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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Friday, December 17, 1999
OC sets dates for construction, courses
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 17, 1999 - Renovation of the old White's building for use
as Odessa College's Pecos campus is set for sometime in May, but courses
in Pecos are set to begin in January.
Construction will begin in January or February on the building in the
Airlawn Shopping Center, which was donated for the purpose of offering
college courses to the community.
Michelle Workman, director of the Pecos campus, stated that the reason
for the delay is that this the first time that the college is doing something
like this so far away from its Odessa campus. OC has held classes in the
past in smaller buildings in Pyote, and some classes will also be held
there during the upcoming semester.
"This is the first time, that they have an actual building in a place
so far," said Workman.
Federal grant funds were approved for the construction, but Congress
only approved the budget for the year 2000 about two weeks ago. "That's
another reason for the delay, we've been waiting for money," said Workman.
She said the government will start disbursement of funds in about 60-70
days. "Even if we don't have the money by January or February, we can still
start on the construction," said Workman.
"They've told us that if everything else goes well, we'll be ready by
May," said Workman. "We want to be able to hold our own summer classes."
Students who want to take college courses for credit can now take up
to 12 hours, which would make them a full-time student, according Workman.
"We'll also be offering non-credit courses, such as Spanish and computer
classes," she added.
Workman said there were some individuals and business people in the
community that want to take Spanish as a non-credit course, just to learn
the language and be able to utilize it in their place of business. "The
teacher will work with the student and teach them things they will need
to know at their particular place of business," said Workman.
Workman stated that employees in her office have been busy all with
advisements. "We've been helping the students figure out what they want
to take and now they can take up to six hours during the summer, which
would make them full-time summer students," she said.
The group is "renting" out Pecos High School classrooms in the meantime
to offer Odessa College courses. "They're all evening classes, because
we don't have our building yet," said Workman. "But they're held at different
times, so it's working out."
About 26 classes are being offered for the Spring 2000 semester and
schedules can be picked up at the office, located at 320 S. Oak, Suite
4. "These are all credit courses," said Workman.
Five college courses are also offered to Pecos High School juniors and
seniors.
Registration will be held from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., Jan. 10, at
the Pecos High School Library.
"Things are going real well, but we're looking forward to moving into
our own building," said Workman.
Natividad enters plea to theft charge
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 17, 1999 - A former worker with the Madera Valley Water
Corporation agreed to a plea bargain agreement this week in 143rd
District County on charges of theft from the water district.
Braulia Montoya Natividad was sentenced to four years deferred adjudication
of guilt in a plea agreement stemming from a charge of theft by a public
servant, a third degree felony.
Judge Bob Parks presided over the case with District Attorney Randall
Reynolds as prosecutor.
In addition, Natividad was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the
Madera Valley Water Corporation, where she had been an employee.
In October Natividad pleaded not guilty to theft of currency from her
former employer, Madera Valley Water Supply Corporation, and had filed
a motion to suppress evidence.
In the motion, filed in 143rd District Court, Natividad claimed
that law enforcement officers seized evidence from her desk and briefcase
in the Madera Valley office after she was placed on administrative leave.
Natividad said she was interrogated on March 8 by Reeves County Attorney
Walter Holcombe, was placed on administrative leave later that day, and
was prevented from collecting her personal property from the office.
On May 11, she was interrogated by a law enforcement officer who used
information obtained from her personal property left in the office, she
said in a petition filed with the court. The evidence was not seized in
connection with an arrest, and the officer had no warrant, the petition
alleges.
Natividad was charged by indictment with theft of between $1,500 and
$20,000 on Nov. 9, 1998 from Madera Valley while she was employed in the
office.
Under the terms set by the court, Natividad, was also assessed 500 hours
of community service; court costs in the sum of $437; a fine of $500 and
will pay to the community supervision officer, community supervision fees
of $40 a month.
Area's jobless rates continue to decline
From Staff and Wire Reports
PECOS, Dec. 17, 1999 - Seasonal reductions in the area's farm-related
workforce helped continue the recent downward trend in unemployment for
the Permian Basin and Trans Pecos areas, with both Reeves County and the
city of Pecos reporting a one-tenth of a percent drop in their jobless
rates during November.
The state's unemployment rate also declined one-tenth of a percent last
month, with November's 4.2 percent rate the lowest it has been in 20 years,
the Texas Workforce Commission announced Thursday.
According to the TWC, unemployment in the Permian Basin as a whole declined
from 6.9 to 6.5 percent, as the smaller workforce made up for a slight
loss in jobs compared with October's totals.
Reeves County and Pecos continue to have among the highest jobless rates
in the area, but the county's figure fell from 10.5 to 10.4 percent, its
lowest level of the year. The TWC reported a loss of 99 jobs in the county
last month as the final harvest of the year ended. Total number of jobs
was put at 5,565 but because the labor force fell from 6,327 to 6,211,
unemployment also declined.
Of those 99 jobs, all but seven were in Pecos. The city's total employment
slipped from 4,964 to 4,872, while the number of people out of work dropped
from 594 to 578. That cut the jobless rate from 12 to 11.9 percent.
Other cities and counties, including Ector County and Odessa, Andrews
city and county and Pecos County and Fort Stockton, reported similar numbers,
the TWC said.
One of the only places where that didn't hold true was in Ward County
and the city of Monahans. The county gained 75 jobs last month, but added
101 people to its labor force, causing the jobless rate to rise from 8
to 8.4 percent, the same level as in September.
Monahans' rate also was back up to September's levels, at 8.7 percent.
The jobless rate grew by 17 people last month, to 269.
The overall rate for the Permian Basin remains the highest in Texas
outside the border region, while unemployment levels were as low as 1.5
percent in Bryan-College Station.
"We've been seeing consistently low unemployment in Texas. The rate
has remained below 5 percent since December 1997," said Diane Rath, who
chairs the commission.
The TWC said about 9.97 million Texans were employed during November.
The 4.2 percent jobless rate for the month was down from 4.3 percent
in October and 4.6 percent in November 1998.
While Permian Basin rates remain above the state average, the recovery
of the oil and gas industry can be seen in the TWC's labor force numbers
from earlier this year for most cities and counties in the region.
Pecos' labor force is at almost the exact same level as in January,
when 4,876 people were working. But unemployment is down 4.2 percent, as
the city has 200 more jobs compared with 11 months ago.
Reeves County's labor force In January stood at 6,178 workers. That's
34 fewer than there were last month, but thanks to an increase of nearly
270 jobs, unemployment has fallen 3.9 percent compared with 11 months ago.
Some counties more reliant on the oil and gas industry have seen their
jobless rates fall by as much as 5½ percent, but at the same time
after seen the total number of jobs and the local labor force go down.
Andrews County's rate has fallen from 12.8 to 7.3 percent, due to a
decline of 400 people in the local labor force. The number of jobs in Andrews
is down by 50 from January of this year. Pecos County also has lost about
400 people from its labor force and 150 jobs, while unemployment there
slipped from 10.3 to 6.9 percent. Ward County's rate has fallen 4 ½
percent since the start of the year, but while the work force has dropped
by about 175 people, the county has 74 more jobs than it did in January.
Ector County, which had the area's largest labor force at the start
of the year, is now behind Midland County, which has seen only slight declines
in the number of people employed and the total number of jobs. Ector County's
labor force has fallen by over 3,000 people, while the number of jobs is
down just under 200, cutting the jobless level from 11.6 to 7.3 percent.
Midland County's labor force is down by just 700 in the past 11 months,
while its total number of jobs is also down by a little under 200 workers.
Midland's strong economy compared to other cities at the start of the year
meant jobless rates have only fallen from 6.4 to 5.7 percent, and never
got higher than 8.3 percent at any time this year, according to the TWC
figures.
Outside of the Permian Basin, an additional 6,100 Texans became employed
in the month as demand for seasonal workers during the holidays increased.
The number of unemployed workers dropped by 9,300 to 439,400, the commission
said.
The highest unemployment rate was 13.0 percent in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission,
followed by 9.0 percent in Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, 8.4 percent
in El Paso and 7.8 percent in Beaumont-Port Arthur.
Rates of unemployment in the urban areas of Texas as announced by the
TWC for November, compared with revised October figures (in parentheses)
were:
Abilene 3.4 (3.2); Amarillo 3.7 (3.9); Austin-San Marcos 2.0 (2.1);
Beaumont-Port Arthur 7.8 (8.0); Brazoria 6.4 (6.5); Brownsville-Harlingen
9.0 (8.5); Bryan-College Station 1.5 (1.5); Corpus Christi 6.2 (6.2); Dallas
2.9 (3.0);
El Paso 8.4 (8.8); Fort Worth-Arlington 2.9 (3.0); Galveston-Texas City
5.8 (6.1); Houston 4.3 (4.4); Killeen-Temple 3.3 (3.4); Laredo 6.7 (6.8);
Longview-Marshall 6.2 (6.6); Lubbock 2.4 (2.5); McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
13.0 (12.3)
Odessa-Midland 6.5 (7.0); San Angelo 3.5 (3.7); San Antonio 3.1 (3.2);
Sherman-Denison 3.9 (4.1); Texarkana 4.4 (4.7); Tyler 4.0 (3.9); Victoria
3.6 (3.8); Waco 3.0 (3.0); Wichita Falls 4.6 (4.0).
Abuse victims shouldn't fear seeking help
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second place entry in the
Pecos Enterprise's writing contest, written by Pamela Barbour and addressed
to victims of domestic abuse. It earned 164 out of a possible 180 points,
and a prize of $50.
The first prize winner, Patsy Bulsterbaum, scored 179 points and earned
the $100 first prize. Her story ran in Thursday's paper, while the third
place story will run in Monday's Enterprise.
By PAMELA BARBOUR
PECOS, Dec. 17, 1999 - Has your mate ever pushed or slapped you during
an argument? Do you have to account for every moment of your day? Does
your mate pick your friends - or not allow you to have friends? Are you
called names or put down when you do something wrong?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be a victim of
abuse. Abuse is not only physical; it is emotional and mental, too. With
physical abuse the scars are on the outside but emotional and mental abuse
scars are carried very deep within.
When you live in an abusive situation it tears away at your self-esteem.
You begin to believe you deserve the abuse, in whatever form. You do your
best to please your abuser in whatever way, in hopes that the abuse will
stop. These things aren't true.
You do not deserve to be abused in any form. Trying to do everything
right only causes the abuser to find other things wrong.
If you are in any of these types of situations you need to get help.
Your abuser isn't going to change, no matter what you do. They need help
and they are not likely to seek help on their own. You seeking help is
the best help you can give them.
Abuse can happen to anyone. Abuse does not discriminate against race,
sex, economic status, age, marital status or religion.
The cycle of abuse continues until someone stands up and says no more!
Sometimes it's a mom that stands up and says it so her children aren't
caught up in the cycle. Sometimes it's a dad who has to take a stand. At
times it's a single person who finds themselves dating only people who
hurt them. Whatever the cause may be they all have one thing in common,
the need for help.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, seek help,
and remember it's not your fault.
The following is a list of toll free numbers that can help to get you
the help you are in need of.
Alpine Hotline (24hrs.) 1-800-834-0654
Permian Basin Hotline (24 hrs.) 1-800-967-8928
El Paso Hotline (24 hrs.) 1-800-727-0511
West Park plans Christmas program
at Sunday service
West Park Baptist Church will be hosting a Christmas Program at 10:55
a.m., Sunday.
The Bell Choir will perform, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," with
"Joy to The World" sung by the congregation.
Medleys sung by the ensemble include "O Holy Night" and "Call Him Jesus."
Interim pastor Rey Carreon will deliver the sermon.
Everyone is invited to attend the special program, said Carreon.
Police Report
EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report is
obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves County
Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies.
The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either
traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered
arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were
paid. In such instances we will indicate payment and release.
***
Cathy Garcia, 17, was arrested at 12:05 p.m., on November 29, in Balmorhea,
for terroristic threat.
***
Steve Wayne Grayson, 47, was arrested at 3:41 p.m., on December 6, on
a warrant for a parole violation.
***
Ruben Anthony Martinez, 20, was arrested at 7:54 p.m., on December 6,
in the 2000 block of Scott Street, for family violence and public intoxication.
***
Ruben Villegas, 20, was arrested at 10 p.m., on December 6, in the 300
block of Ross Boulevard, on a warrant for a motion to revoke probation.
***
Tanya Yvette Valdez was arrested at 5:20 p.m., on December 7, on Capias
Pro Fine warrants. She paid the fines and was released.
***
David Maldonado, 24, was arrested at 7:23 p.m., on December 7, in the
200 block of South Oak Street, for possession of cocaine.
***
Fortino C. Aguilera, 21, Fernando T. Estorga, 33, and Alfredo Alvarez,
29, were arrested at 1:25 a.m., on December 8, at the Oasis Lounge on East
Third Street, for public intoxication. Aguilera and Alvarez were also charged
with disorderly conduct (fighting).
***
Hal Pratt, 58, was arrested at 2:09 p.m., on December 8, at the State
Theater in the 400 block of South Oak Street, for criminal trespassing/resisting
arrest.
***
A male juvenile was arrested at 5:45 p.m., on December 8, in the 2200
block of Eddy Street, for reckless driving/no driver's license/no insurance.
***
Albert V. Garcia, 25, was arrested at 8:16 p.m., on December 8, for
driving while license suspended.
***
A male juvenile was arrested at 12:07 a.m., on December 11, in the 700
block of Third Street, for a probation violation/failure to identify/evading.
***
Saul C. Saucedo, 21, was arrested at 1:10 a.m., on December 11, at Reeves
County Civic Center, for public intoxication/resisting arrest.
***
Ventura Mendoza, 43, and Evelyn S. Prieto, 18, were arrested at 1:15
a.m., on December 11, at Reeves County Civic Center. Mendoza was charged
with public intoxication; Prieto with disorderly conduct/resisting arrest.
***
Walter Raymond Waight, 21, was arrested at 4:42 p.m., on December 11,
on Highway 17, on a Capias Pro Fine warrant.
***
George Lopez Hidalgo, 28, was arrested at 2:51 a.m., on December 12,
in the 2000 block of Hackberry Street, for driving while intoxicated.
***
Anthony R. Wilson, 27, was arrested at 6:20 p.m., on December 13, on
a local warrant.
***
A male juvenile was arrested at 12:53 a.m., on December 14, in the 1700
block of Alamo Street, on a curfew violation.
***
Hal Pratt, 58, was arrested at 2:51 p.m., on December 15, in the 1000
block of South Cedar Street, for public intoxication and a violation of
a city ordinance (4-9).
***
Matthew Millan, 18, was arrested at 7:32 p.m., on December 15, in the
100 block of Western Avenue, on three warrants (evading arrest, engaging
in criminal activity, and theft).
***
Nelson Lee McGrew, 36, was arrested at 11:25 p.m., on December 15, in
the 100 block of West 13th Street, for assault under the Family Violence
Act.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Cash 5 drawing Thursday night:
Winning numbers drawn: 21-11-30-28-23. Number matching five of five:
0. Matching four of five: 278. Prize: $730.
The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Thursday by the Texas Lottery, in order:
4-5-7 (four, five, seven)
Weather
PECOS, Dec. 17, 1999 - High Thursday 65. Low this morning 35. Forecast
for tonight: Fair. Low in the low to mid 20s. North wind 10 to 20 Mph and
gusty. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High 60 to 65. North wind 5 to 15 mph Shifting
south late. Saturday night: Partly cloudy. Low in the mid 20s to lower
30s. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High in the 60s.
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
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 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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