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

TOP STORIES

March 2, 1998

Students celebrate Texas Independence Day


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 2, 1998 - Texas Independence Day will be
celebrated in Pecos by eating beans, corn dishes, corn and
dessert tonight at the Pecos Senior Center.

Students from Zavala Middle School will sponsor the $2 meal
from 6 to 8 p.m.

The students will also observe Texas Independence Day today
in several creative, fun ways.

Students along with their teacher, Cindy Duke, were present
during the regular Town of Pecos City Council meeting last
week. A proclamation in honor of Texas Independence Day,
March 2, was signed by the mayor and the week of March 2-6,
was proclaimed as Texas Independence Week in Pecos.

A "Box Dessert Auction," will also take place during the
dinner tonight.

Tumbleweed Smith will be on hand telling Texas stories, from
8 to 9 p.m. at the West of the Pecos Museum, Lineberry
building. Entry fee is $5 and free babysitting will be
available.

Students have also been working diligently on a special
cookbook titled, "Lone Star Eaters Digest." The cookbook has
been compiled, illustrated and colored by Zavala Middle
School Taz students. Old family recipes are included in the
book that is on sale for $4. The book will be sold during
the dinner tonight.

The students also presented a program for the Reeves County
Retired Teachers Organization at 3 p.m. today at the Pecos
Senior Citizens Center.

"This is a fun way to get the students to learn more about
Texas history," said Duke.

Truck driver attacks DPS building


By CARA ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 2, 1998 - After apparently running over a sign
with his rig on Interstate 20 Saturday night, a
tractor-trailer driver apparently attempted a one-man siege
against the Pecos Department of Public Safety building
located on the I-20 West frontage road.

Pecos Police Department officers were dispatched to the DPS
building about 8 p.m. to respond to a man allegedly breaking
windows at the building.

Officers discovered the defendant, Andres Maciel II, 29, no
address given, on the south side of the DPS building
apparently under the influence of a substance other than
alcohol.

After being arrested, Maciel told police he had broken the
windows in an attempt to get to a phone so that he could
call the police. He claimed that there were two vehicles
following him and the drivers of the vehicles had attempted
to run him off the road.

No evidence indicated that such an event had taken place and
Maciel was taken to the Reeves County Jail where Maciel was
charged with public intoxication other than alcohol,
according to police reports.

Man charged with enticing a child


By CARA ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 2, 1998 - A 19-year-old man, already in jail
for driving while intoxicated with a suspended license, was
served a warrant for enticing a child last month.

Jesus Armendariz, 1707 South Alamo St., was arrested the
evening of Feb. 20 in the 200 block of Pecan St. The next
day, while still incarcerated in Reeves County Jail,
Armendariz, also known as "Monster," was served the warrant
for enticing a child

According to Pecos Police Department Investigator Kelly
Davis, Armendariz was served with the warrant for enticing a
child because he had been attempting to date a 14-year-old
girl.

Davis said that the mother of the 14-year-old girl had told
Armendariz not to come to their house and to stay away from
her daughter but Armendariz wouldn't do as she asked. The
mother then filed the enticing a child complaint against
Armendariz.

Armendariz was already on probation for possession of
marijuana when he was arrested for driving while
intoxicated, according to Davis. Both the DWI and the
enticing a child charge are misdemeanor offenses, Davis
said, that could result in county jail time for Armendariz,
as well as a fine on the DWI charge.

Armendariz was arrested Feb. 20 after police received a call
that a someone was driving a vehicle past a residence in the
500 block of South Park St. and the driver was harassing the
family living at the home.

A Pecos patrolman located the vehicle and stopped it. The
officer found that Armendariz was intoxicated while driving
his father's 1991 Chevrolet pickup. A witness statement
indicates that Armendariz had dented the truck while
hot-rodding earlier that evening.

Police records show that Armendariz's blood alcohol level
was .18 at the time of the arrest. A person is considered
legally intoxicated in Texas when they have a blood alcohol
content of .10.

After Armendariz was arrested, police found one open beer in
the truck and four unopened beers behind the driver's seat.

Armendariz was released from the Reeves County Jail Feb. 22
on two $500 bonds.

Heroin found in drug raid


PECOS, March 2, 1998 - Local law enforcement agents
discovered heroin in one of two Pecos houses raided last
Thursday.

Pecos police and Reeves County Sheriff's deputies executed
the first narcotics search warrant at about 5 p.m. at 419
East Fourth St. When officers searched the residence they
found six foil packets containing a substance believed to be
heroin, according to a narcotics division report.

A syringe containing a dark brown liquid, believed to be
heroin, was also found in the residence.

Adan Ramirez Garcia, 33, of 413 South Pecan St., and Ruben
Garcia Tercero, 38, of 419 East Fourth St., were arrested
for possession of a controlled substance believed to be
heroin. Both were placed in Reeves County Jail and charged
with the above offense, a state jail felony.

Later that evening, about 8, police and deputies executed
another narcotics search warrant at 823 South Locust St.
There officers found drug paraphernalia and a burnt
cigarette which contained a substance believed to be
marijuana inside the residence. Both residents of that
address, Ramon Vega and Marilyn Villalobos, were arrested.

Vega was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and
Villalobos was arrested on an outstanding municipal court
warrant. Both subjects were placed in the Reeves County Jail.

Community council at odds with PHA


By CARA ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer
PECOS, March 2, 1998 - The Reeves County Community Council
has a difference of opinion with their former landlords, the
Pecos Housing authority on what they owe PHA after moving
out or their former offices.

The community council decided to pay some, but not all, of
the items that the Pecos Housing Authority is billing them
for since the council moved out of its former offices. The
CCRC moved out of the building it used to have it offices in
after the PHA decided not to renew the council's lease.

When the CCRC moved, it took some carpeting out of an office
that it had installed, believing it to be theirs, according
to Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CCRC, Bill
Wendt.

CCRC also owned two window air conditioning units, which it
had originally decided to leave at the former building
because the units were permanently installed and CCRC
officials didn't believe the units could be removed without
breaking the windows, said Wendt. He then said that a PHA
maintenance man told CCRC members that he could remove the
units. The PHA maintenance man did remove the units for the
CCRC, said Wendt, but broke the windows in the process.

Now, said Wendt, the PHA is billing the CCRC for $602 in
damage to the floor that the carpet was removed from, even
though, he said, the PHA has a lower-cost estimate for the
cost of having the carpet replaced and installed. Wendt said
the PHA is also charging the CCRC $50 for removing the air
conditioners the CCRC was prepared to leave behind and
$18.44 to have the windows replaced that the PHA employee
broke.

In addition to those amounts, the bill from the PHA asked
for $10 rent and $75 for trash hauling.

Board member Felipe Arredondo made a motion to leave the
$755.44 PHA bill unpaid and let PHA sue them, but that
motion died for lack of a second.

The CCRC Board of Directors voted to approve payment of the
charges of $10 for rent, which they never disputed, plus the
$18.44 for the window replacement and the $50 for the window
removal. However, CCRC members said that they did not leave
trash in the building and that the condition of the building
when they left was approved by a PHA staff member, so they
want to see a receipt for the $75 trash hauling charge. In
addition, they will offer to have the carpet that was in the
office re-laid at their expense.

As for the Pecos Day Nursery, Wendt said, "The day care is
doing real well. Both Mary Patino and Bertha Meierhoff are
working real well together." He also said that the recent
playground cleanup project was very successful, and that
between the cleanup and the equipment being painted, that
the playground looks much better now.

There are a couple of vacancies on the CCRC board, for an
alternate for Sheriff Arnulfo "Andy" Gomez to represent the
poor sector and someone from Winkler County to represent the
poor sector.

The CCRC is made up of representatives from the public,
private and poor sectors. The public representatives are
county officials who hold an elected office, the private
sector representatives are from organizations that want to
be represented, and representatives from the poor sector are
people who have been elected to the board by the public, and
can be anyone who the public feels comfortable having
represent low-income people, according to Wendt.

Len Carson, a Pecos resident and alternate for Arredondo,
addressed the board on the subject of indigent care. He
expressed two concerns, one that there a lot of people who
need life-saving medications, for which prescriptions are
not covered by federal programs such as Medicaid and
Medicare, that are too expensive for the people to pay for
themselves, and that many low-income people are having
problems keeping up with their utility payments and are in
danger of having utilities disconnected.

"I think what we need to do is look into grants," said
Wendt, to try and come up with programs to provide for these
needs. The board agreed, and voted to do just that.

Also, Randy Graham, of Card, Graham and Co., presented the
CCRC's latest financial report. "It's in good shape, a lot
better shape than is has been," said Graham.

Property exemptions must be filed by April 30


PECOS, March 2, 1998 - "Non-profit organizations may qualify
for a total exemption from property taxes, but they must
apply for the exemption no later than April 30," said Carol
King Markham, chief appraiser of the Reeves County Appraisal
District.

The April 30 deadline also applies to businesses that are
receiving tax abatements with taxing units, to firms that
ship inventory out of Texas and may be eligible for the
"freeport" exemption on certain goods in transit and to
businesses that acquired pollution control property after
January 1, 1994.

Property tax exemptions are available to non-profit
charitable, youth development, religious organizations,
non-profit private schools, cemeteries, veteran's
organizations, historical and archaeological sites, and
other organizations. Requirements vary for different types
of organizations as set out in the Texas Constitution and
the Property Tax Code. Effective beginning tax year 1998,
cemeteries, charitable organizations, youth development
associations, religious organizations and other non-profit
organizations may receive a property tax exemption
immediately upon buying or acquiring a property during the
year and meeting the exemption qualifications. Before this
tax year, the organization had to own the property on Jan. 1
of the tax year.

Markham noted that cemeteries, charitable organizations,
youth development organizations, religious organizations and
non-profit private schools, once granted tax exemptions, do
not have to reapply for the exemption each year unless the
chief appraiser asks them to file again. However, they must
reapply for the exemption each year if their exempt property
changes ownership, if their qualifications for exemption
change, or if they acquire new property. The law requires
annual application for all other types of exempt
organizations.

Property owners who own mineral property or business
personal property worth less than $500 are exempt from
property taxes on those premises. No application is required
for exempting these small accounts valued at less than $500.
A property owner's mineral property accounts are added
together to determine if the total value in each taxing unit
is less than $500 and exempt. If the total value in any
taxing units exceeds $500, then the property is taxable. The
same process is used for adding together a property owner's
business personal property accounts by taxing unit to
determine if the properties are exempt from property taxes.

"Often, organizations mistakenly believe they are entitled
to a property tax exemption because they have received a
federal income tax exemption or an exemption from state
sales taxes." Markham said. The chief appraiser noted that
state constitutional requirements for property tax
exemptions are stricter than the provisions covering federal
income and state sales taxes.

"If a non-profit organization or a business with tax
abatements, freeport goods, or pollution control property
has any questions about tax exemptions, it should contact
the appraisal district office by April 30," Markham added.
Additional information is available from the Reeves County
Appraisal District office at 403 S. Cypress or by calling
445-5122.

Balmorhea school board meets tomorrow


BALMORHEA, March 2, 1998 - Balmorhea school board members
will discuss district improvement and infrastructure
upgrades in a called meeting at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in the
board room at 1st and El Paso streets.

After a public comments session the boardwill discuss the
district improvement plan, an electrical infrastructure
update, the Region 18 Board of Directors election and board
and superintendent dialogue.

Action items on the agenda include class size waivers, TSII
participation by the superintendent, selection of parent,
administrator and board representatives to the BISD
Improvement Advisory Committee, appointment of an early
voting ballot board, Region 18 ESC Interlocal Agreement
Purchasing Cooperative, approval of Jan. 13 and Feb. 10
minutes and approval of accounts payable.

A closed session will be held to discuss personnel and
conduct principal and assistant principals evaluation and
contract recommendations.

After the closed session the board will reconvien to take
any action necessary based upon discussion in the closed
session.

AREA ROUNDUP

March 2, 1998

The Fort Stockton Pioneer


FORT STOCKTON, Feb. 26, 1998 -The City of Fort Stockton,
its Economic Development Board and the Fort Stockton Chamber
of Commerce have taken an important step forward in
implementing a strategic plan for economic development in
the community. During their Tuesday night meeting, the Fort
Stockton City Council voted unanimously to approve funding
for the proposal drafted and presented by a chamber
committee chaired by incoming Chamber President Choya Young.
The proposition calls for a three-year economic development
plan focusing upon job creation, business development and
business retention.

The Alpine Avalanche


ALPINE, Feb. 26, 1998 -The 12th Annual Cowboy Poetry
Gathering will be held at Sul Ross State University Friday
through Sunday. The Alpine Gathering is the second oldest
cowboy poetry event in the United States.

The Sanderson Times


SANDERSON, Feb. 26, 1998 -The board of trustees of the
Terrell County Independent School District extended the
contracts of five people at their regular meeting Feb. 18.
The five were: high school principal, Gary Hamilton;
elementary principal, Norman Woolsey; assistant principal,
Michael Poppell; athletic director, Vance Jones and
appraiser/business manager, Blain Chriesman.

The McCamey News


McCamey, Upton County, Feb. 26, 1998 - Sammy Selby, Jr. was
found not guilty of indecency with a child following his
trial in district court last week. Selby was arrested last
August by Upton County Deputy Dale Walker and was charged
with indecency with a child. The incident allegedly occurred
on or about March 1, 1997. Selby was released after posting
a $10,000 bond.

Iraan News


Iraan, Pecos County, Feb. 26, 1998 - Central and Southwest
Corporation (CSW), parent company of West Texas Utilities
Company, has announced plans to procure renewable energy
from a new 75-megawatt wind-generation facility that will be
built near McCamey. The wind-generation facility will be the
largest in Texas.

The Monahans News


MONAHANS, Feb. 26, 1998 -The verdict is in, but not
unanimous. Ward County Commissioners have decided to start
negotiations expected to lead to the probable lease of
financially-strapped Ward Memorial Hospital to a for-profit
health care corporation. That's all that is certain.
Commissioners Monday, Feb. 23, voted 3-1 to follow Judge Sam
Massey's recommendation to negotiate with Community Health
Systems Inc. of Brentwood, Tenn., which owns or manages
several health care installations in the middle United
States.

WEATHER


PECOS, March 2, 1998 - High Sunday, 60, low this morning,
24. Tonight skies will be clear with a light wind. The low
is expected to be between 25 and 30. Tuesday will be mostly
sunny with south to southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph and
gusty. The high Tuesday will be in the mid 60s.



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324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net

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