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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, October 12, 1998

Board gets update on juveniles, uniforms


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Seventeen cases have already been filed with her department,
some arrests have made and other incidents reported, but the
juvenile officer for the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD stated that
she is thoroughly enjoying her new position.

Hilda Woods updated school board members on the progress in
curbing juvenile crimes.

"There's been a few cases, a couple of truancy cases, but
I'm really enjoying my job," Woods told board members on
Thursday.

She said that she is operating out of the district's
Parental Involvement Office, and that the parental aides are
very helpful.

"I do wish I had a little more privacy because when I'm
talking to a student they sometimes get uneasy, because
there are other students and people in there," Woods said.

Woods stated that sometimes the community doesn't realize
all that goes on at the schools. "We have some really great
students, some that really need attention and asking for
guidance, they don't get the structure they need in their
lives and aren't getting at home," she said.

Woods stated that someday she hopes she can spend all her
time on just the schools, since now she is dividing her time
between other cases with the Reeves County Sheriff's
Department and the schools.

Recently, a gang member left Woods a note letting her know
about some vital information about the gang, BPG, "Brown
Pride Gang," who have been notorious in Pecos for causing
problems, such as graffiti and gang fights.

"His note started off with `you've always been my friend and
I feel this is something you should know,'" said Woods. "I'm
glad he gave us that information because the vehicle
described in the note was later stopped and officers found
weapons," said Woods.

Woods stated that creating a friendship such as this is
helpful in getting situations straightened out, before they
become more intense.

Woods thanked Pecos High School principal Danny Rodriguez
and vice-principal Victor Tarin for all the help they
provide her at the high school and stated that Jimmy
Dutchover has been really instrumental in working with her
and the juveniles.

Dutchover is the director of the Carver Center, which
handles students in the district's alternative education
program.

"He's doing an excellent job and the students really like
him," she said.

Board members thanked Woods for her report and the excellent
job she is doing in the schools.

"We don't have any questions, just compliments," said board
member Louis Matta.

Rodriguez said that having officers in the school has really
helped and stated that Woods is doing an excellent job.
"We've cut down on truancy and one of the reasons we can
catch all these kids is to be on the move and that's what
we're doing with Hilda's help," he said.

In other action, the board discussed uniforms for P-B-T
school students.

Board member Freddy Lujan stated that while he was at a
seminar, one of the topics was school uniforms.

"They weren't talking about uniforms such as what boy scouts
and clubs wear, but items such as khaki pants, blue pants
with a white shirt or shorts," said superintendent Don Love.

Students would have the option of wearing blue, black or
khaki pants, or shorts with white shirts, according to Love.

"Some of them have the school's logo on the side of the
shirt," said Love.

Lujan suggested doing a survey and seeing what parents think
about this idea.

"I just wanted to see how parents feel about the idea and if
we're going to do it to start looking into it now," he said.

Matta stated that this might not be feasible for some
parents who have two to three children in the schools.

"If we do anything we need to include students and the
parents and the whole community, we don't want a fiasco like
we did last year," said Matta, referring to the student
protests over dress code violations in February and March of
1997.

"This is just for discussion right now, we don't want to
take any action on anything like this soon," said Love.

Love stated that if the idea is pursued everyone in the
community will be included.

In the audience portion of the meeting one parent spoke in
behalf of his son, who had been caught drinking on school
grounds. The student was sent to Carver and was asking that
he be admitted to the regular high school.

"He'll have to have a review in 120-days, but he wants to go
back to the regular high school now," said the parent.

Allowing the board's designee to have the discretion to
allow the return of an AEP student to the regular campus
under TEC Section 37.009(e) at the 120 day review was
approved by the board during a later session of the board
meeting.

The board also added to Dutchover's job assignments, when
they appointed him P-B-T Transportation Director at an
annual stipend of $4,800.

Dutchover will direct and manage district's transportation
and vehicle maintenance program. He will also oversee
maintenance of all district-owned vehicles and ensure safe
and efficient operation of transportation department.

Appointments included Lesley Eason, bachelor of
science/minor-biology/Abilene Christian College, at Carver
Center as an AEP Teacher.

Freeport officials delay mine's closure


By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
One new well does not a future make for the Freeport McMoRan
Sulphur Mine 40 miles northwest of Pecos. But it will keep
the mine operating a few more months.

A reduced Freeport staff had been working to plug and
abandon the mine's older wells when a shortage in the market
created a need for more sulphur, said Bill Collier, company
spokesman.

Contract workers are drilling a new well to meet market
demand, "providing the opportunity for the Culberson mine to
operate beyond the original September shut-down we had
anticipated when we announced the closure of the mine,"
Collier said.

And Hurricane Georges hampered sulphur production from
Freeport-McMoRan's mine in the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago,
because crews had to be pulled off the endangered structure
during the storm, Collier said.

"It certainly had a short-term effect on us, because we had
to pull our crews off for a time," he said.

Collier said that crews will continue the phase-down process
at the Culberson mine. He expects work on closing 300 wells
to continue into the spring.

