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Use "FIND" option on toolbar to search for a specific word or string. TOP STORIESNovember 26, 1997
Students to bring cheer to ill, elderlyBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, November 26, 1997 - It started out as a club project and has branched out to include students at Bessie Haynes Elementary School. "We decided to do this project, instead of doing secret pals," said Delta Kappa Gamma club member Cynthia Armbruster, who is also librarian at the school. Fourth and fifth graders made 100 place mats and 100 place cards to be distributed with Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday with the county's Meals on Wheels. "We want to teach these children to be a little bit more appreciative, to care about others and to think of others, not just themselves," said Armbruster. Club members also want to do more to help the community and those less fortunate, she added. This project consisted of the students creating Thanksgiving-related illustrations on construction paper. "The students are hoping to bring cheer to the ill and elderly during the holidays," said Armbruster. Thanksgiving dinner will be available at the Reeves County Civic Center on Thursday, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. The group in charge of this special event will also be delivering Meals on Wheels that day and will deliver the place mats and place cards made by the students. This idea, which originated from the Delta Kappa Gamma organization, is just one of many the group has planned. "Instead of secret pals, we will be doing a project each month and hopefully include the students again," said Armbruster. The project for this month and December will be to help Meals on Wheels, in January and February the group plans to do something for the hospital and nursing home. "This is not just for our club," said Armbruster. Armbruster stated that the group is also interested in getting the children involved in serving the community.
Two-percent electric reduction delayedBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, November 26, 1997 - Council members were informed yesterday morning that the first two-percent reduction in customer rates, proposed by Texas-New Mexico Power Company in their transition to competition plan, will not go into effect on the anticipated date of Jan. 1, 1998. Pauline Moore, West Texas Business Unit Manager for TNMP, said she could not give a definite date when the first of three scheduled rate reductions would become effective, saying that the company is still in mediation. Jan. 1, 1998, marks the beginning of the proposed five-year transition period when residential customers, according to TNMP's transition plan, were to benefit from an approximate six-percent reduction of rates. The council voted to approve and accept a resolution joining the Town of Pecos City with the Coalition of Texas-New Mexico Power service area cities in connection with the TNMP plan. The resolution also holds that the city will employ the law firm of Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee, P.C., to represent the interests of the city, with the understanding that the city will be reimbursed for all "reasonable expenses" incurred in retaining the firm. Allen H. King, partner of the law firm, is authorized under the resolution to negotiate and make agreements on behalf of the city, after obtaining approval of the Steering Committee. Representatives of Classic Cable came under questioning by the council, with Dot Stafford asking that Classic Cable grant customers a three dollar reimbursement for all the recent outages. "Since we signed with Classic Cable in '95, there have been ongoing problems," she said. Ben Hernandez, Classic Cable chief technician, who just relocated to Monahans from Wyoming, asked that he be given until the next council meeting to research the problem. Hernandez will present his findings to the city council at its meeting on the morning of Dec. 11. The city's contract with Butts Recycling was terminated, with the result that the city will now lease baling equipment from Butts, employ their own person to run the machine and Butts will continue to pick up the recyclables: paying the city the appropriate price for the materials it recycles. A grant secured by the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission, in the amount of $10,000 a year, will provide for the city's expenses. Because of the weight of glass bottles compared to the fee offered for them, the city may not be recycling the bottles. David Madril, former recycling program manager with Butts, suggested that the council begin a verbal campaign to encourage citizens of Pecos to use aluminum cans whenever possible. County Judge Jimmy Galindo was at yesterday's meeting to tell the council that he really appreciated the fact that the city was considering a deal where the city would become responsible for picking up all dispatch calls for the county. He said, "If the council is agreeable, we'd (the county) like to start providing incarceration (for the city)." County and city officials have been discussing entering into a contract whereby Reeves County would provide incarceration of prisoners free of charge to the city in exchange for the city police department taking charge of emergency dispatch for the county. The council voted to renew CPA Dan Painter's contract with the city for the next fiscal year. Painter will audit the city's financial reports. Both council members Randy Graham and Johnny Terrazas were very pleased with what they had seen of Painter's work so far. His fee is $12,732 annually. The ambulance collection reports showed some improvement this month, as City Finance Director Steve McCormick pointed out. Scott W. Johnson, City Attorney, said that he was in the process of transferring the accounts and had sent a termination letter to Management Koncepts. Johnson is responsible for collecting delinquent accounts after the contract with Management Koncepts is ended. Section 22-3 of the Code of Ordinances was amended, redefining the probationary period for city employees as three months (six months for police department employees) with no sick leave or insurance. Also, an ordinance granting city employees additional rights and credits under the Texas Municipal Retirement System was passed unanimously. According to the ordinance, any municipal employee who is a member of the System and did not receive credit for their probationary period (and employed prior to Sept. 1, 1989) may obtain prior service credit for the period. To acquire prior service credit the employee must turn in a detailed written statement of the service claimed with the City Secretary within a year of Nov. 24, 1997. The council also approved budget cuts, totaling $146,800; the new line-up of officers of the fire department; tax collector's report; and city financials. The streets of Palmer and Pinehurst are to be renamed South and North Frontage for 911 purposes, but will retain their former physical addresses. Also, the council approved the purchase of a used vactor water truck by the water department, pending the investigation thereof. Water Superintendent Octavio Garcia said the truck, according to his sources, is a 1982 model with only 16,000 miles. The truck, which is housed in Albuquerque N.M., has spent a number of years in storage and will cost the city $47,900. The council went into executive session to consider a pay raise for Geneva Martinez, City Secretary. Martinez received an increase to her salary and her travel allowance.
High speed chase nets car thievesBy RICHARD ACOSTA The Monahans News PECOS, November 26, 1997 - Pecos police shot out a tire on the vehicle of fleeing auto theft suspects at 7:55 a.m. yesterday on I-20 near the 13-mile marker in an incident that had its roots in Monahans. The officer who fired the shots said he had no choice because the suspects were forcing other motorists off the highway. When the incident was over, one man was in the Reeves County Jail, a youth was in the custody of juvenile authorities and police in Virginia were seeking governor's warrants for extradition. Sergeant Jim Vaughn said he and fellow Pecos Officer Mike Dominguez noticed a suspicious vehicle and eventually pulled it over on a traffic violation (no seat belts were fastened) at the 40-mile marker. As Dominguez approached the vehicle, Vaughn reports, the driver put the car in gear and took off. Dominguez and Vaughn pursued in their police cruiser. When the suspects' vehicle's plates were called in, a computer check found the white, 1982 Buick had been stolen from the 800 bock of South Stockton Avenue in Monahans earlier that morning. The pursuit continued at speeds in excess of 100 mph from the 40-mile marker to the 13-mile marker west bound on I-20 until Vaughn shot out the right back tire of the vehicle. "The only reason I shot out the tire was they were running people off the road," said Vaughn. "No one was hurt and there was no other damage to the vehicle.." According to Monahans Police Chief David Watts, when the vehicle's plates were checked, it was found the owner of the vehicle lived in Monahans and those people were notified. "We asked them about the car and they said it was right outside," said Watts. "When they went to look, they said the car was gone." "Both suspects are thought to be from Virginia. Both are male; one is a juvenile; the other is an 18-year-old. They both confessed to stealing the car and charges will be filed both in Monahans and in Virginia," reports Watts.
Parents absent from school workshopsBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, November 26, 1997 - What if you threw a party and nobody came? Well, that is similar to what is happening each month when workshops are held for the parents of Crockett Middle School and Pecos High School students. According to PHS Parental Involvement Aide Olga Valdez, even parents who attend programs like these when they concern their elementary school-age children don't attend the programs for their high school-age children. Valdez said that she has tried various methods of attracting the parents of high school students to seminars, workshops and Parent/Teacher Organization meetings over the past couple of years, but to no avail. The parental involvement department gave students flyers announcing the meetings. Instead of taking the flyers home to their parents they threw them away. School janitors brought the flyers back to the department heads telling that they had found them in trash cans. "I've been in parental involvement for 10 years, and parents of elementary students have attended meetings and block parties, but not the high school sessions," said Valdez. Word-of-mouth, talking directly to parents and having notices published in the Pecos Enterprise and read on the radio haven't worked either, she said. Valdez added that nobody attended the last workshop that was held, and she wondered if people hadn't heard about it, and that is why she had yesterday's meeting announced on the radio and in the paper. If any parents of Crockett or PHS students had shown up for the workshop, they would have had the opportunity to watch a video called "ADHD in the Classroom - Strategies for Teachers" followed by a discussion, where the book Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Questions and Answers for Parents by Gregory S. Greenberg and Wade F. Horn was to be used for reference. Valdez said the workshops are different from the monthly practical parenting seminars held for all Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD parents. These workshops are for parents of students attending particular campuses and the parental involvement department tries to hold the workshops twice a month, although other activities sometimes take precedence over the workshops. The workshops are held in the parents resource room, classroom 11, at the Bessie Haynes Elementary campus. Mondays and Thursdays are set aside for Bessie Haynes and Pecos Elementary. Tuesdays are for Crockett and PHS. Wednesday is the day for parents of students at Lamar and Zavala Middle Schools, and Fridays are for Austin Elementary and Pecos Kindergarten parents. Valdez said that parents have never come to the eighth grade and high school workshops. "I don't know if they feel they just don't need it anymore or don't care or what," Valdez said. "In a way, I feel disappointed because it tells me the parents don't even care...I've tried everything different ways, and it's for the parents to help their children. I'm reading (the parental reaction as) 'they're not as important' or 'I don't have the time for that child anymore.'" Valdez said that she has tried to get students to get their parents to come to the workshops, and the response of the students often has been, "My parents don't even care if I'm in school. They won't care about this."
