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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Monday, December 29, 2003
Commissioners races set to get more candidates
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Dec. 29, 2003 -- With four days left before the
deadline, the number of individuals planning to run for one of the two
available Reeves County Commissioner positions continues to increase.
Three individuals have filed their treasurer's designation as the
first step in vying for a position in the elections. In order to
officially enter the race, the candidates must file with the county
party chairmen by this Friday, Jan. 2.
Two of the three filing with Reeves County Clerk Diane Florez are
planning to run for the open commissioner's seat in Precinct 3, while
the other plans to run for the Precinct 1 seat on the Commissioner's
Court.
Rojelio "Roy" V. Alvarado filed for Precinct 1 commissioner and
named himself as treasurer. Joseph "Peter" Rodriguez filed for Precinct
3 Commissioner and named Nancy Ontiveros as treasurer and Saul Herrera
also filed with Florez for the Precinct 3 seat and named himself as
treasurer.
Current Precinct 3 Commissioner Herman Tarin announced last week he
would not seek a fourth term in office, after originally deciding to
enter his name into the March Democratic primary election race.
Tarin's withdrawal was not announced Tuesday by Reeves County
Democratic Party chairman Robert C. Dean. All candidates so far in
local races have filed to run on the Democratic Party line.
Lisa Lopez Boicourt, Rosendo C. Galindo, and Bailey Wheeless, have
already filed with Dean for the four-term term as commissioner precinct
3. A fourth candidate, Manuel "Manny" D. Lopez, has filed his
treasurer's designation with the Reeves County Clerk's office, but
along with Rodriguez and Flores has yet filed his petition or paid a
filing fee to Dean. A seventh possible candidate, Joel Madrid, said he
also plans to enter the race before the deadline a week from today.
Alvarado would be seeking the seat currently held by Precinct 1
Commissioner Felipe Arredondo if he files with Dean before Friday. As
of today, only Arredondo and Robert C. Natividad are officially in the
race. The two others, Armando "Mondie" Granado and Elizer "Chel" Flores
have filed their treasurer's designations to run for the Precinct 1
seat.
Both commissioners figured to face challenges in their re-election
bids due to problems over the last six months surrounding the $40
million Reeves County Detention Center III project. The 960-bed
addition to the prison was completed in March, but the county was
unable to get the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to provide inmates for the
facility, as they had with the RCDC I and II units, and County Judge
Jimmy Galindo was unable to find an alternate source of inmates for the
prison.
With no income from housing inmates to meet the facility's bond
payments, Reeves County was forced to contract with Wackenhut
Correctional Corp., now GEO Corp., to manage the facility and to help
the county find inmates for RCDC III. As part of the agreement with
GEO, the county was forced to cut 31 jobs at the prison.
Among the official and possible challengers for the Precinct 3 seat,
Galindo is a member of the Balmorhea City Council, having last been
elected in May of 2002, while Wheeless is a retired Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD teacher and was the longtime agriculture instructor at Pecos High
School. Madrid is the owner of both The Bear's Den in Balmorhea and
Dairy Mart in Pecos.
Outside of the two races for commissioner, only incumbents have
filed for the other Reeves County primary election races.
In the other local races, the incumbents who have officially filed
with Dean include: for Reeves County Sheriff, Arnulfo "Andy" Gomez; Tax
Assessor-Collector, Elfida Zuniga; for constable, precinct #2 Jerry
Matta and for constable, precinct #3, Tomas "Tommy" Martinez.
One other incumbent, Heriberto "Eddy" Rodriguez has filed his
campaign treasurer's designation to retain the Precinct 4 constable's
seat.
Along with the county positions, other local offices that will be up
for election on March 9, are Reeves County Attorney; 143rd District
Attorney and 143rd District Court Judge.
Judge Bob Parks filed in Austin to retain his position as 143rd
District Court Judge, while former 143rd District Attorney Hal Upchurch
announced in November he planned to run for that seat again, after a
12-year absence. Pecos attorney Randall W. Reynolds currently holds the
position, and was first elected too office in 1996.
Upchurch has already filed in Austin for the District Attorney's
position. He had stated that he would keep his office in Monahans if
elected to the post.
The District Attorney and District Judge positions cover Reeves,
Ward and Loving Counties.
Both the District Attorney and the District Judge candidates will
file their petitions or pay a filing fee in Austin.
Filing for the Reeves County primary elections in March began on
Dec. 3 and will continue through Friday.
Lack of sales shuts Pecos' McDonald's
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Dec. 29, 2003 -- The El Paso owner of Pecos' McDonald's
Restaurant shut the doors on the business on Sunday, six years after
taking over the local franchise from its original owner.
Owner Richard Castro said early this afternoon that the Pecos
McDonald's, 1501 S. Cedar, was shut down on Sunday, due to lack of
volume (sales).
"It's unfortunate that we had to take that final step, but I've been
carrying that restaurant for the past number of years," said Castro,
who owns a number of McDonald's franchises in the El Paso area and in
other parts of the Permian Basin.
Castro said that they had tried all kinds of marketing techniques
and tried to get it to where it had to be.
"We tried all kinds of marketing strategies, but it got to the point
that had to close," said Castro, who took over the Pecos fast food
restaurant in 1997 after it opened in the early 1990's.
The volume never got to where it was expected to be, according to
Castro.
"We don't plan to open it back up anytime soon, but the building
will be up for sale," said Castro.
Castro said that he would be closing another McDonald's, located on
Rankin Highway off Interstate 20 in Midland, that is an even newer
facility than the one in Pecos. "This is for the same reason as well,
the volume was just not where it should be," said Castro. "And by
volume, I mean sales," he said.
The group will move the playground equipment to another of their
restaurants or donate it to a non-profit organization. "I don't know
yet exactly what we're going to do with it," he said.
"I'd like to thank the community of Pecos for all their support and
the way they treated us every time we went to visit," said Castro.
"Every time I went out there I really enjoyed it and enjoyed visiting
with the customers and the community."
"You'll be missed and it's just unfortunate of the decision that had
to be made," said Castro. "I'll miss everyone out there and hope to
someday see them again," he said.
Houston area woman killed in Sunday crash
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mon., Dec. 29, 2003 -- A woman from the Houston area was
killed and her husband critically injured Sunday morning, in a
one-vehicle rollover on Interstate 20 just east of Pyote.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety report, Esperanza
Desilva, 58, of Pearland, was killed when the 1998 Ford Explorer she
was driving left the road and rolled over 2 1/4 times while eastbound
on I-20 between Pyote and the I-20 rest area just east of town at 10:42
a.m.
DPS Trooper Christopher Lee Ryan, who investigated the accident,
said Desilva's SUV drifted off the right side of I-20 and traveled 600
feet, at which time the driver overcorrected to the left. The Explorer
then entered the roadway and Desilva overcorrected to the right,
causing the SUV to enter a barrow ditch on the south side of the
Interstate and overturn.
Desilva, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the
scene at 11:30 a.m. by Ward County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace
Pascual Olibas. Her husband, identified as Noberto Desilva, 56, of
Pearland, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.
Esperanza Desilva's body was taken to Heritage Funeral Home in
Monahans. Noberto Desilva, a Federal Aviation Administration
supervisor, suffered spinal cord fractures when he was ejected from the
vehicle. He was transported by ambulance to Medical Center Hospital in
Odessa, where he is listed in critical condition.
The accident was the only traffic fatality reported in the
Trans-Pecos area over the Christmas holiday weekend.
Year In Review
Major drug busts opened area's New Year in 2003
EDITOR'S NOTE: With the end of 2003 this week, the Enterprise
will be running a series of stories recapping the area's top stories
over the past year. Today's story covers the month of January.
***
PECOS, Thurs., Jan. 2, 2003 A passenger in an SUV on Interstate 20
became Reeves County's first traffic fatality of 2003 late this
morning, when the vehicle rolled over while eastbound on the highway
near Toyah.
***
PECOS, Mon., Jan. 6, 2002 It took a couple of days to finally arrive,
but Pecos' 2003 New Year's Baby made its appearance over the weekend at
Reeves County Hospital.
Adriana Vasquez gave birth to Ethan Michael Vasquez, an eight pound,
1.8 ounces baby boy at 7:46 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 4, at the hospital. "I
didn't expect him so soon and I certainly didn't think he was going to
be the New Year's baby," said his mother, who was due on Jan. 10.
***
PECOS, Wed., Jan. 8, 2002 A Pecos man is being held without bond in a
Brewster County Detention Center after having been charged with the
attempted distribution of nearly 11/2 tons of marijuana, part of a
three-ton seizure in the Big Bend National Park area over the weekend
Jaime Fuentes Cazares was arrested on January 3, after a Big Bend
National Park Ranger made a routine stop, according to a press release
sent out Monday afternoon by the U.S. Border Patrol office in Marfa.
***
PECOS, Thurs., Jan. 9, 2002 An Odessa man was killed and three others
injured during a pressure incident at a gas plant located in Coyanosa
Wednesday evening.
Killed in the incident was Victor Najera, 48, of Odessa, who was
employed with the Schlumberger Corp., which is the world's largest
oilfield service company. Three others were transported to the Pecos
County Memorial Hospital, where they were treated and released.
***
PECOS, Fri., Jan. 17, 2002 There was more in the engine of a truck
traveling through Reeves County than just automobile parts, local drug
task force officers discovered on Wednesday, when they seized over
$200,000 in cocaine after a traffic stop five miles east of Toyah.
Approximately 5.4 pounds of cocaine was discovered concealed in the
engine block of the GMC, which had a street value of about $220,500.
Arrested was the driver of the vehicle, Louis Perez, 30, of Glendale,
Ariz.
***
PECOS, Fri., Jan. 17, 2002 A Pecos man washing dishes while preparing
to go to work got an unexpected visitor this morning, and his family
members were jolted out of their beds when a car crashed through the
living room of their home at Plum and Jackson streets.
The incident occurred about 3:50 a.m. when the Chevrolet Lumina
jumped the curb and sidewalk in front of the home of Guillermo and
Irene Valle at 1418 S. Plum St., and managed to make it's way between
two trees and past a third to crash through the brick wall of the
family's living room before coming to a stop. Fire and Emergency
Medical Service personnel were called to the scene, but none of the
occupants of the car requested treatment, and no one in the home was
injured.
***
PECOS, Mon., Jan. 20, 2003 - A former Little Miss Cantaloupe saw her
animals take home ribbons of their own this weekend at the Annual
Reeves-Loving County Stock Show, held at the Reeves County Civic
Center.
Marissa Tarango, who was Little Miss Cantaloupe in 2000, won Reserve
Breed Champion, Reserve Grand Champion Lamb and the Jr. Showmanship
award during Friday evening's lamb show. On Saturday, Tarango won
Reserve Grand Champion Hog with her Duroc Hog during the Hog portion of
the show, after winning grand champion for the breed earlier in the
morning.
On Friday evening, Adrienne Bagley won Breed Champion and Grand
Champion Lamb, along with Grand Champion Goat. On Saturday Jack
Stickels won Grand Champion Hog, with his crossbreed, and also won
Breed Champion in the Cross division and the OPB dark competition.
***
PECOS, Wed., Jan. 22, 2003 - The Pecos Economic Development
Corporation's board of directors discussed plans for the grand opening
of the Leche Farms Dairy in March, and discussed attracting other
agriculture-related businesses to the area this morning, during the
board meeting on the second floor of the Security State Bank building.
Board members also went over the PEDC's current financial statement
and the corporation's marketing strategy with President Gari Ward
during the 45-minute meeting, and were briefed by Ward on a possible
new use for the idle automobile test track east of Pecos.
***
PECOS, Tue., Jan. 28, 2003 - Reeves County Commissioners approved a
resolution in favor of giving TransPecos Foods a $500,000 loan out of
the county's Revolving Loan Fund, during their meeting Monday at the
Reeves County Courthouse.
The resolution is a follow-up to action taken by commissioners in
late November. At that time, they granted the company the loan for a
10-year period at three percent interest, and also granted the maximum
tax abatement for the same 10-year period.
Company officials were seeking the tax abatement to help TransPecos
Foods with any future expansion. The conditions under which a business
can get the maximum tax abatement include that the company implement
the creation of 15 jobs and investment of over $100,000.
Report Card date for P-B-T students next Wednesday
PECOS, Mon., Dec. 29, 2003 -- Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD students will
be receiving their report cards for the third six weeks grading period
on Wednesday, Jan. 7, two days after classes resume for the spring
semester.
P-B-T students ended the third six-weeks grading period on Dec. 18.
Local schools are currently in their second week of spring break.
Weather
PECOS, Mon., Dec. 29, 2003 -- High Sunday 53. Low this morning 22.
Forecast for tTonight: Partly cloudy. Lows near 25. South winds near 10
mph. Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Highs near 65. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy. Lows near 30. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s. South winds 10 to 15
mph. Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain.
Lows near 40. New Years Day: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
rain. Highs in the mid 60s to the lower 70s. Thursday night: Partly
cloudy. Lows near 40.
Obituaries
Jose L. Beltran, Maria, Hernandez, W.E. Lindsey, Diane Mendoza and Hipolito Vasquez, Jr.
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 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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