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

TOP STORIES

February 16, 1998

Police continue to probe stabbing

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

No charges have been filed in an incident that occurred
Wednesday afternoon and required a student to seek medical
attention.

One Pecos High School student was stabbed, following an
altercation with another juvenile a block away from school
grounds.

"Apparently this was going to be a fight," said Pecos Police
Investigator Kelly Davis.

"We're waiting for them to come in and give us a statement,"
he said.

The incident happened in an alley behind Park Street in
which the two met, allegedly to fight. "The victim picked up
a big rock and was intending to hit the other boy with it,"
said Davis.

Gilbert Plasencia was the victim of the stabbing incident
Wednesday afternoon. He was taken to Reeves County Hospital,
where he was treated for his injury and released, assistant
administrator Iris Rives said.

Plasencia was scheduled to be one of five boxers for the
Pecos-Barstow Warbirds in this past weekend's West of the
Pecos Golden Gloves Tournament.

If any charges were to be filed the juvenile would be facing
aggravated assault charges, according to Davis.

"He (the other juvenile) apparently made a single stab wound
to the victim," said Davis. "I consider stabbing a very
serious offense and it's lucky he didn't get hurt worse," he
said.

"It didn't happen on campus, it happened after the end of
the school day," said Pecos High School Principal Danny
Rodriguez.

The juvenile who allegedly did the stabbing is not a student
at the high school according to Rodriguez.

"I did speak to the parents and tried to help them as much
as I could in my capacity as principal," said Rodriguez.
"But since the other boy is not a student at our campus,
we'll have to wait for the police investigation," he said.

Rodriguez stated that school officials, along with himself
are assisting in any way that they can. "We don't want
incidents like these at our campus and we're trying to help
in any way that we can," he said.

"But again, this incident did not happen on campus and it
was after school hours," he said.

Filing period underway for May's elections

By GREG HARMON
Staff Writer

Today is the first day to pick up applications for a place
on the ballot for the area's May 2 school, city and hospital
elections.

Elections will be held for seats on the Town of Pecos City
Council as well as for council seats in Balmorhea, Barstow
and Toyah. Pecos-Barstow-Toyah and Balmorhea school board
filings also start today, as do those for the Reeves County
Hospital District board of directors.

In Pecos, seats up for election will be the mayor's
position, held by Dot Stafford, and at-large positions
currently held by Danny Rodriguez and Ricky Herrera.

In the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD race, positions up for
election include three full-year terms currently held by
Linda Gholson, Earl Bates and Frank Perea.

The hospital board seats will be open for Districts 1 and 3,
along with the at-large seat for which all Reeves County
voters are eligible to cast ballots. These positions are
currently held by, respectively, Chel Flores, Jesus Prieto
and Greg Luna.

The last day to file to run in the May elections will be
March 18, at 5 p.m.

Applications for the Town of Pecos city positions can be
picked up at city hall, while Balmorhea and Toyah candidates
can also get their applications at their city halls. Nadine
Smith will handle filings for RCH positions, while Jo
Allgood will handle both the P-B-T and the Barstow City
Council filings. Balmorhea ISD candidates can pick up their
applications at the school administration office.

Drug case probation is revoked

BY PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer

Judge Bob Parks on Friday revoked one man's probation and
ordered him to jail for six months, placed another on
community supervision and approved dismissal of three felony
indictments in 143rd District Court.

Jose Manuel Garcia was ordered to state jail for six months,
with 86 days jail credit, for delivery of heroin. He is to
pay $140 restitution to the Department of Public Safety, $30
to the Permian Basin Drug Task Force and $164.50 court costs.

Jose Alberto Silvas pleaded "no contest" to a charge of
intoxication assault in connection with a vehicle accident,
and was sentenced to five years community supervision, a
$500 fine and $164.50 court costs.

District Attorney Randy Reynolds dismissed a delivery of
cocaine charge against Johnny Lowell Strain rather than
reveal the name of the confidential informant.

Strain was charged with selling cocaine to an undercover
officer within 1,000 feet of school property at 1201 W.
Fourth St.

Delivery of cocaine charges were dismissed against Dulces
Nombres Mata and Francisco Herrera Perez because they were
each convicted in another case.

Hearings on pre-trial motions filed by both the state and
defense were rescheduled in the drug violation charges
against William Bechtel, Alta Ruth Bechtel and Skyler
Bechtel.

District Attorney Randy Reynolds has filed motions to
require the defendants to submit to palm and fingerprinting.

Defense Attorney Scott Johnson has filed motions to suppress
evidence.

Motel held most liable for injuries

Jurors in 143rd District Court on Wednesday found Pecos
Holiday Inn Inc. 75 percent responsible for cuts a young El
Paso girl received when she walked through a plate-glass
window at the motel in March, 1995.

Claudia Gurrola received cuts to her wrist, hand and knee in
the accident, according to medical records introduced during
the one-day trial.

The jury found her past and future medical expenses were
$14,560; damages for physical pain and mental anguish
$20,000, impairment $20,000 and disfigurement $10,000.

Carmen Gurrola filed the suit on behalf of her daughter. She
was represented by Joel Fry. Scott Tidwell represented
Holiday Inn.

New job part of Swaim's eventful year

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer

"It's been a very eventful year," said Dan Swaim, who was
referring to just the last seven months leading up to his
appointment Thursday as the Pecos Eagles' new head football
coach.

News of the change was first leaked a week earlier, shortly
after interviews were conducted with Swaim and the nine of
the applicants. The action came a month after head coach
Mike Belew was reassigned by new superintendent Don Love,
but wasn't finalized until the unanimous vote by the school
board.

The former assistant to Belew began the current school year
in the hospital after emergency appendectomy surgery. "I
missed all of two-a-days after that, and a lot of other
things have happened. to go from a position that you don't
know if you have a job to getting this one has been fun."

Pecos fans will be hoping things are more fun next year,
when Swaim debuts as coach and the Eagles debut in their new
District 2-4A alignment.

After going against Andrews, San Angelo and Fort Stockton
for the past 18 years, and against Sweetwater, Big Spring,
Monahans and Snyder for most of that time, the Eagles' new
district is expected to be a far weaker one, with four of
their five rivals having just recently moved up from Class
3A.

As a result, Pecos is the unofficial early favorite to take
the 2-4A grid title. But after an 0-5 district mark in a 4-6
season, and with junior varsity and freshman teams coming
off winless records, Swaim realizes the 1998 Eagles will
have to do more than just show up to earn their first
playoff berth in 23 years.

"We're going to be in a rebuilding year. Just because we've
moved to a new district doesn't mean miracles happen
overnight," he said. "If we don't work hard, we're going to
get beat."

"At the varsity level right now it looks like we're going to
be pretty young. We lost our offensive linemen from last
year, and we need to fill their shoes. But as far as the
skill positions (backs, receivers, defensive secondary),
we're still in good shape."

Swaim served under Belew during his two seasons in Pecos, in
which the Eagles posted identical 4-6 marks. He also played
for him at Odessa Permian in the early 1980s, and said as
far as Pecos' offensive ad defensive schemes, they won't
change much next season.

"Basically, the offense we're going to stay with is the
wing-T, and we're going to stay with the `29' defense. When
you come to watch us you won't see much change. There will
be a few things different, but the as far as the basic
offense and defense, what we do will be the same."

What Swaim will try to change is the same problem Belew
faced when he arrived in Pecos two years ago - increasing
the Eagles' participation rate. It went up in 1996 at the
sub-varsity level and the results showed on the field, as
the JV and freshmen went a combined 15-4. But those numbers
fell back this past season, and again, the results were
reflected in the teams' records.

"I don't see a problem, really. I think you'll see a lot of
kids come back out," he said. "I've been meeting with the
players and roaming the halls just like we did in the past
trying to get out as many kids as we can. The freshmen
group's intact, but we had a lot of kids quit on the JV
level, and we need to try and get them back out here. "

Swaim also talked with the Eagles' other assistant coaches
Friday about their plans for the 1998-99 school year. "Every
coach that wants to stay will have the opportunity to stay,"
he said, while adding he expected some changes will occur
before preseason workouts next August.

"There will probably be some movement, but I'm hoping to
have it (the staff) solidified by April," he said. "I'm
looking at a couple of guys to try and bring in, but I'd
like to keep as many here as I can."

