Colored Rock Map of Texas at I-20 in Pecos. Link to Travel Page Pecos Enterprise

NEWS PAGES
News
Sports
Opinion
Lifestyles
Sports Scores
Texas Lotto

SPECIAL SECTIONS
Monthly
Living off the Land

Annual
Pecos at Work
Rodeo Advance

ADVERTISING
Display Pages
Bookstore
Classified
Real Estate

TRAVEL
Area Papers
West Texas

ARCHIVES
Pecos Country History
Archives

Photo Archive

STAFF
Mac McKinnon
Jon Fulbright
Peggy McCracken
Rosie Flores

FORUM
E-Mail Forum


Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Opinion

Mac McKinnon

Observations

By MacMcKinnon
Enterprise Publisher

Tuesday, September 29, 1998

Community members urged
to vote on November 3


All elections are important and I hope everyone eligible is
registered for the election set for Nov. 3.

There are a couple of very important local issues on the
ballot this year, one dealing with the 4A sales tax which
would divert 1/4 cent of the city's sales tax to economic
development. It is not a tax increase, simply a proposal for
voters to change the way the tax is used.

The other involves our county road maintenance, a proposal
to change from the unit road system with all precincts being
under a road engineer, Russ Salcido. I hope voters will vote
to retain the present system. My philosophy is if it isn't
broke don't fix it. And it certainly isn't broke and rumors
going around about new jobs being created is a bunch of
baloney. I'll write more about that later.

The main topic for this column concerns passage of the 4A
tax proposal. Many cities have done this and it has resulted
in success. Many of our neighbors have done it including
Monahans and they already have lured one industry as a
result and others are being sought.

One city that was very successful in passing the 4A is
Wharton. That's in what I'd call South Texas. The publisher
of the paper there is Larry Jackson, a good friend of mine
and many others in Pecos. Many people will remember he was
publisher of the Pecos Enterprise in the mid-eighties before
being transferred to California.

Larry was a big backer of getting the sales tax for economic
development in Wharton. And he has helped me gather
materials to help promote passage of the sales tax proposal
in Pecos.

Wharton is a city that has used the sales tax to help boost
their economy.

I could probably write forever on the success stories of the
many people who are using this money in a successful effort.

The city has approved calling the election. Some city
officials have said that giving up this sales tax which
amounts to about $120,000 per year, could result in a city
tax increase next year. Let me quickly say that I don't
think that is the case. The city might have to tighten their
belt a bit to make up for the lost money being used for
economic development but it can be done, as at least one
city councilman has said.

The main focus now needs to be in passing the 4A sales tax.
The reason it is called by that number has to do with laws
permitting useage of that money for economic development.

All of us know the problems in Pecos. We need more jobs.
More people working leads to competition for labor which
leads to better wages for everyone, a more stable economy
and growth.

Some people obviously don't like growth. The old problem is
that nothing ever stays the same. You either go forward or
backwards. We've gone backwards for too long. It's time to
make an about face.

One of the major pushes and the reason for some of the costs
involved is to let people in industry know Pecos exists.
It's amazing how many people don't even know we're out here.

That's also a major reason the Pecos Enterprise has a
tremendous presence on the Internet. You'd be surprised how
much that Internet page has helped Pecos in being recognized.

I'll write more about this later.

Just remember to register so you can vote. And I urge you to
vote for this very critical issue.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mac McKinnon is the editor and publisher of
the Pecos Enterprise whose column appears each Tuesday. He
can be e-mailed at: bigmac@bitstreet.com

YOUR VIEW

Crime Stoppers program helps the community


To The Editor:
I would like to thank the Pecos Enterprise and KIUN/KTPX for
their dedication each week in featuring a "Crime of the
Week" for the Pecos Valley Crime Stoppers Program. Without
the support of the local newspaper, the radio station, and
our local Law Enforcement Agencies our "Crime Stoppers
Program" would not be as effective. They all three should be
commended for helping get the information on these crimes to
you the public on a weekly basis.

Chief Clay McKinney implemented a policy within the Pecos
Police Department in which Pecos Valley Crime Stoppers are
automatically given copies of all Felony Crimes reported.
The crime is then featured as "Crime of the Week." The Pecos
Enterprise features our "Crime of the Week" each week in our
local newspaper and KIUN/KTPX airs the "Crime of the Week"
both on the radio and on Channel 6 all free of charge as a
public service to the Crime Stoppers Program and our
community.

This enables the public to be aware of the type of crime(s)
and the location of the crime(s) that are being committed
within our community. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000
for information leading to the arrest and Grand Jury
Indictment on person(s) responsible for committing the
crime. Anyone with information on these crime(s) or any
other crime(s) are urged to call "Crime Stoppers" at
445-9898 and you will remain anonymous.

I would like to recognize the Pecos Enterprise, KIUN/KTPX,
Chief Clay McKinney and Sheriff Andy Gomez in Deep
Appreciation for helping the Pecos Valley Crime Stoppers
Program, we are forever grateful to you for sharing your
time and energy in helping support us and our community.

Name Withheld by Request

CRITIC'S CORNER

Weather forecasting has come a long way


Dropping out of the sky without warning, twisters from a
monstrous storm leveled three Missouri towns, leaving 44
dead, 500 injured and over $1 million in property damage on
May 20, 1957.

At a time when communication between hospital emergency
systems was still developing, the chaos of evacuation
intensified as most injured were brought to the nearest
hospital while other emergency rooms stood in wait.

Many former GIs called on their war training as they rescued
and tended injured. At the scene and cut off from medical
personnel, these recent soldiers were the only hope for many
of the injured.

Nothing defines a community more than its reaction to
disaster. "Caught in the Path, A Tornado's Fury, A
Community's Rebirth," is a story of fear and courage,
suffering and resiliency.

The hardest hit area, 4-year-old Ruskin Heights, was the
first post-war tract housing development in the Kansas City
area.

Like so many of their generation, its residents, mostly
first-time home buyers in their 20s and 30s, came to Ruskin
to raise their baby-boom families with the optimism of the
'50s. When the tornado scattered their dreams along its
path, they came back and changed a housing development into
a community.

Without the instant weather information the media provides
today, the storm's victims relied on scattered, often
delayed, radio reports, and a few impromptu television
announcements interrupting "I Love Lucy." All too often the
only warning was a hellish roar and a last-minute look at
the sky.

"Caught in the Path" serves to remind us how far we've come
in weather forecasting and how dangerous it is to be
compacent about severe weather.

Written by Carolyn Glenn Brewer, the paperback is available at a discount through the Enterprise bookstore.

Return to top


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
We support Newspapers in Education