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Friday, March 21, 1997

Small group tells board of dress code concerns


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By MARI MALDONADO
Staff Writer

PECOS, March 21, 1997 - Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school board members heard
only a few comments about the Pecos High School dress code during
Thursday's board meeting.

Parents and students took the opportunity during the audience portion of
the agenda to have their concerns about the dress code recorded.
Revisions to the code approved at the Feb. 27 board meeting resulted in
protested by PHS students and parents in early March.

"I know the school board had good intentions when they passed the dress
code (revisions)," said Lucy Lara, who added, "I would like to know how
much thought went into this."

Board President Linda Gholson reminded the audience that "by law" the
trustees cannot respond or engage in any sort of deliberating during the
audience portion of the agenda.

One mother simply told board members she was concerned about the dress
code while Lara had her daughter model clothing that are currently in
violation of the dress code but can still be found to be "conservative
and modest," as required in the original dress code.

Revision to the dress code were passed unanimously by the board. They
were the result of a study done on the discipline at the high school
level.

"Overall, the dress code is not a bad thing," Lara said. "But let's not
say everything has to be tucked in," regarding the requirement that
shirts that can be tucked will be worn and will be tucked in.

"I'm only asking that there be some leniency and modifications be made,"
she added.

PHS junior representative Gabi Bafidis said, "the dress code needs to be
seriously thought about," a third time.

She expressed her and other students' disappointment in their not being
included on the agenda. "If something is said, honor it."

Bafidis said student representatives were told they were going to get
the opportunity to speak at the school board meeting. But she was
dismayed when she did not see an agenda item regarding the dress code
posted in Wednesday's Enterprise.

Superintendent Mario Sotelo said Wednesday that both he and Louis Matta,
a spokesperson for the parent group opposed to the dress code, met and
decided the matter should be resolved by a group of teachers, parents
and administrators.

Under the audience portion of the meeting, PHS varsity swim team members
piled into the board room while swimming coach Terri Morse bragged on
their season's accomplishments. Pecos' boys won their seventh District 4
title in eight years, while the girls placed second after six straight
district championships.

A brief preview of underwater antics were displayed for the board. They
were videotapes by the district's recently purchased underwater camera.

"It (the camera) really has added a new dimension," said Morse. "The
team is grateful to the efforts of many, many people," who made the
purchase possible.

Morse said that swim team members are able to tape their swimming
efforts from an underwater perspective and take the video tape home to
analyze their performance.

In other action, board members conducted their election of the Region 18
Educational Service Center board members and received an update on the
new telephone system.

Business Manager Cookie Canon said four proposals were submitted with
the district going with the lowest bid. "It was much, much less than
anticipated," she said, which she estimated fell at about $6,000 for
"the key system".

Canon added that the new system will allow for, "cheaper phone bills and
we'll be able to monitor other campuses."

Board members voted unanimously for the job title Interpreter/Tutor for
the Deaf as presented with some slight changes to the job description.

In a 6-1 vote, with board member Frank Perea the lone opposing ballot,
members approved the condition that agenda items requiring action that
are not included in the board book will be postponed until the following
meeting.

"This was on the agenda for it to be more fair to the board members...in
consideration of the central office...to possibly avoid mistakes," said
Gholson.

This motion does not include bids or departmental reports.

During a report by the superintendent regarding the enhanced curriculum
program, Sotelo told the board a preliminary plan was drawn and
administered to kindergarten through sixth grade teachers for their
input.

He said they also discussed excluding kindergarten students from the
program, as there is no academic information on most of the students.

Teachers for the program will selected for each campus from a group of
teachers that submitted their names for the job. They will be in charge
of the curriculum, said Sotelo.

"We feel this is going to help a lot of the youngsters," said Sotelo. He
said it will also aid in concerns regarding the idea that some students
are bored and unchallenged.

Classes will have about 22 students, "that we feel are at a higher
level," than their classmates, said Sotelo.

"I think this is the answer to a lot of our problems," added the
superintendent.

If a student in the program is found to be struggling with the work,
"we're going to ask that the parent be involved in the removal," of that
student, Sotelo said.

He added that current plans are making the parental request mandatory
and at least three of the remaining criteria will have to be met for a
student to qualify for the program.

Gholson added that, "this will be open to everyone at the same time."

Board member Steve Armstrong added it will not be limited to one class
per grade level.

No action was taken.

All teachers on the textbook committee were commended by their campus
administrators and the board for their work towards coming up with a
textbook proposal.

The board unanimously voted to accept a blanket order for their
recommendations.

Gholson reminded the board and the audience that by law no parents are
allowed on the committee, "but next year, things are going to change."

Policy Update 53 was read a second time and approved unanimously by the
board, as were budget amendments for the 1996-97 school year as
presented by Canon, in which she was, "moving money only."

In a 6 to 1 vote board members awarded a bid of $254.81 per uniform for
215 band uniforms from the Fruhauf company.

The bid was recalculated from its original proposal by PHS Band Director
Steven Clary who said cheaper garment bags and plumes could be purchased
elsewhere and money saved. The original plan was to purchase 200
uniforms, but the band director opted to go with 215 with the savings.

Gholson voted against the motion, stressing she was doing so in
accordance with the school auditor's comment regarding deficit spending.

Board considers new study gym's fate


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By MARI MALDONADO
Staff Writer

PECOS, March 21, 1997 - Concerns regarding the creation of a local
recreation center caused Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school board members to
publicly discuss any possibilities that might involve the West Pecos gym
and warehouse.

The old high school gym, located in the 1100 block of West Third Street,
had been used for many years for basketball, volleyball, racquetball and
weight training, and housed the Pecos Community Recreation Department.
But P-B-T Board President Linda Gholson said the school district was
asked six years ago to close down the gym because of unsafe conditions.

"I'm not sure it's totally correct to say it's been condemned," she said.

Board Vice-President Earl Bates reminded the board that in 1990 an
independent surveyor was hired to examine the condition of the old
building. The evaluation resulted in the surveyors recommendation to
condemn the building.

"We do need to see what we can do with this building," said Sotelo,
regarding the warehouse. "We need to have somebody come in and give an
unbiased opinion."

The possibility of auctioning off equipment and other items currently
stored in the warehouse was also discussed.

No action was taken, but board members opted to "try to identify the
situation" with the buildings, as suggested by Gholson.

In addition to the gym and warehouse, the two-block area also houses a
smaller building used by the Pecos-Barstow Warbirds boxing team as a
training facility, along with the parking area for the P-B-T district's
buses and band truck.

Pecos has been without a recreational facility since December, 1990, and
on March 10, Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo proposed to commissioners
that a study regarding the establishment of a recreational facility for
Reeves County be conducted.

Galindo's strategy included that a group of between five and nine
individuals be formed to conduct the study.

He added that usage of the facility, its programs and equipment would be
made affordable for all families in the community and would benefit
everyone.

The county judge talked about possibly using an existing building or
building a new facility on county property. Funds from the county's Blue
Cross/Blue Shield Wellness Plan, could go towards the facility, county
officials were informed.

In his proposal, Galindo painted pictures of a bike and hike trail, a
racquetball court, boxing gym, aerobics center and volleyball court.

A private effort in 1995 and 1996 to create a YMCA in Pecos came up
short, after the group was turned down by the YMCA's regional office in
Dallas. Officials cited funding concerns as a reason for rejecting the
request.

Pecos man among feds' 24 indictments


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By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

PECOS, March 21, 1997 - Danny Salcido of Pecos was among 24 persons
indicted Thursday by the federal grand jury.

Salcido, 27, is charged with giving false information to a firearms
dealer. He allegedly told a firearms dealer on Jan. 24 that he had not
previously been convicted of a crime carrying a penalty of more than one
year in custody, when in fact he has.

Another area resident, Cruz Muniz Jr. of Alpine, was indicted on six
counts of possession of cocaine in June and July, 1996;

One indictment was sealed.

Thomas Brient Sykes, who had earlier been indicted for possession with
intent to distribute amphetamine, was re-indicted for possession with
intent to distribute methamphetamine, for carrying a firearm during a
drug-trafficking crime and for felon carrying a firearm. Punishment may
be enhanced by three previous convictions for violent felony crimes.

Sykes, 28, lives in Van Nuys, Calif.

Charged with importation and possession with intent to distribute
marijuana are:

- Horacio Rodriguez Baca, March 1;

- Margarita Wall Friesen, 30, of Seminole, March 2;

- Allison Haskell Jones, 66, of Austin, March 8;

- Carlos Moya-Leyva, 24, of Ojinaga, Mex., March 1;

- Alejandro Rodriguez-Suarez, 25, Musquiz, Mex., and Jorge
Vasquez-Polado, 23, of Coahuila, Mex., March 3;

- Alfredo Moreno-Chaparro, 39, of Cuauhtemoc, Mex., March 5;

Charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana are:

- Sergio Pena-Gonzales, 33, of Abilene, March 16;

- Fernando Olivas-Aldame, 30, of Ojinaga, Mex., and Juana Herrera-Maese,
28, of Ojinaga, March 19;

Jose Pena-Quezada, 30, Chihuahua, Mex., and Roberto Salcido-Duran, 25,
of Aldama, Mex., Feb. 27;

- Hipolito Ortega-Rodriguez, 39, of Manuel Benavides, Mex., March 3;

Richard Lee Mayfield, 24, of Blanco is charged with possession of a
firearm traded in interstate commerce and felon in possession of a
firearm on Dec. 3, 1996.

Jose Martin Calderon, 30, of El Paso, is charged with eight counts of
transporting illegal aliens and harboring illegal aliens on March 12.

Jorge Torres-Santiago of Mexico is charged with illegal entry in March
after being deported. Punishment is enhanced by the fact his deportation
was subsequent to a conviction on an aggravated felony charge.

Francisco Gallegos-Bueno, 36, Ernesto Alaniz, 25, of Tijuana, Mex., and
Raul Moreno-Cedillo of Tijuana are charged with failure to appear in
court on criminal charges.

Effort begun to administer

citizenship oaths in Pecos


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MARI MALDONADO
Staff Writer

PECOS, March 21, 1997 - Legal residents in the Pecos area who have
aspirations of becoming United States citizens may be looking at an
easier process of doing so.

Senior Judge for the U.S. Western District of Texas Lucius D. Bunton he
has "no problem" with making a trip to Pecos for the naturalization
ceremony.

In a letter to Robert Looney of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service office in El Paso, Judge Bunton wrote, "...it would be cheaper
not only for the new citizens but for their family members to witness
the ceremony. We have a very nice (federal) courthouse facility in Pecos
where the new citizens could take the oath."

He is referring to the federal building, completed in December of 1995
and dedicated in March 1996, and named after Judge Bunton, as requested
by local community leaders.

A local group of some 15 residents currently studying for their
citizenship exam with the help of David Reyes expressed their concerns
about traveling 210 miles to El Paso to complete the process of becoming
a U.S. citizen.

With only a few opportunities for this sort of citizenship training,
members of the group said they are grateful for Reyes' help and claimed
they were informed about his services from friends, family members and
neighbors.

The majority of the class said they're seeking citizenship because of
limits recently placed on their benefits and rights.

For instance, the Title IV, Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996 disallows legal resident aliens to collect
any Supplemental Security Income.

A few of Reyes' students are grateful for his free services, as they
were recently defrauded out of $300 by another local man who promised
them their citizenship with services he never delivered.

Taking advantage of these people, who hope instantly of becoming U.S.
citizens is a frequent problem in Pecos, Reyes pointed out.

Some groups are told of INS transport units arriving in Pecos to take
them to the district office.

Ofelia Madrid said she enjoys Reyes' bilingual abilities with the class,
while Jos Antonio Diaz and Jose Garcia claim they admire his patience
and competence.

Isela Lujan said, "he's one of a kind."

Currently Reyes is working with students who have been with his class as
little as two days to as long as nine months. Some are waiting to take
their exams, some their interview, while others have not even entered
the application phase.

Manuel E. Moran said he's been a legal resident since 1954 and in the
United States since 1944. When asked why he hadn't sought his
citizenship earlier, he answered because of all the recent laws.

Some of the men declared it was difficult to learn the English language
and have sought the waiver.

All agreed that a local means of completing their citizenship is needed
as transportation for them is limited.

Reyes commends the efforts of Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo who
contacted INS regarding the certification of the Reeves County Sheriffs
Office as a fingerprinting center for persons seeking their citizenship.

"He did a damn good job," said Reyes of Galindo, and added that
residents currently having to go to El Paso to be fingerprinted.

Galindo said Thursday the formal process is underway to declare the RCSO
a fingerprinting center.

Before legal residents can take the citizenship oath, they must endure a
fairly lengthy and complicated procedure beginning with the application
process.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age; a resident of the United
States for at least five years or three if applicant is married to a
U.S. citizen; be able to speak English and have a knowledge of U.S.
history and government; register with the Selective Service if male;
have no criminal record; pay U.S. income taxes and any alimony or family
support payments if applicable.

An English language waiver can be granted to residents who are 50 years
of age and have been residents for 20 years or 55 years of age and 15
years as a resident.

A modified citizenship test by INS officials will be given to residents
of 65 years of age with 20 years as a resident.

Persons with physiological, psychological or developmental disabilities
are eligible for a waiver from the English and civics (U.S. history and
government) requirements of the naturalization process.

Since Feb. 14, the El Paso INS office has been receiving applications
for permanent residency, citizenship, employment authorization,
certificate of citizenship or replacements for such, advance parole and
advanced processing for a visa orphan by mail.

This eliminated the inconvenience of applicants having to personally
deliver their completed forms to the district office.

Citizenship applicants can also utilize the INS toll free telephone
assistance service - 1-800-870-3676 - to receive all INS benefit forms
including citizenship applications by mail.

City's sales tax rebate up 16½ percent


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PECOS, March 21, 1997 - The city of Pecos saw its sales tax rebate check
for March rise by 16½ percent from the same period a year ago, according
to figures sent out last week by State Comptroller John Sharp's office.

Sharp sent out a total of $151.2 million in monthly sales tax payments
to 1,086 Texas cities and 117 counties, up about five percent from March
of 1996. However, Sharp said "Sales tax rebates to Texas cities and
counties are 6.4 percent higher for the first three months of 1997 than
for the same period last year, as consumers continue to show their
confidence in a healthy Texas economy."

A drop in it's tax rebate check for February as compared to a year ago
left Pecos' three month total at $174,921 up just 1½ percent from the
January-March period last year.

The city's collections are based on its 1½ cent share of the state sales
tax.

Most other area cities also reported double-digit increases in their
rebate checks. That group included Andrews, Alpine and Odessa, while
Balmorhea's $435 check from Austin represented a 28.8 percent rise.

However, Toyah's $593 check was a 25 percent drop from 1996, and Van
Horn and Big Spring also saw their rebate checks fall in March.

This month's payments include sales taxes collected in January and
reported by businesses filing monthly returns in February.

The city of Houston received a sales tax rebate of $18.6 million in
March, which was 4.9 percent more than last year's $17.7 million for the
month. Year-to-date, payments to the city of Houston are up by 4.3
percent.

The $12.3 million local sales tax allocation to the city of Dallas for
March reflects less than a 1 percent increase from the $12.2 in sales
tax rebate for the same month last year. The year-to-date increase to
Dallas is 3.1 percent.

Reeves County Hospital District's ½-cent share of the sales tax netted
it $20,918 this month, up just under seven percent from a year ago.
Annelle Bowers

SALES TAX REBATES LISTED BY CITY


March 1997 rebates (Collected on January sales)
(Source: Texas comptroller's office)

CITY RATE 1997 1996 CHANGE

Andrews 1.0% $ 62,092 $53,641 Up 15.75%
Alpine 1.5% 52,131 45,226 Up 15.26%
Balmorhea 1.0% 435 338 Up 28.83%
Big Spring 2.0% 224,223 243,792 Dn 8.02%
Crane *1.5% 17,136 16,011 Up 7.02%
Ft Stockton 1.5% 75,670 70,121 Up 7.91%
Kermit 1.0% 30,398 29,913 Up 1.61%
Marfa 1.0% 10,139 7,334 Up 38.24%
Midland 1.0% 905,515 830,303 Up 9.05%
Monahans *1.5% 46,895 32,122 Up 45.98%
Odessa 1.0% 682,549 606,678 Up 12.50%
PECOS 1.5% 52,797 45,290 Up 16.57%
Presidio *2.0% 13,432 6,991 Up 92.11%
Toyah 1.0% 593 792 Dn 25.16%
Van Horn 1.5% 23,710 39,318 Dn 39.69%
Wink 1.0% 4,069 2,272 Up 79.10%
RCH Dist. 0.5% 20,918 19,553 Up 6.98%
* - New Rate

OBITUARY

Annelle Bowers


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Funeral services for Annelle "Nellie" Bowers, 77, who died March 18 at
Midland Memorial Hospital were today at at St. Marks Episcopal Church in
Pecos.

Oficiating will be Father Charles McIntyre and a burial will follow at
the Balmorhea Cemetery.

Bowers was born Dec. 15, 1919, in El Paso and was Pecos resident for
many years before moving to Fort Davis.

Survivors include husband, Forrest Bowers of Fort Davis; two sons,
Charles Bowers of Pecos and David Bowers of San Antonio; one daughter,
Marquita Wanslow of Round Rock; one sister, Ermine Hourigan of El Paso;
numerous nieces and nephews; eight grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildre.

Donations in form of memorials can be made to the West of the Pecos
Museum.

WEATHER


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High Thursday 87, low last night 46. Tonight, fair, becoming breezy
after midnight. Low around 45. Wind becoming north 15-25 mph. Saturday,
partly cloudy and cooler. High around 70. Northeast to East wind 10-20
mph, gusty in the morning.
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Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
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