May
14, 2010 Use Back button
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Vicky, Jessica top grads
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By
LYN ROSAS Business
Manager SANDERSON – Another
school year is about to come to an end with 13 high school seniors scheduled
to put on caps and gowns and make their cherished “walk across the stage”
this month. Topping the
list will be the 2010 Valedictorian, Victoria “Vicky” Sotelo Busch and Salutatorian
Jessica Marie Garza. Vicky, with a 99.97
grade point average, is the daughter of Dale and Amanda Busch of Sanderson. Jessica,
daughter of school Administrator, Teacher and Coach Jerry Garza and Teacher
Gina Garza, had a GPA of 99.04. “I am very
thrilled for these young ladies,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said. “They
have worked hard all their years of school. I look forward to hearing good
things about them in the future.” “I am honored
to be valedictorian and am grateful for the one-year scholarship to the
school which I will be attending,” Vicky said. “I have stage fright and I am
a horrible speaker so I am a bit nervous about giving my speech for
graduation. “I am filled
with excitement for what is to come,” she said. “I have decided to attend
UTEP [University of Texas at El Paso] and get my degree in chemistry.” Jessica also
confessed to a bit of stage fright. “I am very
honored but I am also very frightened about having to speak on graduation
night,” she said. “After graduation, I am going to attend UIW [University of
Incarnate Word] of San Antonio and major in business and minor in nutrition.” Graduation
will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 29, in the High School Auditorium. Vicky was a
Girls State delegate and president of the National Honor Society in her junior
year and served as freshman and junior class president. She was active
in basketball, cross country, tennis and track. She was a member of the All-District
basketball team in her freshman year and won the Basketball Hustle Award in
her junior year. Vicky was an
area track qualifier in her junior and senior years, regional tennis
qualifier in the two years and won the Most Valuable Tennis Player Award and
the Most Athletic Award in her junior year. She also won first-place
ribbons in the Regional History Fair in her junior and sophomore years and was
a UIL Regional Science participant in her freshman year. Jessica was president
of the senior class and the National Honor Society. She won first
place in the Regional History Fair and qualified for state and placed first
as a District Team member in the UIL computer science competition. Jessica was a
member of Who’s Who Among American High School Students, UIL and History Fair
participant and had the highest average in theater arts. She was
District champion in track, cross country and tennis, a member of the
Bi-District Champion basketball team, Most Valuable Player in cross country
and golf and won the Fighting Heart Award in sports. Jessica was a regional
qualifier in cross country, third place in tennis, fifth place in area track
and a golf participant. She was a
freshman Student Council member and freshman class princess. Pre-graduation
activities begin with a fundraiser for Project Gradation as high school boys
dress in girls’ garb and girls in boys’ dress for the annual “Dude Looks like
a Lady Pageant” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, in the High School Auditorium. Project
Graduation is the all-night, chemical-free party in the High School gym immediately
following the graduation ceremony. Businesses and
others contribute items students can win in games and as other prizes. The annual
Awards banquet will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at St. James Hall for secondary
grades. Finals exams
will be Wednesday and Thursday, May 26 and 27, and pre-K and elementary
awards will be Friday, May 28. AUSTIN – Gov.
Rick Perry has released the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan 2010-2015,
a strategic plan that will guide the state’s response to all types of threats
over five years. But a group of
West Texas congressmen say Perry’s efforts in the past were not enough. Perry said his
plan serves as a high-level roadmap to allow for adaption to evolving
situations in ever-changing threats. “Texas faces a
diverse array of challenges to our safety and security, requiring a unique
approach to preparedness, response and recovery efforts,” he said. “This plan
was developed with the input of state agencies, law enforcement and emergency
management personnel that form the homeland security community in Texas,
ensuring the most accurate assessment of the risks in our state and the best
recommendations on how to address them.” But US Reps. Ciro
D. Rodriguez, Silvestre Reyes, Henry Cuellar, Ruben Hinojosa and Solomon
Ortiz said in a joint statement that Perry currently directs less than ten
percent of the state’s DHS funding to the border. “Over the last
five years, Texas has increased the scope and magnitude of its coordinated
border security operations, committed more than $230 million to fund border
security operations, significantly improved radio interoperability,
established a state health and medical operations center and earned national
recognition for its response to the spring, 2009, novel H1N1 influenza outbreak,”
Perry said in a statement. He said the Texas
Homeland Security Strategic Plan builds on the successes from the past five
years while incorporating new initiatives to address new and evolving
threats. The
congressmen said Perry’s “own rhetoric indicates that he considers the border
a critically sensitive area. We agree. “Yet, Gov.