Economic index indicates strong economyAUSTIN, November 26, 1997 - A strong Texas economy may be gaining strength as the year draws to a close, so says State Comptroller John Sharp. Sharp recently released the latest Index of Leading Texas Economic Indicators, which is at 131.2, up 2.9 percent compared to one year ago. "The key indicators of continuing economic strength are homebuilding activity, a strong job market, and the Texas Stock Index," Sharp said. For the sixth consecutive month, the strongest of Texas' economic indicators is the Texas Stock Index. The Texas Stock Index was at 482.2 in September, up 112.8 percent compared to one year ago. "The September TSI reading does not reflect the stock market's October gyrations. However, investors remain very confident about the Texas economy and the outlook for Texas businesses," Sharp said. The number of new homes under construction rose sharply in September. Nearly 11,000 construction permits were issued, up 15.7 percent compared to one year ago, and up 5.3 percent compared to the previous month. Demand for Texas homes, both new and existing, remains very strong. The Texas Help Wanted Index, a measurement of job listings in Texas newspapers, is up 14 .8 percent compared to one year ago, and up 5.6 percent compared to the previous month. Texas gained about 200,000 jobs in September, for an increase of 2.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Most of the new jobs are in the service sector, which has grown 2.8 percent in the past year. Construction employment is up 4.8 percent. New business incorporations are up 3.2 percent compared to one year ago. The average number of manufacturing hours per work week is up 1.2 percent. September unemployment claims are up 7.2 percent compared to one year ago. At the same time, the Texas unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percent. "Texas consumer confidence is up 9.7 percent compared to one year ago. Retail sales are up 5.5 percent. Both of these indicators should boost retailers' optimism about the upcoming holiday sales period," Sharp said. The price of crude oil is down 21.1 percent compared to one year ago. In September, Texas crude sold for $17.34 per barrel. Oil prices should begin to climb as winter settles in and demand increases for heating oil. The Comptroller's office produces the monthly Index of Leading Texas Economic Indicators to help predict economic ups and downs before they occur, and to help compare the Texas economy to the nation as a whole. The U.S. Index of Leading Economic Indicators is currently at 104.5, up 2 percent compared to one year ago, and up 0.2 percent compared to the previous month. OBITUARYAnnalou RochesterAnnalou M. Rochester, 78, of Alpine, died Monday, Nov. 24, 1997, in an Odessa hospital. Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday, at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Alpine with Father Rick Ruiz officiating. Burial will be in Balmorhea Cemetery. Rochester was born Nov. 17, 1919, in Ladonia, Tx. She graduated from Texas Women's College in Denton, with a degree in Home Economics. Rochester joined the US Navy WAVS and served in World War II. She moved to Alpine in 1952 and was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Alpine Cemetery Association. Rochester was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Rochester in 1981. Survivors include numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alpine Library of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Alpine, Tx. WEATHERPECOS, November 26, 1997 - High Tuesday, 85, low this morning, 39. Thanksgiving Day may be wet in some areas, but most of the state will enjoy a fair day. In West Texas a trough of low pressure extended across the south plains and low rolling plains early this morning. Temperatures ranged from the upper 30s around the Marfa Plateau to the lower 60s over the Concho Valley. West Texans can expect low clouds and fog Thursday and there is a chance of rain. Highs will reach the 60s and 70s, except for 80s near the Big Bend Valleys. Lows will be in the 40s.
Pecos Enterprise
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