for all children who have reached Level 3 or above in ARC Swimming Lessons or can meet Level 3 requirements.

Equipment needed: swimsuit and towel. Cap and goggles will be provided.

For more information call 447-7242.

Mt. Zion Church marking 75th anniversary

Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 614 E. 14th Street, will be celebrating their 75th Church Anniversary at 3 p.m., this Sunday, Aug. 15.

Rev. D.D. Fincher, of Freedom Missionary Baptist Church in Odessa, will be guest speaker.

Dinner will be served following the service.

Ex-Pecosite, WWII POW Tercero dies

A longtime active member of the community who spent over two years as a prisoner of war during World War II died on Tuesday in an Odessa hospital.

Jose M. Tercero died Aug. 10, at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, where he had moved recently after many years of living in Pecos. Funeral services have been scheduled for Friday in Pecos.

Tercero was born Jan. 17, 1919 in Fort Davis and is preceded in death by his wife, Concepcion and his parents, Navor and Maria Tercero.

He served during WWII in the Army, Company A, 81st Reconnaissance Battalion, as a radio operator. During the war he was captured by German forces in Northern Africa and kept as a prison of war for 27 months, from Feb. 14, 1943 until May 5, 1945, three days before the official end of the war in Europe.

Shortly after his liberation and return home, he met and married Concepcion Olivas. The couple lived in Fort Davis and had four children. In 1954, the family moved to Pecos. Tercero was a skilled carpenter and contractor, constructing many buildings in Pecos and surrounding areas.

While in Pecos, the couple served the community in many facets. Tercero was a sponsor of the Leo Club, the CYO Club and past President of the Lion’s Club. He was a member of the Catholic War Veteran’s Club, the American Ex-Prisoners of War Club, the Holy Name Society, and a volunteer for the Christmas in April organization.

He was also a 4th degree Knight of Columbus member, and he and his wife co-founded the Santa Rosa Credit Union in Pecos and were active members of the Santa Rosa Catholic Church and St. Catherine’s Catholic Church.

Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 13, at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Pecos with Rev. Frank Chavez officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Evergreen Cemetery.

Marriages

Marriages for June 2004, as filed with the Reeves County Clerk’s Office. John Strickland Jay and Elia Armendariez Contreras.

Marriages for July 2004, as filed with the Reeves County Clerk’s Office.

Rodolfo Sotelo Rios and Alicia Porras Brown.

Richard Anthony Gutierrez and Megan Lee Ann Carr.

Jorge Marcos Natividad and Amanda Madrid Fuentes.

Cesar Carlos Zermeno and Lisa Marie Leos.

Eleuterio Escobedo Cedillo and Juana Salazar Cabrero.

Omar Salgado and Amy Marie Chabarria.

Jose Demetrio Garcia Holguin and Rachel M. Zamora.

Divorces

Divorces for July 2004, as filed with the Reeves County District Clerk’s Office.

Jack F. Ivy and Janella Ann Lambert Ivy.

Joann Ranae Parks and Dustin Lee Chip Parks.

Teresa Muniz and Manuel A. Muniz, Jr.

Sammy Joe Lujan and Diana Vidoria Lujan.

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. ***

Bernardino Carrasco, 34, 801 S. Locust St., was arrested by police on July 24 at 7:28 p.m. and charged with failure to make a complete stop. The arrest occurred in the 700 block of South Cedar Street. ***

Jerald Gonzalez, 18, 301 Lincoln St., was arrested by police at 9:52 p.m. on July 28 and chanrged with possession of cocaine, driving with a wrong color turn signal and no insurance. The arrest occurred at Seventh and Park streets and involved less than one gram of cocaine, according to police. ***

Herby Armendariz, 52, was arrested by police on July 28 at 5:54 p.m. at ‘D’ and Walnut streets on two charges of forgery. Police said the charges involved alleged forged checks for $67.98 cashed at Terrazas Restaurant on July 17 and for $70 at the Town & Country Food Store on West Palmer Street on July 16. ***

