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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, October 19, 1998

Eagle band receives top rating in El Paso


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Pecos Eagle Band members had a wonderful weekend in El Paso
after receiving a Division I award at competition held
Saturday afternoon.

"It was just wonderful for the kids, I'm so happy for them,"
said Eagle Band Director Bill Goff.

Pecos and El Paso Riverside were the only two bands to
receive Division I honors in the Class 4A competition, held
at Socorro Stadium. This was the first year Pecos has
competed in the El Paso area, after marching in the area
competition at Odessa in the past.

A total of 11 other schools were in the Class 4A competition
on Saturday, eight more than the Eagle Band had competed
against during the past two years in Odessa.

Goff stated that the students have been working diligently
and deserved the honor. "This is something they have been
striving for and have achieved and they are really excited
about it," said Goff.

The Eagle Band had not received a Division I in several
years before Saturday, in Goff's first year as band director
for the Pecos schools.

The band however, will not advance to Lubbock after this
competition. "This year only 3A's and 5A's bands will
advance to Lubbock, but not 4A bands," said Goff.

Right now, plans for the local band include working a little
bit harder to move their playing level up and go back to
fundamentals, according to Goff.

"We might give them a couple of Mondays off, so that they
rest and give them a break from all the hard work we've been
instilling in them," said Goff.

Goff stated that the band will also be working on new
routines for the fans. "I don't think it's fair the fans
have to see the same routine time after time, we'll work on
spelling out different things and do different things out in
the field," he said.

Voting begins on proposals, election races


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Early voting has begun at the Reeves County Courthouse, and
voters are urged to cast their ballots between now and the
last Friday in October for the Nov. 3 general election.

"This will continue for two weeks and anybody wanting an
application to cast their ballot by mail can do so by
calling our office," said county clerk Dianne Florez.

Florez said that individuals who have already requested an
application and have not yet received it should call her
office to try to determine what happened to the application.

"We also want all voters to be careful and to be sure and
mail off their own ballots," said Florez.

For more information call the county clerk's office at
445-5467.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush is seeking a second term and is
being challenged by Democrat Gary Mauro, while the other key
statewide race is for lieutenant governor, where State
Comptroller John Sharp and Agriculture Commissioner Rick
Perry are seeking the position vacated by Bob Bullock.

Congressman Henry Bonilla is seeking his fourth term in
Washington, and is being opposed for the second time in two
years by Charlie Urbina Jones.

Some of the more crucial items on the ballot that affect
individuals locally include the unit road system and the 4A
sales tax plan.

All voters in Reeves County are eligible to cast ballots on
the unit road plan proposal. A `no' vote would eliminate the
current system and return to one in use prior to 1990, when
each of the four commissioners would run their own road
department.

Voters in Pecos will cast their ballots for the 4A sales tax
proposal, which would take one-quarter cent of the city's
current 1 1/2 cent sales tax for use in economic development.

Both items have been the topic of discussion for some time
and the 4A tax plan has been debated in several recent Town
Hall meetings.

Also on the ballot will be the election for Reeves County
Commissioner Precinct 2. David Castillo, who was unapposed
in the Democratic primary elections held in March will be
challenged by write-in candidate Marlow Summitt. Both are
seeking to replace two-term commissioner Dr. W.J. Bang, who
did not run for re-election.

All other candidates in local races are unopposed.

Early voting will continue at the Reeves County Courthouse
through Friday, Oct. 30.

Monahans boy killed in rollover


By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
An 11-year-old boy died Sunday morning in a one-vehicle
rollover 8.8 miles south of Monahans on Texas Highway 18.
Five persons were injured.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Rodney Tucker of
Monahans said the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer was traveling north
when it drifted across the southbound land onto the sandy
shoulder.

When the driver, Gilbert Rodriguez Ponce, 15, of Monahans,
over-corrected to this right, the Blazer began a side-skid
on the shoulder and rolled four times.

The deceased, Russell Simmons, 11, of Monahans, and one
other passenger were ejected.

Injured were Gilbert Ponce, Dora Ponce, 33, Alfredo Nunez,
16, Amber Marie Simmons, 12, and Julian Acosta, 6. All were
from Monahans.

Nunez and the driver were the only occupants wearing a seat
belt, said Tucker.

Dora Ponce, Nunez and Amber Simmons are reported in stable
condition at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock with various
lacerations and fractures.

Gilbert Ponce is in stable condition at Ward Memorial
Hospital with head lacerations and contusions.

Acosta was treated for minor contusions and released at Ward
Memorial Hospital.

Death toll at 14 from weekend flooding


By KELLEY SHANNON
Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO -- Rivers and creeks roaring over their banks
after torrential storms have claimed more lives and damaged
scores of homes and businesses in San Antonio and
surrounding areas.

Search teams in Caldwell County resumed looking for an
11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy who were in a vehicle
that washed off a road. In Comal County, National Guardsmen
arrived to help local authorities look for a missing
6-year-old boy and help other flood victims. Heavy downpours
in the area have prevented them from searching with
helicopters.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush planned to tour the flood-ravaged
region this afternoon as the state prepared to apply for
federal emergency assistance. At least 14 people were
reported to have died as a result of the storms, including
six in San Antonio.

``My heart goes out to the many Texans who have been left
homeless by this devastation,'' Bush said Sunday. ``Laura
and I are praying for those who have lost loved-ones and
property.''

The rain had largely subsided by Sunday in most areas, but
the trouble was only starting for those living along several
swollen rivers.

The National Weather Service predicted record flooding today
along the Colorado River, with a crest of 31 or 32 feet at
Smithville and a new record of up to 46 feet at La Grange.
High water also was expected at Wharton, Columbus and Bay
City today as the rainfall flows downstream.

Families and business owners cleaned up Sunday after
widespread weekend flooding wrecked or destroyed buildings
and homes. Those who'd lost possessions but escaped with
their lives were grateful.

``My valuables were with me -- my two daughters and my
wife,'' said Rene Lujan, whose family returned home from an
out-of-town trip Sunday to find their house among those
devastated by Salado Creek the previous day.

Flooding began Saturday when storms dumped more than 15
inches of rain in the San Antonio area. The downpour quickly
produced swollen streams. Salado Creek, Cibolo Creek and
sections of the San Antonio River were still flowing over
their banks early today after more steady rain Sunday.

In many parts of town, cars and mobile homes were carried
away, brick buildings were damaged, vehicles were stranded
and major highways were shut down. Golf courses became
oceans. Creeks grew into wild, rushing rivers.

Most of the dead and missing were those whose vehicles were
washed off roads.

The heaviest storms moved toward Houston on Sunday, spawning
a tornado that killed a Waller County man. Authorities
across southeast Texas spent the day evacuating families by
boat.

Gov. Bush, who less than two months ago offered similar
assistance to flood-ravaged Del Rio, said he assigned 275
National Guard troops and Blackhawk helicopters to assist in
the flooded areas.

State officials planned to assess damage in San Antonio this
week in preparation for applying for Federal Emergency
Management Agency assistance.

In Comal County, where the flooded Guadalupe River destroyed
homes and businesses, authorities issued an overnight curfew
Sunday after looters began picking through damaged property.

Looting was also a problem in some areas of San Antonio.
Doris Galloway, a receptionist at the damaged Renaissance
Village apartments for the elderly, stood guard with a
friend Sunday to shoo away would-be looters.

``We ask them to leave,'' she said, adding that if the
intruders won't leave, ``We just call the police.''

Edward Carter, a cook in the complex's dining room, helped
carry out several residents Saturday afternoon as water from
Salado Creek began rising. A number of the residents are in
their 80s and 90s and must use walkers and wheelchairs. Some
had to leave their apartments without their medication.

``They were frightened,'' Carter said. ``We were glad to be
there,'' added Pearl Morris, a wait staff person at
Renaissance Village who also helped in the evacuation.

Six people -- three men and three women -- died in San
Antonio during the weekend after being swept away at
low-water crossings, said police department spokesman Al
Ballew.

Elsewhere in Texas, an 8-year-old girl was swept away by
floodwaters from a car in Pflugerville northeast of Austin
on Saturday. Another man was killed when a tornado slammed
into his mobile home near Corsicana, southeast of Dallas.

In Guadalupe County, three deaths were blamed on the storms,
and residents of Seguin had to find their own fresh water
after floods inundated water and sewage treatment plants.

The American Red Cross set up emergency shelters throughout
the San Antonio area with the capacity to hold 1,300 people
in the city. By late Sunday, an undetermined number of
displaced residents were staying in shelters or with
relatives or in hotels.

Many were still stunned at the flood destruction.

``The water was so swift,'' said Inez Casaregola, who was
staying at a La Quinta motel because the apartment where she
had lived for nine years was destroyed. ``The water just
gushed right in.''

Texas Storm Victims


By The Associated Press
A list of those killed or missing in weekend storms that
ravaged Texas:

KILLED
-- Mike McCormick, 33, was killed Saturday when a tornado
destroyed his mobile home near Silver City, about 60 miles
southeast of Dallas.

-- Frank Smith, 77, was found dead in his car early Sunday
near Blieder's Creek in Comal County.

-- 8-year-old Jessica Locke died Saturday when she was swept
from a car by floodwaters near Pflugerville. Her name was
not released.

-- A man died Sunday when a tornado swept through the Waller
County town of Brookshire, 35 miles west of Houston.

-- At least six people in San Antonio died after being swept
away at low-water crossings. The victims were Kenneth
Ludwig, 31; James Sutton, 56; Dora Munoz, 30; Camille Price,
31; Cameran Ormsby, 67; and an unidentified woman, said San
Antonio Police Department spokesman Al Ballew.

-- A 31-year-old man apparently was shocked by a live wire
and drowned as he tied off his boat on Lake Dunlap in
Guadalupe County, according to the Guadalupe County
Sheriff's Department said.

-- The body of a 23-year-old man was found in Kingsbury,
about 3 miles east of Seguin, in Guadalupe County. The man,
whose car was believed to have washed off a road, was found
on a guard rail.

-- Edgar Bill Brown, 75, was found dead inside his pickup in
Seguin's Starke Park after the vehicle was washed off a road
by the Guadalupe River, said Seguin Police Lt. Reno Reiley.

-- An unidentified 55-year-old man died of a heart attack in
New Braunfels while waiting to be rescued, police Lt. John
Womack said.

MISSING
-- A 6-year-old boy was reported missing in Comal County
after his family's car was washed off Farm-to-Market Road
1101. He had not been found by Sunday evening. Other members
of his family were rescued.

-- In Caldwell County, officials searched for 11-year-old
Heather Cottle and 7-year-old Devon McCoy, who were in a
suburban that washed off a county road, said chief deputy
Mark Hanna. The vehicle was believed to be under about 30
feet of water Sunday, Hanna said.

WEATHER


High Friday 92; Saturday 82; Sunday 76. Low Saturday morning
56; Sunday 49; today 56. Tonight, cloudy. A 20 percent
chance of rain. Low upper 40s to around 55. East wind 5-10
mph. Tuesday, cloudy. A 40 percent chance of rain. High
60-65. East wind 10-15 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