Perry has disputed some clear-cut facts about border security funding,” their
statement said. “He contends
that the federal government has failed in its duty to fund sufficient resources
and secure our home-land along the Texas border,” the congressmen said. “We
agree that more can and should be done and that takes partners across all
levels of government. “We’ve worked
– often across party lines – to make sure this region receives what it needs,
including supporting a recent bill introduced by Sen. John Cornyn and
supported by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to increase grant money for border law
enforcement,” the five US reps said. “We noted that
an average of $125 million annually in Department of Homeland Security
funding has gone to the state since 2006,” they said. “And yet, Gov. Perry
has consistently sent less than 10 percent of those funds to border law
enforcement agencies where they are most needed.” The said they
were asking the Government Accountability Office to conduct an analysis
detailing how much federal funding given to the state has been allocated to
the border. “Collectively,
we have 65 years of experience represent-ting the border region,” they said. “We
understand the needs and challenges that life on the border brings. “We agree that
more can be done but we cannot do it alone,” they said. “And we need to deal
in facts, not myths.” FORT STOCKTON
– A defamation lawsuit by Clayton Williams and his Fort Stockton Holdings
against Mayor Ruben Falcon was dismissed Monday after Falcon issued a
clarification and retraction of earlier statements. Falcon has
opposed plans by Williams’ Fort Stockton Holdings to export about 41 million
gallons per day of groundwater from more than 17,000 acres it owns or leases
in the Leon-Belding area west of here. The water
would be transported to the Midland-Odessa area for municipal and industrial
uses. Falcon told
the News Leader his lawyers advised him not to comment on the settlement
outside of a prepared statement. Both sides
released statements about the settlement in which they said Williams had
accepted Falcon’s clarification. “I appreciate
Mayor Falcon’s clarification and withdrawal of statements that I believe
cre-ated a cloud over my reputation for honesty,” Williams said in his
statement. “I also accept his apology and explanation that no harm to my
reputation for honesty was intended.” Falcon’s
statement said his earlier comments were not intended to “imply that Mr. Williams
was trying to take water that was owned by others or that his company’s
executives had been dishonest with respect to their groundwater permit
application or that they had any actual plan or intent to run over or abuse
other landowners’ property rights.” The two sides
announced communications about the application would be improved. Williams
agreed to copy all Middle Pecos Groundwater District filings to the city and
to communicate frequently with the citizens of the community. “One thing I
have learned from this lawsuit is that there is a lot of misinformation
floating around in the community about my company’s proposed water project,”
Williams said. “As we move forward, my company and I will work to get the
facts out to West Texas so my project can be better evaluated.” SANDERSON –
Terrell County Commissioners Monday agreed to prepay an $88,778 balance from
a 2004 issue of “tax notes,” due in February, 2011. County
Treasurer Lynda Helmers said the payout will be somewhat less than the
current balance because it includes interest that would accrue if the balance
went full term. She said there will be no penalty for early payment. County Judge
Leo Smith said the county stands to lose some $150 million in assessed value
on oil and gas properties in the county next year because of the current
economic downturn. He said the
loss would require an eight-cent increase in the tax rate to bring in the
same amount of revenue as this year, something he said he was “not willing to
do.” The county has
taken in a substantial surplus in each of the last several years. Smith said
after the tax notes are retired, the county will be “debt free.” In other
action, the court agreed to a mineral lease of 177.12 acres of land it owns
in Gaines County to HVL Energy of Midland for $45,165.16, plus 25 percent of
royalties. The lease will
benefit the Permanent School Fund, which is administered by the county but
benefits the Terrell County Independent School District. The action was
contingent on County Attorney Marsha Monroe working out a satisfactory
agreement with HVL. The court also
agreed to buy six air pack breathers from Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., of
Holden, LA, for the Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Chief
Bobby Brotherton said he could get four breathers to replace older equipment
that is no longer serviceable for $21,249 or six for $31,873.50. The equipment
provides oxygen for firemen entering a building filled with toxic fumes from
a fire. He said he
could get by with four but if he had to send two firemen into a burning
building and they needed help, it would take up all four and he would not
have any for backup. He said the
Ferrara equipment is similar to that used by other area departments, which
would be helpful in a mutual-aid situation when one department backs up
another in the area. The court
agreed to hire Ellis Helmers for $10 to $25 per tree, depending on size, to
keep the trees on county property properly sprayed and fertilized. The court
agreed to buy new tables for the courthouse and other county facilities to
replace tables that are wearing out. Road and
Bridge Supervisor Mike Sanchez was authorized to advertise for three
temporary workers during the summer and the court approved a salary of $9.44
per hour for Jerry Brotherton as a records management deputy for County Clerk
Martha Allen. Travis
could return record to Sanderson after
35 years AUSTIN – When
Travis Roberts of Sanderson competes at the state track meet here today, he
may set a new record for the mile run, set by another Sanderson runner 35
years ago. Rick Marquez of
Andrews packs up his bags and heads to Austin for the UIL Track and Field
Championships every year. “From 1972 to 1975 there was not a
better miler this side of the Brazos River than Marquez,” Rudy Diaz wrote in
the Andrews County News yesterday. “The UIL has the numbers to prove it.” He said Marquez
out of “blink once and you’ll miss it” Sanderson was the state champion in
the mile run all four years in high school. “He and a guy named Robert Gonzales
from Falfurrias are the only two track athletes in the state of Texas to ever
win the state title all four years in high school,” Diaz wrote. “Marquez was
that good but his senior year was something else.” As a senior at
Sanderson High School in 1975, Marquez set a new state record of 4:15.8 in
the mile, which eventually was converted to a 4:13.8 and he won state by one
step. “Thirty-five
years later that 4:13.8 state record still stands,” Diaz wrote. “In fact it
is the fifth-longest standing state record in UIL history.” It is for those four years from 1972
to 1975 that Rick Marquez was nominated to the UIL All-Century Track and
Field teams as one of the best track athletes in the last 100 years. Marquez might not have paid too much
attention to his feats back in his days but it’s very apparent the UIL was
and they brought him back to life as part of their 100 year Centennial
Celebration. “What is so
ironic about Marquez’ record is that it has held up for 35 years and there is
currently one athlete that is considered to have a chance to break it this
coming weekend,” Diaz wrote. “The ironic thing about it is that the
kid – Travis Roberts – is from of all places, Sanderson,” he wrote. “Roberts
is so good that he, just like Marquez did to Baylor University after his
senior year, has signed to run for Division I Rice University.” Diaz said it’s
hard to imagine two top runners coming from 1A Sanderson. “Everybody says it’s the water,”
Marquez said. “There is great water down there. I just don’t know why. “Maybe it’s
the environment, the hills. I just don’t know,” he said. “I talk to him and
tell him how it was back then and he listens.” More
comin’s & goin’s By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
Manager SANDERSON – Julian
& Norma Martinez, owners of the El Patio Bar here, had two special
visitors over the weekend. Son Armando
Portillo and his college friend Cristoval Chavira visited from the Milan
School of Cosmetology in San Antonio. The two will graduate this year. The friends
visited Portillo’s family here and earned tips for school money at the bar
over the weekend. “When he
graduates, he will be making mama look good,” Norma said. This isn’t the
first time these two friends came to help out at the bar and it probably
won’t be the last. Jimmy Ramirez
and family had a few special visitors this week. Ofelia Ramirez
arrived home from seeing her daughter Nanette in Anchorage, AK. Then mom and daughter
and Nanette’s 5–month-old son Dominic Beltran came home from Alaska to Sanderson
where Nanette graduated from high school. She had just
returned from Afghanistan and wanted the family to meet her new son. Her sister Yvette
Ramirez and her 14-year-old son Christian visited from Barstow, CA. Another
visitor to their home was Nanette’s friend Bobbi Rapp. Both ladies
are in the military. Nanette is in the Army and Bobbi is in the Air Force. The Ramirez family gathered at the family
home to meet the newest member of the family. Baby Dominic
met his mom’s side of the family for the first time. Nanette left
for Houston on Thursday to visit more family. Bobbi drove back
to Hobbs, NM, Wednesday to see her family again before going to Tampa, FL.
She had surprised mom Kim on Mother’s Day. Another first
in town was the baptism of 22–month-old Jaylie Ramirez, daughter of Julie Ramirez
Flax of Sanderson. Jaylie’s big
brother Justin Flax attended along with grandparents Juan Ramirez, his wife Angie
Ramirez from El Paso, Julie’s sister Teresa Barton, her husband Tommy Barton
and their four children 16–year–old Joe, ten-year-old Chelsea, Catelyn, who
is seven and Maria who is three. Jaylie’s
Godparents Epi & Elsa Castro also attended. There was a
dinner and Baptism the day Jaylie was baptized. Jaime Rodriguez of Sanderson was traveling
home from Fort Stockton on Tuesday and found a tortoise. His fed it
heads of lettuce and planned to take his new friend home. Jaime said saw
something crawling around, stopped and saw it was a tortoise. He decided to
pick it up and put it in the back of his truck for the ride home. He plans on
learning how to care for the animal by talking to the locals who know these
creatures and what it takes to care for them. SANDERSON –
Officials here were encouraged by the dollar amounts in a bid opening Monday for
a “game-proof” fence around Terrell County Airport. Twin Mountain
Fence Company of San Angelo was the apparent low of three bidders with an
offer of $45,088.41 for two sides of the 640-acre airport. The county has
a Federal Aviation Administration Routine Airport Maintenance Grant of
$50,000, which it is required to match, providing $100,000 each year for
airport improvements. The bids were
referred to Michael Garcia of Landgraf Crutcher Associates of Odessa for
review and a recommendation. Garcia told
County Commissioners the Texas Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division,
which administers the program, had agreed to the fence specifications but
they still needed FAA’s blessing. County Judge
Leo Smith said the county has used about $5,000 of the $100,000 in the RAMP
fund for the current year and he hoped the first two sides of the fence could
be done this year and the second half next year. County
Attorney Marsha Monroe said the county could legally extend the work at the
same unit prices to add a third side or more to the contract after it is
awarded. “If the Twin
Mountain bid withstands review, it could mean we could get most, if not all,
of the fence done in the first year,” Airport Board Chairman Jim Street said.
“Then we could use next year’s RAMP funding for something else.” He said the
RAMP program remains the same from one year to the next. The fourth
10,377-foot fence along the north side of the airport will probably cost more
than the others because it includes a gate to allow airport access, Street
said. The Airport
Board has expressed interest in extending a taxiway from the current apron to
allow for hangars to be built, along with airport lighting and other
improvements. In other
action Monday, the Commissioners agreed to provide two new evaporative air
conditioning units for Airport Manager C.D. Curry’s home on airport property. Curry had
asked for new air conditioning and insulation as the first step in upgrading
the home. Refrigerated
air conditioners would cost about the same as evaporative but Curry said he
couldn’t afford the increased electrical demands the refrigerated units
require. Commissioners
expressed concern about spending too much on the house, which needs extensive
repairs. “Before we
spend that much money, we should investigate buying a mobile home,” Smith
said. “To put $10,000 into a central air conditioning system would be a waste
of money.” Smith agreed
to investigate the cost of a new mobile home to replace the house. Iraan/Sheffieold Oks bonds IRAAN – The
third time apparently was the charm here as voters approved by a 74-percent
margin a $15 million bond issue for the Iraan/Shef-field Independent School
District. By a vote of 351
to 121, voters gave their blessing to a program to renovate all buildings in
the district. Two earlier issues, which would have provided new buildings,
failed by fewer than ten votes each. Superintendent
Kevin Allen said the only “new” structure under the new issue will be a metal
shop. He said a structural
engineer told the board recently that the existing buildings in the district
were structurally sound and did not need to be replaced “for many decades to
come.” The first
action for the board now is to hire an architect to begin drawing plans for
the renovations. Allen said the
roofs, air conditioning and some electrical work had been done recently under
a government loan program. “We’ll use the
bond money to furnish new water lines, sewer lines and gas lines,” he said.
“We will modernize classrooms and provide for technology updates. “Nothing has been
done to the inside of the schools since construction in 1950,” he said. “In
the 80s, we had an outside facelift but nothing was done inside.” Work under the
bond issue will include the elementary, junior high and high school
buildings, the band hall, wood shop and auditorium. SANDERSON – Visitors
will have a chance to guess who students are supposed to be at the Sanderson
Junior High School Monday. Students will
dress up as someone from history and people will be given clues to the
historical identities. The annual “Wax
Museum” will be at 6 p.m. Monday, May 17, in the junior high building and the
regular monthly School Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the new “conference
center” in the new high school wing south of the junior high building. It will be the
first board meeting in the new facility, built under a $14 million bond issue
approved three years ago. Sanderson High
School boys will dress up as girls and girls as boys for a performance of
“Dude Looks Like a Lady” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, to raise money for
Project Graduation. They will sing
songs from a mix of musical genres at the event in the High School Auditorium.
The frivolity
will support the all-night, chemical-free party after the May 29 graduation. It is offered
as a safe way for graduates to celebrate their accomplishments. Tickets are $3
for children 12 and under, $5 per person and couples are $8. SANDERSON – Cameron
Baker was re-elected president of the Terrell County 4-H Club Monday and Dryden
Baker was re-elected vice president in an election on the voting machines
their parents use on Election Day. Terrell County
Commissioners agreed to let the club use the touch-screen machines to give
the members a lesson in Democracy. The machine
provider, Election Systems & Software, Inc., of Omaha, NE, or ES&S,
contributed half the cost of programming the ballots for the 4-H election. Grace Jahn is
the new secretary and William Roberts is the treasurer. Abby Carrasco was
elected reporter, Jesse Roberts is the junior officer 1 and Brandee Stegall
is junior officer 2. The kids all
agreed they liked the computer and all but two chose it over paper ballots. Jacob Helmers
said he opted for paper because “I just like paper.” The machine “lets
you touch the screen,” Lauryn Carroll said. Twin brother
Luke noted the machine “marks the circle just right. If you did it, you might
be out of the lines.” Taryn Mitchell
said voting on the machines was “just like big people.” Brooklin
Zuniga also liked the touch screen. “With a
computer, you have to use a keyboard,” she said. “How do you
know which precinct you are in?” Kailey Dominguez asked. District/County
Clerk Martha Allen said there was a map in her office in the courthouse that
shows the precinct lines. She said they
are divided up to contain as closely as possibly the same number of people. Joey Carrasco
wanted to know why it costs so much to have an election. Allen answered
that the ballots have to be programmed for each election. He asked how
much the voting machines cost. Allen said the
machines are about $4,000, the scanner is about $5,000 and it costs about
$1,000 to program a ballot. However, ES&S
agreed to contribute half the cost of the programming for the 4-H election. SANDERSON –
Terrell County might have to consider privatizing its ambulance service if it
can’t find people in the county to operate its ambulances. That was a
concern cited Monday as county commissioners discussed the issue with EMS
Director Butch Maldonado. He said both
Leila Cash and Abby Roberts want to retire from the EMT positions and the
court agreed to apply for a variance that would allow an ambulance to be
operated with a non-medical driver and an EMT, if necessary. The county
hopes to hire medically-trained operators and the hiring of a driver without
medical training would be a stopgap. County
Attorney Marsha Monroe said the state health department may not even allow
the non-medical driver in an area as remote as Terrell County. The court took
no action on a request to buy or lease a new ambulance or whether to schedule
training classes pending outcome of the staffing questions. “We’ve been
dragging our feet for nine months to a year,” Commissioner Charles Stegall
said. He said
instead of Maldonado trying to juggle his duties with providing classes, an
outsider could be paid to come in and provide the training. “We tried
Odessa College but they couldn’t get people to come down here,” County Judge
Leo Smith said. “I’ll work on that and report at the next meeting.” Maldonado said
after the meeting the ambulance service is in “good, solid shape.” He said he has
two vehicles available and several candidates had expressed interesting in an
EMT job. Maldonado told
Commissioners Monday that classes on line can substitute for time in a
classroom and the advantage is the student can take the schooling on his own
schedule. SANDERSON –
The school year ends May 28 in the Terrell County Independent School District
and the swimming pool in Bicentennial Park will be open for the summer season
the next day. Pool parties
also are available, Pool Manger Mike Sanchez said. He said Monday
eight of the ten lifeguards had been certified and the other two were
expected shortly. Sanchez said
arrangements for parties must be made with him in advance for $50, which will
allow as many as 18 people – adults and/or children – to attend. For larger
parties, an additional sliding fee to $80 will allow for as many as 48
people. Lifeguards
will be assigned to the event at no extra charge with the number required depending
on the number of people attending. Parties will
be for a maximum of two hours Monday through Saturday and regular pool rules
apply to partygoers. The lifeguard
on duty will have full authority for control of activities and can close the
pool if necessary. There will be no refund of the fee if the lifeguard is
forced to close the pool. The person
reserving the pool will have full responsibility in case a problem arises
during the party. By ANNA La FLEUR Production Manager SANDERSON –
The final movie in the Passion series by Louie Giglio was shown on Sunday
evening at Calvary Baptist Church here. The movie
“Fruit Cake and Ice Cream” took viewers on a journey through the
transformation of a college student’s spiritual life. This student
wrote in a journal about her day-to-day life and talked about her family, her
classes and her life. Her mother and
stepbrother were devout Christians. Her father, with whom she lived, and she were
atheists. This young
girl, Ashley, lived in an apartment with her philandering boyfriend until she
threw him out. Ashley then
found a new roommate, who was a Christian like her mother and stepbrother. Ashley dubbed
her the Fruit Cake because of her belief in God. One day Fruit Cake
found Ashley crying over the boyfriend and talked to her while eating ice
cream. Fruit Cake did
not judge her. She listened and offered to pray for her. One day,
Ashley asked her roommate why she believed in God and Fruit Cake responded. “He loves me,”
she said. Over the
course of a few days, the two conversed and finally Fruit Cake shared some
CDs of Giglio’s Passion Series with Ashley. Ashley decided
to go with her roommate and see what it was about in person. That day,
Ashley became a born-again Christian and told her mother and step brother
about it. Then she
informed her father who said she was crazy. Ashley died a
few days later. She was in a car accident and was hospitalized for a while
before she died. Her family
gave her journal to Giglio and gave him permission to share Ashley’s story
with the world. Ashley had
told her family that she sent Giglio an e-mail and he then put it on his
blog. That blog
received positive responses from so many people that it, in turn, inspired
Ashley. The last two
weeks of her young life was spent knowing and loving her Creator and Father
in Heaven. Now in death,
her last two weeks of life are inspiring others and bringing more people to
follow Christ. Ashley’s
father is now friends with Giglio and they share e-mails often. There is one
verse that Giglio referred to during this movie and it resounds like a church
bell on Sunday morning, if you grasp the meaning. In 2
Corinthians 5:13 to 21, it talks about how God made Him who had no sin to accept
our sins for us. This is about
finding grace and Giglio defines grace as God at work. “He works
through us and for us and there is nothing too big for God to handle,” Giglio
said. “When you ‘get
it,’ you get crazy excited and you want everyone to get crazy excited,” he
said. “But you know that you have to be normal around other people or they
will think that you are just crazy because they don’t understand why you are
crazy excited. “But when they
‘get it,’ then they want to get crazy excited but they can’t or people will
look at them like they are just crazy,” Giglio said. “But if you ‘get it,’
you just want everyone to ‘get it’ and so you want to walk around telling
everyone so everyone can ‘get it’ and get crazy excited.” Jesus died on
the cross to save us from our sins and when He did, he became our sins. All you have
to do is acknowledge that fact and ask Him to forgive you and know that He
loves you enough to die for your sins. This was the
final movie in the series and, with that one verse, this movie wrapped up
every message Giglio tried to express in his Passion Series. There was a
dinner before the movie. Enchiladas, beans and rice were served with tea and
deserts. Sunday was Mother’s
Day and the church passed out flowers to mothers who attended the dinner and
movie. There was
singing of contemporary Christian music at the start of the movie with the
lyrics at the bottom of the screen. The music was
sung by the movie watchers while the screen showed segments of the life of
Christ. It showed how He
died, snippets of His childhood, His birth, the wise men who brought him
gifts, the many things He went through and His resurrection, all while the
movie watchers sang. Sometimes, people
don’t believe in God because they don’t feel worthy of His love and forgiveness.
This is how
Ashley felt. But, in the end, she knew. SANDERSON –
The elementary school students here gathered at the track to participate in
the field day events last week, including ball throwing, Frisbee throwing,
the long jump, weaving around and over an obstacle course, sack races and
running meter races. The students
in the pre kindergarten grade level competed a few at a time so there was
more than one student who placed first in an event. Naylea Mendoza
placed first in every event. Diego Fuéntez was first in the long jump, Frisbee
throw, obstacle course, sack race and 50–meter dash and was third in the
softball throw. Jeremiah Lopez
was first in obstacle course, long jump, Frisbee throw, soft ball throw and
50–meter dash and third in the sack race. Aaron Rodgers placed
first in sack race, second in long jump, second in soft ball throw, third in
obstacle course, the Frisbee throw and the 50–meter dash. Ely Farley placed
first in the softball throw, second in Frisbee throw, second in sack race and
third in the 50–meter dash, the obstacle and the long jump. Trinity Pacheco
placed second in every event. Morgan Campbell
placed second in obstacles, long jump, soft ball throw and the 50–meter dash
and third in Frisbee throw and the sack race. Dakota Mills was
second in Frisbee throw, sack race, the 50–meter dash and the obstacle
course, third in the long jump and in the soft ball throw. Robert Harris
placed fourth in every event. Kindergarteners
also competed in heats due to the size of the class and more than one first
place was reported. Dominic Hernandez
placed first in every event. Natalie Lopez
placed first in everything except for second in the long jump, the Frisbee
throw and sack race. Jacob Rodgers
placed first in all events but the Frisbee throw and the sack race that he
placed second in and third in the soft ball throw. Katie Jahn placed
first in everything but the long jump and Frisbee throw where she placed
second and third in the softball throw. Anthony
Rodriguez was first in sack race, first in soft ball throw, fourth in long
jump and second in everything else. Noel Carrasco was
second in everything but the Frisbee throw and the 100–meter dash in which he
placed third. Gabby Aguilar was first in the sack race,
third in long jump and second in everything else. Sara Hines was
first in softball throw, first in Frisbee throw, second in the 50– and 100–meter
dash, second in sack race and third in everything else. Kylie Dominguez
was first in long jump, second in obstacle, third in everything but softball
throw in which she placed fourth. Landry Lowrance
placed first in Frisbee throw and third in everything else. Noah Carrasco
placed first in Frisbee, second in long jump, second in softball throw and
fourth in everything else. Adrian
Arredondo placed second in Frisbee, second in 100–meter dash and third in
everything else. Gracie
Rodriguez placed second in softball throw and fourth in everything else. David Franco
placed third in everything but Frisbee and softball throw in which he placed
fourth. First grader Adriana
Lopez placed first in every event. Dohnavon Anaya
placed first in the obstacle course and the long jump, second in the Frisbee
throw and the 50–meter dash, third in the softball throw, the 100–meter dash
and the first heat of the sack race. Cisco Fuéntez
was first in the first heat of the sack race, the 50–meter dash and the
100–meter dash, second in the soft ball throw, third in the obstacle course
and in the long jump and fourth in the Frisbee throw. Anthony
Rodriguez was first in the Frisbee throw, the second heat of the sack race
and the softball throw, second in the 100–meter dash, third in the 50-meter
dash and fifth in the obstacle course and the long jump. John Michael
Guadarrama was second in the second heat of the sack race, fourth in the
softball throw, fifth in the 50–meter dash, the 100–meter dash and the
Frisbee throw and sixth in the obstacle course. Koleman Babb was
second in the obstacle course, the long jump and the first heat of the sack
race, third in the Frisbee throw, fourth in the 50–meter dash and the
100–meter dash and sixth in the softball throw. Mark La Fleur was
third in the second heat of the sack race, fourth in the long jump and the
obstacle course, fifth in the softball throw, sixth in the Frisbee throw, the
50–meter dash and the 100–meter dash. Second grader
Ian Perez placed first in every event but second in the Frisbee throw. Jason Woosley
placed first in every event but second in the obstacle course and the Frisbee
throw. Brooklin
Zuniga placed first in everything but second in the Frisbee throw, second in
the softball throw and fifth in the long jump. Jayden
Montalvo placed first in the obstacle course, first in Frisbee throw, second
in long jump, second in both dash races, third in sack race and third in
softball throw. Taryn Mitchell
placed first in the sack race, second in both the dash races, third in long
jump, third in Frisbee throw, fourth in softball throw and fifth in the
obstacle course. Dustin Johnson
placed first in the Frisbee throw, second in the sack race, third in the obstacle
course, third in soft ball throw, fourth in the long jump and both dash
races. Analise
Galvan–Rubio placed first in the Frisbee throw, first in the softball throw,
second in sack race, third in the dash races, fourth in long jump and fourth
in obstacle. Kate Roberts
was first in long jump, third in sack race, fifth in softball and sixth in
everything else. Cori Hilton
was second in obstacle course, second in long jump, second in sack race,
third in softball throw, fourth in the dash races and fifth in Frisbee throw. Jacobi Campos
placed second in everything but Frisbee throw and sack race in which he
placed third. Justin Maguire
was second in sack race, second in softball throw, third in both dash races,
third in obstacle course, third in long jump and fourth in Frisbee throw. Isaiah Aguilar
was third in everything but three events. He was fourth in Frisbee throw,
softball throw and sack race. James Bon was
third in Frisbee throw and fourth in everything else. Alliyanna
Harris was third in sack race, third in obstacle course, fourth in Frisbee
throw, fifth in the dash races, sixth in softball throw and sixth in the long
jump. In the third
grade, Lexi Coe won first place in everything but softball where she placed
second. Kailey
Dominguez was first in the soft ball throw and second in everything else. Elijah
Carrasco placed first in obstacle course, first in sack race, first in
softball throw, first in the 100–meter dash, second in the 50–meter dash,
second in long jump and third in the Frisbee throw. Wyatt Mills
placed first in long jump, first in Frisbee throw, first in the 50–meter
dash, second in the 100–meter dash, second in the obstacle course, second in
the sack race and third in the soft ball throw. Christian
Franco was second in the softball throw, third in the dash races, fourth in
the sack race and obstacle course and fifth in the Frisbee throw and the long
jump. Justin Flax
was second in the Frisbee throw, third in long jump and sack race, fourth in
the dash races and fifth in softball throw and the obstacle course. Darion Keyser
was third in obstacle course, fourth in Frisbee throw, fourth in softball
throw, fourth in long jump and fifth in everything else. Fourth grader
Tyler Hargis placed first in softball, long jump, Frisbee, the 50–meter dash,
the 100–meter dash, fourth in the sack race and had a time of 19:90 seconds in
the obstacle course. Jesus Lopez
was first in everything but three events. He placed third in the 200–meter race,
fourth in the 400–meter and ran a time
of 20:0 seconds in the obstacle course. Noah Aguilar
won first place in the sack race and the 200–meter dash, ran a second-place
time of 18:56 seconds in the obstacle course, third in the 50–meter dash, the
100–meter dash, the softball throw and the long jump and was fifth in the Frisbee
throw. Stephanie
Lozano was first in the 50–, 100– and 200–meter run. Sean Lopez was
first in the sack race, third in the 50 – and meter and 100–meter runs,
fourth in the softball throw, the long jump and the Frisbee throw and had a
time of 19:88 seconds in the obstacle course. Hunter
Truesdell had the fastest time on the obstacle course with a time of 17:41 seconds
and was second in everything else. Daniel
Guadarrama was the third fastest obstacle course runner with a time of 18:72
seconds and was second in everything but the 200–meter run and the 400-meter
run in which he did not place. Noah Marquez
was second in the sack race, had a time of 21:59 seconds in the obstacle
course and fifth in everything else but the 200–meter and 400–meter runs in
which he did not place. Jacob Bon
placed third in the Frisbee throw, the sack race, long jump and the soft ball
throw, fourth in the 50– and 100–meter dash and the obstacle course with a
time of 19:25 seconds. Chris Ibarra
was third in the sack race, fourth in softball throw, long jump, Frisbee
throw, 50–meter dash, 100- meter dash and 200–meter run and ran 19:33 seconds
in the obstacle course. Buddy Imboden
placed third in the sack race, ran a time of 24:44 seconds in the obstacle
course and placed fifth in everything else except the two longest runs in
which he did not place. Jacob Luevano
placed third in the sack race, had a time of 28:0 seconds in the obstacle
course and was in sixth in the rest of the event except the 200– and
400–meter runs in which he did not place. Fifth grader
Michael Shoemaker was first in all four races. Cody Hilton
was second in the 50–, 100– and 200–meter runs. Kenney-Mae
Pacheco placed second in the 50–, 100–meter runs. Andrew Hines
was third in the 50–, 100 – and 200–meter runs. Sonya Keyser
placed third in the 50-, and 100–meter dashes. After the
field day events were over, the classes walked to the park for playground fun
and hot dogs with their friends and family that attended to watch the field
day events. Pecos
Trail Board to discuss rock art DEL RIO – The
rock art in the lower Pecos River basin will provide the entertainment portion
for the Texas Pecos Trail Region Board of Directors meeting next week. The board will
meet at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 20, at the Ramada Inn Sun Blossom Room A at
2101 Veterans Blvd. here. The program
will be provided by the Shumla School in Comstock, which explores lower Pecos
River rock art. The name stands for Studying the Human Use of Materials, Land
and Art. Lunch will be
served at noon for $10 per plate. The Texas
Heritage Trails Program is the Texas Historical Commission’s award-winning
tourism initiative designed to help Texas communities promote tourism,
revitalize local economies and foster community leadership through historic
preservation. The Texas
Pecos Trail Region encompasses 22 West Texas counties in the Trans-Pecos area
including Terrell, Andrews, Crane, Crockett, Ector, Edwards, Glasscock,
Kimble, Kinney, Loving, Martin, Maverick, Midland, Pecos, Reagan, Reeves,
Sterling, Sutton, Upton, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler. An RSVP is
requested to Scott Jordan, executive director, at info@texaspecostrail.com
or call 325/387-3900 by tomorrow, May 15. Contact the
Ramada Inn at 830/775-1511 by today, May 14, for special block room rates of $79
for single or double and $89 for business class. AUSTIN – Sales
tax receipts for Terrell County were off again this month but by a lower
percentage than recent months. The state will
send $31,928.55 to the county in May, down 48.89 percent from the $47,538.66
in the same month a year ago. Last month,
the county received tax receipts of nearly 60 percent less than the year before. For the year
to date, receipts were down 22.42 percent from $248,446.54 last year to
$192,729.65 this year. Texas
Comptroller Susan Combs announced the state collected $1.68 billion in sales
tax revenue in April, up 1.4 percent compared to April 2009. “This modest
increase is welcome after 14 consecutive months of year-over-year declines,”
Combs said. “Retail trade saw a nearly five percent increase in
collections, and gains also occurred in the manufacturing sector. “Offsetting
this were remittances from the oil and natural gas production sector and construction,
which continued to decline, but at rates moderating substantially from those
seen earlier this fiscal year,” she said. “April may signal the beginning of
a recovery in sales tax collections, although further declines may occur as
the sales tax gradually returns to growth.” Combs will
distribute $567 million in May sales tax allocations to local governments today,
up 4.7 percent compared to May 2009. So far this
calendar year, sales tax allocations to cities, counties, transit systems and
special purpose taxing districts are down 4.8 percent compared to a year ago.
May’s sales
tax allocations to local governments represent March sales that were reported
to the Comptroller in April by monthly tax filers and January, February and
March sales reported to the Comptroller in April by quarterly tax filers. For details of
May sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and
special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales and Use Tax Allocation
Comparison Summary Reports on the Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html.
The June sales
tax allocation will be made on Friday, June 11. Historical
Commission set to meet MARATHON – The
Mountain-Pecos Region County Historical Commission will have an all-day meeting
at the Ritchey Brothers Building here Saturday, May 22. “There is an
excellent program schedule on the early history of our region,” Commission
Chairman Travis Roberts of Marathon said. “A staff person from THC [Texas
Historical Commission] in Austin will be present to discuss some of the
programs planned for the future.” The program
will include the “Visionaries in Preservation Program” for Brewster County. The Texas
Historical Commission recognized Brewster County with the 2008 Distinguished
Service Award last month. The award
recognizes county historical commissions that have demonstrated a dedication
to several of the THC’s programs as well as preservation efforts that lead to
a greater understanding of state and local history. Next week’s
agenda includes reports from each county historical commission plus historical
information about the two regions. Counties in the
Mountain Region include Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio. Pecos Region
counties include Terrell, Pecos, Val Verde and 14 others. The program
includes a luncheon at the Ritchey Brothers Building and a proposed evening
meal at the Post Park five miles south of here if there is enough interest
expressed. “Please let us
know an approximate number of persons that may attend,” Roberts said in his
invitation. “There is ample space in the Ritchey Brothers Building. We need a
head count for meals.” To RSVP, call
432/964-2758 or e-mail jtrj37@aol.com. ALPINE –
Spring commencement for Sul Ross State University here and Sul Ross-Rio
Grande College will be tomorrow, May 15, here and in Del Rio. The ceremonies
here will begin at 10 a.m. in the Pete P. Gallego Center. RGC ceremonies will
begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Del Rio Civic Center. A total of 234
students, 152 at Sul Ross Alpine and 82 at RGC, are candidates for degrees. Dr. Juan N.
Franco, a 1970 Sul Ross graduate, now vice chancellor for student affairs and
professor of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln,
will deliver the commencement address at Sul Ross Alpine. State Sen.
Jeff Wentworth will speak at RGC ceremonies. At Alpine,
Steven Bennack, lecturer in music, will play the processional, “Pomp and Circumstance,”
and the recessional, “Postlude in G Major.” Dr. Esther
Rumsey, associate professor of communication, will be the mace bearer. Dr. Avinash
Rangra, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Dale Christophersen, professor of
political science, will serve as marshals. Sul Ross
President Dr. Ricardo Maestas will deliver the welcome, confer degrees and
introduce Franco. Dr. David
Cockrum, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, will preside
over the ceremonies and announce recognitions and honors. Dr. Mark Saka,
professor of history, will deliver the invocation. Dr. Donald Freed, associate
professor of music, will lead the singing of “God Bless America” and “Alma
Mater.” Franco, a Fort
Hancock native, received a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in
biology from Sul Ross in 1970 and a Ph.D. in counseling and guidance with a
minor in statistics from New Mexico State University in 1975. He also has
been a participant in the Harvard Institute for Educational Management summer
program. Franco has
served as vice president for student services and professor of psychology at
Utah State University and as regents’ chief of staff, interim vice president
for student services and dean of students, vice president for administration,
associate vice president for academic affairs, associate dean and department
head and professor of counseling and educational psychology at New Mexico
State University. He has served
as an evaluator with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
and as a consultant evaluator and Accreditation Review Council member for the
North Central Association Higher Learning Commission. He also served
as evaluator for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher
Education. Franco has
served on several editorial boards, including those of NASPA, American
Personnel and Guidance Journal, Journal of Counseling and Development and
Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. He has been a
guest reviewer for several other journals including the American Psychologist. Franco is the
recipient of several awards, including the Administrator of the Year award at
Utah State University and has served on several trustee boards. He has
published extensively with about 50 publications appearing in refereed journals
and has been a presenter at national, regional and state levels. He has been
principal investigator or co-PI of grants totaling almost $8 million. Franco and his
wife, Elisa, live in Lincoln. They have three sons, twins Johnny and Jimmy
and Fabian and wife Claudia. Johnny
is a fourth-year resident in plastic surgery in St. Louis, MO, and Jimmy is a
chemistry professor at the University of Toledo of Ohio. Fabian is an
engineer living in Washington, DC. Franco still
has family in Fort Hancock and he and his wife own a pecan farm in New
Mexico. |
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