Colored Rock Map of Texas at I-20 in Pecos Pecos Enterprise

Enterprise

ARCHIVES
Archives 62
Archives 74
Archives 87
Archives 95
Archives 96
Archives 97
Archives 98
1987 Tornado Photos
News Photos 1997
News Photos 1998

Area Newspapers
Advertising
Classified


|

Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Friday, June 12, 1998

School makes big cuts in staff


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
On P-B-T ISD Superintedent Don Love's recommendation, 64
school employees are being forced to reapply in competition
for 19 retained jobs. A reduction in staff was one of the
major decisions made in Thursday evening's regular
Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board meeting.

Bates stated that during "a financial emergency," such as
the school district is currently experiencing, the school
board may reduce the number of staff when a loss of funding,
revenue and capital needs is present.

"These will be para-professionals who have been employed
with the district from one to four years," said
superintendent Don Love of those losing their jobs.

There are currently 64 para-professionals employed by the
district who will need to compete to retain their positions
next school year. Forty-five of these positions are being
eliminated, leaving just 19 positions available.

"Those individuals can re-apply with Gome Olibas or the
principals and 19 will be hired back," said Love.

P-B-T officials said that letters had already been mailed
out to those personnel and they should be receiving them
soon.

Board member Louis Matta questioned why only
para-professionals were targeted and none from the
administration office. "The community would like to see if
there's a reduction in staff there (administration) and I
haven't heard of any," he said.

Most administrators are on a contract basis just like the
teachers and can't be terminated, said Love.

"They have a contract for how long?" asked Matta.

"Most are on a one-year contract," said Love. "Actually we
have looked at the administration office also, two have
already been re-assigned."

"One went back from an administration position to teaching
and another re-assignment was made today," explained Love.
In addition the reassignment of teachers through attrition
would be included in the staff reduction.

"Each campus will have to load up on classes," said Love.

Reassignments included Eliza Acosta from fifth grade teacher
at Bessie Haynes Elementary School to science teacher at
Crockett Middle School;

Kim Anderson, from science teacher at Crockett Middle School to science teacher at Pecos High School;

Sam Campo, from physical education teacher at Bessie
Haynes Elementary School to physical education teacher at
Zavala Middle School and from assistant coach at Crockett
Middle School to football, basketball, and boys' golf
assistant coach at Zavala Middle School;

Gary Grubbs, from physical education teacher at Pecos High School to history teacher at Pecos High School;

Jessica Molinar, from special education teacher at Pecos High School to special education teacher at Bessie Haynes Elementary School;

Lezlie Olibas, from English teacher at Crockett Middle School to English teacher at Pecos High School.

Bernadette Ornelas, from bilingual fourth grade
teacher at Bessie Haynes Elementary School to Spanish
teacher at Pecos High School;

Francisco Ornelas, from science teacher at Crockett Middle School to science teacher at Zavala Middle School;

Jerry Parent from one-year term contract to a one-year dual term contract;

Jay Ragland, from history teacher at Pecos High School to physical education teacher at Pecos High School and

Angelica Valenzuela from bilingual third grade teacher at Pecos Elementary School to ESL sixth grade teacher at Lamar Middle School.

Appointments included Kim Calhoun, assistant coach/Junior
High girls' golf; Rebecca Mora Chabarria, Bachelors in
Business Administration/Sul Ross State University, no
experience, assignment: special education
teacher/Alternative Education Program; Stephen Cross,
freshman football assistant coach/track assistant coach;
Larry Crutchfield, Bachelor of Science/Meat Science/Sul Ross
State University, no experience, assignment: Crockett Middle
School special education teacher; Crispin DeLeon, Masters in
Education/Spanish/Sul Ross State University and Bachelor of
Arts/Spanish/French/Sul Ross State University Bilingual
Endorsement/University of Texas El Paso, 23½ years of
experience, assignment: Pecos Elementary School bilingual
third grade teacher.

Also, Jason Hewitt, Bachelor of Science/Kinesiology/Angelo
State University, one year experience, assignment: Pecos
High School special education, teacher/assistant junior
varsity coach; Tammie Hewitt, Bachelor of Science/Elementary
Education/Angelo State University, three years experience,
assignment: elementary teacher; Daniel R. Rodriguez,
Bachelor of Science/Recreation/Henderson State University,
no experience, assignment: Physical Education teacher/swim
coach and Eloy Tarin, Bachelor of Arts/Spanish/University of
Texas of the Permian Basin, no experience, assignment:
Bessie Haynes Elementary School bilingual fourth grade
teacher.

Resignations came from Mike Adams, Physical Education
teacher/coach/Zavala Middle School; Peter Allen, Special
Education teacher/Crockett Middle School; Marsh Lea Daggett,
Science teacher/coach/Zavala Middle School; Darrell Ericson,
English/Pecos High School; Rita Gilbreath, fifth grade
teacher/Bessie Haynes Elementary School; Hiram Luna,
Alternative Education Teacher/Carver Center; Lorenzo
Serrano, Spanish Teacher/coach/Pecos High School and John
Woodall, Special education teacher/Pecos Elementary School.

Financial emergency leads to shutdown

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

A small community will be heartbroken and tears will roll,
but Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD officials decided last night
that closing the 30 student school is the best way to regain
funds in a state of "financial emergency."

School board members were unanimous in their decision to
close the Barstow Elementary School and to bus the students
into Pecos.

The board met behind closed doors and re-opened the meeting
to discuss the closing and other items on the agenda.

The closing of Barstow would include grades first through
fifth, since kindergarten and sixth grade students are
already attending Pecos schools.

The decision came following what officials termed, "a
financial emergency."
"We're currently $128,000 short, compared to last year's
budget," said PBT ISD Superintendent Don Love.

Love explained that the district makes money by the number
of students who attend school daily.

"We're going to have to take a good long look at the ADA,
Average Daily Attendance," said Love.

There's about $435,000 that is not coming in from the state,
because of the ADA. "Every time one (student) drops out
we're losing money," said Love.

Love stated that the district would have to make major cuts
in all areas and would have to look at the budget closely
this coming school year in order to regain funds.

"We may even have to look at raising taxes, which is
something we haven't done in years," said Love. "It's a
combination of different things that are affecting our
decisions," he said.

At the end of the school year, there were 30 students
attending Barstow Elementary School. In first grade there
were four students; second grade, eight students; third
grade, 10 students; fourth grade, two students and six
students in fifth grade.

"Since I've been on the board I know we have been looking at
this as far back as nine years ago, we had decided we had
too many campuses, but made extensive efforts to save them
all," said board president Earl Bates.

"We need to look at what is more feasible for our campuses,"
said board member Alberto Alvarez.

"Why Barstow, why are we looking at just closing one
campus," said board member Louis Matta. "I have definite
feelings about singling out just one campus," he said.

"It's in the plans to look at closing other campuses," said
Bates. "If we hire somebody to come in and look at the
situation, they'll tell us that we need to cut corners and
act now," said Bates.

Bates added that they need to look at the school as a
business and run it as such.

"We're not picking on any one campus, we are looking in the
future to consolidate other campuses," said Love.

Love explained that since financial times are hard at this
time and no extra money is coming in, the board cannot
afford portable buildings for such a move at this time.

"If we consolidated other campuses now, we would need
portable buildings, which are expensive and rare at this
time," said Love.

San Angelo Lake View lost a school and are currently buying
all the portable buildings available. "They are hard to find
and I don't think we can set all that up by the time school
starts in August," said Bates.

"We would also have to look at the legalities of it," said
Love.

Maintenance Director Joe Coody stated that by the time they
advertised for bids, opened them and awarded them it
wouldn't be enough time to set up those portable buildings,
if they could even find them at this time.

"I know San Angelo is having to go all the way to Lousiana
to get portables," said board member Steve Armstrong.

"We've kept the tax rate the same and are looking out for
the best interest of our taxpayers," said Bates.

"We have to go from here to do what's in the best interest
of the whole school district and we are not picking on just
one campus, we are looking at consolidating," said Love. "We
have to look at everything," he said.

The board asked for any comments from the audience during
the open session portion of the meeting.

Barstow community member and Ward County Commissioner Julian
Florez spoke for the community located jsut east of the
Pecos River.

"Last year when we became before the board we were told, you
assured us that as long as Barstow was not a burden you
wouldn't close it and it's not," said Florez.

Florez said that the community wanted their students to
attend a local school and that it would place a burden on
them to have to travel to Pecos to get an education.

"Our community revolves around that school, the members are
very proud of it and get involved in every aspect of it,"
said Florez.

When people are looking for a place to settle, continued
Florez, one of the first things they ask is, `Is there a
school and is there a hospital nearby?'

"Everybody knows that if you don't have a school, people
will hesitate to settle in that community," said Florez.
"Now when you talk about closing Barstow, I don't think
we've been a burden," he said. "You're saying that because
you haven't raised taxes you have to close our school, well
I don't think Barstow should suffer the consequences."

Florez revealed after the meeting that he was upset because
no mention of closing Barstow had been revealed prior to the
meeting. "Otherwise, I know more Barstow community members
would have been here to voice their objections," he said.

"I just feel that they didn't give us a chance to respond
and they didn't give us a chance to come up with a better
solution," he said.

Teachers who agreed with the board's decision spoke up
during the open meeting.

"I think we've done our part, we've worked hard. Certainly
there has been a crunch at our school also," said Bessie
Haynes Elementary School teacher Marge Timmerman. "I know
down the line we'll need to look at closing some other
schools."

Timmerman stated that this is the first step and certainly
not the last. "We've stayed at $1.40 and have worked at
absorbing more, but we've got to look at doing more," she
said.

Board member Earl Bates interjected that "We've cut and cut
to the point that there's nothing left, except consolidating
campuses."

Austin Elementary school teacher Gradene Gerbert stated that
students in Toyah and Saragosa still have to get up early to
be bussed into Pecos. "We have to start somewhere and that
has to be where there is the smallest number of students,"
she said.

"It's something that you have to do, not a popular decision,
but we have to do what's in the best interest of the
district," said Gerbert. "Someone has to make a decision,"
she said.

Toward the close of the meeting, Florez once again asked the
board to consider leaving Barstow open.

The board agreed to investigate any alternative plan of
using the Barstow facility.

Two thrown, one trapped in rollover


At 9:42 p.m. Thursday, a contingent of Pecos EMS, Pecos
volunteer Fire Department, Kermit Highway Patrol and Pecos
Police Department officers converged one mile north of town
responding to a one vehicle roll-over that resulted in
several injuries.

The six-member family had been traveling south, on their way
to visit relatives in Houston, when the driver lost control
of the Ford van and ran off the straight stretch of road and
rolled the vehicle. Two of the passengers were reportedly
thrown from the van and one was pinned behind the driver's
seat. The jaws of life were used to free the man at the
front end of the vehicle, and emergency personnel evacuated
him through the rear after removing the seats and luggage.

The side of the road was littered with the evidence of a
family vacation: playing cards, stuffed animals, an ice
chest and sleeping gear were strewn behind the vehicle. A
large crowd of curious spectators had gathered soon after
the accident and were dispersed by Pecos police officers.

All six family members were transported to Reeves County
Hospital for treatment. A full report from the highway
patrol was unavailable as of press time.

A similar one vehicle roll-over occurred at mile marker 209
on U.S. Interstate 10 earlier last night.

Alleged organizer, boss of pot charged, arrested


BY PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
Federal officers have arrested 18 defendants named in sealed
indictments last month for their part in smuggling tons of
marijuana into the United States from Mexico.

Arnaldo "Hippy" Ramos-Hernandez, 26, is the alleged
organizer and supervisor of the operation. He is charged
with continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to import
and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, numerous
counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and
money laundering.

His co-defendants are charged with
conspiracy and various counts of possession with intent to
distribute marijuana from Dec. 9, 1993 to Dec. 17, 1997.

Maria Villarreal Vasquez is also charged with providing
storage and a distribution location for controlled
substances.

Others named in the indictment are: Carlos Carrasco-Quiroz,
Minerva Chavarria Chavez, Donna Glover, Jesus Manuel
Hernandez, Rigoberto Carrillo Loera, Abelardo
Lujan-Hernandez, Ildifonso Lujan-Valles, Maria Carmen Lujan,
Victor Valles Lujan, Andres Madrid-Saucedo, Raymond Scott
Marker, Alejandro Ramos-Hernandez, Hector Rodriguez-Lopez,
Apolonio Ortega Salas, Oscar Montoya Salcido and Julio Lnu.

They allegedly conspired to import marijuana into the U.S.
from Mexico by smuggling the contraband across the Rio
Grande at points within the Big Bend region of Texas,
including Redford and Presidio.

It was a part of the conspiracy to recuit and pay couriers
to drive automobiles loaded with marijuana from the border
to the Midland/Odessa area where the marijuana was
stockpiled, hidden and prepared for sale and transportation
to other distributors and to consumers, the indictment
alleges.

The defendants also purchased load vehicles, scout vehicles
and communications equipment and services in the names of
nominees, evaded law enforcement officers and discouraged
couriers and other conspirators arrested by law enforcement
from cooperating with authoroities, the indictment states.

The group promoted, sold and pushed marijuana and laundered
the profits to conceal the income from authorities, the
conspiracy count alleges.

Hippy Ramos, who is a Mexican citizen from Ojinaga,
organized and supervised the operation, according to the
indictment. He was arrested in January on a previous
indictment alleging he imported and possessed more than
1,000 pounds of marijuana in Dec., 1997.

Mariachi madness


Get ready for the sound of guitarron. The fourth annual
Mariachi Festival, sponsored by Santa Rosa Church, will be
launched at the Reeves County Civic Center tomorrow at 2
p.m. Musical groups from as far away as Monterrey, Mexico,
will be entertaining crowds until one in the morning.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $2 for children under 12. There
is no fee for children under two years of age.

Mariachi Campanas de America from San Antonio; Mariachi
Infantil Guadalupano of Monterrey, Mexico; Mariachi Alegre,
Mariachi Aztlan and Leslie Chavez, all from El Paso; and
Pecos' own Mariachi Perla are all scheduled to perform.
For more information, call Santa Rosa Church at 445-2309.

Recreation, a family affair?


By GREG HARMAN
Staff Writer
It has almost been 10 years since the West Pecos Gym was
open to the community at large. Students could hang out and
shoot hoops in the afternoons, parents were able to sweat
out grudges on the raquetball court and youngsters jumped
rope. That all ended when the building was declared off
limits by former Supintendent Mario Sotelo for safety
reasons.

But a new plan is in the works that could resusitate a
city-wide recreation program at a new building.

"What we are asking for is access to the high school's old
gym," said County Judge Jimmy Galindo yesterday afternoon.
"We can give it a facelift, put in some stationary bicycles
and weight equipment."

As his voice gets excited over the possibilities, the
variety of sports tumble forth: pee-wee football, junior and
senior league baseball, soccer, raquetball, individual
sports, etc.

Galindo presented his vision of such a group to the City
Council yesterday morning, attracting two new
representatives to sit on the board - Councilmen Johnny
Terrazas and Randy Graham. With both the city and county on
board, a consolidated, interlocal agency for area recreation
is not far from a reality.

The interlocal agreement draft circulated by Galindo only
lacks the dates, names and titles, perhaps to be decided at
the boards first meeting on Monday, before it can be enacted.

Both the county and the city have committed themselves to
$20,000 annually to run the program. Galindo suggested that
considering the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School
District was in a difficult financial situation they may be
able to contribute space instead of matching funds with the
other entities.

Superintendent of Schools Don Love said he had not had an
opportunity to review the plan, passed along to him earlier
in the afternoon, but would be "willing to look at any
proposal."

Love's biggest concerns are the cost of supervision and
maintenance at such a facility. "If you unlock it and walk
away from it, it's not going to be there long," he said.

Love expressed particular interest in getting a softball
field closer to the school. "As it stands right now, we have
kids crossing south of Interstate 20 to practice. It would
be a whole lot better if they just had to cross the street."

17 federal indictments returned


BY PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
Two of the 17 indictments returned Thursday by the federal
grand jury in Pecos involved more than 500 pounds of
marijuana.

The largest load described in Thursday's indictments, 844.74
pounds, was allegedly imported and possessed with intent to
distribute by tree women, two of them from Monahans.

Sulema Garcia, 40, of Monahans, Monica Rodriguez, 28, of
Monahans, and Victoria Balderas-Ortega, 24, of Wichita,
Kan., were arrested May 31.

Odessa residents Conrado Ramirez-Garcia, 22, and Daniel
Renteria-Nunez, 23, are charged with possession of 518.15
pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute on May 23.

Others charged with importing and possessing marijuana with
intent to distribute are Victor Borunda-Aguirre, 22, of
Cuauhtemoc, Chi., Mex., 211.6 pounds on May 24;

* Thomas V. Priddy, 50, of Kansas City, Mo., 70 pounds on
May 25;

* Martin Tarango, 27, of Chihuahua, Mex., 47.4 pounds on May
19; and

* Melissa Alonzo, 28, and Patricia Martinez, 25, both of
Petersburg, 31.4 pounds on May 28.

Charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana
are:

* Larry Mader, 50, of Spearfish, S.D., 43.2 pounds on June 3;

* Alejandro Carrette, 23, of Chihuahua, Mex., 72.7 pounds on
June 4;

* Edgar E. Carmona-Soto, 22, of El Paso, 235.44 pounds on
May 17.

* Cruz Baeza-Islas, 32, Leonardo Baeza-Islas, 46, Jorge
Baeza-Isals, 27, Julio Cesar Ortega- Naverette, 20, Alberto
Ortega-Naverette, 28, Jesus Armando Mendoza-Guadiana, 27,
and Jesus Manuel Roman-Satiestaban, 31, all of Chihuahua,
Mex., 313.91 pounds on May 15;

* Jesus Rodriguez Lopez, 40, of Ojinaga, Mex., 366.35 pounds
on June 5; and

* Sindia Inez Estrella, 27, of Odessa, 69.28 pounds on June
6.

Chester Wayne Gray, 40, of Alpine, is charged with
possession with intent to distribute 2 milligrams of
diazepam by deception and subterfuge on May 26.

Craig Jeffery Spicer, 38, of Alpine, and Phyllis Coleman
Daudel, 36, of Wimberly, are charged with selling or
offering to sell drug paraphernalia: to wit, marijuana
smoking devices.

Efrain Cortina-Amaro, 31, of Mexico, and Rafael
Sanchez-Reyes, 25, of Delicias, Chi. Mex., are charged with
illegal entry after deportation.

POLICE REPORT


EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report is
obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department,
Reeves County Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those
agencies.

The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines
of either traffic citations, animal control violations or
other court costs are considered arrests and will be printed
as such unless indicated that the fines were paid. In such
instances we will indicate payment and release.

***
Jose Alvarado, 27, was arrested at 2:08 a.m., on June 5, at
the 300 block of Mulberry Street for driving while
intoxicated. The subject was found speeding and swerving in
the street. After failing a breathilizer test, Alvarado was
charged with driving while intoxicated and transported to
Reeves County Jail.

***
Frankie Abila, 36, was arrested at 10:19 p.m., on June 9, at
the 1600 block of Morris Street for assault under the Family
Violence Act. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.

***
Joel Bravo Rubio, 23, was arrested at 4:45 p.m., on June 9,
at 1501 Cowan Street, on a warrant for burglary of $779 from
a ticket booth at the Reeves County Fair Ground on Sunday.
He was transported to Reeves County Jail.

***
Jesus Aguilar, 20, and Pablo Aguilar, 44, were arrested at
7:58 p.m., on June 11, at the 700 block of Oleander Street
on a search warrant. The younger Aguilar was charged with
possession of cocaine and a stolen firearm. Pablo Aguilar
was charged with tampering with the serial number on the
firearm. They were both transported to Reeves County Jail.

WEATHER


Sporadic shower activity will continue into the
weekend across most of Texas. But temperatures will be
climbing into the 90s or higher over most of the state
tonight and Saturday. It will be partly to mostly cloudy
across West Texas through Saturday with a chance of showers
and thunderstorms. Lows tonight will be in the 60s and 70s
in West Texas. Highs Saturday will be in the 80s and 90s
over West Texas.



Search Entire Site:


Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.

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

Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.

Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise