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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Friday, December 1, 2000
Madera water line leak to be fixed today
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - A leak in a pipeline that provides water to
residents on the south side of Pecos is scheduled to be fixed today, barring
any other problems.
Madera Valley Water Supply provides water to residents in rural areas
of Reeves County has 600 members. That includes residents who live in the
Lindsey Addition, near where local farmer Slim Peete said he found a pool
of water about two-tenths of a mile long on Monday.
"This is a member corporation and it is the responsibility of the members
to report all leaks or problems, to hold down costs," said manager Peggy
Cox.
Cox said that Madera Valley Water has over 500 miles of pipeline in
Reeves County.
"They need to call us because our employees don't always go down all
the roads, since there is so many miles to cover," said Cox.
Some of the roads don't have meters and employees don't go down those
roads everyday, according to Cox.
Peete said the leak was "out at the Lindsey Addition, on a pipe from
the Davidson Feed Pens." He said workers were out at the site with a backhoe,
but were unable to fix the problem.
"They're trying to get the whole system working," said Cox. "The Rural
Development is getting the rest of our money to put in the last pipeline
at the Lindsay Addition."
Construction on that last pipeline is supposed to start next week.
"We have valves and meters that have to be routinely checked, but they
can't go down every road every day," said Cox. "We have to prioritize and
get the most important items first."
Fixing the water leak has been a problem, because of lack of parts.
"As soon as we get the parts we need in, they'll finish fixing that leak,"
she said.
Madera Valley Water Supply asks that all customers be patient and bear
with us and to remember to report any leaks as soon as possible.
Autopsy ordered into 3-month-old's death
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - An autopsy has been ordered into the death
of a three-month-old baby, who was found not breathing in her crib at sunrise
on Thursday.
The baby girl's mother, Melissa Lund, 21, of Odessa, found the baby
not breathing while staying at a home at 110 S. Walnut Street.
Pecos Police Investigator Kelly Davis said Lund and the baby were visiting
the baby's father, James Sanchez, 25.
"She came over to visit and show him the baby," he said.
Officers and Pecos Emergency Medical Service personnel responded to
the 911 call at 7:13 a.m., at Sanchez' home. Davis said the officers tried
to resuscitate the baby while at the home before the infant was quickly
transported to Reeves County Hospital once EMT personnel arrived.
However, all resuscitation efforts failed, and Precinct 2 Justice of
the Peace J.T. Marsh pronounced the baby dead at 8:45 a.m. and ordered
an autopsy.
"At this time the cause of death is unknown," Davis said.
An investigation has begun into the death.
"We're investigating as a matter of procedure," Davis said.
Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home in Odessa is taking care of the funeral arrangements,
which were incomplete as of early this afternoon.
One jailed after Thursday night drug raid
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - One man was arrested Thursday night on drug
charges, after he tried to outrun police officers when they went to his
home with a narcotics search warrant.
At approximately 7:42 p.m., officers from the Pecos Police Department,
Reeves County Sheriff's Office and the Trans Pecos Drug Task Force executed
a narcotics search warrant at 3020 Arlington Street, the home of Fabian
Mendoza.
Officers entered into the residence through the back door of the residence,
according to Pecos Police Investigator Paul Deishler.
"Once the officers entered the residence, the suspect, Mr. Mendoza,
who was sitting at the kitchen table ran from the officers," said Deishler.
The officers apprehended the subject and located a substance believed
to be cocaine on him, according to the report.
"Officers proceeded to search the residence and no other drugs or contraband
was located at the residence," said Deishler.
Mendoza, 30, was transported to Reeves County Jail and charged with
possession of a controlled substance, (cocaine). As of press-time Mendoza
had not seen the judge and bond had not been posted.
Lions provide Head Start kids with eye exam
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - Pecos Head Start students underwent an eye
exam on Thursday, thanks to the Pecos Downtown Lions Club.
The club provided all the children with initial eye screenings at the
school, located at the Carver campus on East 12th Street.
The local Lions Club organization paid for costs related to this service
and provided the technician to operate the photo screener.
"The machine doesn't have to be operated by an optometrist," said Lions
Club member Tom Rivera.
The screening consisted of taking two photographs of a child's eyes.
These photographs were later examined to detect any light refraction abnormalities.
Results will be sent back to the school nurse. Parents will be notified
by the nurse is this screening detects any possible vision problems.
The screenings were held at the Pecos Head Start, the Saragosa Head
Start and the Monahans Head Start. The Pecos and Saragosa screenings were
funded by the Pecos Downtown Lions Club, while Monahans Lions Club paid
for the testing of children there.
"The Lions Club in Big Spring has the machine for these screenings,
however, we're attempting to buy our own machine for our club," said Rivera.
"This way we can do local screenings for the youngsters in the community,"
he said.
"This screening will be able to tell them if they need additional eye
examinations and a visit to their optometrist," said Rivera.
The International Lions Club wants to provide these screenings for children
in kindergarten through 8th grade.
The Lion's Clubs are known as the "Knights of the Blind" and continually
work toward improving vision for young and old alike.
Income increase helped improve cemetery graves
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one in a continuing series of
features on historical graveyards and funerals in the Pecos region.
By The Ghost Writer
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - As the income of the Mexican-American population
increased, there is a decided change in the markers at their gravesites.
The cemetery in Terlingua is definite proof of this.
Mr. Perry, owner of the Chisos Mine, was not a generous man and the
workers, mostly Mexicans, worked ten hours a day, seven days a week for
$1.00 to $1.50 a day with one day's wages taken each month for doctor care.
Mr. Perry had a store and paid the workers with a punch card that could
be used for the purchase of their family needs. If they didn't use their
card, they could be fired. They said that the mine was a mercury mine but
the store was a gold mine. The grave markers attested to the low income
of the laborers.
The Latinos in Pecos were not given a chance to improve their economic
status for years and their grave markers show it. However, with laws and
attitudes changing, they were afforded an opportunity to work in better
paying jobs and establish their own businesses.
During the Reagan years, minority family income rose at a faster rate
than the income of Anglo families. There was still a disparity and I feel
that the difference is better now. This increased income shows in the cemeteries
as, in the Terlingua cemetery, the families have returned to put a better
marker at their loved ones' graves. The same thing has occurred in Pecos.
The taste of Mexican-American is different from the Anglo taste. They,
at times, compose poetry for their markers. Not like some Anglo epithet,
"Do not smile as you pass by for someday you will be dead the same as I."
Or the epithet on a hypochondriac's grave, "I told you I was sick." The
epithet I found most interesting is in the Greenwood Cemetery at the Rumalda
M. Vasques marker:
NANE
My Mother
She always leaned to watch for us anxious if we were late in the winter
by the window in summer by the gate
and though we mocked her tenderly who had such foolish care the long
way home would seem more safe because she waited there her thoughts were
all so full of us she never could forget and so I think that where she
is she must be watching yet waiting till we come home to her anxious if
we are late watching from heaven's window leaning from heaven's gate.
Christmas Tree lighting tonight at Maxey Park
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - The inaugural lighting of a Town of Pecos City
Christmas Tree will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the old city pool site
on the northeast side of Maxey Park.
Austin Elementary first and second grade students will be singing Christmas
songs for the public at the lighting of the city Christmas Tree. The students
will be singing three songs before lights on the tree and in the park are
lit and three songs after the lighting, according to second grade teacher
Becky Patterson.
Community members are welcome to join the students in celebration of
the lighting of the tree and park.
Weather
PECOS, December 1, 2000 - High Thursday 77. Low this morning 43. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy. Low in the upper 20s. Northeast wind 10 to
20 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy and cool. High in the lower 50s. East wind
5 to 15 mph. Saturday night: Cloudy with a low near 30. Sunday: Mostly
cloudy and cool with slight chance of light rain or Snow. High in the 40s.
Monday: Partly cloudy and a little warmer. Lows from the upper 20s to the
mid 30s. Highs in the 50s.
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
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Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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