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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, July 20, 1998

Residents dealing better with heat wave


From Staff and Wire Reports
Weather watchers say there's no end in sight for the Texas
heat wave that already has killed at least 79 people across
the state, including 43 illegal immigrants attempting to
cross searing open range.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area was in for its 15th consecutive
day over 100 degrees today, and the count should easily
surpass 20 days, said National Weather Service meteorologist
Roland Nunez.

``It looks like this trend should continue another week,
maybe two, from what we can see,'' Nunez said.

The unrelenting heat has been blamed, in part, for at least
20 deaths in Dallas County, where the temperature reached
104 Sunday and was expected to be the same today. It was
also 104 Sunday in Denton, Fort Worth, Del Rio and Wichita
Falls.

It's the worst summer heat wave for Texas since 1980, when
the state had 42 consecutive days of 100-degree
temperatures.

This year's hot weather arrived far earlier in West Texas
than in other parts of the Texas. The Trans-Pecos region had
its first temperatures in the 110 degree range in late May
and early June, so the current heat wave has caused fewer
problems in the area.

Only two heat-related illnesses have been reported at Reeves
County Hospital, and clouds `held' Pecos' high temperature
on Saturday to 101 degrees. The clouds were gone on Sunday,
and the high was back up to 108 degrees.

The heat has also been harsh elsewhere in the country.
Louisiana has reported 22 heat-related deaths, while
Oklahoma had six and California, Arizona and Missouri one
each.

``There are probably many more out there that we haven't
heard of yet,'' said Dr. Louise McFarland, Louisiana's state
epidemiologist.

Increased water use because of the heat has put a strain on
the water systems of several communities around Texas,
causing a handful of water main breaks every day. Dallas had
67 ruptured mains in two days last week and Dallas Water
Utilities has put its repair crews on 12-hour shifts.
Texas Utilities also has extra crews working to keep
electricity flowing.

``We don't have any choice,'' said Sandy Smith, a TU
spokeswoman. ``In weather like this, the luxury of air
conditioning becomes something that's a matter of life and
death.''

In South Texas, U.S. Border Patrol officials say the arid
and desolate terrain has become a graveyard for some
immigrants. At least 43 have perished.

Authorities are also investigating the death of a
13-year-old boy found on Saturday. The teen died while
trying to walk north with his older cousins, said Francisco
Z. Camacho, supervisor for the Falfurrias border patrol
station. The two older men were deported to Mexico after
they were caught.

Camacho said immigrants often think they can survive the
harsh conditions by traveling at night, but they often get
lost.

``They don't know the terrain,'' Camacho said. ``They walk
all night. Suddenly it's daylight, the sun comes up, they
get dehydrated and sick.''

Disaster declared for surrounding areas


From Staff and Wire Reports
Nearly half of Texas' 254 counties are seeking financial
help for their farmers and ranchers because of the ongoing
drought, state emergency management officials have
announced.

As of last week, 126 counties had started the process to
seek disaster declarations from federal officials, making
the farmers and ranchers there eligible for low-interest
loans.

Ben Patterson of the state's Division of Emergency
Management, an arm of the Department of Public Safety, on
Thursday said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has
declared two of those counties - Glasscock and Terrell -
drought disaster areas.

Those declarations also made Brewster, Crockett, Howard,
Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reagan, Sterling, Upton and Val
Verde counties disaster areas because of their proximity to
Terrell and Glasscock counties.

Because Reeves County does not adjoin either of those
counties, it was not automatically included in the
declaration. County Judge Jimmy Galindo said that the county
is eligible, but has not applied for the drought disaster
declaration yet.

Galindo anticipated that an application would be drafted
soon.

A total of 69 requests for emergency declarations -
including Brewster, Crockett, Pecos, Reagan, Sterling and
Upton - have been transmitted from the state to the USDA,
Patterson said.

USDA spokesman Larry Mitchell said the agency had received
only 41 requests, though it knew a total of 69 were on the
way.

Mitchell said the agency is working on the Texas requests as
quickly as possible, adding that there is nothing unusual
about the time it is taking to get the requests processed.

``We didn't start getting (most of) these until the last few
weeks,'' Mitchell said. ``We're dealing with disasters in
Florida and in every state between Florida and Texas.''

The Texas drought -- which in Reeves County is now in its
seventh year -- has cost agricultural producers about $1.5
billion in lost revenues, with a ripple effect on Texas'
economy of an estimated $4.6 billion, according to the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service.

``The losses are staggering,'' Gov. George W. Bush told a
group in Fort Worth Wednesday. ``When you combine the loss
with 1996, our farm economy is taking a serious hit.''

Temperatures since May have been unusually high statewide.
The extension service's $1.5 billion estimate of
agricultural losses -- triple the estimate in June -- shows
that this year's drought is on its way to becoming as
economically painful as the $5 billion drought in 1996.

Some crop losses are now approaching 100 percent on
non-irrigated dry-land fields, particularly in the major
cotton- and grain-growing areas of the northwestern High
Plains and the western Rolling Plains, the extension service
said.

``We are pressing hard. Like a lot of times with the federal
bureaucracy, we press and press and press, and hopefully we
get some response,'' Bush said. ``The long-term remedy is
pure and simple: rain.''

The emergency loans that the counties will receive may be
used to cover expenses incurred to continue farming
operations. Loan repayment time is usually one to seven
years but may be up to 20 years for production losses. Those
applying must be able to document at least a 30 percent crop
loss, according to federal guidelines.

``For our farmers and ranchers it is very crucial, realizing
that quite a few producers took it on the chin in 1996 with
that drought,'' said Beverly Boyd, a Texas Department of
Agriculture spokeswoman. ``Back then, some of the counties
waited four months for approval.''

Hearings set on new boll weevil zone


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
A hearing on the establishment of a boll weevil eradication
zone in the Trans-Pecos and El Paso areas has been scheduled
for next Tuesday at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research
Center west of Pecos.

The Texas Department of Agriculture will hold public
hearings in both Pecos and El Paso next week on establishing
the zone, which would be similar to other zones across the
state, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley, South Plains
and Concho Valley.

The hearings will be at 10 a.m. on July 28 in El Paso,
followed by the scheduled 4 p.m. hearing at the A&M Research
Center, located on the south Interstate 20 access road just
west of the FM 869 exit.

TDA said while a zone would be created until the plan
recommended by the El Paso/Trans-Pecos Interim Advisory
Committee of Boll Weevil eradication, the program itself
would not be implemented under this initial procedure.

Local cotton farmer Larry Turnbough was a member of the
advisory committee, and said the area originally was
designated a weevil-free zone, but the situation changed
beginning in 1995. "We're now a weevil-infested area, but
it's real light. By doing this, we're trying to eliminate
the pest before it grows into a real large threat."

He said both migrating and home-grown weevils have been
found in the Trans-Pecos since 1995, but this year's hot,
dry weather has helped to keep the infestation low.

"We're going to try and follow through with the eradication
zone and keep the expenditures at the lowest number possible
right now, before it explodes like the rest of the state."

The eradication program has stirred controversy in other
sections of the state, and farmers in the Lower Rio Grande
Valley voted to scrap the program three years ago, after
blaming it for the infestation of other insects into the
area's cotton crop.

Similar complaints were voiced in the Concho Valley region,
after it's crop was decimated three years ago by the army
beet worm. State officials said there was not link between
the worm infestation and the eradication program, and last
year farmers in the South Plains region voted to maintain
the program.

"I'm definitely in favor of some sort of control," said Bob
Bickley, president of the Trans-Pecos Cotton Growers
Association, though he added that "the final decision is up
to the farmers."

Bickley added that while the eradication program was revoked
in South Texas, "I think they're realizing they may have
made a mistake by withdrawing from the program."

According to Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry's office,
the proposed El Paso/Trans-Pecos Boll Weevil Eradication
Zone would cover 60,000 acres of cotton in 15 West Texas
counties. Along with Reeves County, they include Brewster,
Crane, Crockett, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis,
Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Terrell, Val Verde, Ward and
Winkler counties.

Turnbough said that of the 15 counties, only six actually
produce any cotton, and the members of the interim committee
were made up of farmers from those counties. "There are in
believe 11 zone in the state, and ours will border six other
zones," he said. "It takes in such a large area because it
includes all the counties that would border the others, so
that way there aren't any counties in-between that would not
be included in the program."

TDA is also accepting written public comment about the
proposed zone between now and Aug. 3. Those sending in
written comments should address them to Katie Dickie
Stavinoha, special assistant for Producer Relations, Texas
Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, Tx.,
78711. For further information, call Ms. Stavinoha at (512)
463-7593.

Revised bill removes limits on site


By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Congressional negotiators who put the final
touches on a deal allowing Maine and Vermont to ship their
low-level radioactive waste to West Texas stripped out a key
protection inserted by opponents of the proposed dump.

Despite the House and Senate's approval of an amendment that
would limit use of the dump to Texas, Maine and Vermont, the
negotiators who crafted the final version of the legislation
last week stripped out the amendment, which was strongly
opposed by the nuclear power industry.

Friday's compromise, reconciling differences between bills
passed by the Senate in April and by the House last year,
now goes back to each chamber for final approval, which
could come as early as next week.

The Senate's leading critic of the Texas Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact, Sen. Paul Wellstone,
vowed Friday to use ``every parliamentary tool available''
to defeat the compromise when it comes back to the Senate.

``This is an outrage,'' said the Minnesota Democrat, who for
years has blocked the compact in the Senate.

In addition to eliminating Wellstone's amendment limiting
the dump to the three compact partners, the negotiators also
stripped out a Senate-passed Wellstone amendment designed to
provide new legal access to communities targeted for
disposal sites.

``By removing these amendments, the conferees defied the
will of the Senate and made a mockery of the process,''
Wellstone charged.

But the amendments' opponents said their inclusion could
force reratification of the entire compact by the
legislatures of Texas, Maine and Vermont -- a process that
could take years.

``The Wellstone amendments would have violated the terms
negotiated and approved by the states,'' said David Carle, a
spokesman for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., one of eight
negotiators who quietly worked out the final language.

The two Texans on the negotiating team, pro-compact Reps.
Joe Barton of Ennis and Ralph Hall of Rockwall, favored a
``clean'' bill minus the amendments.

``I know they're happy to have it through,'' said Barton
spokeswoman Samantha Jordan.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the House author of the measure limiting
use of the Texas dump, reiterated his criticism of Texas
Gov. George W. Bush and the state's two senators for not
fighting to shield Texas from non-compact members' waste.

``The sounds of silence on this issue from most of our
statewide elected officials have sent a loud but unfortunate
message to the conferees and the entire country: `Send me
your nuclear garbage,''' said Doggett, D-Austin.

Texas officials insist the dump would be limited to the
three compact members. But critics note that the deal gives
the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority
leeway to open the dump to others.

With only three facilities nationwide accepting out-of-state
low-level radioactive waste, dump opponents fear Texas will
come under great pressure to accept other states' waste.

The congressional action comes amid a time of some
uncertainty for the dump.

Two state hearing officers concluded earlier this month that
licensing should be denied for the state's preferred site,
near Sierra Blanca, because of questions about an
underground fault. Although their recommendation isn't
binding on the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission, Bush has said he was ``troubled'' by the
findings.

The proposed dump, located some 90 miles southeast of El
Paso, would house radioactive components from dismantled
nuclear power plants, industrial waste and medical refuse.

Under the terms of the compact, Maine and Vermont would ship
their waste to West Texas in exchange for payments of $25
million apiece.

The Texas-Maine-Vermont alliance is the 10th and by far most
controversial compact up for congressional consideration. It
was negotiated under terms of a 1980 law that nudges states
to find a common solution to dispose of low-level
radioactive waste.

U.S., Mexico introduce safety strategy


By GREG HARMAN
Staff Writer
Hoping to improve the quality of life for border area
residents, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
Commissioner Dorris Meissner on Thursday announced a
proposal to launch an aggressive border-wide public safety
plan he believes will reduce injuries and help prevent
fatalities.

"This unprecedented effort will become an integral part of
our border strategy," Meissner said, "and will enable us to
work together with the Mexican government to make the border
safer for both migrants and law enforcement officers."

Specific, high-danger areas have been pinpointed by the
service and four areas are to be given immediate attention:
the Kennedy County area in southern Texas; eastern San Diego
County; the desert regions of Imperial County, Calif.,
including the All-American Canal; and the desert regions of
Yuma, Ariz.

The Mexican government has begun to line these areas with
signs proclaiming them as "dangerous crossing points," and
the INS has been placing more resources, including lighting
and manpower, in these areas.

Other prevention activities include higher levels of
coordination activities between United States and Mexican
agencies on border issues, expansion of public information
campaigns aimed at warning would-be crossers of dangerous
crossing points and monetary rewards that lead to the arrest
and indictment of "coyotes" -- those who lead groups across
the border into the United States illegally.

The new safety initiative also includes search and rescue
procedures and identification programs for border crossers.

The Border Patrol will begin receiving assistance from the
Civil Air Patrol -- a civilian agency that operates the
world's largest fleet of civil aircraft and provide
emergency assistance to a variety of organizations -- later
this summer. Personnel will begin to receive water rescue
assistance training, and toll-free numbers will be put into
operation for better contact between civilians and the
Border Patrol.

Also, for the first time ever, procedures and resources to
help local officials identify those who have died while
attempting to cross the border will be initiated.

Discussed in part at the recent Bi-national Commission in
Washington earlier in the month, this public safety
initiative was developed in cooperation with Mexican
officials and state and local governments of border
communities, according to Border Patrol officials.

"We have accomplished much in the last five years, and this
initiative will allow us to build on these successes and
help make border communities safer and more vital for people
who live there," said Meissner.

The emergency medical training that officers will receive
will assist Border Patrol agents working in hazardous areas
should they become injured.

"Border safety is a two-way street, and this initiative will
do a great deal to make the border a safer place for
migrants, law enforcement officers, and U.S. residents,"
said Gus de la Vina, Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. "This
effort will enable us to make the protection of human life
the highest priority of our border activities."

Moon landing, drive-ins tops in stamp vote


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Drive-in movie theaters and the first
manned landing on the moon were the top vote-getters when
the U.S. Postal Service asked Americans what they wanted
depicted on blocks of stamps commemorating the 1950s and
'60s.

Subjects and people such as organ transplants, the careers
of John and Robert Kennedy, environmental awareness and the
Cold War went on the reject pile, even if they had a
significant effect on American life.

For each decade of the 20th century, the Postal Service
compiled a list of 30 subjects and solicited votes through
ballots at post offices and on the Internet. The top 15
choices for each decade will become stamps.

Voters' favorite topic of the 1950s was drive-in movies,
which received 456,176 votes. The ``I Love Lucy'' television
series was second with 453,903 votes, and Dr. Seuss' ``The
Cat in the Hat'' was third with 449,919.

The first moon walk, clearly a milestone in the collective
memory, scored first place among topics for 1960s stamps
with 534,734 votes. But the second favorite was the
beginning of the National Football League's Super Bowl,
459,578 votes. Next was the three-prong peace symbol,
407,964.

When results of the 1960s voting were announced recently,
questions were raised about how the assassinations of the
Kennedy brothers and of civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr. could have been overlooked. The three were included
as possible subjects, though not through their deaths.
Postal spokesman Don Smeraldi said the agency did not seek
to highlight tragedy.

King made the list of stamps with commemoration for his ``I
Have a Dream'' speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,
No. 4 in the 1960s balloting with 392,441 votes.

Just 227,139 wanted a stamp commemorating the careers of the
Kennedy brothers, president and attorney general, placing
them 20th and outside the top 15 stamp subjects.

Other losers in the 1960s voting included environmental
awareness, 218,139 votes; the struggle for civil rights,
190,187; television ``live via satellite,'' 162,003; antiwar
demonstrations, 127,019; and The Great Society and Medicare,
98,616.

Voting will be this fall for 1970s topics, with later
decades to follow.

PHA meeting is rescheduled for Tuesday


The Pecos Housing Authority and Pecos Farm Labor Housing
will hold their regular monthly meeting at 5 p.m. on
Tuesday, at their administration office, 600 Meadowbrook
Drive.

Originally scheduled for last Thursday, the meeting was
postponed because the group did not have a quorum.

Monthly statements for both agencies will be reviewed,
including income and expense reports, accounts payable and
monthly occupancy reports.

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.
***
A male juvenile was arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle
at 9:13 a.m. on Friday, July 10.
***
Jeffery Wofford, 43, was arrested at 4:53 p.m., on July 10,
on Palmer Street, for public intoxication. He was
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Raymond Avila, 21, was arrested at 5:30 p.m., on July 10, at
the Sonic Drive-In in the 500 block of West Third Street,
for motion to adjudicate guilt for unlawfully carrying a
weapon. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Three Reeves County inmates were served with warrants at 9
p.m., on July 10, at the Reeves County Jail. Gilbert Chavez,
25, was served with four warrants for attempted aggravated
assault. Joel Rubio, 23, and Tomas Marquez, 30, were served
with warrants for burglary of a building.
***
Norma Avila, 32, was arrested at 9 p.m., on July 10, at the
corner of 13th and Cedar streets, on a grand jury indictment
for tampering with government records. She was transported
to Reeves County Jail.
***
Antonio Gardea, 21, Tony Rodriguez, and Ruben Hernandez were
arrested at 12:56 a.m., on July 11, on the corner of Seventh
and Ash streets. Gardea was arrested for making alcohol
available to a minor (Rodriguez). Hernandez, another minor,
was arrested for possession of marijuana. They were
transported to Reeves County Jail. At the jail, Gardea was
served with a warrant for assault causing bodily injury.
***
Jose Lopez, 29, was arrested at 1:09 a.m., on July 11, in
the 500 block of East Second Street, on DPS warrants. He was
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Rene Garza, 32, was arrested at 11:31 p.m., on July 11, at
the Riverside Ballroom in the 1200 block of East Third
Street, for public intoxication. He was transported to
Reeves County Jail.
***
Bradley Woodring, 23, was arrested at 7:39 p.m., on July 11,
at the Swiss Clock Inn, for assault by threat under the
Family Violence Act and resisting arrest. He was transported
to Reeves County Jail.
***
Ricardo Salinas, 31, was arrested at 12:44 a.m., on July 13,
in the 600 block of East Third Street, for public
intoxication. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Ruben Garcia, 19, was arrested at 12:48 a.m., on July 14, at
the corner of Third and Cedar streets, as a minor in
possession (public intoxication). He was transported to
Reeves County Jail.
***
Brian Brown, 19, was arrested at 1:23 a.m., on July 14, at
the corner of Third and Cedar streets, for possession of
marijuana. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Gregory McCowen, 34, was arrested at 3:33 a.m., on July 16,
in the 1100 block of Cherry Street, for burglary of a
building in the 900 block of South Eddy Street. He was
transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Mario Ruiz, 27, was arrested at 2:30 p.m., on July 16, at
the Reeves County Courthouse, on a warrant for criminal
trespass. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Angela Leigh, 20, was arrested at 5:30 p.m., on July 16, for
forgery. She was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Willie Mae Simmons, 44, was arrested at 2:05 p.m., on July
15, at 120 Ninth Street, on a warrant for motion to revoke
probation on a forgery. She was transported to Reeves County
Jail.
***
Luis Castillo, 40, Miguel Ramirez, 68, and Jane Vallejo, 43,
were arrested at 12:14 a.m., on July 18, in the 600 block of
East Second Street, for public intoxication and disorderly
conduct. They were transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Aurelio Carrasco, 45, was arrested at 12:47 a.m., on July
18, in the 600 block of East Second Street, for disorderly
conduct and public intoxication. He was transported to
Reeves County Jail.
***
Estevan Onsurez, 40, was arrested at 1 a.m., on July 18, in
the 600 block of East Second Street, for public
intoxication. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Daniel Sotelo, 23, was arrested at 1:28 a.m., on July 18, in
the 600 block of South Pecan Street, on a warrant for
assault causing bodily injury. He was transported to Reeves
County Jail.
***
Juan Espino, 37, was arrested at 1:59 a.m., on July 19, in
the 2200 block of South Eddy Street, for public
intoxication. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Jose Lujan, 51, and Israel Rodriguez, 59, were arrested at
2:03 a.m., on July 19, in the 100 block of South Walnut
Street, for public intoxication. They were transported to
Reeves County Jail.
***
Elias Sanchez, 46, was arrested at 2:10 a.m., on July 18, in
the 600 block of East Second Street, for public
intoxication. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
Ismael Saldana, 20, was arrested at 5:28 a.m., on July 19,
in the 300 block of West County Road, on a warrant for
theft. He was transported to Reeves County Jail.
***
A male juvenile was arrested at 5:33 a.m., on July 19, in
the 300 block of West County Road, on a warrant for theft.
He was transported to the Police Department.
***
Celestina Cerna, 44, was arrested at 11:41 p.m., on July 18,
at the Riverside Ballroom in the 1200 block of East Third
Street, for public intoxication. She was transported to
Reeves County Jail.

OBITUARY

Michael Blakeley


Former Pecos resident Michael Blakeley, 43, died Friday,
July 17, at a Lamesa hospital.

Services were at 11 a.m. today at Second Baptist Church in
Lamesa with the Rev. Clifford Igo officiating. Burial is to
follow at Lamesa Memorial Park under the direction of Branon
Funeral Home in Lamesa.

He was born July 5, 1955, in Roswell, N.M.

He was manager for Gibco Pump & Supply. He was a member of
Second Baptist Church and C.A.S.I. Chili Cookers.

Other survivors include his wife, Karen Blakeley of Lamesa;
a son, Michael S. Blakeley of El Paso; two daughters, Brandi
L. Blakeley and Toni M. Parks, both of Lamesa; his parents,
Pete and Gladys Blakeley of Rockport; his grandmother,
Gladys Newman of Rockport.

WEATHER


High Sunday 108. Low this morning 73. Forecast for tonight:
mostly clear. Low 70 75. South wind 5-15 mph. Tuesday,
partly cloudy and hot. High near 105. South wind 10-20 mph.



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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

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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise