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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Friday, October 27, 2000

Uncontested races cut early voting totals

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer

PECOS, October 27, 2000 - The lack of any contested elections locally has held down early voting in Reeves County for the Nov. 7 general election.

Through the first 4½ days of the two-week early voting period, only 418 people have cast early ballots, according to election judge Norma Briceno.

"It's been in the 90s every day," she said. "We were hoping to be in the 100s, but it's only been in the 90s so far."

A total of 380 people, or 95 per day, cast ballots at the early voting site on the first floor of the Reeves County Courthouse between Monday and Thursday, with another 38 people voting as of late this morning, Briceno said. In addition, a total of 146 ballots have been sent out by mail.

In contrast, 1,068 people voted early and by mail back in April in the county's Democratic Party runoff elections, when the focus was on only the Precinct 1 and 3 Commissioners races. In the March Democratic Party primary election, which also included countywide contested races for sheriff and Reeves County attorney, over 2,100 people cast ballots during the two-week early voting period.

Voters will have all next week to cast ballots early in the courthouse lobby, and early voting will also be conducted on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the courthouse, Briceno said.

With Gov. George W. Bush expected to easily win Texas in the presidential election and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison also a heavy favorite to win re-election, the closest race Reeves County voters may have a say in could be for U.S. Representative, where Republican Henry Bonilla is seeking a fifth term against Democratic challenger Isidro Garza. Libertarian Jeffrey C. Blunt is also on the ballot for the 23rd Congressional District seat.

Bush is running against Democrat Al Gore, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, Reform Party (independent) Pat Buchanan and Libertarian Harry Browne. Hutchison, a Republican, is opposed by Democrat Gene Kelly, Libertarian Mary J. Ruwart and Douglas G. Sandage of the Green Party.

While Reeves County remains heavily Democratic, voters will find few Democrats on the down-ballot statewide contested races this year. Bill Vance is facing Republican Sharon Keller for Presiding Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals and William R. Barr is running against Barbara Parker Hervey for Place 2 on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Other contested races are for Texas Railroad Commissioner, where Republican Charles R. Matthews faces Libertarian Carolyn Fields and Green Party candidate Gary Dugger for a full term and Republican Michael L. Williams faces Libertarian Anthony Garcia and the Green Party's Charles L. Mauch for an unexpired term. In races for the Texas Supreme Court, Republican Priscilla Owen faces Libertarian Joe Alfred Izen, Jr. for Place 2 and Republican Al Gonzales faces Libertarian Lance Smith for Place 3, while for Place 1 on the Court of Criminal Appeals, Republican Charles Holcomb is challenged by Libertarian Rife Scott Kilmer.

Republican Gary Walker is unopposed in his bid for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives, while in other county and area races, Democratic candidates are running unopposed.

Locally, they include Bob Parks for 143rd District Court Judge and Randall W. Reynolds for 143rd District Attorney; Luis U. Carrasco for Reeves County Attorney; Pat Tarin for 143rd District Clerk; Arnulfo Andy Gomez for Reeves County Sheriff; Elfida Zuniga for Reeves County Tax Assessor-Collector; Felipe Arredondo for Precinct 1 Commissioner; Herman Tarin for Precinct 4 Commissioner; and Arnulfo H. Granado; Jaime Salgado, Tomas "Tommy" Martinez and Heriberto "Eddy" Rodriguez for the Precinct 1 through 4 constable posts.

Also running unopposed are two Democrats seeking re-election to regional judge positions _ Ann Crawford McClure for Place 1 and David Wellington Chew for Place 2 on the 8th Court of Appeals, which sits in El Paso and covers far West Texas.

Work starting on racquetball court building

By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer

PECOS, October 27, 2000 - Construction on the new racquetball courts at the Reeves County Recreation Center is now a step closer to completion.

The site for the new building has been ready for construction since this past May, when the ground at the site was bladed off.

Today crews from Fort Stockton and Midland began pouring the concrete for the new courts.

Nora Geron, director of the Reeves County Community Recreation Department, said many people are excited about the construction.

"A lot of the people coming into the center are excited because they can't wait till they get it done," she said.

Geron said she believes the courts would be beneficial to the community because it would "give something else for people to do."

County Judge Jimmy Galindo said there has been talk about building new racquetball courts for many years, after the old courts were shut down when the old West Pecos Gym was condemned and ordered closed in December of 1990. About a year and a half ago the new courts were placed on the county construction schedule, with the help of the city and school district.

The courts will be located on the northwest side of the old Pecos High School gym, which is used by the recreation department for its indoor activities.

Galindo said the recent rainy weather and construction at the Reeves County Detention Center have been the cause of construction delays on the courts.

"The rain had kind of set us back on construction," he said.

Banes General Contractors, Inc. out of El Paso is the company working on the new addition to the RCDC and is also the company contracted to do the new courts, according to Galindo.

The new building will consist of two courts and an area in front that the center staff will supervise from and members will enter the gym from.

It has not been determined what will go in the area in front of the courts, but discussion has gone from adding more treadmills and stationary bicycles to ping-pong and pool tables.

Galindo said since the 20-foot ceilings are not high enough for an upstairs viewing area for the courts they have decided to put in Plexiglas walls at the rear of the courts for people to watch both courts.

Geron said once the courts are finished, recreation department members who want to use them must call in to reserve a time.

People are already discussing the possibility of holding racquetball tournaments and leagues, Geron said.

Galindo and Geron both said that hopefully construction would be finished by late December or early January.

Geron said its completion would be a big Christmas present for the community and staff.

"It's been a while waiting but things worth while are worth waiting for," she said.

`What Lies Beneath' a change for both film's stars, director

By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer

PECOS, October 27, 2000 - Robert Zemeckis ('Forrest Gump') continues to amaze audiences with his latest direction of Michelle Pfeiffer ('Story of Us') and Harrison Ford ('Star Wars') in 'What Lies Beneath'.

Distributed by Dreamworks SKG this movie is a very suspenseful and freaky movie that twists around to end in a completely different way than first expected.

Written by the great Steven Spielberg ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind') and a newcomer Clark Gregg, this movie is a story of ghost and haunting pasts.

Pfeiffer gives an outstanding performance as the housewife Claire Spencer, who gave up her love of performing music after marrying the successful scientist Norman Spencer, played by Ford.

Pfeiffer is able to gain sympathy from the audience and then turn their sympathy into chills when she takes on the personality of a dead girl named Madison Elizabeth Frank.

Pfeiffer has come a long way from her role as the lead Pink Lady in 'Grease 2', the 1982 sequel to the popular musical 'Grease' starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

Ford gives a truly amazing performance unlike any other that audiences have seen as the caring but workaholic husband who is on the verge of a science breakthrough.

As a veteran actor whose been in countless movies and played numerous parts such as his more recognized roles as the great Han Solo and the cutest archeologist around, Indiana Jones, Ford continues to change and grow as an actor.

Zemeckis shows his greatness as a director in this movie, not with special effects and grand explosive scenes but with his ability to portray things in everyday life and make them look amazing.

After hearing that this movie is scary one might expect to go into the theater and be scared with the first scene, which in a ways is true.

But the movie starts off slow. The scariest things come from a ghost, but hang tough, it gets better.

By the end of the movie you might wish the ghost were back because reality is so much scarier.

'What Lies Beneath' is truly a scary movie because it is something that could happen in real life and probably has.

'What Lies Beneath' is rated PG-13.

Clocks go back to Standard Time Saturday night

PECOS, October 27, 2000 - Area residents will have an extra hour to sleep, trick-or-treat or do whatever they want late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, when Daylight Savings Time comes to an end.

Clocks will be turned back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, as most of the United States returns to Standard Time for the next 5½ months. With Pecos and Reeves County being so far west in the Central Time Zone, it will also mean people going to work and children headed off to school won't be doing it in the dark on Monday, as sunrise and sunsets will be an hour earlier than they were today.

All of the contiguous 48 states in the U.S. observe Daylight Savings Time, except for Arizona and the eastern half of Indiana. Central Standard Time will continue for Pecos residents until the first weekend of April in 2001.

Weather

PECOS, October 27, 2000 - High Thursday 76. Low this morning 57. Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Low in the upper 50s. Southeast wind 5-15 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Clearing and turning windy during the afternoon. High in the mid 70s. Southeast wind 10-20 mph becoming west 20-30 mph. Saturday night: Mostly clear and cooler. Low in the mid 40s. Sunday: Partly cloudy. Low in the mid 40s to near 50. High 70-75.



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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
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