AREA NEWS ROUNDUP

The Fort Stockton Pioneer

FORT STOCKTON, Feb. 12, 1998 - A negotiation process that
has been years in the making apparently came to an end
Tuesday night with the announcement of an agreement between
the City of Fort Stockton and Texas-New Mexico Power Company
that will translate into lower rates for local consumers. By
a unanimous vote, the Fort Stockton City Council adopted a
resolution during its Tuesday night meeting, ratifying the
agreement reached between Public Utilities Commission and
the Texas Industrial Energy Consumers for rate reductions
and a plan for transition to retail competition.

The Alpine Avalanche

ALPINE, Feb. 12, 1998 - The U.S. Air Force public scoping
meeting on the Realistic Bomber Training Initiative (RBTI)
was held at Alpine Civic Center Thursday, Feb. 5. The
meeting took place just a few days after a U.S. military
plane on a low level training flight cut through a cable car
line in Italy and killed at least 20 people.

The Skyline

Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Feb. 12, 1998 - Dorothy
Talamantez, a sophomore criminal justice major at Sul Ross
State University, was killed Sunday in a traffic accident
east of Sanderson. According to Sergeant Luis Najera of the
Texas Department of Public Safety in Fort Stockton, the
one-vehicle rollover occurred before 4:30 p.m. Feb. 8 on
U.S. 90, 32 miles east of Sanderson. Talamantez was the
vehicle's only occupant.

The Sanderson Times

SANDERSON, Feb. 12, 1998 - There will be a calf production
and marketing program in Sanderson, Tuesday, March 31,
according to an announcement in a news letter sent out by
Mike Barbour, Terrell County Extension Agent-Agriculture.
There will be beef cattle industry people here, displays of
new products on the market, door prizes, free lunch,
continuing education units, and a calf will be autopsied.

The McCamey News

McCamey, Upton County, Feb. 12, 1998 - A local teacher has
been cited for outstanding performance in reading education,
The Institute for Academic Excellence announced. Wanda
Brock, who works at McCamey Middle School, was awarded
Reading Renaissance Model Classroom Level 1 Certification by
the Madison, WI, based Institute. Model Classroom
certification indicates that Brock's efforts to adopt
Reading Renaissance methods have resulted in measurable
increases in student reading performance.

The Monahans News

MONAHANS, Feb. 12, 1998 - School district administrators
Monday, Feb. 9, were asked to review the possibility of a
formal "moment of silence" to begin the day on the school
district's campuses. Board President Johnny White and board
member Steve Hurst said they did not want anyone to think
there is a sectarian motive in the request. And both noted
that the "moment of silence" at other campuses in other
school districts had been a successful focusing factor for
students.

WEATHER

Strong thunderstorms were roaring across South Texas today
and forecasts called for more showers and thunderstorms
across most of the state today.

An upper level disturbance moving slowly across the state
brought another round of rain to the state.

The exception will be in West Texas where skies will be
clearing tonight and Tuesday.

There is a slight chance of showers in western sections of
North Texas while there is a greater chance elsewhere in the
area. Skies will be clearing tonight, becoming partly cloudy
on Tuesday.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued during the night
and early today across the Hill Country for showers and
thunderstorms moving across the area in advance of a Pacific
cool front.

The showers and thunderstorms will be moving eastward out of
South Texas tonight, but forecasters warned that some of
them may reach severe levels in Southeast Texas with heavy
rainfall possible.

Skies will be clearing across South Texas on Tuesday.

Lows tonight will be in the 20s and 30s in West Texas and in
the 40s and 50s elsewhere across the state.

Highs Tuesday will be in the 50s and 60s.

OBITUARY

Lena Richardson

Services for Lena Hazel Wright McMichiel Richardson, 82,
will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1998, at the
First Baptist Church in Markham, Tx.

Burial will be in Hawley Cemetery.

She was born June 26, 1915, in Rosebud, W. Va., was a member
of the First Baptist Church of Markaham and the Order of the
Eastern Star. She served as Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace
in Matagorda County for eight years, assuming the position
after the death of her husband, Judge Richardson, and being
elected two terms, retiring at the end of the second term.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 25 years, Curtis
W. Richardson, on Dec. 19, 1979 and one daughter, Elizabeth
Brumley of Blessing, Tx.

Survivors include two daughters, Joyce Morton of Pecos and
Peggy Patterson of Whitesboro, Tx,; five grandsons; one
granddaughter and nine great-grandchildren.

Taylor Brothers Funeral Home in Bay City is in charge of
arrangements.



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Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise