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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide for Reeves County, Trans-Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

TOP STORIES

January 27, 1998

RCDC expansion requires more personnel

By RICK L. SMITH
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 27, 1998 - With three construction projects
going on at once at the Reeves County Detention Center
(RCDC), yesterday Reeves County Commissioners approved the
early hiring of six employees to help with the increased
work load.

RCDC Warden Rudy Franco told commissioners during their
meeting yesterday that the three projects were straining his
personnel resources.

"We had planned for the transportation crew to provide
escorts but they have been too busy," Franco said.

Commissioner Herman Tarin commented that, "with the
transportation crew being busy that means more dollars into
the general fund."

With the completion of the RCDC expansion project, 19
custody positions were set to be added at the detention
center in May. Franco requested that five custody employees
and one maintenance employee be hired immediately to help
with the increased work load.

After County Auditor Lynn Owens said he believed the budget
would accommodate Franco's request commissioners approved
the request.

Franco indicated that the expansion project was progressing
on schedule and days lost to rain had mostly been made up.
Commissioners agreed to advertise for bids for the
construction of a 15,000 sq. ft. support services building
at the RCDC and an expansion of the recreation facilities.

"We have been planning to double the size of the rec room,"
Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo said.

"One of the biggest problems when I first came here was a
lack of activities for inmates," Franco said. "We took the
old bus barn and turned it into a hobby craft room. Now
every morning and evening we have 30 to 50 inmates keeping
busy and out of trouble there."

County officials estimate the recreational facility addition
will be about 4,800 sq. ft. at a cost of about $30 per sq.
ft.

Commissioners also approved an agreement for mutual aid
between emergency departments in surrounding cities and
counties.

An agreement between Reeves Co. and the Permian Basin
Regional Planning Commission for 911 addressing was
approved by the commissioners. In addition, commissioners
approved an amendment for funding through the planning
commission for senior citizen centers in the area.

A proposal to hire early voting workers for the upcoming
primary election was tabled until the next commissioners
meeting.

Other items approved by commissioners include:

- A contract for the detention of juvenile offenders from
Presidio, Upton, Brewster and Reeves counties

- Fees for dental services for county inmates

- Food bids for general services

- Bylaws of self-insurance plan

- Department reports

- Budget amendments

- Personnel changes

- Minutes from previous meeting

- Payment of bills

- Spread on minutes

Military planes may train over Reeves Co.

By GREG HARMAN
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 27, 1998 - Skies over the Trans-Pecos region
may soon be traced with the vapor trails of B-1 Lancer and
B-52 Stratofortress bombers in training exercises. As a part
of the proposed Realistic Bomber Training Initiative (RBTI),
the U.S. Air Force is preparing an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and holding public scoping meetings to
assess potential environmental impacts caused by the
initiative.

The RBTI would involve decreased military training flights
in parts of Colorado and Arkansas and additions and
modifications to military training routes -generally used
for low-altitude training activities - in parts of Texas and
New Mexico. Electronic scoring sites would be shut down in
other areas and then moved to parts of New Mexico and Texas.
According to the proposed RBTI in Texas, these low-altitude
scoring sites would be relocated throughout Reeves and
Culberson counties.

The flights will issue from Dyess Air Force Base, near
Abilene, and Barksdale Air Force Base, located in Louisiana.
The initiative would adopt an expanded Texon Military
Operations Area over Upton, Reagan and Irion counties in
West Texas, and create a Lancer Military Operations Area
centered around Borden, Scurry and Garza counties in the
southern High Plains region. Proposed training flights would
cut across northern Reeves, Loving and central Ward
counties, and low-altitude scoring sites would sweep across
southern Reeves from southeast Reeves near Smithers Test
Track, through the Saragosa/Verhalen area and exit into
Culberson County from central Reeves near China Draw.

Major John Boyle at the Seventh Bomb Wing Public Affairs
office at Dyess Air Force Base said the new training routes
are needed because "right now we're training as far away as
South Dakota, Wyoming and northern Utah." He said the crews
spent more time flying to training sites than actually
training.

The initiative is not without its opponents. Kay Kelley of
the Trans-Pecos Protection Group, warned that noisy and
destructive low-level training flights are not as necessary
given today's more intelligent weaponry. Charging that these
flights are dangerous for people, scare horses and stress
out livestock, Kelley said that many people had been injured
because of spooked horses. Citing one example of damaged
property, she related the story of one rancher's $10,000
bull that was startled by a low-level military plane and ran
through a barbed-wire fence. The bull had to be destroyed.

"At first people thought we were just a bunch of unpatriotic
ranchers," said Kelley, "but most of us were in the
service." She said that most of the members of Trans-Pecos
Protection Group had negative experiences with low-level
flights, including destruction of property and threats to
personal well-being. "We just want an Air Force that is
accountable."

