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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, January 9, 2001
Commissioners given look at Pecos FD's Rescue Cam
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - Reeves County Commissioners received a special
presentation of the new "Rescue Cam" purchased recently by the Pecos Volunteer
Fire Department during their regular meeting on Monday.
Fire chief Roy Pena and some of the volunteer firemen were on hand to
demonstrate the special equipment during the meeting. Pena told the court
that Reeves County had donated half of the amount needed for the Rescue
Cam, while the rest of the funds came from donations from community businesses
and individuals.
"How many times have you used the camera, since you purchased it?" asked
commissioner precinct 3 Herman Tarin.
"We've had about 20 structure fires and used it about 17 times," said
Pena.
Commissioner precinct 1 Felipe Arredondo inquired as to whether it had
been used during the most recent trailer fire.
"We didn't use it this last time," said firefighter Gus Ybarra, but
added that the camera has been instrumental during other incidents.
He told the court that he was enjoying using the latest in technology.
"I used at La Tienda to find a shortage and we were able to locate the
problem without a fire starting," Ybarra said.
Tarin donated $200 out of his own personal funds to the cause, saying,
"I think the bottom line is to save lives, structures you can't always
save, but it's the lives of the people that count."
Pena said that the group still has a balance at the bank of $1,100 that
has drawn interest. "The board of directors of the fire department, has
decided that since we already one camera, to use what we have left in the
bank towards purchasing air tanks and batteries and other equipment needed,"
said Pena.
"We're very grateful to everyone in the community for being so generous,"
said Pena. "This camera doesn't belong to the fire department it belongs
to the community."
Pena told commissioners that if any other group or organization would
like a demonstration they can contact him or any fire department personnel
to set up a presentation.
"We really appreciate the presentation this morning, we're very proud
of all our firefighters," said Tarin.
In other action, bond and oath for newly-elected officials and deputies
was approved during the regular meeting.
Approved bond and oaths included: Herman Tarin, commissioner precinct
3; Felipe Arredondo, commissioner precinct 1; Luis U. Carrasco, county
attorney; Pat Tarin, district clerk; Elfida Zuniga, tax-assessor collector;
Arnulfo "Andy" Gomez, sheriff; Arnulfo Granado, constable precinct #1;
Jaime Salgado, constable, precinct #2; Tomas "Tommy" Martinez, constable,
precinct #3; Heriberto "Eddy" Rodriguez, constable, precinct #4; Connie
Lozano, deputy district clerk; Mandy Hinojos, deputy district clerk; Jeanette
Herrera, chief deputy tax-assessor collector; Tracie Machuca, deputy tax-assessor
collector; Sylvia Garcia, deputy tax assessor collector; Rosemary Chabarria,
deputy tax assessor collector; Sylvia Garcia, chief deputy county clerk;
Victorio Prieto, chief deputy sheriff; Elijio Lujan, deputy sheriff; Hilda
Woods, deputy sheriff; Danny Leos, deputy sheriff; Michael Dominguez, deputy
sheriff; Israel Campos, deputy sheriff; Tommy Acosta, deputy sheriff; Fernando
Valenzuela, deputy sheriff; Ruben Dominguez, deputy sheriff; Richard Natividad,
deputy sheriff and Damon Compton, deputy sheriff.
Commissioners also approved reports from various departments; budget
amendments and line-item transfers and minutes from previous meetings.
Personnel and salary changes included: from Reeves County Detention
Center, a promotion for Alfredo Paz, training director at $31,500; promotion
of Bart Sanchez, food service II, $24,000; promotion of Cecilia Muniz,
correctional officer II, $24,000; promotion of Clara Jean Brookshire, at
$33,000; promotion of Joanna Villanueva, to commissary II at $24,000; and
Charles Hannah, to correctional officer II at $24,000. From the District
Clerk's office, new hire, Marylou Chavez as deputy clerk at $16,000; Reeves
County Library on a part-time, temporary basis, Rosa Irene Gonzales at
$5.75 an hour; in the Road and Bridges Department, Eloy Varela, as assistant
at $29,000 per year; Reeves County Attorney's office, Anabel Orona, at
$18,000 a year and in the Reeves County Sheriff's Office, Maribel Salinas
Esparza, as a receptionist on a part-time basis, at $6.50 an hour.
"Is that a new position in the Road and Bridges Department?" asked Tarin.
"Yes, it's a new position that was included in this year's budget,"
said county auditor Lynn Owens.
Cooks, Bagley, Rodriguez get stock show honors
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - Many animals including hogs, goats, sheep and
one steer roamed the grounds of the Balmorhea High School this weekend
during the Balmorhea Stock Show.
The show, held annually the weekend before the Reeves-Loving Junior
Livestock Show, began at 9 a.m., on Saturday with four types of hogs, and
Grand Champion in the hog division went to Chance Cook with his 181-pound
Hamp hog.
Amber Cook took home Reserve Grand Champion with her 176-pound Duroc
which also took Breed Champion in that division.
Senior Showmanship went to Julia Garlick and Junior Showmanship went
to Russell Garlick.
In the Duroc hog division, Chance Cook took Reserve Breed Champion with
his 228-pound hog while Savannah Matta placed third with her 175-pound
hog.
Breed Champion for the York hog division went to Chance Cook's 157-pound
hog.
Liberty Wofford's 222-pound York was able to snag Reserve Breed Champion
while Julia Garlick placed third with her 195-pound hog.
Chance Cook also took home Breed Champion for the Hamp division with
his 181-pound hog.
Another 181-pound hog, belonging to Jay Sanchez, was able to take Reserve
Breed Champion while Wofford placed third.
In the Crossbred division, Amber Cook received Breed Champion for her
197-pound Lightweight hog that also took first in that division.
Robert Vasquez placed second in the lightweight division with his 188-pound
hog but was able to take home Reserve Breed Champion for the Crossbred
division.
Wofford placed third in the lightweight division with his 177-pound
hog.
Levon Barragan's 223-pound Hog placed first in the heavyweight division
while Julia Garlick's 228-pound hog placed second and Wofford's 216-pound
hog placed third.
After lunch the goats, sheep and the steer were shown and judged.
Adrienne Bagley won Grand Champion in the Lamb division while Adriel
Roman won Reserve Grand Champion.
Chance Cook also took Senior Showmanship in that division while Adam
Roman received Junior Showmanship.
In the Finewool Lamb division Breed Champion went to the 111-pound lamb
belonging to Adriel Roman. Adam Roman's 120-pound lamb received Reserve
Breed Champion.
In the Crossbred division, Breed Champion went to Adrienne Bagley's
112-pound Lightweight lamb while Reserve Breed Champion went to Adriel
Roman's 128-pound Heavyweight lamb.
For the Lightweight Crossbred Lambs, Bagley placed first, Amber Cook
placed second and Miguel Rodriguez placed third.
For the Heavyweight Crossbred Lambs, Adriel Roman placed first, Adam
Roman placed second and Chance Cook placed third.
Breed Champion in the Medium wool division was Adriel Roman for his
131-pound Heavyweight lamb while Bagley's 110-pound Lightweight lamb received
Reserve Breed Champion.
In the lightweight division for medium wool, Bagley placed first, Candice
Regelman placed second and Jogina Gallego placed third.
In the mediumweight division, Jennifer Ward placed first, Jogina Gallego
placed second and Jamie Gallego placed third.
For the heavyweight division, Adriel Roman placed first, second and
third.
Jose Rodriguez received Grand Champion honors in the goat division while
Bagley received Reserve Grand Champion.
The Senior Showmanship award went to Arturo Rodriguez while Junior Showmanship
went to Russell Garlick.
First place in the lightweight division when to Bagley's 68-pound lamb
while Russell Garlick placed second and Abel Rodriguez placed third and
fourth.
In the mediumweight division Arturo Rodriguez' 71-pound lamb placed
first, Adriel Roman placed second and J.B. Moore placed third.
For light heavyweight lambs, Jose Rodriguez placed first with his 90-pound
lamb, Amber Cook placed second and Roslyn Fleenor placed third.
Tyler Hebbert's 102-pound lamb placed first in the heavyweight division
while Chance Cook placed second and Adriel Roman placed third.
Jennifer Ward was the only person to enter a steer in the show this
year, though officials said overall the total number of entries was about
the same as last year.
Red Bluff board studies water allocation
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - Red Bluff Water Power Control board members
acted on only a few items during their regular monthly meeting, but plan
to take action next month on several others that were discussed at the
board's office in Pecos on Monday.
The board held preliminary discussions on the water allocation amount
for 2001, discussed action on allowing Conoco to set up a line to pump
water from Red Bluff Lake to a gas field the company is developing in Culberson
County and were given copies of the 2000 audit report done by Randy Graham.
The board was also given an update on the latest problem involving the
Malaga Bend salt alleviation project, discussed leasing property on South
Cedar Street to Kevin Duke and were briefed on problems with illegal hunting
around Red Bluff Lake by Game Warden Jim Allen.
The board won't set the final allocation and water price until next
month, but the board was told the lake currently has about 68,000 acre/feet,
and is required to keep at least 20,000 acre/feet in the lake at all times.
Based on that, and the water losses from Red Bluff Lake to the farms
downstream, board member Lloyd Goodrich said, "Twenty-four thousand (acre/feet)
is what I have," for the 2001 allotment.
"The preliminary guess is between 24,000 and 27,000 with it being closer
to the lower number," said board president Randall Hartman. That's below
the 30,000 acre/feet allotted to the water districts along the Pecos River
last year.
General manager Jim Ed Miller said, "I talked to J.W. (Thrasher, Pecos
River compact commissioner) and he had talked to somebody who said New
Mexico would by 10,000 acre/feet short," of their required delivery. However,
Miller said New Mexico has a 24,000 acre/foot water credit from past years
they can draw against, "So that means we're not going to get that much
in the lake."
While the board took no action on the final release number, they did
decide to send out a letter to the water districts informing them of the
planned allotment.
Water releases for 2001 can't begin until final work is completed on
the gate and valve replacement project at Red Bluff Dam. Completion of
the nearly $1 million project is scheduled to be done no later than March
31, but Miller said work is ahead of schedule, and that David Wheelock
of HDR Engineering would be in town for the beginning of the project's
final phase this week.
"It's really nice to get something finished," said Goodrich, as the
dam project update came following a report by Albert Wager on Loving Salt
on the latest problem with the plan to pump salt water away from the Pecos
River.
Wagner said that while objections by ranchers in southern Eddy County,
N.M. and by the Interstate Stream Commission in New Mexico have been smoothed
over, Loving Salt is now having problems with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
on whose land the salt would be mined for removal after being pumped from
Malaga Bend.
He said a BOR official in Albuquerque "says we're on the property illegally.
They say we don't have the right to mine salt." Wagner said the Albuquerque
office took over the project from the Bureau's El Paso office, which was
the one to originally give approval for the project.
"The guys in Albuquerque don't think it was legally done," said Wagner
who added he has talked to officials in the BOR's El Paso office who confirmed
the agreement, and that both he and Miller have faxed the information to
Albuquerque.
Wagner said a conference call to BOR officials is scheduled for Thursday,
while Miller said he would be in Carlsbad on Jan. 17 to talk with the BOR
about the problem.
The problem the board focused on in the request by Conoco's John Grubbs
to build a pipeline from the lake to U.S. 285, was whether or not there
was any electrical source available at a well site at the north end of
Red Bluff Lake, near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
The pipeline, which would be about two miles long, would connect up
with an already existing line from U.S. 285 to the company's gas plant
in far northwestern Reeves County. From there, the water would be used
for the Conoco drilling rigs in Culberson County, where Grubbs said a six-year
gas field development project is already underway.
The board decided to see if there was a power source for the pump, before
taking any further action on the project, though they and Grubbs did discuss
construction and maintenance of the new line and the cost of the water
per barrel.
"Conoco told me we can help with the laying of the line," Grubbs said,
but added the cost of the water would have to be about the same 25 cents
per barrel they're currently paying for water hauled in from New Mexico.
"I can talk to Conoco about running the line if you're willing to do it
for 25 cents a barrel."
"Let us go find where the electricity is at, because the rest of the
stuff is nothing," Hartman said.
Grubbs said Conoco was seeking Red Bluff's help because the district
could lay the line for somewhere around $10,000, while the oil company
would face tougher rules to lay it along roads in the area.
"The county road superintendent (Russ Salcido) wants it buried three
feet below the lowest road grade. I can truck it in for cheaper than that,"
he said. Board members were reluctant to take up the cost of building the
line, saying they wanted to make sure Red Bluff's costs didn't exceed the
income they would get from the water sales to Conoco.
The board was told by Miller they would be better off not selling the
district's property at Ninth and Cedar Street to Duke, because it is the
site of a former Chevron station and Red Bluff would still be liable for
any cleanup from leakage of underground tanks. But Duke said a state program
would pay for monitoring and clean up of the site, and the board did agree
to talk about leasing the property at their next meeting.
"Since we're going to be liable for it," I would recommend leasing it
rather than buying it," Miller said.
Duke said he wanted the property to use as a used car lot for Colt Chevrolet,
and said he would spend three months fixing up the land if an agreement
is reached.
In other action, the board delayed action on the audit report because
Graham was unable to attend Monday's meeting, and were briefed by Allen
on state laws on poaching and trespassing, and the various fines. Miller
said he also discussed how to order no hunting signs for the lake, where
hunting is prohibited.
Account set up for family after home burned by fire
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - An account has been set up at a local bank
for a family who lost everything during a mobile home fire Friday night
on the east side of Pecos
Pecos Volunteer Firefighters responded to the fire, which broke out
at 8:30 p.m. at the trailer house of Elida Munoz and her family at 604
S. Mesquite St. But the fire spread too quickly for firefighters to save
the structure.
Fire Marshall Jack Brookshire said the fire started with a kerosene
heater the family was trying to light. "It didn't take long for it to become
fully involved," Brookshire said.
The family was able to get out of the house safely before the entire
trailer was engulfed in flames, but Munoz said, "We lost everything in
that fire."
It seems the family has had their share of troubles in this New Year.
Munoz said her husband is without a job and finding a new place to stay
is very hard.
"He tried to get unemployment, but that is being put on hold as well,"
said Munoz. "It just seems that everything is happening at once."
And since he doesn't have a job, the family has no income coming in
to help with rent or anything else.
The couple has two children, 14-month-old Joe Albert Adame and 11-year-old
David Lee Duran.
They also need help with other necessities, since the fire consumed
everything they owned.
Anyone who wants to help out this local family can make a donation to
their account at West Texas National Bank, account number 5161940.
Wrestling show set Jan. 20 at PHS gym to benefit boosters
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - A wrestling show will be staged on Saturday, Jan.
20 at the Pecos High School gym to benefit the Pecos Eagle Athletic Booster
Club.
South Central Wrestling will put on the show, which will begin at 5
p.m. in the new PHS gym. Tickets are $5 apiece and seats will be taken
on a first-come, first-served basis.
Five matches are scheduled on the night, with the feature attraction
pitting "The Warlock", 6-foot-7 and 345 pounds from Midland, against "Mr.
Big Time" of New York City. Before that, a tag-team match featuring Junk
Yard Dog, Jr. of Charlotte, N.C. and Chief Running Deer of Great Falls,
Mo., will be pitted against "The Texas Cowboy" and "Justin Tough," both
out of Lubbock.
Tickets will be available at the gate, while advance tickets are available
at Terrazas Drive Inn, Dan's Music and Video and from Pecos High School
coaches at the PHS Field House.
Weather
PECOS, January 9, 2001 - High Monday 58. Low this morning 29. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain. Low around
35. Southeast to east wind 5 to 15 mph. Wednesday, cloudy and cool with
rain likely. High 45 to 50. Chance of rain 60 percent. East wind 5 to 15
mph, becoming west in the afternoon. Wednesday night, mostly cloudy. Low
around 35. Thursday, partly cloudy. Highs around 60. Friday, increasing
cloudiness. Lows in the 30s. Highs around 60. Friday, cloudy with a chance
of rain. Lows 35 to 40. 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
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 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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