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Archive 2004

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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Balmorhea area animals treated for rare disease

By BRENDEN BRIGGS
Staff Writer

Three horses in Balmorhea have been diagnosed with a viral disease that has not been reported in the United States in the past six years.

The first cases of vesicular stomatitis in the United States since 1998 were reported by Texas animal health officials on Wednesday to have been found in southern Reeves County. The disease causes similar symptoms to the eradicated hoof and mouth disease, but is in no way related to that disease, which has been effectively eradicated in the U.S. since 1929.

The last cases of vesicular stomatitis were discovered in Reeves County and sections of New Mexico six years ago. The disease causes blisters in the mouths of pigs, horses, sheep, goats and cows due to the viral infection associated with those tissues.

DVM Ronald Box treated the infected animals and said in an interview this morning that the animals have been treated and quarantined.

“The horses are already showing improvement. I was called out to examine the animals, and immediately afterward I called the state vets, who came in and drew blood to be sent to Ames, Iowa for testing,” Box said.

Box added that the symptoms of the disease include the characteristic mouth sores, lameness from a lack of eating, excessive salivation, severe weight loss, and a drop in milk production in dairy cattle.

“It is the dairy industry that can be most detrimentally affected. The disease spreads easily in the confined space of a dairy. Milk production would drop, and due to the antibiotics administered to the animals to prevent secondary infection, milk would have to be dumped,” Box said. “It could possible shut down a dairy for two to three months, a possibility that could bankrupt a dairy.”

Box added that the disease is rarely fatal, usually running its course within a few weeks. However, the animals will not typically eat as long as the sores are present, so a dramatic drop in weight can be expected.

The disease differs from hoof-and-mouth in that VS is much less contagious and is transmittable to equines, or horses. “Typically once you find Hoof-and-mouth in a herd, every animal is infected and must be destroyed as well as those within a specified radius of the ranch where the animals were found,” Box said.

He said states could go years without reporting an outbreak. He said that officials are not sure how the disease is maintained during periods of non-emergence, but it was possible to be reservoired in wild animal populations.

According to a press release by the Texas Animal Health Commission, the agency reacts to a report of livestock with oral blisters with an investigation to guard against the possible reintroduction of Hoof-and-mouth via a foreign animal population.

According to TAHC Director Dr. Max Coats, ranchers and other workers who are going to come into contact with a VS infected animal are recommended to wear gloves when working with the animals and to wash their hands immediately after contact.

“Humans reportedly may contract VS, and develop flu-like symptoms that can last four to seven days.”

Coats said that recent research has indicated the possibility that the disease is transmitted by arthropods, ticks, mosquitoes, mites, flies, etc., but added that the disease is also know to spread via infected fluids emanating from the sick animal.

He added that all the animal on the ranch where the infection was discovered have been quarantined, and said that before being released all of the animals will be retested for the virus before the lifting of the quarantine once the symptoms subside “All of the infected animals will remain in quarantine until they no longer pose a health threat to other livestock.”

Ministry plans revival events for Memorial Day weekend

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

A youth rally and revivals are some of the activities planned for Memorial Day weekend at the Saragosa Park Plaza in Pecos.

“We’ll also be visiting the two jails in Pecos and ministering to the inmates,” said Pastor Tito Hernandez.

The Youth Rally will be held from 2-8 p.m., Saturday, May 29, at the park plaza. Events will include rap, hip-hop and R&B music; live DJ’s; contests; refreshments and prizes.

On Friday, May 28, a revival with Christian music, testimonials and awesome preaching will be held beginning at 6 p.m. The event will also take place on Saturday, May 29.

Hernandez said that he, along with several volunteers will be going into the jails to preach and take testimonials.

“We do this around Jal, N.M., which is where we’re from,” said Hernandez. “Volunteers to help us out are always needed.”

He said that the Reeves County Sheriff’s Department and police at the Pecos Criminal Justice Center have been very helpful.

“We work in conjunction with law enforcement and that allows us to go into the jails to minister to the inmates,” said Hernandez.

The group is non-denominational and everyone is invited to attend the youth rally and the revivals.

“We have worked in this area for the past 10 years and enjoy coming to Pecos,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez said that they have done a total of 10 revivals in Pecos and many more in the New Mexico area.

“We go all the way up to Juarez, Mexico to the Santa Rosa State Prison and all over the South West to host revivals, prison ministry and church ministries,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez said that they wanted to invite everyone in the community to come out to the plaza and join them next weekend.

“We’ll also have volunteers coming in from El Paso and New Mexico to help us minister,” he said.

Scholarships given to seniors during high school ceremony

Scholarships and awards were handed out to deserving seniors during the Annual Pecos High School 2004 Senior Scholarships and Awards ceremony, held on Monday in the PHS auditorium.

Scholarships awarded include:

Academic All-American in Swimming/Åquatic Club/All American Diving went to Daniel Quintana, Will Oglesby, Betsy Lujan, K.W. Winkles/Betsy Lujan, Will Oglesby/Michael Juarez.

American Cancer Society: Desiree Hernandez, $1,500; Association of Texas Professional Educators, $400, Justin Lara, Will Oglesby, Michael Orona; Earl Bell Alumni, $500, Sarah McKinney, Ysidro Renteria, Daniel Quintana; Erica Dominguez Memorial, $500, Stephanie Herrera; Evelyn Turpin Dowling Endowment to Sarah McKinney; First Choice Power Scholarship, $1,000 to Ysidro Renteria; Floyd Estrada, $500 to Joseph Lujan; Flying J, $1,000 to Daniel Quintana; Golden Girl, $2,332 to Maritza Sandova, $833 to Cathy Guebara and $633 to Natalia Ornelas; Jaime Rodriguez Courage Award Scholarship to Will Oglesby; Jim Tre Espy Memorial Scholarship, Sarah McKinney/Sal Nichols; Knights of Columbus, $200 to Ysidro Renteria, Bre’Ann Windham , Sarah McKinney, Alessandra Carrasco, Joseph Lujan, Sal Nichols, Pete Vasquez, Adam Ortega; Modern Study Club/Western District Alma Van Sickle Scholarship TFWC Brittany Lobstein/Richard Compton; National FFA Scholarship Vance Publishing Corporation, $1,000, Kaci Harrison; National Merit Scholarship, $2,500 to Olaide Olusanya; Ollie Springfield Nunn, Olaide Olusanya; Panhandle-Plains Higher Education Authority, Richard Compton, Daniel Quintana; Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Educational Support Staff Association, $200 to Desiree Hernandez and Adam Ortega.

Also: Pecos Downtown Lions Club, $1,000, Cassandra Abila, Will Oglesby, Bre’Ann Windham; Pecos FFA, Sarah McKinney; Pecos Head Start, Pete Vasquez; Pecos High School Student Council, $200, Alessandra Carrasco; Pecos Police Department, $500, Juan Muniz; Pecos Women’s Golf Association, $500 to Sarah McKinney; Presidential Freedom, Betsy Lujan; Reeves County Detention Center Staff, $500 to Bre’Ann Windham, Eliseus Marquez, Avery Roman, Raymundo Pena; Reeves County Juvenile Probation Department, $250 to T.J. Hardwick, Pablo Rodriguez, Teisha Gordon, Brittany Lobstein, Ysidro Renteria; Reeves County Sheriff’s Posse, $250 to Kaci Harrison, Richard Compton, Bubba Foster; Robert G. Worsham Memorial Endowment, Sarah McKinney; Sam Walton Community Scholarship, Daniel Quintana and Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo, $1,000 Kaci Harrison.

Also: TASC District 8 Student Council, $500, Alessandra Carrasco; Texas High School Rodeo Association State Scholarship, $1,250, Kaci Harrison and John Marvin Clark; Texas Parks and Wildlife/Texas Big Game Scholarship, $500, Richard Compton; Texas State Teacher Association, Christopher Dominguez, Teisha Gordon, Trent Graham, Betsy Lujan, Jessica Minjarez, Natalia Ornelas, John Parent, Savannah West; Twentieth Century, $500, Sarah McKinney; Valor Telecom, Alessandra Carrasco; Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, $1,675, Richard Compton and West of the Pecos Rodeo, $500, Ysidro Renteria.

College/University Scholarships include: American Musical and Dramatic Academy, New York, $3,000 Erica Caballero; Career Colleges and Schools of Texas, $1,000, T.J. Hardwick, Joe Lopez, Paulo Soto, Cecelia Calba; College of the Southwest - Mustang Moolah Scholarship, $3,000, Sal Nichols; Midland College, $2,000, Leslie Rodriguez; New Mexico Jr. College, $2,388, John Marvin Clark; New Mexico State University, $12,610, Stephanie Herrera; St. Edward’s University, $22,000, Natalia Ornelas; Sul Ross State University, Eliseus Marquez; Tarleton Sate University, $2,000, Sarah McKinney; Truman State University, $1,500, Will Oglesby; Texas A&M University - Regent Scholarship, $500, Kaci Harrison; University of Rochester - Humanities/Social Sciences Scholarship, $6,000 - Daniel Quintana; University of Rochester - Rush Rhees Scholarship Tier II, $5,000 and $44,000, Daniel Quintana; University of Texas Austin President’s Achievement Scholarship, $10,000, Alessandra Carrasco, Michael Orona and University of Texas Permian Basin Freshman Scholarship, Jena Cranfill and Ana Carrasco.

Recognition for Leadership and Excellence Performance:

National Association of Secondary School Principals, Daniel Quintana; President’s Education Awards Program Outstanding Academic Excellence, Aleassandra Carrasco, Kaci Harrison, Stephanie Herrera, Sarah McKinney, Will Oglesby, Natalia Ornelas, Chantel Orona, Michael Orona, John Parent, Daniel Quintana, Ysidro Renteria, Jose Reyes, Maritza Sandoval, Bre’Annn Windham, K.W. Winkles; Outstanding Academic Achievement, Ana Carrasco, Richard Compton, Jena Cranfill, Trent Graham, Cathy Guebara, T.J. Hardwick, Francisco Hernandez, Betsy Lujan, Eliseus Marquez, Alexandra Martinez, Olaide Olusanya, Oscar Parada, Nikki Reyna, Avery Roman; 2004 TAASP Award- Academic Excellence Commended Scholar, Daniel Quintana; University of Rochester- Humanities and Social Sciences Award, Amie Reynolds; University of Rochester- Kodak Young Leaders Program, Jummy Akinyode; UIL Scholar Award, Alessandra Carrasco, Sarah McKinney, Stephanie Herrera, Kaci Harrison, Natalia Ornelas, Will Oglesby, Bre’Ann Windham, Maritza Sandoval, Jose Reyes, Ysidro Renteria, Daniel Quintana, John Parent, Michael Orona, Chantel Orona, K.W. Winkles; The Association of Texas Small Bands/Bill Carrico, K.W. Winkles; United States Army, $34,000, Jacob Nunez, Ramiro Pando, Antonio Gonzales; Traditional Award, the Dorothy Curfman Award went to Stephanie Herrera.

Lee’s Quisenberry is guest speaker at sports banquet

The Annual Sports Banquet for Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD has been scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday at the Pecos High School New Gym.

Midland Lee head football coach Randy Quisenberry will be the guest speaker at the banquet, which will include awards to PHS althetes for the 2003-04 school year.

Tickets at $8 each and are on sale at the PHS office, Dan’s/Pizza Pro and Airlawn Furniture on South Eddy Street and Gibson True-Value on West Walthall Street.

Schools releasing all students early Friday

All Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD students will be released at 1 p.m., Friday.

The day has been designated as an early release day and parents/guardians need to make arrangements for their students.



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