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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Top Stories

Monday, October 18, 1999

Cold front gives Culberson first snow of fall

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 - Light rain fell in Pecos and surrounding towns this morning, as temperatures fell into the 30's for the first time this fall.

Weather forecasters predicted freezing temperatures, prompting residents to move their pot plants inside and protect outdoor gardens. However, the freeze failed to materialize, as the overnight low was 39 at the Texas A&M Research Station west of Pecos.

Sunday's high temperature was 66 degrees, with gusty winds lowering the chill factor.

The cold front that gripped Texas did bring freezing temperatures to the Panhandle and far western mountains, with rainfall in central sections and the south.

Snow fell on Guadalupe Peak in northern Culberson County, but fell short of reaching highways in Guadalupe Pass, said Vicki Armijo for the Texas Department of Transportation.

Temperatures dropped to 31 degrees at Guadalupe Pass, the lowest recorded in the state today.

A Culberson County Sheriff's Office spokesman said that a light snow also fell in Van Horn, 60 miles to the south, this morning.

The front, which stretched from New Orleans to near Tampico, Mexico, was accompanied by an upper-level low pressure system that was triggering precipitation.

Winds were mostly southwesterly in the eastern two-thirds of Texas, bringing warm moist air in contact with cool surface air. That helped produce rain in the eastern half of the state.

Rain and showers fell along a line from Wichita Falls to Del Rio, with isolated thunderstorms between San Antonio and Brownsville and in the north.

Winds in the Panhandle, South Plains and far west were northerly at 5 to 10 mph, with gusty conditions in South Texas and along the coast.

Lows ranged from 31 degrees at Guadalupe Pass to 67 at Galveston. It was 32 at Dalhart, 46 at San Angelo and Dryden and 67 at Galveston.

A chance of continued rain was forecast through Tuesday, mixed with snow in the Panhandle.

Early voting at courthouse starts for amendments

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
District clerks can garnish wages for spousal maintenance in divorce cases if Proposition No. 7 on the constitutional amendment ballot passes.

The constitution provides for garnishment of wages for child support payments but not for spousal maintenance and is one of 17 to be voted on in the Nov. 2 general election.

Pat Tarin, a deputy in the office of Reeves County District Clerk, said that court orders for temporary spousal maintenance may be filed when the wife does not work. She may receive maintenance while the divorce is pending.

"We can garnish wages for maintenance if it is ordered by the court, but most garnishments are for child support," Tarin said.

"More and more the attorney general is issuing notice of writs through their office, so that keeps us from having to send garnishment notices out of our office," she said.

Child support payments may be made to the district clerk's office if the custodial parent does not receive assistance from the state, Tarin said.

"If they are on assistance and we have an order from the attorney general, the payments go through the AG's office," she said.

Dianne Florez, Reeves County Clerk, said that most of the proposed amendments to the constitution are so complicated the voters have a hard time understanding them.

"That's why a lot of people don't vote," she said. "I urge everyone to come out and vote, because it is important. How we vote determines how our state is run."

She said that sample ballots are available to anyone who calls or comes by her office. And the full text of proposed amendments are available in both English and Spanish for the public to read in her office.

Early voting started today in the courthouse lobby and will continue through Oct. 29.

"We are still accepting applications for ballots by mail," Florez said. "They can call the office at 445-5467 and we will mail them a ballot."

In brief, the 17 proposed amendments include:

- Changing the manner of filling the vacancy in the office of governor or lieutenant governor;

- Advances and payment of a reverse mortgage;

- Eliminating outdated and ineffective provisions of the Texas Constitution;

- Exemption of property owned by charitable agencies from taxation;

- Allowing state employees to be paid for service as a member of a local governing body:

- Increasing the maximum size of an urban homestead to 10 acres and prescribing its use;

- Providing that the adjutant general and the commissioner of health and human services serve at the pleasure of the governor;

- Authorizing the legislature to create a judicial compensation commission;

- Permitting a political subdivision to purchase non-assessable property and casualty insurance from an authorized mutual insurance company;

- Authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation leased motor vehicles not held by the lessee primarily to produce income;

- Providing for issuance of $400 million in general obligation bonds to finance educational loans to students;

- Authorizing the legislature to provide that a state board, commission or other agency shall be governed by a board composed of an odd number of members;

- Permitting spouses to agree to convert separate property to community property;

- Providing that certain counties shall be divided into a specific number of precincts, and;

- Relating to investment of the permanent university fund and the distribution from the permanent university fund to the available university fund.

New PHS track maintenance pact approved

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 - A maintenance agreement for the synthetic track surfacing of the new Eagle Stadium track was approved at Thursday's regular Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD board meeting.

"We have a super new track that we are very proud of and want to keep in good condition," said superintendent Don Love. "We're very pleased with what the board, along with the city and county, have done."

The agreement between Wilkins International and P-B-T ISD is a good way to ensure that the track stays looking as good as new, according to Love.

"We have to stay in this agreement for the next four years and then we can get out of it, if that's what we want to do," he said.

In the fifth year, the company will come in and put in another layer of latex.

The contractor agrees to supply all labor, material, and equipment pertinent to and necessary for performing the following services: quarterly, inspect the entire track, mechanically clean and effect minor repairs; yearly, inspect entire track, confer with school, mechanically clean track, effect minor repairs, touch up painted lines where excessive wear shows;

Every three years, Wilkins will re-stripe the track; and every 5-7 years, inspect entire track, confer with school, mechanically clean track, effect repairs as necessary, reseal entire track and field events, re-stripe track and provide school with a written report following every procedure outlined.

"They will re-stripe three times in 10 years," said Love.

Major vandalism, extreme misuse damage, and base failure are not covered under this agreement.

Reseal is defined as the application of an Ultraviolet stabilizing liquid to re-bond the top layers of existing rubber. There is one seal coating procedure included in this agreement. Should a second one be necessary, the school will buy the material and the contractor will install it on the track.

If rubber replacement is necessary, the school will make the purchase and the installation will be part of this agreement. Should the surface suffer total failure because of its materials makeup or other installer defects, Wilkins will provide proper specifications and site supervision for replacement. The school will pay the construction cost.

Under that scenario, the balance of time left on this maintenance agreement will transfer to the new surface, or the school may choose to begin a new full term 10-year period.

The total cost for the above services for the entire period will be $15,600, with the first year free of charge; the initial payment of $1,950, in the year 2001 and succeeding yearly payments of $1,950 will be due on each contract anniversary date.

"The contract is for 10 years, but we can choose not to renew it, but we'll be compromised after the fourth year," said Love.

In other business, the board took no action on a request from Pecos Nursing Home Director Jim Lofton to house their patients at the school in case of evacuation.

"They need a place to go in case of evacuation and have submitted an agreement and request," said Love.

Board members voted not to take any action until more information can be gathered on the situation.

Marlow Summit, Raymond Ortega and Brenda McKinney were appointed to the Reeves County Tax Appraisal District for a full two-year term, during the school board meeting.

Policy and procedures for the transportation department were approved as presented. "This is just revamping the transportation policy," said transportation director Jimmy Dutchover.

In addition to regular route hours, extra assignments are available and are assigned in accord with the policy, according to Dutchover.

Transportation employees are paid for actual hours worked. For overnight trips, a transportation employee will be paid a minimum of eight hours. The transportation director/coordinator or his or her designee may be required to make arrangements concerning additional payment, when work hours vary or when it is in the best interest of the district and the employee.

Eagle Band reaches area competition

PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 - Pecos Eagle Band members and fans are celebrating this week, after the high school band brought home a Division 1 from competition held at Socorro Stadium in El Paso on Saturday.

The band will be traveling to Odessa this coming weekend to participate in the University Interscholastic League's Area Competition, scheduled at Ratliff Stadium. Top finishers there will advance to the Class 4A State Marching Competition in Austin.

"We did great, we're very proud of them," said Eagle Band Director Bill Goff. "We've got some good competition, we'll be going up against, but we can hold our own."

The band competed against nine other El Paso area bands on Saturday and will be facing as many as 20 this coming weekend.

"If we practice the way we did last week and tend to our business, we'll do alright," said Goff.

"If they work as hard as they did before, we stand a good chance," he said.

Goff said he thought the Eagle Band stood a better chance than a lot of others because of the size of the band and the creativity.

"We've got some really good players," said Goff. Now, the thing to do is stay concentrated and work hard, he added.

Man involved in `96 shootout fighting extradition

By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 - Extradition proceedings are underway in Ohio for a man convicted of shooting at Reeves County Sheriff's Deputy Damon Compton three years ago.

Kerry Lee Williamson was convicted in early 1997 of criminal attempt to commit capital murder and was placed on 10 years deferred adjudication probation.

Compton said that the probation was transferred to Roscoe, and that Williamson skipped out. With the help of the FBI, he was located in Sidney, Ohio, and arrested Thursday.

"The district attorney is in the process of obtaining a governor's warrant to bring him back because he is fighting extradition," Compton said today.

Williamson began shooting at Compton after being approached about a theft of service from the Toyah Truck Stop Dec. 7, 1996.

"After I approached him, he became verbally abusive. His hands came up with a cocked .57 and started popping rounds," Compton said. "We secured the location and surrounded him during the night, then went in and got him at daylight."

Williamson, who was traveling in a mini-van, shot another six rounds during the night, but "We never knew where the bullets went," Compton said. "Nobody was hurt."

If Williamson is returned to Reeves County and found guilty of violating terms of his probation, District Judge Bob Parks can consider the full range of punishment for the original conviction, which is 5 to 99 years, Compton said.

Lotto

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Lotto Texas drawing Saturday night: Winning numbers drawn: 5-10-18-30-31-41. Estimated jackpot: $22 million. Number matching six of six: none. Matching five of six: 164. Prize: $1,299. Matching four of six: 7,904. Prize: $97. Estimated jackpot: $29 million.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Cash 5 drawing Friday night: Winning numbers drawn: 15-17-21-31-38. Number matching five of five: one. Prize per winner: $84,382. Winning ticket(s) sold in: Mission. Matching four of five: 189. Prize: $670.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — Results of the Texas Million drawing Friday night: Winning numbers drawn: 97-44-42-50. Number matching four of four in Group One: Zero. Number matching four of four in Group Two: Zero. Number matching four of four in Group Three: Zero. Number matching three of four in any group: 368. Prize: $300.

***

AUSTIN (AP) — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Friday by the Texas Lottery, in order: 3-0-5 (three, zero, five)

***

AUSTIN (AP) — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Saturday by the Texas Lottery, in order: 7-2-7 (seven, two, seven)

Obituaries

Hubert Merworth

Hubert "Buster" Merworth, 81, died Saturday, Oct. 16, 1999 at his home in Gorman.

Services were held at 2 p.m., today, at the Higginbotham Funeral Home Chapel with Paul Denton officiating. Burial was in Sipe Springs Cemetery.

Merworth was born Aug. 15, 1918, in Eastland, was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corp, as a medic, moved to Gorman 14 years ago, moving from Pecos where he had lived for the past 40 years. He was a member of the Gorman Church of Christ.

He was preceded in death by three brothers and three sisters.

Survivors include his wife, Norma Merworth of Gorman; one daughter, Norma Ruth Landroth of Dallas; two sons, Hubert Merworth of Sipe Springs and Boyd Merworth of Austin; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Nancy Salazar

Nancy Segovia Salazar, 37, of Pecos, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at Reeves County Hospital.

A rosary will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel. Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday int Santa Rosa Catholic Church with burial in Mt. Evergreen Cemetery.

She was born March 14, 1962, in Odessa, was a housewife, and a Catholic.

Survivors include her husband, Frank Rodriguez; her parents, Dulces and Josefa Segovia; one son, Jeremy Britton of Pecos; one daugher, Priscilla Salazar of Odessa; two brothers, Larry and Ruben Segovia of Odessa; three sisters, Delia Flores of Odessa, Sylvia Ortiz and Alicia Segura of San Diego, Calif.

Martinez Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Weather

High Sunday 66; low last night 39. Monday, mostly cloudy and cool with a 20 percent of light rain, becoming partly cloudy by late afternoon. High in the upper 50s. winds light and variable. Monday night, partly cloudy and cold. Low 35- 40. Tuesday, partly cloudy. High in the mid 60s. Extended forecast, Tuesday night, partly cloudy. Low in the upper 30s. Wednesday, increasing clouds. High in the mid 60s.



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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
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