Matthew Armendariz, 23, was arrested by police on a warrant charging him with theft under $50 and forgert. The arrest occurred at 6:43 p.m. in the 200 block of North Cedar, and involved a forged check for $5 on July 16 at Uncle’s, at Third and Cedar streets. ***

Eusebio Orozco, 31, was arrested by police on July 27 at 11:57 p.m. and charged with public intoxication. The arrest occurred at the Suvacito Club, at Ninth and Cedar streets. ***

Andres Federico Molina, 33, was arrested by police on July 27 and charged with public intoxication. Police said the arrest occurred after Molina was reported asking people for money at Third and Cedar streets. ***

Amy Ortiz, 612 S. Pecan St., was arrested by police on July 26 on a warrant charging her with drag racing. The arrest occurred at 8:36 p.m. at Third and Magnolia streets. ***

Julyana Canero reported to police on July 27 that someone had broke into her apartment at the Farm Labor Housing complex, 300 W. County Rd. Police said DVDs were reportedly taken from the apartment in the break-in. ***

Jose Manuel Garcia, 49, 411 W. 10th St., was arrested by police on July 26 at 10:54 a.m. on a warrant for parole violation. The arrest occurred at Sycamore and Mesquite streets. ***

Enrique Enriquez, Jr., 20, was arrested by police on July 26 on a charge of no driver’s license. The arrest occurred at 2:08 p.m. in the 1400 block of Johnson Street. ***

Eloy Santieesteban , 23, of Midland was arrested by police on July 26 at 12:05 a.m. and charged with DWI. The arrest took place following a traffic stop in the 100 block of South Willow Street. ***

David Kington, 17, of 449 S. County Road 209, was arrested by police on July 25 at 1:26 a.m. on Highway 17 at the south end of Pecos and charged with DWI. The arrest occurred following a traffic stop by police for driving erratically. ***

Two juveniles were arrested by police on July 24 at 5:37 p.m. on a charge of shoplifting at the Family Dollar store in the 1000 block of South Eddy Street. The juveniles were turned over to their parents following their arrests. ***

Harvey Rayos, 20, 920 S. Elm St., was arrested by police on a warrant charging him with evading arrest. The arrest took place on July 23 in the 100 block of North Pecan Street for an incident that occurred on June 2. ***

Oscar Hernandez, Jr., 19, 2330 S. Eddy St., was arrested by police on July 23 at 11:48 p.m. in the 2300 block of South Eddy on charges of possession of marijuana under two ounces, no driver’s license and dirving with an unrestrained child under two years of age. Police said the marijuana was found in the car’s ashtray and in a vial, and that a 1-year-old was found in the vehicle without being in a child safety seat when Hernandez’ vehicle was stopped. ***

Floyd Herrera, 44, was arrested by police on July 22 and charged with driving without a license. The arrest took place at 8:07 p.m. in the 700 block of South Peach Street. ***

Police were called to Wal-Mart, 1900 S. Cedar St., and Bob’s Thirftway, 810 s. Eddy St., on July 22 to investigate burglries of coin-operated machines. Police said soda machines outside both stores were broken into, and an unknown amount of money stolen. ***

Police were called to Bob’s Thriftway, 810 S. Eddy St., at 8:26 a.m. on Aug. 3 on a report of criminal mischief. Police said the rear of the store was found to have been spraypainted by unknown persons. ***

Delma Gabaldon, 37, 1600 S. Park St., was arrested by police on warrants charging her with no insurance and violation of promise to appear. The arrest took place on Aug. 1 at 4:31 p.m. ***

Tiffany Garcia, 21, 1207 S. Elm St., was arrested by police on Aug. 3 at 6:48 p.m. and charged with drug possession. Police said Garcia was arrested on a grand jury warrant in the 400 block of North Cedar Street.



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