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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Local, state ballots match on 15 of 17 amendments
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - Reeves County voters turned down four of the
17 proposed constitutional amendments on Tuesday's Election Day ballot.
Three of the four amendments were also rejected statewide by voters, while
local went against those across Texas in approving a plan to allow state
workers to receive pay for serving on local government boards.
Giving the governor more power was unpopular, with the largest "No"
vote on Proposition 8, "The constitutional amendment to provide that the
adjutant general serves at the pleasure of the governor."
Of 340 voters casting a ballot, 195 voted against No. 8, and 117 voted
for. Twenty-six of the ballots were marked neither for nor against. Local
voters also nixed Proposition 10, which would have allowed the governor
more control over the commissioner of health and human services, 178 against
to 137 for.
Both those measures were also rejected statewide, as was Proposition
9, which would have allowed the legislature to create a judicial compensation
commission. Reeves County voters rejected that amendment, with 184 voting
against to 121 for.
In a different vein, on authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad
valorem taxation leased motor vehicles, the vote in Reeves County was 157
against and 152 for, while that measure, Proposition 12, was approved in
state voting.
The other 13 proposed amendments gained approval in Reeves County, and
No. 13 drew the most votes, 239 for to 85 against. That amendment makes
bond money available for student loans.
Totals on the remaining propositions are: 1. 219-95. 2. 173-136. 3.
200-111. 4. 199-121. 5. 178-146. 6. 219-95. 7. 199-122. 11. 179-126. 14.
218-84. 15. 204-103. 16. 184-123. 17. 188-118.
Pecos' voting boxes were consolidated at the Reeves County Civic Center.
New marshal sky-high on Trans-Pecos
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - Robin McBride's trip from Paris to Pecos took
39 years.
That is Paris, Ill., where the new deputy U.S. Marshal for the Pecos
Division was born 39 years ago.
"This is wonderful!" said McBride of West Texas. "You take for granted
the beautiful blue sky, wide open spaces and stars in the sky. Back home
the sky is steel gray and there are no stars. I can't believe all the stars
you see out here."
Having gained his college degree in criminal justice in Indiana, McBride
worked in that state as a police officer before joining the Marshal Service
10 years ago in Hammond, Ind.
That office grew from a small operation to such a large force that McBride
started looking to the Southwest for an office more suited to his personality.
"It took me a year and a half to get here," he said. "They didn't want
me to leave, because the office there was so busy, they didn't have people
to do the work."
His new supervisor, Billy Johnson, said he worked six months to get
McBride to Pecos.
"With the staggering number of cases we are doing, this newest addition
to our office has been a long time coming, and it is very welcome," Johnson
said.
McBride's interest in the history of the Southwest led him to this area,
he said.
"I have always wanted to live in the Southwest. The history out here
is just amazing," he said.
Already, McBride and Steve Balog, a longtime deputy marshal and court
security officer, plan to explore ghost towns, cemeteries and other sites
of interest. Balog also is a history buff who often spends weekends exploring
the area.
"I always wanted to come out here and prospect," McBride said. "I have
always dressed in the Southwestern style."
McBride brought his wife, Sandy, and 8-year-old daughter to the area
last year to see if they would like it here.
"My wife liked it even better than I did," he said, despite the fact
that they lived near large shopping areas.
Upon arriving in Monahans last Wednesday with all their possessions
in a moving van, McBride was worried about getting it unloaded.
"My neighbors came over and pitched in, and it was unloaded in two hours,"
he said. "There are good people out here."
For his hobby, McBride likes to participate in World War II battle re-enactments.
He has already discovered a World War II museum in Monahans that has more
memorabilia than some of the large museums in the north.
"That's hard to find any more," he said. "When I was growing up it was
everywhere."
Veterans who attend the re-enactments often talk to the actors. "They
get very emotional sometimes," he said. "It makes me very glad I never
had to go to war. I have a lot of respect for people who have served their
country in wartime."
Battles are staged in rural areas with real machinery and blank ammunition,
McBride said. He hopes to interest others in the area in participating.