Mining sulphur has not been as profitable as it had been in
the past, because environmental laws now force oil companies
to remove sulphur from oil and gas in the refining process,
Collier said.

In 1988, 37 percent of world sulphur was mined, and 63
percent was a by-product of oil and gas. Now only 10 percent
comes from mines and 90 percent from oil and gas, he said.

Mexican political groups protest N-dump


MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Environmental activists and members of
Mexico's five political parties marched to the U.S. Embassy
Sunday to protest U.S. plans to put a nuclear waste site in
West Texas near its border with Mexico.

``The United States must not turn its border with Mexico
into a waste dump,'' said Cristina Alcayaga, head of the
human rights commission of the ruling Institutional
Revolutionary Party.

About 1,000 people gathered to demand U.S. Ambassador
Jeffrey Davidow present their concerns to President Clinton.

There was no immediate comment from the embassy and no one
answered the phone there Sunday.

Clinton signed a law last month that clears the way for
construction of a low-level radioactive waste dump in
Hudspeth County near Sierra Blanca, about 15 miles from the
Mexican border.

Representatives of Mexico's political parties said the site
violates a 1983 U.S.-Mexico agreement that creates a zone on
both sides of the border that exclude projects affecting the
other side.

Government officials generally oppose the project, but
Energy Secretary Luis Tellez has said he has no objections
to it.

Tellez was criticized by protesters from opposition parties
as well as fellow ruling party members.

The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission,
appointed by Gov. George W. Bush, is to meet Oct. 22 to
decide on licensing the dump, which would be located seven
miles southeast of Sierra Blanca in Hudspeth County. The
site is about 120 miles southwest of Pecos.

AREA NEWS ROUNDUP

The Big Bend Sentinel


MARFA, Oct. 8, 1998 -- Presidio County Judge Jake Brisbin
Jr. has declined to publicly debate his political opponent,
Jeffrey H. Hubbard. "I am happy to discuss my position on
any issue with any voter at any time," Brisbin said. "I will
not be a party to any forum constructed by my opponent. The
respect of the voters is earned, not staged at the last
minute," he said.

The International


PRESIDIO, Oct. 8, 1998 -- Presidio Sheriff's Deputy Gilbert
Spencer must have thought he was the Lone Ranger Tuesday
afternoon on the streets of Presidio, as he found himself
alone on foot, chasing a suspected criminal and unable to
get any assistance. Deputies had been alerted to be on the
lookout for the suspect. As Spencer was enroute to the U.S.
Port of Entry to arrest a man being detained on a drug
charge, he spotted the suspect on a bicycle in the vicinity
of O'Reilly Street. When Spencer attempted to stop the
suspect, the foot race was on. Daniel Melendez, 32, of
Midland was charged with evading arrest before Justice of
the Peace Daniel Bodine. Bodine ordered Melendez jailed in
lieu of a $4,000 bond.

The McCamey News


McCAMEY, Oct. 8, 1998 -- A large number of Girl Scouts,
Brownies and Daisies met at the "Little House on the
Prairie" this past Saturday for an afternoon of fun. Girls
came from Crane, Midland, Odessa, Wink and McCamey. The
afternoon activities began at 1 p.m., with a flag ceremony
in front of the Girl Scout House. Earline Thomas was on hand
for an informative session on the history of Girl Scouting.

Sanderson Times


SANDERSON, Oct. 8, 1998 -- An Awards Ceremony and
Achievement Program for Terrell County 4-H members was held
in the school cafeteria recently. John Kennedy served as
master of ceremonies. He recognized special guests, county
judge and Mrs. Dudley Harrison, Jane Sager, Brewster-Terrell
County Family and Consumer Science Agent based in Alpine,
and J.A. Gilbreath.

Iraan News


IRAAN, Oct. 8, 1998 -- Improvements have already begun on
State Highway 349 and U.S. 190 around Iraan and through
Iraan. A contractor of the Texas Department of
Transportation will be working in Iraan for the next four
months, rebuilding State Highway 349 and U.S. 190, according
to a TxDOT official in Fort Stockton. Work was scheduled to
start on Monday, Oct. 5.

Monahans News


Monahans, Oct. 8, 1998 -- Youth are receiving more citations
for minor-in-possession of prohibited substances than ever
before, says Ward County's Justices of the Peace. Precinct 1
JP Pasqual Olibas calls the problem serious. Precinct 2 JP
Ronold Ray says the increase has come since the close of
school last Spring. Ray reports more than 50 such cases in
his court. Most of the MIP charges so far this year involve
alcohol. The MIP-Tobacco law, effective Sept. 1, is too new
to indicate any kind of a trend.

WEATHER


High Sunday 94, Overnight low 64. Tonight, fair. Low in the
mid 50s. Southeast wind 5-15 mph. Tuesday, mostly sunny.
High in the upper 80s. South to southwest wind 10-20 mph.
Weekend highs remained in the 90s, with lows of 50 and 53 on
Friday and Saturday nights.



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Pecos Enterprise
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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise