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TOP STORIESMarch 12, 1998Ward County clerk, commissioner face runoffsBy JON FULBRIGHT Staff Writer PECOS, March 12, 1998 - Ward County voters will have a couple of runoff election races to decide on April 14, while voters returned several incumbents to office in Tuesday's elections. Meanwhile, Loving County voters decided only one contested race in the Democratic primary, while the county's Republican primary election was limited to just a single voter in the nation's least-populated county. Ward County Judge Sam Massey won renomination in the Democratic Primary, defeating challenger Pam Tredaway by a 1,928-1,030 margin. Massey will face Republican Candido Gutierrez in the November general election. Gutierrez was unopposed in Tuesday's election. Winning election and facing no opposition in November are treasurer Nell Berry, who won renomination over challenger Carolyn Cunningham by a 1,693 to 1,232 margin; Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Pascual Olibas, who defeated Gene Baker, 761 votes to 530; and Ronold L. Ray, who won the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace primary vote over Daria Moore, 1,106 votes to 543. The runoff elections in Ward County will be for county clerk, where Judy Greer will face Natrell Cain, and in the elections for County Commissioner in both Precinct 2 and Precinct 4. Greer picked up 1397 votes to 1158 for Cain and 455 for Trina Orona in Tuesday's election. Candidates must receive at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. In the Precinct 2 commissioner's race, Kathy Faucett got 436 votes and Henry Cutbirth 368 to reach the runoff. The third candidate, C. Pearson Cooper, had 256 votes. In Precinct 4, Rickey McCurdy led the field of four candidates with 196 votes. He'll face Don Creech, who had 143 votes, in the April 14 runoff. Creech beat out Johnny B. Williams, who had 132 votes, while David Carrasco collected 92 votes. Barstow voters went with the rest of the county in the race for county judge, favoring Massey over Tredaway by an 81-25 margin, and gave Olibas 80 votes to 33 for Baker in the JP 1 race. But the Barstow voters lost out in the county clerk race, giving Orona 81 votes to 36 for Cain and 20 for Greer, and in the race for treasurer, where Cunningham edged Cain by a 52-48 margin. In the District 23 Congressional election, voters in Ward County favored Joe Sullivan by a 1,284-606 margin over Charles Jones, with Alan Rindfuss third with 169 votes. Jones and Sullivan will be in a runoff on April 14 for the right to face Republican Henry Bonilla in the November election. In Loving County, the only contested race was for Justice of the Peace, where McKinley Hopper defeated Socorro Fuentez by a 59-39 margin. Running unopposed were Donald C. Creager for county judge, Lenell Chandler 143rd District and Loving County Clerk, and Joe Renteria and Royce Creager for Precinct 2 and Precinct 4 commissioner. Loving voters also went for Sullivan in the congressional primary, 23 votes to 20 for Jones and 9 for Rindfuss. In the Republican primary, Loving County had just one voter, who cast his ballot for George W. Bush for governor, Tom Pauken for attorney general, Hamp Hodges for agriculture commissioner and Gary Walker for District 80 Representative. Bush and Walker won renomination; Hodges was defeated by Susan Counts and Pauken failed to qualify for the runoff, where Barry Williamson will face John Cornyn on April 14. Blackhawks conduct night flying practiceBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, March 12, 1998 - They flew into Pecos nearly-silent, close to the treeline, in groups of three to four on Monday afternoon. And throughout the week, those night noises may not be what you would first expect. The group of 11 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, flat olive drab with black markings, from 227th Aviation out of First Calvary Division of Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Tx., and the crew members that man them, have been stationed at Pecos Municipal Airport since Monday -here to conduct five days of night flying practice in Reeves County. The night training is in final preparation for intensive mock combat with an "opposing force" to be conducted later in the month at a national training center at Ft. Irwin, Ca. Private First Class Theodore Klepin estimated that the personnel consisted of about four per helicopter, forty-four in total, and said that part of the night training would include the use of "night vision goggles," or NVGs. Fort Hood spokesman Cecil Green said that night vision goggles were a light amplification device worn over the eyes that are generally used in darker areas. The fact that Reeves County has so much unpopulated space was probably one of the primary reasons the team is training here, said Green. The Blackhawk, in production since 1978 said Green, came to replace the older Hewey helicopter as the U.S. Army's primary utility helicopter. Green said the Blackhawks were typically not used as "attack helicopters," and were very durable and extensively used in Operation Desert Storm. The Blackhawks weigh about 20,000 pounds and may transport more that amount, capable of carrying as many as 11 passengers besides the crew. Some models may reach a top speed of 193 knots. Dennis Blanchard, co-manager of Pecos Municipal Airport, said that military aircraft often use the airport facilities, though it tends to be "feast or famine," to rest and gas up. "This morning we had one in from the Navy," said Blanchard, "from (United States Navy Carrier) Nimitz after a six-month deployment in the Gulf. And four Blackhawks from California on their way to Ft. Hood." Military personnel generally like the service the husband and wife team provide them, said Blanchard as his wife, Isabelle, returned with a wicker basket, containing refreshments for the pilots and crew, that she had been carrying around to the many locust-like warcraft. "We offer a quick turn-around. Get them fed. We leave no stone unturned." Blanchard said he had made arrangements for the army personnel, who will be staying on the airport grounds, to shower at Trey Park Campground. PHS student council members stand outBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, March 12, 1998 - Hard work and perseverence paid off for Pecos High School Student Council members as they get ready to advance to state competition. In addition, one Pecos High School student received a scholarship. Student council members recently submitted projects they have been working on all year for District 8 commendations. The group attended the Spring Forum in Odessa, Feb. 25, for an all-day conference. The 1997-1998 student council consists of five members from each class, one honorary member, four officers and two sponsors. The student council is divided into six committees, according to student council president Gabi Bafidis. The Outstanding Committee consits of the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer who organize main projects such as homecoming festivities and the Drug Free Rally. The remaining groups are the Pride and Patriotism Committee; the D.A.S.H. Committee, made up of two committees, the Health and Safety Committee and the S.M.I.L.E. Committee; the Teacher Appreciation Committee; and the Student and Spirit Attitude Committee. Each committee consists of a chairman and members. The name of each committee describes the kind of projects executed by the committees. While forms were approved and investigated on whether projects were completed or not, members were presented with motivational speeches on everyday leadership situations. Students spent half a day in motivational influence instruction them moved on to the business portion of the conference and the annual District 8 meeting was called to order, according to Bafidis. "During the meeting, committees from different towns were recognized for completing the correct amount of projects," said Bafidis. Pecos was given recognition in all committees that submitted forms, earning sweepstakes. Committees earning District 8 honors were Pride and Patriotism Committee, D.A.S.H. Committee, Energy and Environment Committee, and Outstanding Committee. The Teacher Appreciation Committee, and Student and Spirit Attitude Committee are not required to submit forms. Another recognition given out for the first year was a District 8 Scholarship. The scholarship which was worth $500, was given to four student council members out of the whole district. Student council president, senior, Gabi Bafidis was one of the four Stu-Co membrs who received the District 8 Scholarship. "I was really honored to have received this award especially because its the first year," said Bafidis. "I was excited because of the large number who could have received it," she said. "All the hard work that I've contributed to StuCo since my freshman year has paid off with this scholarship and sweepstakes," said Bafidis. As the meeting was adjourned, Pecos left the Spring Forum with smiles on their faces, according to Bafidis. "All committees that could enter forms were recognized and Pecos brought home sweepstakes," said Bafidis. Student council members will be advancing on to Austin, April 30 through May 2 for recognition from the state. Sponsors for the group are high school counselors Pat Cobos and Jim Adams. Choice of purchasing medicine or paying billsBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, March 12, 1998 - A growing number of people who need medication to control life-threatening illnesses, but cannot afford the drugs they need, live in Reeves County, according to several members of the community. Because of that increasing need, Community Council of Reeves County members voted at their last meeting to seek grants to fund a program to help these people buy the medicine they need.But they assigned the task to their executive director, Caprice Cox, who has been out of work lately with health problems of her own. Hence, the search for a grant has not yet begun. "The money is there, I'm sure, the problem is how to tap that money," said precinct one county commissioner Felipe Arredondo. People who have no money to pay for their medical care are considered indigent, but most people have incomes that are too high to qualify them for Reeves County Hospital's indigent care program. The Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act of 1985 put the Texas Department of Health in charge of setting income guidelines for hospital indigent care programs in this state, according to Nancy Ontiveros, Reeves County Hospital Director of Program Development and Community Services. Ontiveros said that people cannot qualify for the program if they are on any other medical program such as Medicaid or Social Security. Resources such as personal property, a vehicle with a value under $1,500, one's homestead and food stamps or resources from other federal programs are exempt from consideration as income. Still, the income guidelines are sostrict that most people do not qualify for the program. Ontiveros said that in 1997, 846 individuals from Reeves County were served under the indigent program. The county had a population of more than 15,000 in the last census. Many adults in the area do not qualify for Medicaid, are too young for Medicare, have too much income for the hospital's indigent program and either do not have jobs or have jobs that do not provide them with medical insurance and don't pay enough for them to be able to afford private insurance policies. Arredondo said some indigents are military veterans who qualify for veterans' benefits, but estimated that number to be about 10 percent of the total indigent population. He said that local chapters of both the Catholic War Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars have programs to help those people. He also said that the Catholic War Veterans plan to become more involved in aiding people even if they are not Catholic or veterans. Some people are being helped directly by manufacturers of certain medicines, Ontiveros said. However, each pharmaceutical company has its own indigent program guidelines, and a doctor must be registered with those companies before that doctor's patients can apply for the company's program. Even then, the application process can take several weeks. If a patient does qualify for the drug company's program though, they can receive their medication for free, directly from the manufacturer. "The churches had been wonderful about providing medications," Ontiveros said. Still, there are a lot of people who need medications they can't afford and are not covered by programs that provide for all of their needs. "There are a lot of people who fall through the cracks," Ontiveros said. "It is not an easy answer," said Ontiveros. "All of us who have been involved in these programs become very frustrated because people come to our programs for help and our hands are tied. We're breaking the law if we go beyond the guidelines that are set by the government," said Ontiveros. There are a few members of the community who have been willing to tell the stories of their situations, such as "Mary" who did not want her real name used. Mary and her two children have lived with her elderly parents since an automobile accident lef ther injured and unable to work. She borrowed her parents' car to pick her children up from school one day and was hit by a drunk driver. Now she doesn't have a job and her parents don't have a car. She said that her parents, who are both in their 70s, are just able to pay for their home, utilities, groceries and household necessities with their Social Security checks. Both of Mary's parents need medications which are not covered by Medicare, and their Social Security income disqualifies them for Medicaid, she said. Her mother is supposed to take medication for high blood pressure and diabetes; her father has the same afflictions, but is on antibiotics for an infection in his lungs as well. One local man, Tim Sappington, has been out of work since a motorcycle accident on March 22, 1974 left him disabled. He suffers from degenerative arthritis, as well as insulin-dependent diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. Sappington said that his insulin is being provided, but he also needs two medications for his cirrhosis, tranquilizers and sleeping pills for his chronic pain. He said that even though he doesn't have to pay for his insulin, the rest of his medications cost about $150 a month. Sappington said that his source of income is a $578 monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) check, out of which he must pay for utilities, back taxes on his home, groceries and automotive upkeep and expenses. He also has a wife and a son who live with him, but he can't claim his son as a dependent because his son is 18 years old. Sappington said that he currently doesn't have all of the medications that he is supposed to be taking and is low on the ones that he does have. He also said that he reduces the dosages of the medications he does have in order to make them last longer, even though his doctors haven't said that those medicines are effective in lower dosages. Sappington said that he has to decide every month whether to buy the medicines he needs or to use the money to take care of his family. "Do I buy my medicine or does my family have Christmas this year?" Sappington queried. He said that since he can't always afford the prescribed painkillers he needs, "it's easier to just buy beer to dull the pain." Sappington said, "After 24 years, I'm tired. Sometimes I just wish I would die. I know that's terrible to say, but I'm tired of the pain. I just want to be comfortable again." Len Carson, a local man disabled by a workplace injury, is one of those falling through the cracks between programs. Carson's right arm was amputated after an oil rig accident. He wears a prosthesis. Carson said he also suffers from gout, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Additionally, Carson is missing most of his teeth and said that he really needs dentures to be able to chew his food. He explained that it is important for diabetics to be able to chew their food well because many of them also have "bad stomachs." Carson doesn't take medications to control all of his health problems. He said that his diabetes is the non-insulin-dependent type, so he uses diet to control both his diabetes and his bloodpressure. Carson said that his income is slightly above Medicare guidelines. He has been given an estimate of $1,800 to pull his remaining teeth and fit him with a set of dentures. He said that Medicare has a "spend down" program that would pay part of the cost of his dentures, but his remaining cost would still be $706. His monthly SSI income is only slightly over that, and must also pay for his house payment, personal loans, utilities, groceries and automotive expenses. Carson also has a teenage son. Carson said one of the best sources of help in Pecos are the churches, but they can only do so much. People are faced with the choice of using their money for their medicine or their utilities, Carson said, so many people get behind on their utility payments and are faced with having their utilities disconnected because of non-payment of past-due bills. He wants to see some type of board set up that would serve as a go-between to help people who are faced with having their utilities disconnected because of bills they can't afford to pay. Carson said that "the people at the community council have been great about helping as much as they can," but that there are some people, especially the elderly, who are either too scared or too embarrassed to ask for aid, or don't even know that there are programs that could help them. The community council does have a program called the Emergency Shelter Grant Program that can help with utilities, but not on a long-term basis. Their search for grant funds to help people pay for much-needed medication will begin soon. Tough judge can show compassionBY PEGGY McCRACKEN Staff Writer PECOS, March 12, 1998 - Possessing and intending to distribute almost 500 pounds of marijuana brings a penalty of 10-plus years and a $10,000 fine in U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson's court. Monday, Judge Furgeson sentenced Theodore Michael Brewster, 46, of Van Horn, to 122 months in prison, plus five years supervised release and a $10,000 fine. Brewster, who claimed he was working as a confidential informant for law enforcement officers when marijuana was stored in his barn, was ordered to pay $2,000 per year of the fine while he is on supervised release after completing his prison term. Judge Furgeson, whose patience and courtesy with defendants and attorneys often slows court proceedings, lost that patience during a bond hearing for Cesar Gonzalez when the defendant and family members were caught lying on the witness stand. Gonzalez, who has a history of fleeing, must post $75,000 bail to be released prior to trial. Maria Leos Benavides of Marfa experienced Judge Furgeson's concern when she won her bid for probation on a marijuana possession conviction. Because the mother of two teenagers is their sole support and must raise twin grandchildren while her older daughter is in prison for the same offense, Judge Furgeson opted to depart downward from the sentencing guidelines and placed Benavides on five years probation. She must continue to work, and for the first six months must observe a midnight curfew. In a flurry of activity Monday and Tuesday, Judge Furgeson sentenced 14 defendants, accepted five guilty pleas and presided for jury selection in another marijuana possession case. Trial for Martin Todd Stone, 32, of Lawton, Okla., was set for March 23. Gerardo Jaquez-Cabello, accused of escaping from Reeves County Jail in January 1997, along with two cellmates, sought to have two of four charges in the indictment dropped on a legal technicality. Judge Furgeson said he would study the law and rule Friday whether a conspiracy charge and two aiding and abetting charges are for the same offense. Sentenced were: * Alejandro Lopez-Ayala of Kermit, 80 months, plus five years supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 294 pounds of marijuana; * Roberto Serna-Martinez, 13 months for false claim to citizenship; * Johnny Espinoza, 24 months for possession with intent to distribute marijuana; * Daniel Olivera-Montes, 18 months for possession of marijuana; * Luis Villa, 14 months, smuggling marijuana; * Isodoro Rojas-Rodriguez, 57 months for illegal entry; * Jesus Galvez, 37 months for marijuana possession; * Cecilio Sotelo-Eriquez, 15 months for marijuana possession; * Ruben Ramirez-Enriquez, 21 months for marijuana possession; and * Jorge Vasquez-Perdomo, 24 months for illegal entry. Pleading guilty to marijuana possession were: * Jose Ceniceros, Amiee Anderson, Ojilvia Moreno-Arroyo and Irma Rodriguez-Heredia. Aaron Carrillo pleaded guilty to illegal entry and was sentenced to time served, then released to the U.S. Border Patrol. Several cases on the docket were continued to April 13. WEATHERPECOS, March 12, 1998 - High Wednesday, 63, low this morning, 33. Just when it appeared that spring weather had returned to Texas, somebody left the door open. A cold front moved into the state during the afternoon yesterday, bringing gusty north winds and a reinforcement of cold air to the area. At 3 a.m. today, most of North Texas was below freezing. Readings ranged from 22 at Wichita Falls to 37 at Lufkin. Patchy light rain or drizzle was falling across the lower Rio Grande Valley early today. Temperatures were ice freezer-cold across the Panhandle and South Plains. Temperatures at 4 a.m. today ranged from 16 at Amarillo, Borger and Lubbock to 45 at Sanderson and Dryden about 300 miles to the south. A wintry mix of precipitation is possible over southern areas of the Panhandle this afternoon and tonight. Highs across West Texas should range from the 40s north to near 60 in far west parts of the region. Lows tonight should range from the 20s north to near 40 far south. Highs Friday should be in the 60s and 70s across West Texas.
Pecos Enterprise
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