Major Boyle said the Air Force did receive complaints, but
the majority of them are about the noise -not damaged
livestock. "All the training is done at sub-sonic speeds
with electronic scoring systems, no live ammunition is
used," he said. Boyle added that the lowest these planes
should go is 500 feet.

A public meeting is to be held in Pecos from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 at the Pecos Community Center, located at 508 South
Oak Street. The public is invited to meet Air Force
representatives and comment on the proposal through writen
comment forms or on computers available at the meeting.

Other meetings are scheduled to be held in Van Horn on Feb.
4, in Alpine on Feb. 5 and Big Lake on Feb. 6.

New pastor wants to help attain goals

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

PECOS, January 27, 1998 - To be a good presence in Pecos and
to represent the church well are just some of the goals the
new pastor of the First United Methodist Church has in mind.

"I want to help the parishioners reach their goals and to be
a good presence for them," said Bruce Abbott.

Abbott arrived in Pecos Jan. 7 to take over his new duties
as pastor of that church, a position that was left vacant
when Derrell Evins moved away.

Abbott was born in Ekalaka, Mo., studied at Emory University
in Atlanta, Ga., where he received a Masters of Divinity
degree. He did undergraduate work at New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces.

"The parishioners goals are to see attendance grow and to
possibly have Saturday evening worship service," said Abbott.

Abbott stated that his main goal will be to help the people
realize these goals.

"Since I'm so new, I don't know yet how we're going to go
about trying to reach our goals, but I want to help," said
Abbott.

Abbott stated that he also plans to get involved in the
community. "I like to be involved, especially in hands-on
projects, where you can really help people," he said.

Abbott was pastor of Cimmarron United Methodist Church in
Cimmarron, N.M. for two years and before that had ministered
in Deming, N.M.

While living in Cimmarron, Abbott was an
EMT, a member of Kiwanis club, crime stoppers and president
of the parent committee of Head Start.

"To me it feels really good to be a part of a project that
helps people," he said.

Abbott stated that he would like to get involved with the
youth in the church and the community. "I don't know yet,
what projects they are doing, but I'm willing to help in
that area also," he said.

Abbott and his wife, Jenny, have three children, Laney, age
five; Grace, two years old and a boy, two-week old, Simon.

Monahans man arrested for attempted murder

PECOS, January 27, 1998 - Chris Molina, a 26-year-old
Monahans man, is being held at Ward County Jail under
suspicion in the aggravated assault, attempted murder and
kidnapping of his wife and mother-in-law.

Thursday morning Monahans Chief of Police David Watts
received a call of a major accident report. When he arrived
at the scene there were two victims down on the sidewalk
about 100 yards form the accident location, Watts said.
One victim was 42-year old Jan Howell, Molina's
mother-in-law, who had been assaulted and was unconscious.

"He kidnapped the other [daughter of Howell, name still
unreleased]," said Watts, "from the residence and drove into
a street post." Then, Molina unsuccessfully attempted to
hang himself from a near-by tree, ran back and barricaded
himself inside the residence located in the 400 block of
Pecan Street in Monahans.

"Our officers gained entrance into the house where they
found Molina who had self-inflicted wounds," said Watts. All
three were then transported to Odessa Medical Hospital.

Molina and his wife were treated and released. Molina was
then arrested and booked into the Ward County Jail. Howell
is still being held at Odessa Medical Hospital and is listed
in "serious" condition.

Pecos man arrested on drug charges

PECOS, January 27, 1998 - Execution of a warrant Friday
night by Pecos police and the Reeves County Sheriff's
Department resulted in the arrest of one man for possession
of a controlled substance and the discovery of stolen
property.

Reyes Rodriguez, 402 Magnolia Street, was arrested at 8:06
p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at his residence and charged with
possession of a controlled substance, heroin, a state jail
felony, according to Narcotics Investigator Paul Deishler.

Rodriguez lived at the house with Norina Salas.

During execution of the warrant, law enforcement officers
discovered a substance believed to be marijuana in the
kitchen area of the home, according to Deishler. When
Rodriguez was searched, a substance believed to be heroin
was found in the pocket of his pants.

Several rings and a bracelet believed stolen in a
residential burglary were also discovered in the house.
Officers also found a police scanner that is believed to be
stolen, according to Deishler. The serial number had been
removed from the scanner.

WEATHER


PECOS, January 27, 1998 - High Monday, 66, low this morning,
26. A cold night is in store across all of Texas tonight,
but temperatures will be climbing into the 60s and 70s on
Wednesday. It will be clear to partly cloudy across West
Texas. Lows tonight will be in the 20s and 30s. A cold front
moved across all of the state on Monday.



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