April
30, 2010 Use Back button
to return to Page 1
13th
in rear-view mirror
|
FORT STOCKTON
– What has been billed as the “most challenging road race in the world” lived
up to its reputation on the 13th running of the Big Bend Open Road Race
Saturday. “The 13th is
now behind us,” Race Coordinator Kenda Furman quipped. “We had a hard
time trying to round up the cows,” Race Director Randy Archer told race crews
assembled for the annual awards banquet here Saturday night. There were at
least two blow-outs and one race car went through a fence, letting cows stray
onto US Highway 285 while the race was under way. Another
blowout left debris on the highway. No one was injured in any of the
incidents. At the
banquet, number 89 was retired. It was the number that always matched the age
long-time driver Bud Powers of Alpine, who died in October. “Bud was the
man,” Archer said. “He was looking down on us and sent all the cows he could
throw at us, just to keep us on our toes.” Archer said
the first leg of the race from here to Sanderson Saturday went without incident.
But the return trip was marred with several shut downs, with drivers dodging
“deer, buzzards, turkeys and even dogs.” The race was
stopped several times for animals in the road and other problems and was late
finishing. “That was only
the second time in the race’s history we have used the red flag,” Furman told
the News Leader. A red flag
indicates drivers should stop. A yellow indicates caution and drivers can
proceed at a reduced rate of speed. “The bottom
line is that it was safe,” she said. “That’s the reason for the red flag, to
keep everyone safe.” Archer said
drivers who were unable to complete the race for no fault of their own would
still qualify, using their time on the first leg. In all but the
unlimited class, which went first, drivers are rated not on overall speed but
how close they can come to the posted speed for their class, from 85 to 150
miles per hour. “It was an
interesting race day,” Furman said. She rode as
the “navigator” for Steve Belardo and his 1964 Cobra in the 100-mile-per-hour
class, coming in third. She said she
has driven, timed and served as coordinator. But it was her first time to
navigate. “That was the
hardest job of the whole thing,” she said. There were no
new records set this year but all three in the unlimited class finished the
race. Tom Whalen of
Frisco posted the best speed at 163.231 miles per hour in his 2002 Corvette.
It does not match the all-time record of 172.584 set by Mike and Marsha
Borders of Las Vegas, NV, in 2007. John Tiemann
and Cathy Cody of Austin in their 1969 Ford GT40 finished second and Charlie
Friend’s 1965 Corvair came in third. Two drivers
came within 0.001 mph of their target speed but the did not beat Billy Hunt,
then of Fort Stockton, and Mike Laurence who came within 14 milliseconds, or
0.000 miles per hour, of their target speed of 120 miles per hour in the 2005
race. Bob Davis and
Roger Davidson of Incline Village drove their 2002 Ferrari to within .008
seconds of their speed of 125 mph and Philip and Amy Bowser of San Jose, CA,
came within .010 seconds of their target speed of 145 mph in a 1997 Porsche. Early in the
presentation Saturday night, tech worker Joseph Pemberton took the microphone
to propose to his girl friend, Bethany Archer, who accepted the proposal. “She’s the
future Pemberton,” he told the News Leader. And Randy
Archer announced the “new” race director, Dustin Archer. Leading up to
the race, the Sanderson Chamber of Commerce served an estimate 480 race crews
and fans at the annual reception at Bicentennial Park. Visitors
commented it was “the greatest spread” some had ever seen. Leftover food was
donated to needy families in Sanderson. Several
drivers and their cars visited Sanderson Elementary School Thursday morning. The event,
which was started by Sanderson Volunteer Coordinator Dale Carruthers, has
become as popular with the race crews as it is with the school children. And Carruthers
announced Donna Muñiz as her new assistant, replacing Dorothy Marquart who
has resigned for health reasons. SANDERSON –
With the sound of race cars still fresh on people’s minds, attention here
turned to their two-wheel cousins this weekend. The West of
the Pecos Motorcycle Run is schedule for today through Sunday, May 2. At press time
this week, it was still undetermined how many bikers would show up since
there is no website to keep track of the numbers. Entry fee is
only $5 and there was no advance registration system set up. “I am still
encouraging local residents to come set up a booth,” El Patio Bar owner Norma
Martinez told the News Leader. “It would be a booth selling anything you want
to sell.” The rally does
not “replace” the Buzzard Rally, which had been the first weekend in April. The new event,
sponsored by the “Bastardos Malos” of Del Rio, has been billed as “nothin’
but a party.” “First Friday
Band will play from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight,” Martinez said. The band
includes John Dewey Stutes, Bobby Nevarez and Sanderson High School Band
Director Eric Cooksey, three members of the Sanderson-based Terrell County Bs
who live in Sanderson. Other sidemen
live elsewhere but travel here to perform with the band. The biker
rally, based at the El Patio Bar, will feature field events, camping and a
disc jockey. The county has
closed side roads around the bar for the biker activity. Truck
goes into lake, one dead By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager DEL RIO – One
person was killed and two others injured early Sunday when an 18-wheel truck
plunged off the US Highway 90 bridge over Lake Amistad northeast of here and
dropped 60 feet into the lake. The accident
seriously injured the driver and killed his co-driver who was in the sleep-er
behind the cab. Robert Guadalajara Garza, 39, of Eagle Pass
was pronounced dead at the scene. The Texas
Department of Public Safety said the truck crossed the center line of the
highway and struck the boat trailer of a passing pickup. Val Verde Chief
Deputy Sheriff Bill Haynes said he “was not at the accident but the sheriff
was at the scene along with another deputy.” The sheriff
was in a meeting about the accident and was not immediately available but Haynes
recounted the story. “The tractor
trailer struck the wheels of the boat trailer and knocked the wheels off of
it before going over the guard rail and landing on the embankment below,”
Haynes said. The DPS said
the truck driver, Victor Soza, 41, of Quemado, was able to get out of the
truck and swim to shore. He was taken
by helicopter to Val Verde Regional Medical Center in critical condition. The driver of
the other vehicle, Vick Lyn Tucker, 63, of Uvalde suffered minor injuries. The Del Rio
News Herald said the truck was completely submerged. The driver was
rescued by National Park Service Volunteers who happened to be in a boat
nearby. The News
Herald said the highway was closed after the wreck until it opened to one-way
only at 1 p.m. Full traffic was restored at 3:45 p.m., the paper said. By
KIM RAPP Former
Production Manager HOBBS, NM – A
lot of people said I would never leave. Well, now I'm gone. I knew I
would miss the town where I raised my three children, Bobbi, Daniel and
Jimmy, but I didn't realize how much until I returned for my first visit. I was in
Bicentennial Park for the reception for the BBORR this year and it hit me. This
was no longer my home. I do believe
it takes a village to raise a child and I thank the small town of Sanderson
for helping to raise three wonderful young individuals. Bobbi, who
came to Sanderson at age 10, now serves in the US Air Force. Daniel, who became
a Sandersonite at the ripe old age of 8, now serves in the US Navy.
Jimmy, the baby, moved into the quiet town at age 6 and now attends the University
of the Southwest in Hobbs. Some may not know
it but neither my husband Robert nor I graduated from high school. But,
through the encouragement of our kids, we both obtained our GEDs while living
in Sanderson. Robert served
as a volunteer fireman and a basic emergency medical technician while I enjoyed
being a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and became a fundraising, concession-stand
fool. Robert left
Sanderson in about 2002 to go to work and, after much discussion, we decided
that I would stay behind and raise the kids, which I did – with help. Through the
years we had a prom queen, prom king, cheerleader, football players, tennis
players, basketball stars and cross country runners. My "wild
child," who shall remain nameless, gave migraines to the sheriff from
time to time but, all in all, they turned out wonderful. We found God
and were active members of the First Baptist Church for 13 years. I worked
wherever I could, waiting tables, cleaning motel rooms and houses, but then I
found the Terrell County News Leader. I had no
experience at all but Jim Street took me under his wing and taught me to be a
roving reporter. He was by far the best boss I've ever had. The “Oops”
column made me famous, considering they were mostly my fault. The town had a
good laugh for about six years. Not only did
my children grow up there, but I believe I did too. We will miss
being "Sandersonites" and, if you ask my kids, they will tell you
they grew up in West Texas. As a mom, that makes me proud. I will return
as often as possible and am glad to have been a part of that little part of
the world. Some people I
will miss more than others. You know who you are. But for now, we
reside in Hobbs, NM. EDITOR’S NOTE, Kim Rapp did not have a background
in journalism and her writing always took some heavy editing. But she quickly became adept at layout and production
and I would turn to her whenever I had a problem – with anything. Kim brought something to her job that all the J
schools in the world can’t teach. She was completely dedicated and loyal and was
always there for me, no matter the difficulties. That is worth all the high-class degrees the world
can offer. We’ll miss her. In fact, we already do.—JS SANDERSON – The
Big Bend Open Road Race, an event that bills itself as “the most challenging
open road race in the world,” gave students at the elementary school here a
glimpse into the action in the school’s parking lot last week. A number of race
cars lined up for the students to look at, ask questions about and sit inside
of. The race crews also signed kids’ shirts and papers. There was no
shortage of cameras flashing as students climbed in and out of the cars and
trucks. Students had colored
pictures for the racers and some got awards. Rachel Serena won for most
colorful, Kira Smith won for most detailed and Sean Lopez won for most
creative. The big race
week began Wednesday with registration, technical inspections and rookie
school at the Terrell County Courthouse and Community Building. Qualifying and
practice runs were between Lomita Terrace in west Sanderson ten miles west on
US Highway 90 to the roadside park and back. The activities
continued Thursday, capped by a reception in the Pavilion at Bicentennial
Park, sponsored by the Sanderson Chamber of Commerce with support from the
BBORR committee. Friday, April
23, activities moved 65 miles north to Fort Stockton for continued registration
and inspections, a car show and parade. During the
turnaround, on Saturday, people saw the racecars “up close and personal” and
visited with race crews at the Terrell County Courthouse. A number of
vendors for food and gifts were also on hand. Carolyn Hutto had
a booth with some items from the information center. Shellie Martin
sold pizza by the slice and cinnamon rolls. She plans to reopen in June. The Papalote
and Tis’ the Reason crew had a few tables of items for sale from their shops,
both now in one location at Oak and Third. The girl
scouts also had a booth for cookies while the Spanish Club had a booth selling
candy, chips and chopped beef barbecue burgers to raise money for their trip
to Spain. Janis Wiggins
did not cut hair at her booth, but sold items from her gift shop. Somewhere in
Time/Bon Bon’s had items and Phyllis Patterson was on hand with her home-made
chairs for children and other items. James Poe
played music from his DJ stand and other vendors included Richard and Nancy
Newsom of Fort Stockton, Laura Lozano, Micaela Rodriguez and the RoundHouse
Café. Jackie
Ellingsen sold her artwork from under a tree. The racers
lined up after lunch for the second 59-mile lap back to Fort Stockton. Darin Gaylor
of Odessa drove red pickup sporting the number 777 and boasted about how much
fun this was to do. He said going to the school for the kids to see his
racing wheels is the neatest thing. Gaylor also
mentioned that the race ought to be more than once a year. It should be once
a month, he said. By
MARK GLOVER Contributing
Editor SANDERSON - Bud
Powers finally rode his last race Saturday. His cremated
ashes were stitched into a Wile E. Coyote doll, slumped on the dashboard just
above the steering wheel of his canary yellow 1970 El Camino race car. Positioned in
the grid between a V-10 Viper and a black Corvette in front of the Terrell
County Court House awaiting the start of the final 59-mile leg of the Big
Bend Open Road Race, the No. 89 snarled deep and cantankerous through uncorked
headers. At the wheel,
his granddaughter Lee Ann Powers turned the 600 horsepower motor off and pulled
the helmet from her head. “He wanted to
race one more time,” she said. F.L. “Bud”
Powers passed away on October 23. The former Alpine Policeman, Alpine City Council
member, AISD trustee, board member of SW Municipal Gas and owner of Bud-Nita
Wrecker Service, was married to Venita “Nita” Davis Powers. The father of
three was 88 years old when he died at Odessa Medical Center, three days
after triple by-pass heart surgery. “At the
hospital, all he talked about was running in the next race,” said Power’s
daughter Linda Murray, who served as navigator in last weekend’s race riding
next to her niece. “They
red-flagged us twice going back to Stockton,” she said. “Cows in the road.
Couldn’t make up the time.” Linda and her
niece raced in the 110-mph category. Southbound to Sanderson they nearly aced
the target speed averaging 109.71 mph. But the cows
did them no favors on the northbound leg. With 22 in their class they finished
12th, tripping the radar trap at 124 mph top speed and averaging 107.11 mph. Lee Ann Powers
said spectators at the finish line took off their hats in respect as the car
passed by. “He was the
neatest man I’ve ever met,” Race Coordinator Kenda Furman told race crews at
the banquet following the race Saturday. “He was looking so forward to this
race.” Blue skies and
windy conditions greeted the drivers Saturday morning as they left one by one
from Fort Stockton in staggered starts down the winding Highway 285 that was
closed to traffic for the day. The once-a-year
event started in 1983 and is part of an open road race series that includes
highway races in Nevada and Utah. “The wind
didn’t affect us,” Lee Ann said. “Once you get rolling in that thing, not
much bothers it.” Lee Ann competed
against her grandfather in previous races driving her Camaro SS. The overall
winner in the unlimited class went to Tom Whalen from Frisco in a 2002 Corvette.
He averaged 163.23 MPH and tripped the radar on a straight stretch of road at
197 mph. The race was
coined “A Tribute to Bud” and at the awards banquet in Fort Stockton Saturday
night they retired No. 89. “At eighty
years old, my dad decides he wants to go racing,” said Mike Powers, owner of
Powers Automotive in Alpine. “Each year he used his age as his race car
number.” Venita, Bud’s
wife of 64 years, stayed home this year. “Bud would always say, ‘This will be the
last race,”’ she said. “I heard that for ten years.” SANDERSON –
The Sanderson Chamber of Commerce has officially set the date of the July 4
celebration here at Saturday, July 3. Terrell County
Commissioners have asked the chamber to decide the date for the meeting each
year. It is always on a Saturday closest to the national holiday. Sanderson High
School Band Director Eric Cooksey, who has been tasked with finding a band
for the Saturday night street dance, said he expected to hear back on a band
he had approached later in the week and he has approached two different disc
jockeys to play music during breaks by the live band. Cooksey said
DJ Gary Pledger of On Track Entertainment of Odessa, who performed last year,
said he could reduce his price from the $800 charged last year if he can use
the occasion to sell a product he produces. Cooksey said he has also contacted
another DJ. And he said he
has approached Ben Nelson of Del Rio, who played for the County Fair, but had
not heard back. The home-town
Terrell County Bs also could provide music and entertainment for the dance,
he said. If another
band is chosen, the Bs could play at the bandstand in front of the high
school Friday night, July 2, instead of its regular rehearsal in the garage
of sideman John Dewey Stutes. The
“rehearsals” normally draw a small crowd of fans. Neto Calzada
has agreed to investigate providing a flat-bed trailer for the band again
this year like he did last year. Chamber
President Jim Street said Dr. Darrel Wells of Sanderson and Huntsville, a
professional pyrotechnician, had agreed to provide a fireworks show unless a
county burn ban precludes fireworks. Dale
Carruthers said last weekend’s Big Bend Open Road Race had some unusual problems
this year but safety precautions kept everyone safe. “The drivers
really love Sanderson,” she said. Particularly popular is the trip to
Sanderson Elementary School, a visit she made happen a few years ago. She said drivers are as enthusiastic
about the visit as are the school children. Treasurer Lea Hawn said the chamber spent more
money than expected on the Thursday evening reception with prices having gone
up in the last year. Foods made
from area cactus were particularly popular, she said. The reception
fed an estimated 480 race crew members and fans. The chamber
also discussed bird watching in Sanderson. Texas Pecos Trail Region Director
Scott Jordan met with some Sanderson volunteers last week seeking birding
sites in the county. He said the
Texas Historical Commission plans a series of birding maps with “loops” indicating
several sites where tourists can view birds. Dorothy
Marquart said she gets several varieties of birds in her trailer park. Marquart said
she has a bird book at home and when she notices a new bird in her yard, she
writes it down so she can keep track of all the unique birds she sees every
year. Marquart and
Hawn agreed to work on getting some birding sites for the proposed map. Nopalito
Market creator Anna La Fleur said the event had been put on hold the last few
weeks due to committee members having different schedules but planned to have
a meeting yesterday. A cactus cook
book was discussed and plans of creating one and selling the book at the
market are getting under way. The proceeds could
be donated to the Chamber of Commerce to help fund the many events the
chamber provides. Cactus cooking
contests were also discussed. The start date
is not yet fixed but committee members are confident the market will open in
the fall, she said. Bill Smith was
authorized to order 1,000 brochures he designed explaining why Terrell County
was named “Cactus Capital of Texas.” Smith is also
working at reprinting the single-sheet “rack cards” which had been widely
circulated earlier. He recently reprinted the “cowboy poster” and copies are
now available at the Visitor Center. Smith said
copies of the recently-completed “Walking and Driving Tour” booklet are going
quickly. And he is currently scanning historical pictures from the Terrell
County Museum to be used in some kind of book or display in the future. Shellie Martin
said she spoke to an aerobatics club and they expressed an interest in providing
an air show at Terrell County Airport at a date to be determined. The Airport
Board has asked the chamber to schedule some kind of community open house at
the airport to demonstrate the asset to the residents. DEL RIO – The US
Highway 90 Pecos River Bridge 45 miles northeast of here will officially open
after being reduced to one lane for repairs more than two years ago. A ribbon cutting
has been scheduled for 12 noon, Thursday, May 6. The project
was awarded to SRC Construction, Inc., to conduct bridge rehabilitation work
at a cost of $4.2 million. Bridge rehab work began in March, 2008. The Texas
Department of Transportation used state funds devoted 100 percent to bridge
preservation. The
picturesque Pecos River Bridge was built in 1957. It is 1,300 feet long and
stands 270 feet above water. Work performed
included removal of upper surface cracking and spalling that extended through
the deck and replacement of bridge decking. “State-of-the-art
materials, innovative construction methods, updated roadway design and bridge
railings brought the bridge to current standards while preserving its
historical value and significance,” TxDOT said in a press release. A one-way
traffic control with traffic light system was in place on both ends of the
bridge during rehab work. The one-way
traffic pattern has been removed since along with the traffic signal lights.
Only project limit barricades exist at this time. By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager SANDERSON –
There was a big change in the staff at the Terrell County News Leader
recently. Most readers
probably already read in our paper that Kim Rapp was moving to Hobbs to be
with her family. Those who
haven’t heard are now learning that she has a replacement. Eight months
ago, Kim announced her departure in an article and now she has sold her house
here and the moving van has been loaded and gone. She is now in
Hobbs waiting for her new home to be built. Kim taught me
everything I know about the production manager position and more about the
people of this little town than I thought I would ever learn. It was hard
for her to hand over the reigns of her prized position here because it was
like her baby. She spent a
few months teaching me how to cut and paste, writing styles, how to use
certain tape for certain things, how to look out for the jumps on pages, how
to set up each column on the flats, how to get the whole story when I do an
interview and how to chase statistics at the school. The most
challenging thing she had to teach me was how to listen and do things her way
because, I admit, she was a professional and her experience taught her how to
run a tight ship. This is a hard
job with many hours of work to do but I am glad I had this opportunity in
life and more glad that I had the opportunity to learn from Kim. I remember Kim
knocking on my door when I moved here almost three years ago. She took my
family outside and snapped pictures of us and interviewed us for her Cactus Chat
column, which is now mine. I remember
thinking how neat that was and how I had always dreamed of having a job like
that. Little did I know how tough this job really is. There is so
much research and investigation that goes into each story and, when you finally
get through, you pray that every detail is accurate. My first “Oops”
felt like a dagger but Kim assured me that these things happen and that it
just goes to show how many people read what I have to write. It was
empowering to know that even if I make a mistake occasionally, the newspaper
that I work for is read by so many. When I write a
big news story, it impacts so many and that makes this tough job worth
having. I hope I never
forget her laughing and teasing about my lack of knowledge when it comes to
sports. I don’t think
of myself as her replacement. I think of myself as her student. In her eyes, I
will always be “probie” and hopefully one day a professional. Thank you, Kim
Rapp, for everything you taught me and I hope you can look back on this and
think that I am doing a good job in your stead. SANDERSON – Kelly
Lomas was inducted into the National Honor Society in a ceremony Sunday in
the Sanderson High School Auditorium. Margaret
Farley and Virginia Garza were the sponsors of the event. Ernestina Gonzalez led
the crowd in the pledge of allegiance and the Texas pledge. There were a
few speeches about what the National Honor Society is about. Then, NHS
members lit candles represented different meanings for the society. Darren Seidell
lit the candle of character, Jacob Benavidez lit the candle that represents
scholarship, Jessica Garza lit one that stands for leadership and Blakeney
Chriesman lit the service candle. Each spoke about
what their candle represented and why. Jessica Garza
presented the candidate. “On behalf of
the faculty of Sanderson High School, I hereby accept this candidate, Kelly
Lomas, as a duly recognized member of this society,” Superintendent Gary
Hamilton said. “I know he will be found worthy of this honor. “And that is
what it is, an honor,” he said. “Hence the name, National Honor Society. “We in Texas
are very proud of our University Interscholastic League with competitions the
public schools have in Athletics and Academics,” Hamilton said. “Kelly
and all of these members gathered here “They excel
well in all of our school activities,” he said. “But “Sure, you can get in to college without
being a member,” he said. “Yes, you can be a success in life. But being
a member of this society puts one over the edge, a cut above or la crème
de la crème. “Kelly, I congratulate
you and welcome you,” Hamilton said. “This occasion recognizes your Kelly’s
guardians, Amelia Lomas-Phelps and Faye Espinosa placed a surplice around his
neck. He also
received a bronze lapel pin with the emblem of the National Honor Society on
it. LUBBOCK – Travis
Roberts placed first in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:27.56 and the
3,200–meter run with a time of 9:54.22 as Sanderson High School track competed
at Texas Tech University for regional qualifiers last week. Brother William
Roberts placed third in the 3,200–meter run with a time of 10:05.11 and sixth
in the 1,600–meter run with a time of 4:48.86. Shawn Stegall
was sixth in the 3,200–meter run with a time of 10:29.80 and tenth in the
1,600–meter run with a time of 4:48.86. Chris Marquez
was sixth in the 800–meter run and 17th in the 400–meter dash with a time of
54.46. Jacob
Benavidez was eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.75 and 14th in
the 200–meter dash with a time of 23.27. David
Shoemaker placed tenth in discus with a distance of 109 feet, four inches and
tenth in shot put with a distance of 42 feet, nine inches. In the 4 X
400-meter relay, Sanderson boys placed 12th with a time of 3:39.11. Hanna Swanson
placed 21st in the girls 100-meter dash with a time of 13.52 and 33rd in the
200-meter dash. Joseph Hopkins
placed 30th in the 400–meter dash with a time of 57.41. Darren Seidel
was 32nd in the 400 –meter with a time 1:00.87. The girl’s UIL
Region golf was April 20 at the Reese Golf Center here and Amber Bon was the
only Sanderson student there. Amber placed
21st out of 93 golfers with score 196 points. By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager SANDERSON –
The second in a series of “Passion” shows was Sunday at First Calvary Baptist
Church. The series of
four movies by Louie Giglio in his Passion Series is after a 6 p.m. dinner
each Sunday at the church. The first in
the series on April 18 was “Indescribable.” The show on Sunday, April 25, was
“How Great is our God.” On May 2,
there will be another movie titled “Hope” and the final in the series will be
“Fruit Cake & Ice Cream” on May 9. The church
provided barbecue chicken, several side dishes and desserts this week. After the meal
Sunday, there was a short interlude by Billy Black before the lights were
dimmed for the inspirational and educational movie about how small and
marvelous mankind and planet Earth are. Giglio
compared the planet Earth to the size of a golf ball and used math and
science to explain how miraculous the Solar System is. He explained
that there are four stars in our universe that needed to be pointed out. The sun was
the first. He explained how small the Earth is in comparison. Then he named
the second star, Betelguese (pronounced Beetlejuice.) The third star is Mucephi and Canis Manjorus is the fourth. Each star was
bigger as the list went on and the latter star was so enormous that an innumerable
number of Earths could fit inside. Giglio said
that, using the Hubble Space Telescope, a black hole could be seen in center
of the Milky Way Galaxy and the center of that black hole showed a cross. Giglio presented
more proof of how amazing God is by telling about a tiny molecule inside each
of us called Laminin and the shape of this molecule, under a microscope, is
the shape of a cross. Those wanting
to learn more about these “wonders of the world around us” should visit the
church Sunday. Louie Giglio
can also be found online. A search of his name brings up several links to his
shows through youtube.com, sermons and books. These dinners
are for the whole family and children are escorted into another room during
the movie. This week’s
program begins with dinner at 6 p.m. at the church followed by the movie,
“Hope.” Everyone is
welcome and there is no charge. Newcomer
gets visitor By ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager SANDERSON – Andy
Tiegs visited new local resident Jeff Alexander, whom we featured in an
earlier Chat column, “Population up by five,” News Leader, April 9, Page 10. Tiegs is the
school friend of Alexander and now resides in San Antonio. Tiegs came to
visit Alexander but he also wanted to see the Big Bend Open Road Race over
the weekend. Alexander, who
hails from Madison, WI, recently hitched a ride back from Roswell, NM, with
someone he met there. He walked across
the country with his little red wagon in search of inner peace. Alexander
reached his destination and, as promised, he returned to Sanderson to stay
for a while. Not only has Alexander
decided to stay for a while but his blog followers have found him and they stayed
in the Canyon RV Park here. This lonely
wanderer has mysteriously brought folks here without even knowing it and
those people have spent money in this town just to get the chance to meet
him. Well, they
were also working the corners at the race but they tracked him down the first
day they were here so they could meet him in person. Jim Street, News
Leader editor and publisher, had a visit from his son, Stuart Street. Stuart brought
with him Vince and Julie McCall and Lisa Wright. Stuart is an
Engineer at Lockheed-Martin in Fort Worth. His friends are from that same
area. Another News
Leader visitor was former Production Manager Kim Rapp. She arrived on
Wednesday to join in the festivities of the road race. Thursday, Rapp
helped at the pavilion serving food to the folks who arrived to eat the
prepared feast. Rapp also went
to the banquet after the big race with Jim Street and volunteer Dorothy
Marquart. FORT STOCKTON
– A 34-year-old Austin woman was killed in a one-vehicle rollover 14 miles east
of here Sunday evening. The Texas
Department of Public Safety said Marti Diane Wilson was westbound on
Interstate 10 when she drifted off the north side of the road, lost control
and rolled over. County Judge
Joe Shuster pronounced her dead at the scene. She was alone
in the car and no other vehicles were involved. SANDERSON –
Nine men were apprehended south of here last week, carrying 529.2 pounds of
marijuana. Border Patrol
agents tracked the group coming up from the Rio Grande and had been tracking
the group since the previous day. With the
assistance of a helicopter from Customs and Border Protection’s Air Branch,
agents arrested the men and seized the drugs. The drug
smugglers and narcotics were turned over to Immigration and Customs
Enforcement for prosecution. FORT STOCKTON
– Jennifer Lynne Christian, 33, died at Odessa Medical Center here last week
after being attacked by her boyfriend earlier this month. Sheriff Cliff
Harris said 45– year-old Patrick Dela Cruz Marino was being held in jail and
charges were pending at press time. Christian was
taken to the Fort Stockton hospital and later transferred Odessa. TEMPLE – The
US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service turned
75 Tuesday. “For the past
75 years, the NRCS has led the nation in protecting our natural resources,”
said Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist for Texas. “We have followed the
lead of the first chief of our agency, Hugh Hammond Bennett, who envisioned
the agency’s soil conservationists working one-on-one with producers on
private lands and walking the land to develop a conservation plan with
private landowners.” In Texas,
approximately 90 percent of the land is privately owned. Gohmert said that
means that the quality of Texas land, water, air and habitats are dependent
on the stewardship decisions that thousands of private landowners make every
day. Although
programs and technology have provided many changes in the way NRCS delivers
its services, Gohmert said working with the private landowner and getting
conservation on the ground remains NRCS’s number one priority. “That priority
is reflected in our agency’s mission - Helping People Help the Land,” he
said. Conservation
practices carried out by farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in Texas
have improved the quality of life and built stronger rural communities in the
state, he said. The state’s
natural resources have improved because of conservation practices such as
crop rotations, terraces, waterways, windbreaks, wetland restoration, no-till
farming, buffers, watershed dams, rangeland management, ponds, nutrient and
pest management, to name a few. “The 75 years
of success of NRCS can be attributed to dedicated producers, agency employees,
local soil and water conservation district supervisors and staff and
partners, all of whom worked together to accomplish the goal of protecting
our natural resources,” Gohmert said. NRCS was
created as the Soil Conservation Service within USDA on April 27, 1935, in response
to the devastation of the Dust Bowl on the nation’s agricultural land. The agency’s
primary mission then was to conserve soil on agricultural land. It became the
Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1994 to better reflect its expanded
role of servicing other natural resources such as water, air, plants and
animals on private lands. For more
information about NRCS in Texas, visit http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov
or stop by the local county USDA Service Center. By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager SANDERSON –
Fall is getting closer and the Nopalito Market Committee met yesterday to get
a little closer to our fall deadline. No date has
been set but we have agreed to try for a weekend this fall. At the regular
Chamber of Commerce meeting Tuesday, several suggested the market offer a
cactus jelly contest and a Nopalito pie contest and some suggested a cactus-based
cook book with the recipes from Sanderson residents. The proceeds could
go towards the Chamber of Commerce, which pays for July Fourth celebration
and many other activities here. People with recipes
can e-mail them to me at anna.tcnl@yahoo.com.
A web site is
still being constructed and details are still being hammered out. As mentioned
in past market articles, suggestions are welcome at my office at the News
Leader. Or send me an e-mail at the above address or call me at 432/345-2676 to
offer suggestions or ask questions. We are also
seeking people interested in joining the committee or who would like to
donate time or materials to the market. More people
have signed up for booths and some music and a DJ have been lined up for the
event. Brian Pflieger
of Houston has agreed to provide DJ music for the event. Guitarist Matt Skinner
also has agreed to perform. By
JEFF ALEXANDER Special
to the News Leader SANDERSON – A snake's-eye
view along US Highway 285. That was the scene just as I walked across the
state line from Texas toward Roswell, NM. So what was it
about Sanderson that stood out from all the other towns along a journey of
1,000 walking miles that was special enough for me to give it a whirl for a
little while as I prepare, anticipate, seek the path for the next journey? When I began
journeying, pulling the little red wagon from Madison, WI, back in the fall
of 2009, there were many, many reasons for this upper-mid-lifer to take on
such a crazy project. Many of those
reasons were basically indescribable – then and now. It was just a
need. Something compelled me to take on such a challenge, to break “bubbles,”
open discourse between people, between strangers. The wagon, I'd
say, was symbolic of the pioneer time in this country's history when people
were led by dreams and ambitions that were more akin to satisfying one’s own
life in the quest to obtain their dreams than that of the some status quo and
corporate hegemony that seems more to benefit from such ambitions today, most
times to appease those who needed a definite, seemingly rational excuse. I'd simply
say, “To get out of the house.” I had returned
to Madison, my hometown, several years before and, during that time, I came
to realize that I had lost my hometown. Rents, leases,
mortgages had soared. Development was occurring at a rampant, uncontrolled
pace. At the time I
departed Madison, $1-billion in construction was in the blueprints or underway
for the UW-Madison alone. This in a city
of only 270,000, replacing buildings left and right, some only 30 years old. A $205-million
“playground” for the wealthier, a world-class symphony center, the Overture
Center, was literally plunked right down in Madison's most pedestrian-heavy,
community-orientated area, gobbling up an entire city block on State Street,
not long after “Big Brother” cameras were installed at every corner along
State Street. Where
bureaucracy and unfettered development rules, I said to myself, community,
people, a true sense of place – at a pace people can grow alongside with – suffers. Coming
into Sanderson from San Antonio – “To Roswell & Beyond,” I called it – in
March with worn wagon tires, broken axle, broken wallet and a broken spirit,
I was close to ending the journey, 281 miles short of Roswell, the 1,000
walking milestone. I weighed the
choices and basically they came down to returning to “bureaucracy” or,
irrationally, leaping ahead, if only one step at a time. Then, I
started running – er, walking – into people. Randal at Sanderson Tire &
Feed helped fix the axle. Anna at the News Leader mentioned a Mr. Busch, who
drove me over to the “compound” and pointed to a camper. “Your new home,”
he said. And to bicycles with tires for the wagon. He gave me work, while his
wife Amanda cooked up incredible lunches. Neighbors Lane
and Yvonne and Pete and, again, Anna pitched in food. Their friend Pam – Professional
Hairstylist On the Go – cut my hair. Genie and Martin at Uncle's needed the
gas pumps to sparkle again. Mick of the Canyons RV Park had a house needing a
new life. In less
than two weeks I would be re-energized, provisioned, then continue the journey
to Roswell. And now,
having achieved that goal, why not return for a little while to Sanderson
where one feels the hometown appeal, where not bureaucracy but the people still
rule and aren't squeezed into a narrow social standard. A place from
where to journey from not with angst, as I have done from Madison, but with a
sense of place where one is welcomed at their own pace. Even if that
pace is walking, and even then pulling a little red wagon. ODESSA – Sanderson
Elementary fourth grader Jacob Luevano will compete in the Area 18 Special
Olympics at the Ratliff Stadium here tomorrow, May 1. Jacob Luevano
won a gold medal in the 50-meter dash at the meet last year. He also placed
third in the softball throw at field events in the morning. Jacob, the son
of Abel and Rosalinda Luevano who has Down Syndrome, takes some special
education courses at Sanderson Elementary but he is in a ”main line” curriculum
and frequently makes the Honor Roll. Jacob’s
parents and classmates hope some of his friends and members of the community
will be there to cheer him on. For more
information about this event and directions, contact Coach Luis Martinez. AUSTIN - The
Texas Department of Transportation is looking for workers to fill summer jobs
for maintenance, engineering and technical positions. “The summer
employment program gives high school and college students valuable on-the-job
training,” TxDOT said in a news release. “The program helps students
establish career credentials, while enhancing their professional growth. “Working side
by side with experienced professionals in the transportation field enables
students to learn the latest techniques of the industry,” the agency said. “The
program also provides students with salaried positions to help supplement
educational expenses.” TxDOT’s summer
employment program began in the 1950s. Approximately 48,151 students have spent
their summers working for the department and currently, 1,907 former student
employees hold positions at TxDOT. This year,
TxDOT hopes to hire about 400 students. Summer positions are available from
May 1 through August 15. To qualify for
the program, students must be at least 17 years old, be eligible to work in
the US, submit a completed state employment application and be enrolled as a
full-time student at a high school, technical school, college or university
the spring semester before the summer work period or be currently accepted
for enrollment at an institution of higher learning. AUSTIN — Motorists
across Texas and other states will see a new safety message on highway signs
around the state today, a message that encourages citizens to pay attention
and eliminate distractions while driving. The Texas
Department of Transportation will use statewide signs to encourage drivers to
give up texting or talking on cell phones while driving. Dynamic
Message Signs will read, “Make Your Vehicle a No Phone Zone,” or “Drive Now.
Text or Talk Later.” Today’s event
will place special focus on texting and driving. Motorists who use hand-held
devices are four times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash, TxDOT
said. Distracted
driving resulted in 103,526 crashes in Texas in 2008. Motorists are
considered distracted when the driver is talking or texting on a cell phone,
conversing with passengers, eating, smoking, manipulating dashboard controls
or reaching for something inside the vehicle. “There were
524 deaths in Texas in 2008 because of driver distraction,” said Terry Pence,
director of TxDOT’s Traffic Safety Program. “The statewide messages will
remind drivers that April 30 is a no phone zone day but we hope that all
Texans will think about putting away the cell phones every time they get
behind the wheel — not just on April 30.” SAN ANGELO –
The 26th annual San Angelo wine and food festival will be this weekend here. All proceeds
from the Cultural Affairs Council’s only fund raiser will go toward
promoting, improving and supporting the arts and arts organizations in San
Angelo and the Concho Valley. It supports
projects that include art and music programming including, with local
schools, support of monthly art walks, cactus music series, sub-grant program
and other cooperative projects. The uncorked
wine and food pairing event was last night, April 29, at the San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts. It was
sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors and this year’s theme is “American Road
Trip.” Guests took a
virtual road trip across America as they tasted hors d’oeuvres repre-senting
the various regional cuisines. Live Americana
music was provided by “The Divas” while the talents of six local chefs were
highlighted. The wine and
dine gourmet dinner and auction today, April 30, at Bentwood Country Club is
sponsored by Addresses Real Estate. Hors d’oeuvres
will be served at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Guest chef
Robert Rhoades of Austin will present a five-course meal featuring hot and
crunchy shrimp, smoked duck Diablos, smoked quail dipped in honey-cilantro-ginger
glaze, horseradish-herb-crusted red snapper in corn broth, espresso chocolate
and chile-rubbed venison backstrap atop shiner boch smashed potatoes with
chipotle lime beer blanc and wild turtle pie dipped in Belgian chocolate. Each course
will be paired with selected wines. Auction items
include game hunts, art work and other items. Music will be provided by “Jazz
Concho.” Tickets are had to be purchased in advance. The fork and
cork tasting finale be from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow, May 1, at the Pasco de Santa
Angela on South Oaks and Avenue D, sponsored by American State Bank. The finale
features wines from across the country and around the world, along with food
from more than 20 local restaurants. Beer and
non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. This year also
boasts live entertainment by “Train Wreck,” a beer garden and a luxurious VIP
lounge sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors. Also offered is
the wine cellar where guests can purchase bottles of wine, t-shirts and more. General
admission tickets are $30. VIP Lounge tickets are $75. Tickets to the
finale are available at Blair’s Western Wear, Elite Physique, In Vino
Veritas, Pinkies Liquor Stores, Goodfellow ITT office, the Cultural Affairs
Council office or by phone at 325/653-6793. They also will
be available at the gate or online at www.sanangeloloarts.com. AUSTIN – Spring
is the time for wildflowers and Texas boasts its share this year. Fall and
winter rains have generated a lot of wildflower germination and establishment
and this year's crop should be very abundant statewide. “This year's
wildflowers will be in big contrast to last years,” said Dennis Markwerdt, vegetation
management director for the Texas Department of Transportation. “This could
be one of the best years in quite some time.
"Many different species are up in just
about all regions of the state,” he said. “If the rains continue, we could
have wildflowers all the way up to the June timeframe.” Phlox, Indian paintbrush
and bluebonnets will be the early bloomers, followed by the coreopsis,
blackeyed susan, clasping coneflower and Engelmann daisy. There will be a
wide variety of species showing up as well, Markwerdt said. The TxDOT
management of native grasses and wildflowers along Texas roadsides dates back
to the 1930s. The department
said its wildflower program not only helps our highways look good but also
reduces the cost of maintenance and labor by encouraging the growth of native
specifies that need less mowing and care. “The peak of
wildflower season draws tourists through the state to witness the colorful
display each spring,” Travel Information Director Doris Howdeshell said. “Tourism
plays an important role in the Lone Star State’s economy. “People love
to drive through the state and see all the beauty that the spring wildflowers
bring, and we're thrilled to help tourists find the best routes to see these
living works of art,” she said. TxDOT buys and sows approximately 30,000
pounds of wildflower seed each year. There are more
than 5,000 species of wildflowers in Texas and, while spring is one of the
best times to enjoy wildflower beauty, there are flowers that bloom almost
year round. TxDOT cares
for more than 800,000 acres of right of way that are filled with wildflowers
throughout the year. The department
reminded motorists that wildflowers are for everyone’s enjoyment but, for
safety reasons, the public should be cautious when stopping to see the
blooms. Those who want
to stop and pick the flowers should choose areas with light traffic conditions
and make sure to signal before leaving or entering the roadway, TxDOT said. Those who do
stop should do so off the roadway, including improved shoulders, and parallel
to the road in the direction of traffic on the same side of the roadway that
the flowers are on. People should
not walk or run across lanes of traffic to get to the flowers. For the latest
wildflower information, call the TxDOT Wildflower Hotline at 800/452-9292 or
go to the website at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/flora_conditions.htm. SANDERSON –
The Sanderson High School Spanish Club has finished raising money needed for
its long-awaited trip to Spain. Some fund raisers are still taking in
spending money. The group
leaves June 22 for a ten-day adventure. Club members on
the trip will be Vicky Busch, Jessica Garza, Chris Marquez, Noemi Nuñez and
Travis Roberts. Miriam Nunez, who graduated last year, joined the group. Other people
traveling in the group and paying their own way are Amy Carman, Jesse Daniel,
Trisha Nichols, Virginia Garza, Luis Garza and group sponsor Jerry Garza. Students in
the club raised the money for their flight tickets, tours, tips and hotels
through car washes, bake sales and other activities over two years. They had hoped
to go last year but were unable to raise enough money. They decided to
substitute a trip to Mexico but the economy and drug-cartel violence “south
of the border” nixed that idea. The first day
of the trip will be the overnight flight to Spain. The next two days will be
spent exploring Madrid, where they will see Prado, Puerta del Sol, Plaza
Mayor, Plaza de Oriente and the Royal Palace, which was built by Bourbon King
Phillip V. The fourth day
the group will travel to Córdoba via Puerto Lápice, visit the Mezquita and
continue on to Seville. The next day
the group will take a guided tour of Seville and visit Alcázar, the Seville
Cathedral and the Plaza de Toros. Sponsor Jerry
Garza said he is a real bullfight fan and looks forward to seeing the sport
by true professionals. Later that
day, they will take a walking tour and see the Torre del Oro and travel to Costa
del Sol. The sixth day,
the group will have a free day in Costa del Sol. The next
morning, they travel to Granada where they will take a guided tour of Granada
and visit the Alhambra. The group will
travel to Valencia on the eighth day of the trip for a guided tour of Valencia,
a visit to the aquarium at the city of arts and sciences and travel to
Barcelona is on the itinerary for the ninth day of the adventure. There, they will
take a guided tour of Barcelona, visiting the La Sagrada Familia and the
Montjuïc. The same day
the group also will visit the Parque Guell before taking another walking tour
of Barcelona and seeing Las Ramblas. The next day,
the young travelers will pack up and depart for home. Each tour on
the trip will be given by licensed local guides and the tour director. The nine
overnight hotel stays include private bathrooms, European breakfasts and
dinner daily. HOUSTON — The
Texas Historical Commission has recognized J. Travis Roberts, Jr., of
Marathon with the George Christian Volunteer of the Year Award. The honor was
presented during a special awards dinner last week at the THC’s 2010 Annual
Historic Preservation Conference here. The award is
named after Austin political consultant and former THC Chairman George
Christian, who served as White House press secretary to President Lyndon B.
Johnson from 1966 to 1969. Christian
previously served as press secretary to two Texas governors, John Connally
and Price Daniel. “J. Travis
Roberts’ revitalization efforts in Brewster County prove his commitment to
saving the real places of Texas,” said THC Executive Director Mark Wolfe.
“His dedication as a preservationist to enriching the lives of others through
history has played an important role in preserving our state’s past, as well
as enhancing its future.” Roberts has
served for 20 years with the Brewster County Historical Commission. He helped
secure the THC’s Distinguished Service Award recognition of the Brewster CHC
for six of the past seven years. He has
authored numerous historical works focusing on Brewster County and is locally
known as a walking encyclopedia regarding regional history. |
|
|