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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
April 13, 2001
School principals shuffled, sick leave cap lifted
By SMOKEY BRIGGS
Staff Writer
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - Pecos schools have two new principals after
last night's Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD school board meeting.
After a closed executive session the board voted to appoint Pecos High
School Assistant Principal Benny Hernandez as principal at the Zavala sixth-grade
campus next year, while Zavala principal Cindy Duke will take the place
of retiring kindergarten principal Gail Norris.
The board also approved the retirement of Assistant Principal Lucila
Valenzuela, and the appointment of Scott Bostwick as assistant band director
at Crockett Middle School.
Three reassignments were also approved. Debra Garcia was transferred
from librarian at Pecos Elementary to librarian at Bessie Haynes Elementary
School.
Susie Molina was transferred from sixth-grade teacher at Zavala to the
special education program at Zavala.
Tammy Walls was transferred from Lamar Alternative Education Program
to fourth-grade physical education teacher at Bessie Haynes.
Superintendent of School Don Love reported to the board that the Secretary
of State's office had not granted a customary waiver for a manual recount
of election results this year.
Love said that the waivers were not being granted because of the controversy
surrounding the recent national election and electronic voting systems.
According to a letter dated March 3, 2001 from the Texas Secretary of
State, the election code requires a manual count of all races in at least
one percent of the election precincts or three precincts, whichever is
greater, in every election in which an electronic voting system is used.
Reeves County uses the punch card system blamed for problems with vote
counting in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.
Love also had high praise for Career and Technology Director Larry Sloan
regarding the district's Personal Identification Database (PID) error rate.
Love said that the state mandated a PID error rate of 5 percent or lower,
and that under Sloan's supervision the rate for the district was .22 percent.
The board also made some administrative changes to the Advanced Curriculum
entrance criteria.
Personnel Director Gome Olibas wanted to remind parents that the deadline
for applying for the Advanced Curriculum classes was the last day of April.
The advanced classes will consist of 22 students in first-sixth grades
and run the course of the school year.
According to the district's handout, the classes will be designed to
meet the needs of bright, over-achieving, self-motivated students.
The sign up period for the classes is the last two weeks in April and
students will be selected after the deadline.
Superintendent Love also reported that although enrollment was down
from last year, that he felt that the district would be in better shape
in terms of revenue at the end of the year than the board feared it might
be when school began in September.
Love suggested that if the district's financial position was better
than feared at the end of the year, that the board consider put on hold
in September.
The board also approved removing the 60-day cap on accrued sick leave
for the coming year.
According to Marge Timmerman, the move will actually save the district
money and is a good reward for dedicated teachers who do not use their
five sick days allotted each year.
Timmerman said that under district guidelines teachers can cash in sick
days upon retirement or leaving the district, but the amount paid was less
than the amount the district had to pay a substitute when a teacher called
in sick.
Bonilla defends ergonomics regulation repeal
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - U.S Representative Henry Bonilla made a quick
stop in Pecos yesterday in order to take a short tour of Anchor West, Inc.,
and speak to employees about the recent repeal by Congress and President
Bush of a regulation involving ergonomics in the workplace that was ordered
by President Clinton just prior to leaving office.
Bonilla (R-San Antonio) was spending the day traveling all through this
area in order to speak with the employees at each stop about the recent
roll-back of a what he said was the flawed ergonomics regulation put in
place by the Clinton Administration. Ergonomics involves rules and regulations
within the workplace which are overseen by the federal government.
"President Clinton, in his final days of office, left our country with
a massive ergonomics regulation. I'm proud that my colleagues in Congress
saw this train wreck coming down the line. We acted quickly and rolled-back
the regulation before it could do any more damage to small businesses,"
Bonilla said. "That means fewer lay-offs, less pay-cuts and greater economic
growth. That's good news for America and great news for Texas."
Bonilla brought along a copy of the 1,200-page rulebook that would have
landed on every small business' doorstep if Congress had not defeated the
regulation. He said that Congress was able to work fast and was able to
stop the regulation from going into effect.
"In early January, we didn't know if we had the votes to repeal that,"
he said.
Bonilla referred to the quick actions of Congress as holding a burning
match and trying to extinguish the regulation.
"We kept it from igniting," he said.
According to a press release from Bonilla's office, the ergonomic regulation
would have forced almost 1.6 million companies that employ workers in physical
jobs, such as production and manufacturing, to create an ergonomics program.
Bonilla said at yesterday's meeting that the regulation would have affected
all private sector of businesses, large or small.
Anchor Plant manager Steve Cordova said that he did some research and
figured that the Clinton ergonomics regulation would have cost the company
millions of dollars to implement.
Before moving on to another stop in Fort Stockton, Bonilla received
a certificate of appreciation from Cordova on behalf of all the Anchor
employees.
"We'd like to present you with this award in appreciation of everything
you've done and everything you're currently doing," Cordova said.
Bonilla said that he enjoyed the tour of the company and talking with
the employees.
"I'm very impressed with what you are doing here," he said.
Bonilla was making a swing through the western part of his District
23 during Congress' Easter recess. The five-term Congressman has represented
Reeves County in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1992, when the
area was included in Bonilla's district, which runs along the border from
Laredo to eastern El Paso County. The district is expected to remain relatively
unchanged after the Texas Legislature completes its U.S. House redistricting
plan later this spring.
SSB's new bank branch office first for Marathon since 1932
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - Security State Bank of Pecos opened its new branch
office in Marathon on Monday, the first bank for the Brewster County town
in nearly 70 years.
TransPecos Banks began business Monday with a steady stream of customers
to its new office, said Shelley Merworth, Manager of the Bank office. "We
had a very good first day. We opened a number of new accounts and already
have several loan applications pending," Merworth said.
The bank opened without ceremony to give management a chance to make
certain that all systems were working well.
"Everything worked as planned," said SSB President Bill Oglesby, who
was on hand to oversee the opening. "We are very excited about this new
office and want to thank all the folks who encouraged us to move forward
with this project. We have received great support from the community and
look forward to serving it well."
"The new Bank office will give us the opportunity to serve the banking
and credit needs of the ranching community in Brewster County and to deepen
relationships that our banks have served for many years," said Dean McMullan,
Regional Marketing Officer _ Agricultural/Ranch Division for TransPecos
Banks, who will also be working out of Marathon.
TransPecos Financial Corp owns Security State Bank of Pecos and Iraan
State Bank which have combined assets of $87 million and nearly 120 years
of combined service to the area. The Bank occupies the building of the
original Marathon State Bank, which was closed in 1932.
Fire Department washing vehicles to help raise funds
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - The Pecos Volunteer Fire Department is washing
vehicles today at the Fire Hall at Fifth and Cedar streets to help raise
funds for the group's trip to the area convention.
Voulnteer firemen are hoping to wash 10 cars 12 trucks and 15 vans and
sport utility vehicles today. For more information or to have your vehicle
picked up, call 445-3519.
CCRC schedules fundraiser in May for school supplies
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - Community Council of Reeves County will be having
a fundraiser on Friday, May 4, to raise funds for school supplies.
The fundraiser will be a flauta plate sale and surplus sale, which will
be held from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., at the CCRC office, located in the Reeves
County Annex building at 700 Daggett St.
Plates will consist of four flautas, rice, beans, salad, sour cream
and guacamole. Tea will be offered for eat-ins only.
Cost per plate will be $4.
Obituaries
Norman Pallanes and Narcissa Arreguy
Weather
PECOS, April 13, 2001 - High Thursday 76. Low this morning 48. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Low 55 to 60. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation less
than 20 percent. Saturday: Becoming partly cloudy. High 90 to 95. Southeast
wind 5 to 15 mph: Becoming southwest and increasing to 15 to 25 mph and
gusty by noon. Saturday night: Mostly clear. Low around 50. Sunday and
Monday: Partly cloudy. Low 45 to 50. Highs from the mid to upper 80s.
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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