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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Officials probe Oak St. home overnight fire
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., August 21, 2002 -- Pecos Police, Reeves County Sheriff's deputies
and Town of Pecos City Fire Marshal Jack Brookshire are investigating
the cause of a house fire early this morning that destroyed the inside
of a home of a Reeves County Detention Center guard.
Fire and ambulance personnel were called out at 2 a.m. to the fire, at
1015 S. Oak St. When they arrived, the inside of the home was completely
engulfed in flames, but fire personnel were able to get the fire under control
before the flames spread into most of the structure.
Damage was mainly to the interior of the home, though the fire did singe
the exterior walls around the windows and was able to get into the attic
area, where firefighters had to open up holes to get water to the flames
underneath the roof.
The Oak Street building was the home of Crissy Florez, who had just recently
moved into it with her family. Florez was on duty at the time at the Reeves
County Detention Center, and no one else was in the house at the time the
fire broke out, said Brookshire.
Florez arrived at the house about 10 minutes after firefighters reached
the scene.
Most of the items in the house were destroyed, and firemen remained at
the home until after sunrise working to put out the last of the fire.
"The whole house was on fire. It was emerging out of the back, too," said
Brookshire, who added he could not determine if arson was the cause until
a full check of the building's inside was conducted.
"We just need to wait and see when I can walk through it what we've got
in there," said Brookshire.
Both police and sheriff's deputies were also called to the scene, and
took statements from Florez and neighbors who first reported the fire.
The fire is the second in the past week to destroy the home of a local
resident. On Saturday, a fire 15 miles west of Pecos destroyed the trailer
home of to 89-year old Ruth Ince. The fire broke out as Ince was preparing
to take a bath, and she was able to get out of the trailer safely before
it was completely engulfed in flames.
Town or Pecos City?
Council to consider shortening city's name during Thursday meeting
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., August 21, 2002 -- During Thursday's regular City Council meeting,
along with discussing tax proposals and other agenda items, council
members will discuss changing the name of Pecos.
The name won't be changing much, and many people won't notice the change
at all if the council votes to shorten the official "Town of Pecos City"
title, an item on the agenda for Thursday's meeting.
According to City Manager, Carlos Yerena, the members will discuss and
state how they feel about a possible name change.
"We talked to the Mayor about the issue," Yerena said. "We will now discuss
it with the City Council."
Yerena said that if the council decides on having a name change it would
have to be done through a charter amendment.
"Voters will have to vote to change it (name)," Yerena said.
Mayor Dot Stafford said that to her, the two words "town" and "city" in
the title are redundant.
"It would be better if it we were `Town of Pecos'," Stafford said.
According to Yerena and Tom Rivera, Town of Pecos City's Main Street Program
Director, Pecos' name has changed since it was incorporated.
"Town of Pecos City" is the one that is carried today on the city's letterheads
and public notices, but that is not the name Pecos began with over 100 years
ago.
According to the book "Pecos _ History of Pioneer West," by Alton Hughes,
the minutes of the Commissioners Court meeting on June 1, 1885 state that
Pecos was incorporated under the corporate name of "Pecos City." For some
undetermined reason the corporation was dissolved on December 19, 1900 and
was nor re-incorporated until June 12, 1903, again under the name of "Pecos
City."
West of the Pecos Museum Curator Dorinda Millan said that she believed
that through out the years the letter `t' in the word `town' just became
capitalized.
According to Hughes book, which was written 20 years ago, over the years
it has become a topic of discussion as to whether the official name of Pecos
is "Town of Pecos City" or just "Pecos City."
Hughes said that the articles of incorporation very clearly state that
the official name is "Pecos City."
Hughes goes on to say that he could understand how the name "Town of Pecos
City" was acquired because in the order of corporation it states that the
inhabitants of the town of Pecos" had applied for incorporation and that
the State Statues defined a town as a community of more then 500 and less
than 10,000 inhabitants, therefore it was incorporated as a "town" but the
official name was designated as "Pecos City."
The current name does cause confusion at times for out-of-towners, but
that's because Pecos City is located in Reeves County, while Pecos County
is located just to the southeast, with Fort Stockton serving as the county
seat there.
Stafford said a final decision on any name change would depend on what
the people wanted.
"We will talk about it," Stafford said. "Then there will be an election
to see how people feel."
Evening rains arrive in town for second day
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., August 21, 2002 -- For the second day in a row, Pecos received
some very much welcomed evening rain, while other parts of Reeves County
were under a flash flood warning around sunset Tuesday night.
"We've had some tremendous thunderstorms," said National Weather Service
spokesman Michael Young.
Rains hit the city of Pecos around 7:30 p.m. for the second straight night,
though Tuesday's showers weren't as heavy in most areas as Monday's rains
had been. The heaviest rain appeared to fall on the south side of Pecos,
while downtown KIUN radio reported only .10 inch overnight, after recording
1.2 inches of rain on Monday.
To the north of town, a flash flood warning was in effect for northern
Reeves and western Loving Counties. The warning covered the area around
the intersection of U.S. 285 and County Road 426 south of Orla, where six
inches of water covered the road at that intersection, according to Young.
Heavy rain fell in that area and rain fall was estimated between three
to eight inches, between the hours of 6-7:45 p.m., along 285 in northern
Reeves County and southwest Loving County. "This was along and adjacent to
the Pecos River and most of it ran right into the Pecos (river)," said Young.
In recent years, the NWS has gotten its officials readings for Pecos from
the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station seven miles west of town. The distance
sometimes creates problems with accurate measurements for the city, as was
the case Tuesday night, when Young said that officials, the weather service
reported no precipitation had been estimated to fall in Pecos. On Monday,
the experiment station reported .70 inch of rain fell, which was the official
total the NWS reported for Pecos.
Aside from the severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings north of Pecos,
another severe thunderstorm build up east of Balmorhea, and a warning was
issued for western Pecos County Tuesday evening.
Fort Stockton received 0.02 inches of rain last evening, from that storm,
and further south, Young said that the Chisos Basin, located in the Big Bend
Area, had received a large amount of rain. "They even had a little waterfall,"
he said.
The forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of rain throughout the week
and weekend, with partly cloudy skies and winds at 20 miles per hour.
Campaign visit by Sanchez' son scheduled Friday
The son of a the Democratic candidate for Governor of Texas will be in
Pecos on Friday to address the community's thoughts, concerns and questions.
Tony Sanchez III will be in Pecos for a barbecue at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug.
23, at the Reeves County Civic Center.
Community members are invited to come out and meet the son of Tony Sanchez,
a Laredo oilman and banker who is running for governor against Republican
Rick Perry, who took over the position in December 2000 after George W. Bush
was elected president.
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.
***
Clefoas Baeza, 19, and Ignacio Suarez, 60, were arrested at 10:25 p.m.,
on August 17 at the Riverside Ballroom on East Third Street for public
intoxication.
***
Fred Lara, 45, was arrested at 6:37 p.m., on August 15, at the Town
and Country Convenience Store on Cedar Street for Criminal Trespass.
***
Allen Leddon, 40, was arrested at 10:22 p.m. on August 15, at the Town
and Country on Cedar Street for public intoxication.
***
Juan Ramirez, 51, and Javier Vela, 32, was arrested at 8:29 p.m., on
August 14, at the 1200 block of South Elm Street for possession of
marijuana within 1000-feet of a school. Vela was also arrested for possession
of drug paraphernalia.
***
Amy Barboza, 25, was arrested at 11:54 p.m., on August 14, at the 1200
block of South Cypress Street for a warrant capias default of payment
of possession of drug paraphernalia.
***
Alan Cecil Leddon, 40, and Kenneth W. Davis, 51, were arrested at 8:19
p.m., on August 13, at the Flying J for public intoxication.
***
Louie Minjarez Rayos, 29, was arrested at 1:20 a.m., on August 14,
at the Flying J for public intoxication.
***
Fabien Orona, 17, was arrested at 8:56 p.m., on August 12, at the Sonic
Drive Inn on West Third Street for public intoxication evading arrest
and aggravated assault.
***
Fernando Estorga, 42, was arrested at 2:50 a.m., on August 13, at the
700 block of South Sycamore Street for public intoxication.
***
Robert Jimenez, 23, was arrested at 8:21 p.m., on August 10, at Third
and Cypress streets on two warrants of no operating license two warrants
on violation of promise to appear and warrant of no inspection sticker.
***
Issac Granado, 20, was arrested at 10:19 p.m., on August 10, at Fourth
and Alberta streets on warrant capias violation of promise to appear,
Outstanding Department of Public Safety warrant for speeding, Outstanding
Department of Public Safety warrant for possession of open alcohol
container and Outstanding Department of Public Safety warrant for failure
to appear.
***
Jerado Juarez, 18 was arrested at 11:32 p.m. on August 9, at Veterans
Boulevard and Ivey Street on warrants of minor in possession of alcohol
and warrant of open container.
***
Fred Lara, 45, was arrested at 11:48 p.m., on August 9, at the Flying J
on a warrant for theft under $50 and a warrant for violation on promise
to appear.
***
Jose Sauceda, 18, Louie Rayos, 19, and Angelic Enmon, 17, were arrested
at 2:47 a.m., on August 10, at the 400 block of South Cherry Street.
Sauceda was arrested on a warrant for capias default of payment for
public intoxication. Rayos and Enmon were arrested for public intoxication.
***
Albert Contreras, 19, was arrested at 3:15 a.m., on August 10, at the
400 block of South Cherry on a warrant for capias default of payment
for minor in possession of alcohol and a warrant for capias default of
payment for possession of drug paraphernalia.
***
Noemi Jasso, 38, was arrested at 7:51 p.m., on August 8, in the 1900
block of Scott Street for simple assault on Family Violence Act.
***
Mark Salazar, 26, was arrested at 8: 37 p.m., on August 7, at Third
and Mesquite streets on a warrant for evading arrest.
***
David Reyes, 20, was arrested at 7:13 p.m., on August 6, at the 400
block of South Sycamore on warrant of capias default of payment for
reckless driving, warrant of capias default of payment for no drivers
license, warrant of capias default of payment for violation to promise
to appear cause # C00-206 and warrant of capias default of payment
for violation to promise to appear cause # C00-207.
***
Rosalinda Munoz, 54, was arrested at 8:04 p.m., on August 6, in the
1200 block of South Ash for public intoxication class B.
***
Joel Garcia, 20, was arrested at 9:27 p.m., on August 6, at the Allsup's
on South Eddy Streeton a warrant of capias default of payment for minor
in possession for alcohol.
***
Mickey Gabalbon, 19, was arrested at 7 p.m., on August 5, in the 300
block of South Pecan Street on a warrant for theft under $50.
***
Diana Rodriguez, 38, was arrested at 7:37 p.m., on August 5, at Fourth
and Locust streets on a warrant of capias for running a stop sign and
a warrant of capias for violation to promise to appear.
***
A male juvenile was arrested at 1:38 a.m., on August 6, at the 600
block of South Pecan Street for assault of Family Violence Act-class A,
assault on a Peace officer-state jail felony, criminal mischief-class B,
and resisting arrest- class B.
***
Omar Medina, 36, was arrested at 5:49 p.m., on August 5, in the 200
block of Ivey Street on a warrant for parole violation.
***
Shawn P. McGaffigan, 30, was arrested at 3:10 p.m., on August 3, at
the I-10 Fina Truck Stop for injury to an elderly person.
***
Ricardo Barrera was arrested at 8:04 p.m., on August 6, for criminal
non-support of failure to pay child support.
Weather
PECOS, Wed., August 21, 2002 -- High Monday 98. Low this morning 77. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms.
Lows in the mid 70s. SE winds 10 to 20 mph. Thursday: Partly cloudy
with isolated thunderstorms. Highs near 104. SE winds 10 to 20 mph.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy with isolated evening thunderstorms.
Lows in the mid 70s. Friday: Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms.
Highs near 104. Saturday: Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms.
Lows in the mid 70s. Highs around 102.
Obituaries
Santiago Carrasco, Jesus Castillo and Darrell Grogan
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 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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