Detention center fire quickly arrested
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - Firefighters were quick to respond to a call
at the Reeves County Detention Center just after sunrise today, in reference
to a fire in a trailer on the north side of the facility.
"They responded quickly and were very efficient," said RCDC Warden Rudy
Franco.
The fire was called in at about 7:15 a.m., and was extinguished shortly
thereafter.
A heater in one of the trailer out at the construction site caught on
fire and Pecos Volunteer Firefighters were called out to the facility.
"All fire units responded, but we kept two at the scene just in case,"
said Fire Chief Roy Pena.
It took firefighters just a few minutes to extinguish the fire, according
to Pena. "They had some kind of a short, but it wasn't a big fire," he
said.
"We had a tremendous response from them and they had the fire out in
minutes," said Franco.
Franco stated that he wanted to thank the firefighters for their immediate
response and was very glad for their efforts.
"Those trailers can go up really fast," he said. "We were lucky to receive
such a quick and efficient response," he said.
The fire was in between the existing section of the prison and the new
1,000 bed addition currently being built. Construction at the facility
is an ongoing thing and will continue until next year, when the new units
will be open to house more prisoners.
Firefighters had been up early this morning also, at another location,
five miles East on Highway 80. The call came in at about 5 a.m. "They called
it in as a grass fire, but it was a railroad post that was on fire," said
Pena. The pole fire was extinguished within 10 minutes.
Suspect given probation over illegal re-entry
By PEGGY McCRACKEN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - Speedy trial is what one Mexican citizen got
Tuesday, when U.S. Magistrate Stuart Platt accepted his plea of guilty
and placed him on probation.
Omar Cardona-Arellano, 23, had been charged with illegal re-entry after
deportation, a felony assigned to District Judge Royal Furgeson.
He was arrested at McDonald's in Van Horn on Sept. 27 after Border Patrol
agents checking bus passengers noticed he appeared to be avoiding them.
A check showed that Cardona had been deported in February after crossing
the Bridge of the Americas at El Paso by misrepresenting himself.
The indictment alleged that Cardona again crossed into Texas at Laredo
on Sept. 19. He waived a trial before Judge Furgeson and agreed to plea
to a misdemeanor and accept sentencing by Judge Platt.
His case was the last of six on Platt's Tuesday docket in the Pecos
courtroom. He will return Thursday for grand jury.
First freeze of fall strikes parts of area
A light freeze extended across many parts of Central and North Texas today
as a high-pressure system kept skies mostly clear over the state.
Early-morning temperatures ranged from the 30s to 50s. Lows included
31 degrees at Bryan and College Station, 32 at Wink, 45 at Borger, and
56 degrees at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.
The Texas A&M Research Station west of Pecos recorded an early-morning
low of 33 today. Some plants showed damage from the low temperature, especially
those needing water.
Winds were southwesterly and southerly at 10 to 15 mph east of the mountains
and from the north and east at 5 to 10 mph over the mountains and far west,
with some gusts along the coast.
Temperatures dipped into the low to mid-30s near the Red River. Readings
elsewhere were in the 40s.
A slight warming trend was expected by Thursday, with some highs in
the 80s.
Council to study possible lawsuit against county
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - Pecos City Council will meet in executive session
at noon Friday to consider possible litigation with Reeves County.
The two taxing entities have reached an impasse over water rates for
the Reeves County Detention Center. Reeves County Commissioners discussed
the matter in executive session during their regular meeting last week.
Following the closed meeting, the council will open the session for
any vote that is to be taken.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Cash 5 drawing Tuesday night: Winning numbers
drawn: 8-12-22-35-37. Number matching five of five: 0. Matching four of
five: 238. Prize: $829.
***
AUSTIN (AP) - The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Tuesday by the Texas
Lottery, in order: 1-6-7 (one, six, seven)
Weather
PECOS, Nov. 3, 1999 - High Tuesday 63; low last night 33. Forecast for
today, sunny and warmer. High 75-80. Southwest wind 10-20 mph. Tonight,
mostly clear. Low around 40. Light and variable wind. Thursday, mostly
sunny. High around 80. South wind 5-15 mph. Extended forecast: .Fair Thursday
night. Low in the lower 40s.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, 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 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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