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‘Hunters Feast’ feeds 390 hunters SANDERSON – Cyndi McCrary of Odessa took home an $8,800
Kawasaki Mule all-terrain vehicle for a $1 raffle ticket Saturday and Heather
Williams, also of Odessa, won a print of a painting in a $20 playing-card
drawing. The vehicle was the top prize in the raffle. Feasters
plunked down $1 for raffle tickets. The print of a painting called “Blind Spot” by Tom
Mansanarez depicts a cougar pouncing on an unsuspecting stag mule deer. The winner of the painting bought half a playing card
for $20 and the other half was drawn to determine the winner. The prizes were offered at the Fifth Annual Terrell
County Hunters Feast at St. James Hall, an event that grows each year. Some 390 lined up for barbecue brisket, goat, sausage,
chicken and all the trimmings Saturday. Feast organizer Nancy Stegall said no dollar total was
available for the Fifth Annual event at press time but “we did better than
last year.” Last year, 360 bought meal tickets and more than
$15,000 was sold in raffle tickets. Stegall and husband Charles, a Terrell County
Commissioner and rancher, created the feast in 2003. It is similar to feasts in other area communities to
thank hunters who every fall brings economic development to the county during
deer hunting season. The winning painting is a print of the same painting
that was awarded at the Hunters Feast in December, 2004. Charles Stegall donated all the prints for the drawings each year. Other prizes in the raffle this year included 17 guns,
a deer tower, binoculars, a backpack “filled with goodies,” a gun safe, curio
cabinet, three $500 gift certificates from Cabelas Sporting Goods and many
others. There were door prizes and a silent auction. Proceeds from the dinner pay for community projects
each year. Last year’s take went for a blood-measuring machine for
Cactus Health Clinic, new chairs and holder for the Fair Board, new blood
pressure cuff for Terrell County Emergency Medical Services and sponsorship
of Pony League and Little League teams on out-of-town trips. SANDERSON – Christmas on Main Street, the popular
business open house begun last year, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec.
13, sponsored by the Sanderson Chamber of Commerce. The event was the brainchild of Sandra Davis and Debbie
Pruitt of ‘Tis the Reason Gift Shop. At press time, 22 Sanderson businesses had agreed to be
open this year, offering refreshments and music to ring in the holiday. A similar event in connection with the Fourth of July
was considered a success by organizers. To encourage visitors to come to each participating
business, all chipped in for a cash prize. To qualify, visitors had to get a
signature for each business. “This year, we have about $500 in the pot,” Chamber
President Jim Street said. “We will have three drawings, one at 7, one at 8
and one when we close at 9 p.m.” The “ticket” will be a map on card stock showing the
location of each participating business. “Not all of them are on ‘Main Street’ per se,” Street
said. “The map will help people find those that are not.” When cards are all filled out, they can be taken to the
First Calvary Baptist Church at Main Street – officially Oak Street – and
Second, where the drawings will be conducted. Street said in July, many would come by with several
people in a car and one would come in to get signatures for all their cards. “We’re going to request that a visitor be present to
get his card signed,” Street said. “For those who pop in only long enough to
get a signature and then leave, it is up to the business to be creative in
ways to encourage them to stay a little longer.” Businesses participating in the event as of press time
were Tis the Reason Gift Shop, Sanderson State Bank, Pecos County State Bank,
Penelope’s Flowers, Sanderson Propane and The Tumbleweed antique shop. Also, Outback Oasis Motel, Sunset Siesta Motel, Desert
Air Motel, Aurora’s Market, Canyons RV Park, Country Clips, Schoolmaster Real
Estate, Eagle’s Nest café and Slim’s Auto. And Cactus Health Services, Uncles, Budget Inn, Terrell
County Water District and the Terrell County News Leader. “Other businesses can still participate,” Street said.
“We needed a count at deadline for the paper but we have not closed the
door.” SANDERSON – The number 11 jersey for the Lady Eagle
basketball team was officially retired here this week. It was worn by Melissa Cruz who was killed in a car
accident east of Dryden on Feb. 1. Friends and family were present for the occasion. In the first game of the night, the junior varsity Lady
Eagles lost to the Comstock Panthers in a tight match 16-14. In the next game, the varsity girls lost to their
counterparts from Comstock Panthers 46-26. After the girl’s game, the Eagles hosted a boy’s
varsity game. The Fort Davis Indians defeated the Panthers from Comstock
60-30. The Sanderson Junior High School Eagle boy’s team lost
to the Cowboys from Grandfalls-Royalty 22-8 here this week. High scorer for the Eagles was Shawn Stegall with four
points. Dryden Baker and Jalen Chriesman had a pair of points each. The Junior Varsity Lady Eagles won second place in a
tournament in Valentine last week, beating Fort Davis and Fort Hancock and
losing to the varsity team from Big Bend. The Fort Davis game was on November 28, and Sanderson
won with a score of 30-24. Alexa Davis held high score with 11, followed by Miriam
Nuñez with eight. Erin Corbett had five points, one of which was a three
pointer. Lizette Ramirez had four points and scoring two points was Brianna
Johnson. Next, on
November 30, the JV team faced Fort Hancock and won 35-28. Alexa again had high score with 10 and Lizette had nine
points. Miriam and Roxanna Rodriguez had six points apiece and
having two points each were Erin Corbett and Juliana Larinaga. The ladies then took on the varsity team from Big Bend
for the championship game, coming out second best 30 to 16. Alexa scored six points, Lizette scored four, Roxanna
had three points and Miriam added two more points to her credit. SANDERSON – Head Coach and Athletic Director Mark
Dominguez was named all district coach of the year for Division II, District
I, of the Six Man Football Association. Jonathan Calzada was named newcomer of the year and six
Sanderson Eagle football players made the first all district team. Six-man player of the year was Ian Pantoja of Sierra
Blanca, offensive most valuable player was Adam Ramirez of Sierra Blanca and
defensive MVP was Russell Garlick of Balmorhea. First team quarterback was Ben Rubio of Sanderson and
first team center was Jaime Rodriguez. Eagle Ryan Rosas was first team wide receiver along
with Loren Gill of Sierra Blanca. Phillip Lascano was one of two running backs along with
Ian Pantoja of Sierra Blanca. And Jacob Benavidez was first team special teams
player. Also on the first team offense were tight ends Harry
Barron of Balmorhea and Justin Lawson of Sierra Blanca, Adam Ramirez at
spreadback, fullback Peter Urbina of Sierra Blanca, utility back Russell
Garlick of Balmorhea and kicker Bralyn Barker of Dell City. Sanderson players on first team defense were noseguard
Darren Seidel, lineman Ben Rubio, Linebacker Phillip Lascano and cornerback
Ryan Rosas. Other defensive first teamers were linemen Bralyn
Barker of Dell City and Ryan Mondragon of Balmorhea, linebacker Russell
Garlick of Balmorhea, safeties Loren Gill of Sierra Blanca and Nigel Lozano
of Balmorhea, utility player Gabriel Pantajo of Sierra Blanca and punter Ryan
Mondragon of Balmorhea. On the second team offense were tight ends Darren
Seidel and Isaac Ramirez of Sanderson along with Rodney Fuentes of Balmorhea. Raul Salazar of Sanderson was second team utility back
along with Manny Cabral of Dell City. Other second-team players include wide receivers Rey
Estrada of Dell City, Sean Enloe of Balmorhea and McKenzie Taylor of Sierra
Blanca, Centers David Lopez of Dell City and Danny Estrada of Balmorhea,
quarterbacks Nigel Lozano of Balmorhea and Chance Hughes of Dell City and
running backs Gabriel Jurado of Balmorhea and William Pyron of Dell City. Also, fullback Gabriel Porras of Sierra Blanca,
spreadback Javier Holguin of Dell City, kicker Ryan Mondragon of Balmorea and
special teams player Adam Roman of Balmorhea. On second team
defense from Sanderson were lineman Isaac Ramirez and Cornerback Raul
Salazar. Others on second team defense were noseguard Justin
Lawson of Sierra Blanca, Linemen Justin Rose of Sierra Blanca, Oscar Jimenez
of Dell City and Jeremy Baeza of Balmorea, linebackers Peter Urbina of Sierra
Blanca and Ty Nicholas of Dell City, cornerbacks Sean Enloe of Balmorhea and
Rey Estrada of Dell City, safeties Ian Pantoja of Sierra Blanca and Chance
Hughes of Dell City, utility player Adam Roman of Balmorhea and punter Bralyn
Barker of Dell City. SANDERSON – The Airport Board discussed plans for
future development of the Terrell County Airport at its monthly meeting
Monday. Terrell County Commissioners last month deferred action
on applying for a federal Routine Airport Maintenance Program grant through
the Texas Department of Transportation. County Judge Leo Smith said before the county commits
to $50,000 for its share of a matching grant to extend the ramp pavement, he
wanted to be sure there was a long-range plan for development of the airport. “The airport is a hidden asset but we want to be sure
before we spend the money,” Smith told the Airport Board Monday. “We have got
to have a long-range plan in place so we have orderly development.” “It’s more than just what do we do with our little
airport,” Board Chairman Jim Street said. “The airport is part of our
transportation network and is probably the greatest single asset we have for
economic development.” He said the Commissioners Court requested a master
plan, which was later adopted, and standards for hangar construction. “We did provide some standards but we need some more
specific plans,” he said. “We need to know exactly what the Commissioners
Court would like to see done so we can put some more details in the specs.” Smith suggested a plan, with pictures, of exactly what
each hangar would look like. “Do we want to plan so everything looks exactly alike
or do we want to provide some architectural freedom in keeping with an overall
theme?” Street said. “We need a little more input from the commissioners
about what they want.” The Airport has no power to make those decisions. It
can only recommend action, which needs approval of Commissioners Court. Smith said he would schedule a workshop Monday
afternoon so Commissioners and Airport Board members can work out the
details. SANDERSON – The First Baptist Church here has invited
the community to participate in a sing-a-long at 7 p.m. tom-arrow, Dec. 8, at
the church. Pastor John Carnagey promised no “preaching” but
invited all to share a song, a poem, favorite scripture or favorite Christmas
memory. “This is not a Baptist thing,” Carnagey said. “Come
join us for some caroling.” The youth group will still meet at 6 p.m. in the
basement, go upstairs for singing at 7 p.m., if they so chose, then it’s back
downstairs for an exchange of “white elephant” gifts, not to exceed $10. All denominations of youth are welcome to the youth
group, aimed primarily at children in grades seven through twelve. By RAQUEL HINKLEY News Leader Intern SANDERSON – There’s more to it than “just say no,” a
group known as StraightWay from Hungerford said this week. The group presented their message to separate audiences
from Sanderson Elementary School and Sanderson secondary students in two
programs Tuesday in the High School auditorium. The group is dedicated to bringing a life-changing
message of living right and making good choices, even when they are going
through tough times, and to realize the consequences of their actions. The group is sharing experiences and information to
give kids a reason of why not to do drugs. At about 1,500 presentations per year, an average of
three to four school assemblies a day, the StraightWay team works to spread
the message toward a positive lifestyle. Straightway performances like that in Sanderson are
performed as concerts more than assemblies. Instead of just going to a school and speaking to kids,
they do things such as dance and sing. All of the team’s songs are completely original. They
are written, sung and produced by them members themselves. They have just released their fourth full-length CD.
Beyond singing, they also use drama and comedy in their quest to give a
fully-motivational performance. After the performance, the members provide a follow-up,
giving out cards with their information so they may be contacted later and
the students may still keep in touch if a problem arises. Besides traveling through the US, the group also visits
Europe once a year during a May tour. The Sanderson performance included all of the usual
aspects of their assemblies. To begin, Rebecca Kirschke introduced the group and
told everyone something about them. Next Davis Stumberg provided a “flip competition” with
Brian Odom, a Straightway member. Davis won and received a CD as a reward. The performance continued with more singing and stories
about personal experiences of the members. The last major segment of the performance was a drama
based upon a true story about a girl whose sister gets caught up in a bad
situation and, in an attempt to help her sister feel better, the girl dies
from a drug overdose. After a fun, but very motivational performance, the group
announced their departure and told the students that if they ever needed
anything that the contact information was on the cards. In an interview with the members after the assembly,
when asked what impelled them to join StraightWay, many of the responses were
because of the fun they had being able travel everywhere and try to inspire
kids to promote a healthy lifestyle. To contact StraightWay go to www.straightway.org,
or e-mail at team@straightway.org. You can also call them at 979/532-1929. Steve Bartley resigns SANDERSON – Sheriff Clint McDonald said Monday he is
again looking for a deputy sheriff to replace Steve Bartley, who resigned for
“family reasons.” McDonald did not elaborate on the reason Bartley left
to return to his home at Slaton near Lubbock. Bartley resigned two years ago to move to Slaton
because of a cancer in a son’s arm. He said the family needed to be near
medical care at Lubbock for the child. He returned earlier this year after tests were
“negative” on the disease. McDonald said it is hard to keep deputies in Terrell
County because the short staffing requires long hours and comparatively low
pay. He said Terrell County deputies start at $33,000 per
year and are required to work long weeks without overtime. Deputies in Reeves County start at $39,000 for a
40-hour week and Pecos County will go to $39,000 next year, he said. McDonald said he is also short one “Linebacker” deputy,
provided by a state border-security program, but is waiting additional
funding for that position. Cactus Chat: Footballer comes visiting By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager SANDERSON – Visiting Joe & Rosario Fuentes
recently was their daughter Christina,
who was raised in Sanderson, her husband John
Nevarez and 12-year-old Isaiah
from Midland. They were in the area at a football tournament in Fort
Stockton where Isaiah’s team won. Yolanda Connelly’s home saw visitors recently, her son Jay
Rubio along with wife Holly
and kids Trinidad, Leah & Eric from Katy. Also popping in was Sheryl & Peter
Villa with daughters Ari &
Danielle from Monahans. Tony, Jr., &
Elfie Calzada with Tony III and Victor, who currently attends the University of Texas in Brownsville,
were in town. They came for the Thanksgiving holiday and to see other
family here, including grandparents and great grandparents Tony & Edelmira Calzada. Grandma Yolie told
the News Leader, Trinidad, Leah & Eric love to go climb the mountains
so, cold as it was, she went and “enjoyed every minute of it.” MIDLAND – The Sanderson Eagle 2007 varsity football
season came to an end at 7:17 in the third quarter here Friday night as the
Jayton Jaybirds “45d” the orange and black 56-8 at Midland Memorial Stadium
here. The bloodletting started early as Jimmy Johnson ran the
opening kickoff back some 65 yards for a score. John Stanaland booted the
extra points and it was 8-0 Jaybirds before some fans had found their seats. Less than three minutes later, Jimmy romped another 50
yards for a score and, with Standaland’s toe, it was 16 to zip for the boys
from Jayton. Moments later, Tyler Speed threw to Standaland for a 41-yard
strike. The point after was foiled by a high snap but the Jaybirds were proud
owners of a 22-0 lead and that’s where the first quarter came to a close. With 6:37 remaining in the half, Johnson again found
Stanaland, this one for 28 yards and, with the PAT, it was now 30-0. Ben suffered a concussion on that play and did not
return to the game. Sophomore Jacob Benavidez took over Ben’s chores at
quarterback and moved the Eagles down the field to the Jaybirds five. There, an Eagle fumble turned the ball over but, a
couple of plays later, the Eagles got the ball back on a Jayton fumble. The net result was a 12-yard loss for the Eagles to the
Jayton 17 yard line. Jacob then found Ryan Rosas for what would be the only
Eagle touchdown for the night. With Ben still woozy on the sidelines, sophomore Darren
Seidel took over Ben’s kicking duties and split the upright for two more. With one tick under a minute left in the half, an
appropriately-named Tyler Speed ran 45 yards for a Jayton score. Caleb Harrison set up to hold the kick but, whether by
design or a high snap, stood up and threw to the end zone where the ball fell
harmlessly to the ground. Jayton now led 36-8. They recovered an on-side kick at the Eagle 33. Caleb
then heaved a 65-yard pass to Standaland for six more and John turned
around booted the PAT and it was 44-8 and it looked like that might be the
halftime score. Guess again. As the final buzzer sounded, John Standaland picked off
a desperation pass from Jacob and ran half the length of the field. The PAT try was wide left and the teams headed into the
locker rooms with the score half a hundred for Jayton and eight for the
Eagles. The final nail in the “mercy killing” coffin came at
7:17 in the third on a 43-yard run by Jimmy Johnson. The 45-point margin for a mercy killing had been
reached and there was no need for a point-after try. The only other clock-stopping injury for the Eagles was
Ryan Rosas who re-injured a shoulder. On the other side, Justin Seaton was shaken up but he
was back in the game a couple of plays later. Jonathan Calzada watched the game from the Eagle bench,
hobbled by a chop block to the knee the week before. Jayton takes its 9-4 record against Motley County, now
12-1. Rankin, at 11-1, faces Rule with a 12-0 record at 5 p.m. tomorrow in
San Angelo. FORT STOCKTON – Isaiah Nevarez plays football for the
Chiefs in the Greater Midland Football League. Twelve-year-old Isaiah is the son of Christina and John
Nevarez of Midland. Christina is the daughter of Joe and Rosario Fuentes of
Sanderson. The Chiefs recently played a tournament here and took
home the championship by beating the Odessa Broncos by shutting them out
20-0. Several teams from around West Texas attended the
tourney. The Chiefs have a record of 28-0 over the last three
years, making them the Midland “Super Bowl” champs three years in a row. The Chiefs head coach is Keith Russell, assisted by
Ladd Byars, Mike Cota, Steven Barriones and Justin Felts. SANDERSON – An even dozen Sanderson Junior High School
UIL Students were scheduled to leave Wednesday for their first district meet
at Rankin. Joining them were students from Marathon, some 26 in all. Students from Sanderson going include eighth graders Ashley
Hagelgans, Taylor Roberts and Shawn Stegall, seventh graders Dryden Baker,
Daniela Garza, Ryan Johnson and Abraham Orozco and sixth graders Mason
Blackmon, Jalen Chriesman, Bailee Everett, Kayla Fuéntez and Daniel Luevano. Students from Marathon
include Isaac Briones, Monique Perez, Joshua Guzman, Tristyn Galindo,
Noah Lopez and Alyssa Olvera. Also, MacKenzie Pineda, Emilio Briones, Loryn Garlick,
Cameden Lujan, Zane Roberts, Jesse Lopez, Jeremy Ramirez and Sarah Arenas. And Alexis Bowers, Audrey Galindo, Capri Garlick,
Serena Arenas, Julia Ramirez, Cody Ward, Krystal Aguilar, Micella Grano,
Elizabeth Hernandez, Christopher Stephens, Zach Gonzales, and Omar Grano. Results will be announced when they become available,
perhaps next week. SANDERSON – A Terrell County deputy sheriff had an
unusually large audience when he responded to a call at the Sanderson High
School gym and cafeteria building Tuesday. Bleachers full of basketball fans saw the deputy race
into the building at top speed. “Where is it?” he asked of Superintendent Gary
Hamilton. “Where is what?” Hamilton shot back. “The 911. Someone called 911.” It turned out a four-year-old in the cafeteria was
showing his friends he knew how to dial 911. It worked. MNL December 7, 2007 By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager MARATHON – The annual Fiesta de la Noche was here last
weekend, complete with Santa, aka Marshall Duncan, sponsored by the Chamber
of Commerce. The streets of Marathon bustled with people, some
local, some not, on a beautiful night as sounds of Christmas carols filled
the air. Local shops opened their doors and offered Christmas
cheer along with some Christmas goodies. Santa made an appearance at Trans Pecos Banks, getting
his lists, so he could check them twice, from boys and girls, surely all of
them nice. Also at the bank were cookies, punch and also a box for
toys for under-privileged children. The box remains at the bank and is sponsored by the
Brewster County Sheriffs Office. The toys collected will be distributed to
children in Brewster County. Outside the bank, chance tickets for a bucket filled
with bottles of different types of wine were available for purchase. Robert Haynes did and he won the wine. Proceeds from
the drawing went to the Primary Health Care Clinic. Revelers could also take a chance on a 50/50 raffle,
which benefited the Marathon Parent Teacher Organization. Librarian Carol Townsend walked away with $150 to begin
her holiday season. D.J. Hensley posed outside the bank as a “still model.” She has been doing this every year since 1999, and said
she enjoys seeing all the things people do to try to entice her to move. She told the News
Leader some of the shenanigans include waving pepper under her nose and
being punched in the stomach one year by a little girl, both to no avail. She
stood her ground, she said. Down the street was former Father Rick Ruiz playing
guitar with nephew Jimmy Villapando, giving their renditions of some old
favorite carols while Linda Spears and Jackie Boyd were seen “cuttin’ a rug”
with a certain reporter. All the way back at the Gage Hotel, Craig Carter softly
provided a little back ground music with Zach Kasey while patrons ate outside
in the court yard. At Artesanias, Lesly Mendez offered Paella and her
traditional margaritas. Visitors could then mosey next door to Front Street
Books for cookies and a chat with sculptor and author James A. Mangum. For those who wanted a little kick in their chili con
carne, Lloyd Goldwire at Shaman Springs Gallery was glad to oblige. If that was not your fancy, you could pop in on Phoebe
Campbell and Don Boyd at the Burnt Biscuit for some coffee and a fried pie. There was more caroling outside Artesanias where
passersby were invited to join in and the Fire Department offered rides in
the fire truck while Chief Daniel Eaton served up lentil soup at Mary
Baxter’s Gallery. The spirit of Christmas has arrived. By R.M. GLOVER Marathon Editor MARATHON – Meeting under the new bright lights of the
Community Center Monday evening, the Chamber of Commerce ratified the annual
Marathon Christmas Light Contest. The chamber will select three impartial, perhaps even
out of town, judges to cruise the Marathon streets this month and select the
top three Christmas Light home decorations. Top prize will be a $100 certificate to spend at
sponsoring stores around town. Second place is $75 and $50 for third. The chamber reviewed last week’s street festival. “Noche Buena was lots of fun and well-attended,” Rhonda
Garlick said. “And the kids especially liked the Fire Truck ride.” Mary Baxter Gallery alone reported more than 130
visitors. Additional business included further discussion of
obtaining a 501 (C)(6) status from the US Internal Revenue Sercice for
recognition as a non-profit organization. Also, new in-house management of the website was confirmed. Next month’s meeting will be Monday, Jan. 6. All
60-plus members are invited to share in a pot-luck dinner. By CAPRI GARLICK The Paper Brigade MARATHON – Last weekend was the annual Fiesta de la
Noche Buena, a chance for Marathon businesses to show off their wares and to
kick off the Christmas season. The highlight of the evening, as always this time of
year, was the appearance of Santa Claus at Trans Pecos Bank. Bank officers Marsha Roberts, Rhonda Garlick and
Natalie Paredez were on hand to help the Jolly old Elf. Many little kids – and some big ones too – posed for
pictures with Santa and told him what they wanted for Christmas. Fire Chief Daniel Eaton made things merrier by treating
all the kids to rides on his fire truck. Best of all was the wonderful music going on as all the
people walked around visiting the shops. Leo Estrada and his group played and sang Mexican
music. The Gage Hotel had fabulous music and people were dancing everywhere. Linda Spears and Jackie Boyd danced a lively cumbia to
the music of Rick Ruiz and Jimmy Villalpano. Lesly Mendez’s Artesanias had paella and margaritas.
Lloyd and Lauren Goldwire had chile con carne and other good stuff. People enjoyed the artistic finery of James Evans and
Marcie Roberts at the Evans Gallery and Mary Baxter at hers. Rosalinda Crase and Wilma Schindeler had spicy menudo.
The decorations said Christmas more than anything could. Cottonwood Station café was open for business, also
decorated for the season. Thanks to everyone for making Noche Buena such a
success. MARATHON – Vicki Ureste was
the only secondary school student on the all-A honor roll for the second
six-week period of the fall semester here. The Marathon Independent
School District released the honor rolls this week. High School students making
all As and Bs were Irene Ureste, Kenneth Plane, Duncan Marshall and Adam
Gonzales. Junior High A-B honors went
to Audrey Galindo, Oscar Ureste, Krystal Aguilar, Micello Grano, Christopher
Stephens and Zach Gonzales. Having all As in the
Elementary School were Jesse Lopez and Alexis Bowers. Receiving all As and Bs for the six weeks
were Tristyn Galindo, Noah Lopez, Alyssa Olvera, Mackenzie Pineda and Emilio
Briones. Loryn Garlick, Brandon
Briones, Jeremy Ramirez and Sarah Arenas also made all As and Bs. Library has open house MARATHON – A Christmas open house at the Public Library
here last week helped launch the holiday season. “We had a wonderful open house,” Librarian Carol Townsend
said. “Santa’s helpers showed up and passed out Santa bags to all the
children.” Carol and Hal Henthrone played a variety of music on
their guitars for all the guests. Everyone joined in on some of the singing, Townsend
said. She said light refreshments were served, trees were lit
and 60 guests attended the program. “I want to thank all our patrons for visiting us,”
Townsend told the News Leader. “Thanks to Steve Griffis for all the
support and help, Sande Pedro for all her help throughout the year and Carol
and Hal Henthorne for their support and help.” Townsend gave wine glasses and a bottle of wine in
thanks to Steve and Arlene Griffis, Sande Pedro and Mike Mountz and the
Henthornes. By R.M. GLOVER Marathon Editor MARATHON – What’s the best thing about living in
Marathon? Or at least what is the reason most people think is best? We went “on the street” with notepad in hand to find
out. “The people are really nice and there’s not much
happening here,” said musician Billy Faier. “It’s peaceful,” Marathon High School student Adam
Gonzales added. “I like it but, if it weren’t for my husband, I’d be
out of here,” school custodian Candy Hernandez said. But schoolteacher Susanna Fuéntez couldn’t disagree
more. “There are so many wonderful things about Marathon,”
she said. “Most of all, it’s where my parents brought me up. “They set wonderful examples for me to live by,
especially values and morals and the love for God,” Fuéntez said. “That has
carried me throughout my life and I’ve passed it on to my children and
grandchildren.” Pablo Maiyo
Gonzales has an opinion on just about everything and this was no exception. “Everybody likes
each other,” he said. “Not much violence and things of that nature. No
fights. Everybody knows everybody. People get along.” BIG BEND – Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande
Wild & Scenic River ornaments are on display this year on the official
White House Christmas Tree. The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations
celebrating the theme of “Holiday in the National Parks.” “It is an amazing honor for the National Park Service
to be selected as the theme for the White House holiday decorations by the
President and Mrs. Bush,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar.
“Mrs. Bush is the best champion for our national parks and the beautiful
decorations in each state room showcase the natural and historical treasures
found in parks throughout the country.” The tree, located in the Blue Room, is adorned with
handmade ornaments representing the country’s 391 National Park Service
sites. “Each ornament on the magnificent 18-foot Fraser fir
was designed by an artist selected by the park,” Bomar said. “The ornaments
tell the stories of our parks just as our parks tell the stories of our
nation.” The two ornaments representing Big Bend National Park
and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River were created by Beatrice White, a
park service employee and local artist. The Big Bend ornament features Mule Ears Peak
prominently while the Rio Grande is the focus of the Wild & Scenic River. White attended the White House reception hosted by
First Lady Laura Bush on November 28. The holiday displays incorporate the variety of
natural, cultural and recreational features preserved by the National Park
Service. Models of icons such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
and the Statue of Liberty share space with paintings of scenic vistas from
Grand Canyon, Zion and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Holiday garlands intertwined with park objects
including seashells, pine cones and gold aspen leaves add to each room’s
festive feel. A highlight of the decorations is a scaled-down but
architecturally accurate gingerbread reproduction of the south view of the
White House, a unit of the National Park Service. The edible masterpiece includes Bush family pets
Barney, Miss Beazley and Willie frolicking on the lawn with moose, elk,
raccoons and other animals found in national parks. “National Parks commemorate the people, places, and
events that define the American experience,” said Secretary of the Interior
Dirk Kempthorne. “I am so appreciative
of President Bush’s efforts to recognize the important role of national parks
in American society. “Our country will celebrate the 100th anniversary of
the National Park Service in 2016 and the President has been instrumental in
establishing the National Park Centennial Initiative to prepare the parks for
the next century,” Kempthorne said. Border Patrol foils more smugglers MARFA – Drug smugglers continue to try to get past US
Border Patrol agents of to little avail, the agency said this week. This past weekend, in three different incidents, agents
successfully seized 2,879 pounds of marijuana, including one in Dryden. The biggest load came about 1 a.m. Sunday when a
Florida man driving an 18-wheeler tried to get through the Sierra Blanca
checkpoint on Interstate 10. A Border Patrol K-9 alerted to the trailer of the
vehicle and when agents inspected further, they discovered 2,328 pounds of
pot in cellophane bundles among a load of lettuce. The driver and a passenger were both legal resident
aliens from Nicaragua currently residing in Florida. The street value of the weed was $1,862,400. Friday afternoon, Alpine agents were alerted to
footprints in an area near Elephant Mountain south of Alpine. Agents followed the footprints and other signs for
about four hours before they spotted four men in an arroyo with large white
sugar sacks that had been made into backpacks. The smugglers, all citizens of Mexico in the country
illegally, tried to hide the sacks and themselves when they heard the agents
coming. The four men were arrested and more than $170,400 in
marijuana weighing 213 pounds was seized. Sanderson agents seized more than 200 pounds of
marijuana when they were notified of a vehicle dropping off some individuals
by the side of the road. The agents were able to find the vehicle and stop it
near Dryden. The driver, a naturalized US Citizen, was arrested when
the agents found 238 pounds of marijuana in the sport utility vehicle. The
drugs have a street value of over $190,000. The backpackers were able to elude capture. The seizures followed by less than a week a ton of pot
taken in three arrests in Presidio. The truck and trailer, driven by a 44-year-old legal,
permanent resident from El Paso, entered the Sierra Blanca checkpoint on
Interstate 10. While agents were conducting an immigration check, a K9
alerted to the presence of persons or narcotics in the trailer. The marijuana with a street value of $1,961,200 was in
cardboard boxes mixed in with skid packed boxes. In all cases, the drivers, the drugs and the vehicles
were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. MARATHON - UIL Tournament warm-ups for Elementary and
Jr High students started Tuesday in Marathon with the Oral competitions. Reading, Story Telling, Music Memory, Art Smart,
Dictionary Skills, and Listening Skills were part of the brain thrust
hammering out answers at breakneck speed. Science 1,
Science II Maps, Graphs, Charts and 6th, 7th and 8th
grade Math were also part of the day’s events. Alarm clocks buzzed early to catch the 6:45 AM bus for
Rankin on Wednesday as the students headed north. The area-wide UIL includes
competitors from Marathon, Rankin, Buena Vista, Grandfalls and Sanderson. A visit with a biker from 'no-where' By R.M. GLOVER Marathon Editor MARATHON – With a Bugler in his mouth and a Jack
Kerouac book in his hand, Drew No-Where sat at the picnic table outside of
the French Grocery Store Monday. His bicycle, loaded with packs front and rear, leaned
against the pole and the setting sun gave just enough light to make the pink
fenders glow. “I left Seattle Oct 15. Took the coast highway down to
San Diego and then headed east,” he said, blowing a puff of smoke. “That
Oregon coastline is fantastic.” He was due in Austin at the end of November. “I’m way ahead of schedule,” he said. “Usually, I do
about 75 miles a day. But now I’m taking it easy. Alpine yesterday. Sanderson
tomorrow. “I hitched a ride in Arizona with crazy truck driver
who needed help lashing down his load,” No-Where said. “I made good time but
he was really nuts. I was glad to get back on my bike in El Paso.” Drew, a baker originally from Columbus, OH, now lives
in Seattle. “Best place in the world,” he said. His nose rings
jingled. “Marathon’s on the map. Bikers recommend it for anybody traveling
cross-country this time of year. “I write some stuff,” he said. “Really dig Kerouac. ‘On
the Road,’ is the best.” He leaned back and took a drag of his cigarette. A wiry man with gray hair walked by, checked out the
bicycle, then stopped. “Hey, you need a place to stay?” the stranger asked. “I
ride too.” Drew No-where
looked up. “No,” he said. He rolled his sleeves down over his tattoos. “I got
everything I need. But thanks anyway.” The man walked away. “People offer me food, a place to stay all the time,”
No-Where said. “It’s a great country.” He looked at me, nodded, then went back to his book. Lady Mustangs, Colts both lose By AUDREY GALINDO The Paper Brigade IMPERIAL – The Lady Mustangs lost two games at the
Buena Vista Tournament Saturday. Buena Vista bested our girls 50-74 and the Pecos Eagles
won 51-41. High scorers in the Buena Vista game were Marisol
Aguilar with nine points and Memi Lara, Crystal Ybarra and Celestine Garcia
with six apiece. Marisol also scored nine in the Pecos game, followed by
Crystal Ybarra with seven, Memi Lara and Celestine Garcia with six each and
Prissy Hernandez with four. Earlier, the Lady Mustangs lost to the Big Bend
Paisanas 29-32. Marisol was top scorer for the Mustangs with 14 points
including three from three-point territory. Memi Lara, Celestine Garcia and Victoria Zimmerman had
four each, Prissy Hernandez had a pair and Kristina Martinez had one point. Lady Colts also lost to Big Bend at a home game the
same day. They lost 16-35, but played a real basketball game. Krystal Aguilar outscored her teammates with ten
points, followed by Micella Grano and Libby Hernandez with two apiece. By CHUCK HALL Culture Artist As the demand for alternative forms of energy continues
to increase across the nation, American farmers are discovering a new “crop.” All across America, farmers are now harvesting wind
energy and reaping the rewards. As of today, wind power is the fastest growing form of
alternative energy in the world. Between 1998 and 2002, wind power grew at an average
rate of 32 percent. According to a study by the Department of Energy, since
1980, the cost of producing electricity using wind power has dropped as much
as 90 percent as turbines have become more efficient and less expensive. If current trends continue, wind power will be less
expensive than electricity from conventional power plants by 2010. The “Wind Powering America” initiative, sponsored by
the DOE, hopes to produce five percent of America’s electricity with wind by
2020. To do this, the DOE will provide $60 billion in
investment capital to rural locations across America. Of this capital fund, $1.2 billion will go to farmers
and other rural landowners to help establish wind farms across the United
States. There are three basic methods that a potential wind
farmer may use to generate income from farming the wind. The first and easiest is to allow a developer to
install a large wind turbine on the property. This requires no up-front costs to the wind farmer and
can generate royalties of up to $5,000 per year per turbine, depending on the
size of the generator. The second basic method is to connect the wind turbine
to the grid. In this arrangement, the owner you can either check
with the local utility company to see if they’ll help pay for the turbine or
finance the turbine himself. Federal law then requires the power company to buy any
surplus electricity from him. The third method is for the owner to buy the turbine
himself and sell the electricity generated to the highest bidder. The end user in this case doesn’t have to be a power
company. He could sell power to factories, to homes or to rural
subdivisions. The best part about wind farming is that even large
turbines have small footprints. This means the farmer may still use the bulk of his
land for growing crops while supplementing his income by harvesting energy
from the wind. To learn more about wind energy in general, visit http://www.awea.org. To download a fact sheet about wind energy from the
Union of Concerned Scientists go to www.uscusa.org/assets /documents/clean_energy/Agfs_wind_2003.pdf.
Chuck Hall is a graduate student and author. His latest
book, “Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,” is
now available at the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
Or contact Chuck by email at chuck@cultureartist.org. Holidays in full swing SANDERSON – ‘Twas the week before Christmas – well,
almost – and all through the county, everything was stirring as folks
prepared their bounty. The Christmas season really began with the Culture
Club’s Christmas Bazaar Nov. 17 but really picked up steam – if that’s an
appropriate metaphor for December – last night, Dec. 13, with the Christmas
on Main Street. Also last night was the school band concert in the High
School Auditorium. On Tuesday, the Terrell County 4-H Club hosted 34 senior
citizens on the club’s Senior Citizen Appreciation Meal. One attendee remarked that the service was far better
than any commercial restaurant. Of course, there seemed to be at least two young
servers for every diner, each eagerly providing food, drinks and genuine
concern about the guests’ comfort. Christmas Pageants in Sanderson will be December 16 at
the First Calvary Baptist and First Presbyterian Churches. The First Calvary play will be at 11 a.m. and the Presbyterian Church program will be at 7 p.m. The Baptist program will be in lieu of the regular
church service. Members of the Sunday school will perform a Christmas
program. The Presbyterian pageant will feature a Litany of
Scripture and Song. The congregation will join in by singing traditional
Christmas hymns and carols as a cast of children portrays Mary and Joseph,
the angels, the magi and the shepherds in a reverent depiction of the
Christmas story. Everyone is invited to the Open House following the
pageant in the Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. The Sanderson Elementary School Christmas program will
be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, in the High School Auditorium. Then Santa will come, in person, to the Sanderson
Elementary School at 9 a.m., Friday, Dec. 21, the last day of school before
the holidays. He will be sponsored by the Sanderson Lions Club. The bad news is Dec. 19 to 21 will also be semester exams. But it can’t all be good, can it? The last scheduled event in Sanderson just moments
before Santa finds our chimneys is the Candlelight Service at 6 p.m. Monday,
Dec. 24, at the Sanderson First United Methodist Church. All are invited to an open house in the Fellowship Hall
right after the service. There is also some bad news for those who need some
spirits to get in the Christmas spirit. The Prickly Pear Liquor store closed
Saturday, Dec. 8. Store manager Mildred “Bebe” Barber said owner Kay
Johnson decided not to renew the liquor license, which expired on that day. The store is for sale and Johnson did not want to
invest the $1,000 for a license renewal only to have the store sell a short
time later. Barber said she is looking for another location to open
a new liquor store. Convention
Center one step closer SANDERSON – A Terrell County Convention Center took one
step closer to reality Monday with a contract to remove the old house at the
southeast corner of the lot. Matt Lusk of Sanderson agreed to pay $623 to the county
for salvage in removing the old home. “He did a great job on the Jolly Harkins property,”
County Judge Leo Smith said. Lusk cleaned the lot at Oak and School next to the old
Kountry Kitchen Restaurant. The county plans a convention center on property it has
acquired at Oak and Second Streets on the main highway through town. Plans call for a banquet facility seating up to 500, a
visitor center, senior citizen and youth facilities and other amenities. The convention center was a requirement in an attorney
general’s opinion over the use of funds from a quarter-cent venue tax
approved by the voters in 2000. In other action Monday Commissioners awarded bids for
additional drainage improvements in Sanderson. Pedro Martinez bid $375 per foot for labor to install
rock siding for ditches and Harrison Ranch and Stone bid $124 per ton for
flat stones. Terrell County Road and Bridge crews will provide the
concrete and a backhoe. County Judge Leo Smith said the county still has some
concrete from the Texas Department of Transportation that can be used. Drainage ditches will be provided on Mansfield from
fifth to Hudspeth, Kerr Street from Fifth to the east end of the street and
Fifth Street from near the Sanderson Elementary School to Oak Street. They will match ditches already constructed east of
Fifth on Pine and Hackberry Streets. Smith said the county has $100,000 from tax notes for
the project and work will continue until the money is used up. He said the money available will probably not pay for
all of the work but as much work as can be done for the money will be
accomplished. Commissioners also agreed to provide $1,000 in
additional funding to the Terrell County Summer Youth Program, which has
become a year-round activity for children. Tammy Truesdell told the court soccer and football are
finished for the year and basketball will start after the holidays. A junior awards banquet is being planned for the
children that have participated in the youth activities. And the court agreed to provide $1,671 towards the
purchase of archery equipment for the Terrell County 4-H Club. County Extension Agent Mark Carroll said the club is
teaching archery through a $1,260 donation from Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department and support by the National Schools Program and the National Rifle
Association. Archery is being taught at the county rifle range to
children in grades four through 12. Jacob
Benavidez selected by HOBY SANDERSON – Jacob Benavidez, the youngest son of Eddie
and Dora Benavidez, will represent Sanderson at the Hugh O’Brien Youth
Leadership conference this spring. Jacob is a sophomore at Sanderson High School and
participates in just about everything. He is active in football where he received all district
honors as first team special team’s player this fall. He also plays basketball and participates in track,
tennis, UIL, golf and is sophomore class president. Jacob is also an alter server at St. James Catholic
Church and volunteers his time for vacation bible school during the summer. Students are chosen for HOBY by writing an essay. He told the News
Leader he was “glad to have been chosen and is looking forward to the
trip in May.” When asked why he wanted to go, he replied, “It seems
fun. I want to learn to become a leader in my school and my community.” He will attend the program in El Paso where he will
meet students from around Texas. There will seminars, educational activities and, of
course, lots of fun. Hugh O’Brian is an acclaimed actor as well as the
founder of the HOBY, which was organized in 1958. He may be most recognized
as Wyatt Earp in the TV series, “The Legend of Wyatt Earp.” Still active in his eighties, O’Brien’s hobbies include
sailing, swimming and tennis. HOBY’s vision is to motivate and empower individuals to
make a positive difference within our society through understanding and
action based on effective and compassionate leadership, the HOBY website
says. Superior critical thinking skills, enhanced leadership
skills and a better understanding of the democratic process are just
some of the benefits of attending the program, HOBY said. RANKIN – Sanderson’s “Magnificent Seven,” the Sanderson
Junior High School seventh and eighth grade academic UIL competitors,
outscored the remaining four teams to win the Junior High District 8A
Academic UIL Championship here this month. Eighth grade competitors were Ashley Hagelgans, Taylor
Roberts and Shawn Stegall. Seventh grade competitors were Dryden Baker,
Daniela Garza, Ryan Johnson and Abraham Orozco. “These seven tenacious students earned a total of 796
points to ‘out brain’ their closest rival Rankin with 658 points,” Sponsor
Becky Norris said. Junior High One Act Play competition was scheduled for
Wednesday, Dec. 12 here. Rankin Junior High School will compete but will not be
able to earn enough points to overtake Sanderson Junior High’s 796 points,
Norris said. “The Magnificent Seven won first, second and third
places in many events and all placed in almost every event,” Norris said.
“They won a total of 13 team championships. “These seven students were each willing to compete in
each and every contest, doing their personal best in each contest even though
it wasn’t their favorite,” she said. “Their success was a result of diligent
work, self-discipline and maturity beyond their age.” The “Fantastic Five” also did their share to solidify
the Sanderson Elementary Academic UIL Championship, Norris said. Elementary UIL competition includes kindergarten
through sixth grade but the Sanderson sixth grade is part of the Junior High
campus. “Our Fantastic Five sixth graders were Mason Blackmon,
Jalen Chriesman, Bailee Everett, Kayla Fuéntez and Daniel Luevano,” Norris
said. “These five students compiled about one fourth of Sanderson
Elementary’s overwhelming 1,257 points.” The five students won eight team championships and
placed three in almost every event, often winning first, second and third
places. “We are extremely proud of our students,” Norris said.
“All of these students have worked diligently to win these Academic UIL
Championships but, perhaps even more rewarding than the District 8A
Championships, will be the acquiring of excellent work ethics, a concept of
team work and success in the classroom.” The study materials for UIL academic events are
developed from subject content at that grade level. The UIL correlates the event objectives to the grade
level subject TEKS, or Texas Essential of Knowledge and Skills, formerly
known as the essential elements. The TAKS test, for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and
Skills, is based on grade level objectives and skills called TEKS. The next academic goal for the students is to conquer
the TAKS. Airport
expansion debated SANDERSON – No major decisions were reached Monday but
some said a lot of progress had been made toward expansion of the Terrell
County Airport. “We’ve made more progress today than we have in the
last 20 years,” Commissioner Charles Stegall said. Terrell County Commissioners conducted a workshop with
members of the Airport Board on plans to extend a taxiway and perhaps provide
hangars at the county-owned airport. “I want to move forward with expansion of the airport.”
County Judge Leo Smith said. “But we need to get our ducks in a row.” Smith said he did not want to commit $50,000 of county
money to match a federal Routine Airport Maintenance Program grant through
the Texas Department of Transportation without a firm plan for what would
follow the taxiway extension the grant would finance. County Commissioners have asked for specifications for
hangars and other improvements that would come after the ramp has been
expanded. The County has adopted a master plan for airport
expansion and some general hangar specifications. Commissioners Stegall, Kenn Norris and Della Fuentes
all agreed with Smith Monday that hangars should all look alike, even if some
are different sizes to accommodate different sized aircraft. Smith said he contacted TxDOT about hangar
specifications and was told the agency could help provide the information. He agreed to ask if a TxDOT representative could come
to the county to meet with commissioners and airport board members to further
plan expansion. County/District Clerk Martha Allen, a member of the
Airport Board, suggested the board could prepare an annual list of projects
for consideration by the court. Kenn Norris said the airport “is a very viable method
for bringing business into the county.” But he said he needed more information about the
airport to vote intelligently on improvements. Airport Board Chairman Jim Street suggested several, or
all, Commissioners Court members might want to attend the next Airport Board
meeting Jan. 7 and get a tour of facilities. Smith said as long as there is oil and gas revenue in
the county, the court could put money in the budget for improvements each
year. Legion
takes over Buzzard Rally SANDERSON – The American Legion Riders Chapter 160 of
the Sanderson American Legion post has taken over sponsorship of the annual
Buzzard Rally here. Forest Stumberg, president of the Riders group and
commander of the Sanderson Legion chapter, appeared before County
Commissioners Court Monday with Riders Vice President Michael Beck to request
a $1,500 county contribution to the rally. Stumberg said the rally would support Legion activities
such as Boys and Girls State, which sends top boy and girl students to mock
government sessions each year. “The rally also brings a lot of money into the
community,” he said. County Judge Leo Smith said the county donates to
tax-exempt organizations for events such as the Fourth of July, Cinco de
Mayo, Pachanga and the like but had not given to the rally before because it
was run by a private individual. He said the county would support the rally as it has in
the past with street closures and other help and could consider a monetary
donation at a future court meeting. “The Boys and Girls State alone is worth $1,500,”
Commissioner Kenn Norris said. Stumberg said the annual motorcycle parade as part of
the rally has been a “show of something. This year, it will be a show of
support for our veterans.” The Buzzard Rally will be April 4 to 6 next year at the
Legion Hall. SANDERSON – Raffle tickets are
being offered this week here to support a student trip to Washington, D.C.,
during Spring Break. Raffle winners could take home a
pair of round-trip airline tickets, a set of four tires or a curio cabinet. The winners will be announced at
the Sanderson Basketball Tournament here tomorrow, Dec. 15. A group of about a dozen students
from elementary to high school have been raising money to pay for a trip to
the nation’s capitol over spring break. They will travel on a tour offered
by the Smithsonian Student Travel with several teachers and their families. The trip was the inspiration of
Adam Portillo, who had traveled with this same organization before. He said that the full five days
will be packed with well- planned events and unforgettable sites. The students have been raising the
funds needed for the trip by selling raffle tickets, working concession
stands and having corporate sponsors match the amount earned. Southwest Airlines donated two
round trip tickets and Sanderson Tire Center donated a set of four tires for
the students to raffle off at $10 a chance. The Tumbleweed Co. donated an oak
and glass curio cabinet with chances selling at $2 a chance. All the funds raised by the
students and adult volunteers goes to the cost of sending the students on the
trip. All adult chaperones are traveling at their own expense. The students will run the
tournament concession stand both Friday and Saturday in addition to selling
last minute chances. ALPINE -- Steve Wright, Sul Ross State
University head football coach for the past six seasons, has announced his
resignation. Wright made the announcement during a team meeting
earlier this month. His resignation is effective Jan. 15 He cited a desire to spend more time with his family
and his belief that new leadership was needed. “It has been a great ride and I am indebted to Sul Ross
for giving me this opportunity,” Wright’s letter said. “There comes a time,
especially in this profession . . . that leadership of a program needs tweaking. “I have determined that a new head coach is best for
the student athletes and it is probably the most productive route for me and
my family,” he wrote. Wright’s wife, Anita, and their daughter, Synthia,
moved to Stevens Point, WI, last December, where Anita is employed at the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. A second daughter, Stephanie, is a freshman at Stanford
University at Palo Alto, CA. “This seemed a good time to evaluate what is best for
my family and me,” Wright said. “It is with great emotion that I would like
to thank the administration, faculty, staff, the students and the Sul Ross
and Alpine communities for their support.” “I appreciate the dedication and work Coach Wright has
brought to the football program at Sul Ross,” Sul Ross President Dr. R. Vic
Morgan said following Wright’s resignation. “His approach to academics,
discipline and his overall outreach to the players and their families was
instrumental to these young men’s development not just as athletes but as
college students.” Morgan said that a search for a new football coach will
be advertised on the national market. “We will draft a position announcement and form a
committee which will involve our director of athletics, other administrators,
selected members of the student-athletic body, our faculty athletics
representative and various other members of the university community then
conduct a nation-wide search,” Morgan said. “We will interview and hire a
coach hopefully in the early part of the spring semester.” During his six seasons at Sul Ross, Wright’s teams won
15 games and lost 44, but posted 5-4 and 5-5 won-lost records during the past
two seasons. He was named American Southwest Conference Co-Coach of
the Year in 2006 and South Region Coach of the Year by D3 Football.com. Several new career, season and single-game offensive
records were established during Wright’s tenure, including a Division III
single-game mark for pass completions by Scott Kello. This season, quarterback Austin Davidson of Hallsville
established career records for passing yardage with 8,071 and touchdown
passes with 61 and set a single-season mark of 24 scoring strikes. Running back T.J. Barber of Midland set career
standards for rushing yardage with 3,898 and touchdowns with 42 under Wright’s
leadership. Wright, who spent six years as head coach at
Mississippi Gulf Coast College in Perkinston, MS, joined the Sul Ross faculty
in March of 2002. He grew up on the Carson-Newman College campus at
Jefferson City, TN, where his grandfather served as president. Wright received his bachelor’s degree from Maryville
College in 1978 and master’s degree from the University of
Tennessee-Knoxville in 1979. He is a lecturer in physical education and has also
coached at Carson-Newman, the University of Richmond in Virginia, the
University of Texas-El Paso, Navarro Junior College in Corsicana and Jones
County Junior College in Ellisville, MS. SANDERSON – It only took four years and seven drafts
but Terrell County Commissioners Monday finally approved an employee
handbook. The book will be kept in Treasurer Lynda Helmer’s
office and will be distributed to all new employees. “This is current, correct and the best we could do,”
County Judge Leo Smith said. He said in changes need to be made, the manual can be
amended at any time. The court also approved a letter of resignation from
part-time emergency medical technician Erica Bartley and agreed to advertise
for her replacement. And it agreed to purchase a Plexiglas cover for the
large wall map in the Courthouse lobby showing the location of water
retention dams in the county. The court took no action on trash collection rates in
Sanderson and Dryden. Commissioner Kenn Norris, who heads a committee looking
into the rates, said more study needs to be done before rates can be adopted. Lady Eagles win three of three By RAQUEL HINKLEY News Leader Intern FORT DAVIS – The Lady Eagles won all three games they
played and the cham-pionship at the Fort Davis Tournament here last week-end. Sanderson High School defeated the Marathon Lady
Mustangs 45-24 in the opening game on Thursday, Dec. 6. The top scorer of the game was Hannah Black with 14
points with Jenny Hernandez followed close behind at 12. The top scorer for the Mustangs was Marisol Aguilar
with 16 points. At half time the Lady Eagles were leading by 12 with a
score of 23 to 11. The Lady eagles returned to play their second game on
Friday. Departing at 6:30 am for a game at 9:30, the team headed to Fort
Davis to play against the Big Bend Lady Paisanas. In the first quarter the teams were close in score at
10 to 11 in favor of Sanderson but in the end, the Lady Eagles had a 30-
point lead of 49 to 19. The top scorers of the game were Jenny Hernandez of
Sanderson with 16 points, followed by Blakeney Chries-man with 12. The Lady Eagle team left again on Saturday afternoon to
play for the third game and the championship against the Fort Davis Indians,
taking it all by a score of 47 to 30. The top scorers were Jenny Hernandez of Sanderson with
18 points, followed by Hannah Black with 17. Hannah also walked away with All-Tournament MVP and
All-Tournament Player went to Blakeney Chriesman. The Eagle Varsity boys entered the tournament first, losing
to the Fort Davis Indians 38 to 29. High scorer for the Eagles was Ben Rubio
with 11. In their second game, the Eagles defeated the Van Horn
Junior Varsity 38 to 25. High scorer was Phillip Lascano with 14. That win secured third place. They paired up with
Valentine and won with a score of 51 to 19. Jimmy Rapp and Phillip Lascano shared high scoring
honors with 12 apiece. Boys and girls basketball teams will host the Sanderson
Tournament today and tomor-row, Dec. 14 and 15. GRANDFALLS – The Sanderson Junior Varsity Eagles lost
to the Balmorhea Bears 34-26 and the Cowboys from Grandfalls-Royalty 62-18 at
the Grandfalls Tournament here last week. Against the Bears, senior Davis Stumberg had high score
for the Eagles with nine. Cordell Lawson scored eight, David Shoemaker added six
points to his credit while Casey Couch hit the bucket once with a three
pointer. Eagle David Shoemaker held high score with six points
in the decisive game with the Cowboys. Davis and Cordell contributed four points apiece while
Kelly Lomas and Casey Couch scored two points each. The JV girls also were defeated by Monahans 45-10 and
then by Grandfalls-Royalty 35-23. In the game against the Lobos from Monahans Erin
Corbett, Alexa Davis and Lizette Ramirez all had three points apiece while
Roxanna Rodriguez added one. In the game against the Cowgirls, Lizette topped the
point chart with 13, Alexa had four and Erin scored three. Roxanna scored two and Julianna Larrinaga had one point. The Sanderson Junior High School Eagles traveled to
Rankin this week but went home second best. Final score was 42-10. Scoring for the Eagles was Ryan Johnson with four
points, Jalen Chriesman with a three- pointer and Taylor Roberts scored
three, all from the free throw line. Eagles split games with Balmorhea By RAQUEL HINKLEY News Leader Intern SANDERSON – The Sander-son Junior Varsity boys and
Varsity girls and Varsity boys split with Balmorhea Tuesday with the boys
teams losing and the girls team on top. The JV Boys lost a close one 27 to 31. Cordell Lawson
came out on top in the points area scoring 13 points and Adam Roman was the
top scorer from Balmorhea with 15 points. In the next game, the Varsity girls came out with win
at 40 to 23. The top scorer of this game was Jenny Hernandez with 15
points and the top scorer of Balmorhea was Sarah Lujan with eight points. Making the three-pointers of the night was
Sarah Sivils with two of them. The last game of the night was played by the Varsity
boys who had the same losing fate as that of the JV with a score of 39 to 50.
The top scorer of the game for Sanderson was Jimmy Rapp
with 15 points and the top scorer for Balmorhea was Nigiel Lozano with 16
points. The Eagles will host the Sanderson Invitational
Tournament Friday and Saturday. 4-H
Livestock project meeting set SANDERSON – The next Sanderson 4-H Club livestock
project meeting will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 15 at the County Fair Hall. Youth planning to show rabbits or poultry this year
need to bring their animals for validation. Clay Houston will show the youth proper sheering and
grooming techniques for their goat projects. There will also be a drawing for pee wee goats to be
shown at the Terrell County Fair Jan. 26. All 4-H members planning to show livestock are
encouraged to attend tomorrow’s meeting. The photography course will be from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
Monday, Dec. 17, on the second floor of the Terrell County Courthouse. Sewing class will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at
Fair Hall. SANDERSON – Christina Lopez has been hired as the new
secretary for Terrell County Extension Agent Mark Carroll. She was hired effective Nov. 28 and it was ratified by
County Commissioners Monday. Lopez, the daughter of Charlie and Grace Lopez, is a
2002 graduate of Sanderson High School. She also attended Odessa College for
one year. She lives with her two children, Michelle, who turns 5
this month, and Joseph, who is one-and-a-half. She worked previously for Paddy’s Restaurant. “She has a lot of web experience,” Carroll said. “And
she is good with kids.” The extension
service oversees activities of the Terrell County 4-H Club. Lopez said she enjoys exercise and running. By ELIZA ODGERS 4-H Reporter SANDERSON – Texas Extension Family Consumer Science
Agent Evans Kott helped 4-H kids build stick houses for needy children at our
meeting Monday. There were 14 kids and five adults at the meeting. 4-H members were updated on upcoming stock shows. Sand
Hills Stock Show in Odessa is Jan. 4 to 6 and the Terrell County Fair is
January 24 to 26. Sorry I have missed the last few weeks. At our Senior Citizen Dinner Tuesday, we had 34
seniors. Sixteen 4-Hers and 11 adult sponsors showed up and helped. We had door prizes and the sewing club distributed
cozie shoulders for all the seniors. The sewing club would like to thank Uncles, Sanderson
Tire Center, Sanderson State Bank, Sanderson Propane, the Wool Commission and
Dryden Trading Post for their support. Ari
in all region symphonic band CRANE – Ari Ybarra, daughter of Sheryl and Peter Villa
of Monahans, vied in a band competition along with 32 bands and almost 900
students here last week. Ari is the granddaughter of Yolie Connelly of Sanderson
and great granddaughter of Tony and Edelmira Calzada. Students tried out for one of three bands, honorary
band, symphonic band or concert band, and Ari was selected to play third
chair in the French horn section of the symphonic all-region band. “She was very excited because the competition was
very tough,” Connelly said. “From Monahans, 13 French horn students tried out
and only three made it.” From there, Ari and the rest of the symphonic band from
the region will go on to play in concerts in different cities. Ari is in the eighth grade at Walker Junior High School
in Monahans. BIG BEND STATE PARK –
“Spent 30.06 shells lay on the ground,” Robert Garcia, the 17- year
Big Bend State Park peace officer said. “They were still shiny. Then I looked
down the canyon. “The little burro couldn’t have been more than a few
months old,” he said. “It was still trying to suck from her mother. She’d
probably been dead for two days. “Gut-shot,” he said. “Who knows how long she wobbled
around in the desert like that.” Texas Parks and Wildlife publicly announced last week
that a feral animal-harvesting program was under way in the Big Bend State
Park. “I’ve documented 18 burro kills in the park this year,”
Garcia said. “But there’s probably been more than a hundred shot since all
this started. “There ought to be a better way to do it. It’s
inhumane,” he said. “Not even good kills. I’ve found them shot in the
stomach, the buttocks. “They’ve already admitted to doing it,” he said,
mentioning two TPW workers from Austin. “They’ve been coming into the state park since June,
maybe seven or eight times,” said recently resigned state park manager Luis
Armendariz. “I saw their gun cases. Then I heard reports of dead and wounded
burros. That’s when I told Robert Garcia to make an investigation and let the
chips fall where they might.” “The claim of animal cruelty got my attention,” Texas
Parks and Wildlife spokesman Scott Boruff said. “We’re conservationists. We don’t condone cruelty to
animals. “If there is an opportunity that is reasonable to
harvest a burro we will do it,” he said. “All our people engaged in this are
certified in the use of firearms for the harvesting of animals.” Federal law protects burros and mustangs on federal
land from being shot or otherwise cruelly slaughtered However, in the state of Texas there are no statutes
that prohibit the killing of such animals on state lands. “There were no laws or policies broken. We are in the
process of harvesting feral animals from the Big Bend State Park, audad, hogs
and burros,” Boruff said. “West Texas has an incredibly sensitive eco-system
and we have to remove the ferals to restore endemic species. “We now have 1,000 Big Horn Sheep in Texas in three
places, Elephant Mountain, Sierra Diablo and Black Gap,” he said. “We’re
trying to make Big Bend State Park next. Restoration of an endangered species
like the Big Horn Sheep is quite an accomplishment.” Burros evidently
carry diseases that are not tolerated well by the Big Horn Sheep. “I think it would be mismanagement not to try and take
out the burros,” he said. “There are non-lethal ways to harvest the burro but
they spook pretty bad. “We spent six days recently baiting corrals in the park
and ended up with just two burros,” Boruff said. “We’re willing to give them
to the public. They might be able to rope them, if they’re good. “We’re open to other avenues,” he said. “An outfit from
California, ‘Donkey Rescue,’ has been talking to us about their methods of non-lethal
harvesting.” Meantime, Armendariz and Garcia both recently retired
after 35 and 17 years respectively of Texas Parks and Wildlife service and
remain on the sidelines as Austin internal affairs has taken over the
investigation. “I don’t have anything against the park,” Garcia said.
“It just seems there would have been a better way to handle the situation.” “I don’t think their retirement had anything to do with
this burro thing,” Boruff said. “We have a new model at the park, more
visitors, more access, more camping. Not everybody is happy about these new
plans.” “They’ve already admitted to doing it. Dan Cholly and
Bill Bundy. They worked together with Walt Dapney in Yosmite. Bundy was a
marksman in the Marine Corp.,” Garcia said. Texas Parks and Wildlife
employees Dan Cholly, Deputy Divisional Director, and Walt Dapney, Regional
Director, area of responsibility includes the Big Bend. Bill Bundy is a
contractor for Texas Parks and Wildlife. SANDERSON – “Dear Santa” letters Sanderson Elementary
School presented to the News Leader are typed as written. No editing was done to the letters to preserve the
humor in the innocence of childhood. Your child’s letter can be picked up at the News
Leader office. The following letters are from kindergartners: Dear Santa, I want cat clothes, Barbie guitar and some toys for my
cats and me. Love, Analise Galvan. Dear Santa. I want an elechtic guiar and a skateb. [skateboard] I
hope you and. Mrs. Claus are well. Love Taryn Mitchell Dear Santa, I would like a little teddy bear a little toy doll with
doctor toys. A toy fox, and a Princess movie. Love Brooklin Zuniga Dear Santa Claus, I want a guitar and an Ipod for Christmas And Please
bring something for my dog Troy. Love Kate Roberts. Dear Santa I can not wait until Christmas. I want Hulk and army
guys. Love Justin Maguire. Dear Santa I want a tree with frogs sticking on it I want a
spiderman, sandman and one Barbie for Ellie. Love Jayden Montalvo Dear Santa Claus I want a skate
board a guitar hot wheels and a toy jet. Also something for my 3 dogs. Love Isaiah Stratton First graders wrote: Dear Santa Merry Christmas. I would like hiles bike
clos lits Jacobi Campos. Dear Santa I wut a esbox ther siste th you fow
Christmas I luv you luv
Ian luv you Ian Perez. Dear Santa Merry Christmas I would like awe wresling
set Justin. Flax. Dear Santa, Merry Christmas! I would like xbox E60.
shotgun Otto Turner. Dear Santa Merry Christmas! 1. I would like a Wii. 2.
the Nintendo DS Starwars leago the hol sogo. 3. a nerf gun 4. a game that
is calld rollcoster for cp p.s. Elijah Carrasco. Dear Santa Merry Christmas I would like nindo ds thank you Santa Wyatt Mills. Dear Santa, Merry Christmas I would like a seed-d played
and anindods ds. Kailey Dominguez. The following letters are from second graders: Dear santa. I want a real puppy. a x box 360. and the
last lord of the rings the video game. ps. take the candy canes to eat on the
way love, Buddy. Dear Santa, Please bring me a play stations an a D.s. I
will be good an I will do my homework an please bring me a transformer game
to go with my playstation2an3 Andrew Cavender. Dear Santa, can you show me a picher of your elf Judy
please! Santa and send me a puppy but a small puppy please! a real puppy
please! from Precious to Dear Santa Dear Santa Claus, How are your reindeer? Are they well
fed? I hope Roodoff doesn’t have a cold or he won’t get to gide your sleigh
on your way throuthout Christmas eve! Are tha riins on your sleigh polished? I’ve been extra
good this year! your very good friend, Luke p.s. Merry Chistmas! To Santa From Arlena I love Christmas Santa oh yeah I’m sorry about that bad
word and I want a bratz computer, a puppy, some books, a new lamp, a new back
pack and a bratz doll Cloe. I love christmas Santa. Dear Sante I want a baby a live, moon sand, Braz Lap
top and a meow pup. So anyway how is Rootoff? did you have a good sumer? I wish
a Merry chirrismess? Love Lauryn Dear Santa, I need 5 Braakals, Mahris and Bionocles.
Bionacle raorz whale. Braakal 8920 EHLEK. Mahri 8913. And a Creepar Crarler
maker. I been a good boy. I will leave you some cookies and milk. Love Sean. Dear Santa I want a wii for chrismas and I want a D.S.
and guitar Hero rock the 80’s and guitar Hero on core and guitar Hero 3
playstation 2 Love, Rutten Dear Santa, please bring me and my friend Sean a game
boy and a wii and a playstation three pe ease Santa I have beeing a good boy
I will leave you some cookies and some milk. love christian Dear Santa please bring me a wii and a game for my D.S.
and guitar hero rock the 80’s and guitar hero on-core and guitarE and
guitarI. Playstation game. I have being a good boy I will leave you some
cookies and milk. Love your friend, Hunter Dear Santa, Please bring me a Wii game and a playstation 3 and a garter and
the game black and a DS and the game transformers and a toy morstertruck. I
have being a good boy. Love, Chris Dear Santa, Please bring me a guitar and a DVD Yo Gabba
Gabba. I have being a good boy. I will have a snack for you. Jacob L. Dear Santa, Please bring me a Wii and Play Station. And
pse I have being a good boy. I will leave you some cookics and milk. Love, Daniel. MNL December 14, 2007 Holidays in full swing MARATHON – For those who haven’t noticed, the Christmas
season is at hand with a host of activities on the busy social calendar. It all started at the break of dawn Wednesday as the
Marathon Catholic Church offered the annual Virgin de Guadalupe pilgrimage. Commencing before the 7 a.m. mass, Nelda Ortiz’s Virgin
de Guadalupe statute was carried by four patrons in parade with many others
from the old school to the church. After mass, menudo and other refreshments were served. The pilgrimage is a Mexican cultural tradition that
started several centuries ago when young and poor Juan Diego was running
through the mountains in the cold of winter outside of Oaxaca to get the
doctor for his sick uncle. A beautiful lady appeared to him and said, “Go back and
build a temple in honor of the Virgin. Tell the Priest and do not worry about
your uncle.” Juan Diego ran back to his village and told the people
and the priest what had happened. They did not believe him and sent him again for the
doctor. Again the beautiful lady appeared to Juan Diego and
again she told him, “Go back and build a temple in honor of the Virgin and do
not worry about your uncle.” Juan Diego returned to his village and again they did
not believe him but the priest told him, “Bring me proof.” Juan Diego again set off through the mountains but took
a different route. However, the beautiful lady appeared again and said,
“Build a temple in honor of the virgin and do not worry about your uncle.” “I need proof,” Juan Diego said. “Pick the roses behind you,” she said. “Roses? There are no roses in the winter.” He turned only to find beautiful fresh roses. He picked
them and put them in his tilma, the burlap robe that he wore. Now he returned to the priest, dropped the roses before
him and the emblem of the Virgin de Guadeloupe blazoned the breast of his
tilma. The uncle recovered, the temple was built and is still
there today as well as Juan Diego’s tilma with the emblem of the Virgin of
Guadalupe. The Marathon Student Council was scheduled to meet at noon
yesterday at the school library and the Gage planned to host the Marathon
School teachers party at 6 p.m. The Marathon Student Council will board an eastbound
bus at 6 a.m. tomorrow, Dec. 15, as they travel to San Antonio on their
annual escapade to watch the Spurs take on the Denver Nuggets. Tipoff at the
arena is at 7 p.m. After the game, the students will be hosted by one of
the Spurs players, yet to be announced, to discuss leadership and the future
of America. The students will stay at the La Quinta near the
Airport and then return on Sunday. At 6 p.m. December 19, the Marathon Baptist Church
plans a live nativity scene complete with children and animals. The show will be followed by caroling and refreshments. The Chamber of Commerce sponsored Christmas Tree Light
Contest is set for Friday, Dec. 21, between 7 and 8 p.m. The three-judge panel consists of two new Marathon
arrivals and an unknown unlocal. Friday, Dec. 21, is also when Christmas vacation starts
for Marathon ISD. School lets out at noon. MARATHON – Advocates for the La Linda Bridge re-opening
continue to hope for an agreement between the US and Mexico but little has
happened since both parties met last month at Sul Ross. “I think progress will continue to be measured in very
small steps that are taken slowly.” Ty Fain with the Rio Grande Alliance said
this week from Austin. “But keep in mind that we are entering the seventh
year of work on this. “In Mexico the various state and federal government
agencies will package up their plans and commitments regarding La Linda and
give them to the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, which works with the US
State Department through a bridges and border crossing working group that meets
twice a year,” he said. “Until the ownership of the US half of the bridge is
consolidated and formalized I don’t think that process will get underway or
at least take on any official significance,” Fain said, “In anticipation of
our closing the deal soon I gather that some US and Mexican government
agencies are gearing-up to take action but are not likely to do much more
until the owner/operator is defined. “The meeting at Sul Ross and the trip down to the
bridge was arranged at the request of some of the Mexican stakeholders and
was part of that gearing-up,” he said. The Texas Legislature passed a resolution in June in
support of a local coalition’s plans to reopen the bridge. Brewster County also passed a unanimous resolution
backing the opening of the bridge. The crossing into Mexico at La Linda was closed in 1997
and other Big Bend area border crossings closed shortly after the “9-11”
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in 2001. Since then, there has been no legal way to cross
between the US and Mexico between Presidio/Ojinaga on the west and Del
Rio/Ciudad Acuña on the east – a distance of nearly 300 highway miles. The Rio Grande Institute joined forces with Museo
Maderas del Carmen AC Nature Reserve to preserve and reopen the La Linda
crossing. The merger
created an organization called Colinda, whose mission is the sustainable
development of a tourism industry. It was hoped that the plan would benefit both residents
and visitors and be compatible with conservation of the unique heritage and natural
resource assets of the Big Bend in Texas and the Maderas del Carmen corridor
across the border from the park in Coahuila. In the 1960s, the US side of the bridge was owned and
operated as a toll facility by Dow Chemical, which transported minerals from
Mexico to the chemical plants on the US side of the border. It also provided access for residents and tourists to
and from the Sierra del Carmen Mountains in Mexico. In the 1970s, Dow sold out to DuPont Chemical and,
shortly thereafter, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife opened the
Black Gap Wildlife Management Area northwest of La Linda, which was open to
the public for fishing, camping, hunting and other outdoor activities. But the global economy changed and the one-lane bridge
was no longer used for transporting fluorspar and other minerals to the
chemical plants. DuPont closed operations in the 1980s and gave its
interest in the bridge to the National Parks Conservation Association. US customs pulled out of the bridge but it stayed open
with Mexican officials present. It was closed completely in 1997. The government of Mexico later incorporated one million
acres of Maderas del Carmen into its Protected Areas program and then CEMEX,
the government owned cement company in Mexico, and Museo Maderas del Carmen
established nature preserves within the area. When the La Linda bridge closed in 1997, barricades
were set up to prevent crossing. The bridge was to be demolished but it still
stands. The bridge and border crossing would link over two
million acres of wilderness and recreation resources, fostering conservation
of habitat and the growth of a sustainable rural economy in northwest
Coahuila and Big Bend. Ladies win last game at tourney By AUDREY GALINDO The Paper Brigade FORT DAVIS – The Lady Mustangs won the consolation
prize at the Fort Davis Tournament last week. Marathon lost to the Presidio Junior Varsity Blue
Devils 39-41 in the opener Thursday, Dec. 6. Top scorer for the Lady Mustangs was Celestine Garcia with
14 points followed by Memi Lara, who threw in 10. Prissy Hernandez scored six points, Marisol Aguilar had
five and Victoria Zimmerman and Crystal Ybarra had a pair each. With the loss to Presidio, the Lady Mustangs had to
play another game on Thursday against the Sanderson Eagles. The Lady Mustangs lost their game with the score 45-24.
“The girls played a very good game and hustled
throughout the game,” Coach Gracie Galindo said. “There were a lot of minor
mistakes but they will be working very had to correct those.” In the game Marisol Aguilar threw in 16 points,
Celestine Garcia put in six and Memi Lara had two points. On Friday, the Lady Mustangs lost to the Big Bend
Paisanas 36-35. The Lady Mustangs trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter but
made a great comeback, coming up only one short. Celestine Garcia made 14 points, Memi Lara came up with
six points, Marisol Aguilar and Prissy Hernandez both had four each and
Crystal Ybarra had three. On Saturday, the Lady Mustangs played against Van Horn
Junior Varsity to determine consolation. Coach Galindo said she told the girls to start off and
keep the same tempo going throughout the game and that’s what the girls did.
They never gave up. They hustled the whole game and beat Van Horn for the
consolation. Marisol Aguilar had 24 points, Memi Lara had four,
Crystal Ybarra had two and Prissy Hernandez had one point. Memi Lara received the All-Tourney award. Coach Galindo and Coach Gene Peña said they are very
proud of all the girls and there will be a lot of hard work to be done on
correcting a lot of mistakes. They played again Tuesday at Fort Davis and will play 4
at Rankin at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 4. 'Believer' believes in Papercrete for building
houses By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor MARATHON – “I’m a believer,” Wes Spears said, standing
near a suspension bridge- like coffee table, part of his “Art Furniture”
collection in the showroom of his “Sonworks Gallery” here. “God said, ‘Been doing stuff for yourself all your
life, how about doing it for others,’” he said. Freedom House was Wes’s response to providence. “I’ve designed a papercrete kit house that can be set
up in two weeks,” he said. “Papercrete is a great building product for out
here with a tremendous insulation value and it’s made from recycled
materials. “Affordable housing. I want to help people get a good
house without a ton of debt,” Spears said. “Debt can destroy families
financially.” About three years ago, a friend coaxed Spears away from
the Florida coast and out to Marathon to build a papercrete house. “I’ve been in construction for 35 years,” he said.
“I’ve built a lot of houses, conventional and otherwise. “Papercrete makes the most sense to me,” he said. “It’s
lightweight, good R-value and has that adobe look.” He leaned over and polished the Bird’s Eye Maple coffee
table with the cuff of his shirt. “My studio here in Marathon lets me show-off my craft,”
he said. He pointed to a three-piece table set. “That piece took me six months to make,” he said.
“Fifteen thousand dollars. It’s high end, but I make them high end. “The marble’s from Egypt and the Grandillo wood’s from
South America,” Spears said. At the Sonworks Gallery open house in March, he
auctioned off one of his high-end tables and donated the proceeds to the
Make-A-Wish-Foundation, a charity that helps children in the last stages of
life fulfill a life-long dream. “A local bought it but he wants to remain anonymous,”
Spears said, leaning forward in one of his high-back chairs. His sister, Linda Spears, came out from Maui last year
and now runs the Big Hair Salon at the first floor of the three-story
Sonworks Gallery. They’ve been planning to convert the gallery to a
health facility. “We’re hoping to have a mud bath next year and a
jucuzzi,” Spears said. “A city garden is already under way. “Better eating leads to no shots, no pills,” he said.
“We’d like to teach people about diet and exercise. But we’re not a spa. If
they want a spa, they can go down the street. “Everything to do with eating, I like,” he said. “I’ve got some people that want to help,” Spears said.
“We’d like to build a whole development of Freedom Houses. Get people working
with each other again. Common gardens – good health and promote fiscal
awareness. “Make the houses strong and affordable and help people
finance them,” he said. “But only if they’re serious about getting out of
debt. If they want to buy a new house and a new car and a new boat, I don’t
want to help them.” Alpine
Library plans open house ALPINE – The Alpine Public Library has invited the
community to an open house. It will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at
203 North 7th Street. Refreshments will be served and new Director Anitra
Clausen said she looks forward to visiting library patrons and others. By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor MARATHON – It is said every town has its character and
in far Southwest Texas, most towns seem to have more than their share. In Marathon, it could well be Maiyo who walks around
town in old clothes and doesn’t shave. But he’s articulate. And he has an opinion on just
about everything. A graduate of Marathon High, Pablo “Maiyo” Gonzales has
a different take on reality than most folks. I can write what he said, but I’m not sure anybody will
understand and some might even think we’re making fun of him – but he’s so
far out there, he might be making fun of us. That said, here’s what he told me. “You’ve got to reach sanity to be sane,” he said.
“Abraham Lincoln was that far from it,” He held index finger and thumb apart by an inch. “And he was one of the smartest men in the world,” he
said. “Jesus was another smart one. But I beat them, both of them. “You got to feel the world. I study feeling,” Maiyo
said. “I can feel Satan in hell. I can feel God in heaven. I can feel Bruce
Lee.” He looked out across the vacant lot, toward the
Marathon Library. “I can feel sanity in Marathon,” he said. “Feeling
starts in Marathon. To a certain point, Marathon is where the world feels. “Californians feel, but in Marathon – the world started
feeling here. At three, I could feel Africa,” he said. “People from different countries hold their tongue
differently,” he said. “Linguistics. Americans hold their tongue forward, way
out, like a snake.” He pushed his tongue out. “Lizzzzard,” he said. “In Russia, they hold it back and
in Africa even further back.” He rattled off something that might be Swahili. “Leprosy started in Africa,” Maiyo said. “It’s a dirt
inside their bodies. But Africans feel, especially from their knees down. “Most of mankind doesn’t feel at all,” he said.
“Leprosy starts at the bottom of your feet and wraps around moving upwards. “Their skin is black except for the palm of their hands
and the bottom of their feet,” he said. “There’s a line around the edge of
their feet. They don’t get cancer. They get leprosy. They are strong,
nourishing people.” He stopped and lit a cigarette. “Do you know where electricity comes from?” he asked.
“It comes from laboring. Africa produces electricity for America, 120 volts.
Mexico has 20 volts.” A crow flew by and landed in a near-by tree. “I’m the best carpenter in the world and I don’t even
know how to build a house,” Maiyo said. “A carpenter has to be strong enough
to hold the walls up, the inner wall and the outer wall.” He moved his fist through the air as if hammering. “Bam, Bam, Bam, beat the nail,” he said. “I study
feeling. “Chinese are the most thirsty people in the world,” he
said. “Do you have eighty five cents for a soda?” I reached in my pocket and came up with exact change. “The world as we know it didn’t end in 2000 but God’s
world ended long ago,’ he said. “Go to a sermon to get a disease, so you can
feel.” He looked in my eyes while twisting his head slowly. “Africans don’t feel most diseases because their soles
(souls?) are clean,” he said. He kicked at the road. “Indians cleaned themselves with mud, because there was
no money for hospitals,” he said. “In the new world there will be health,
life without sleeping or disease and everybody will feel.” By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager MARATHON – What is your favorite Christmas memory? As I get older, as some of us do, I look back at
Christmases of the past and laugh. One that sticks out in my mind is when I was a small
child, my dog Lady knocked down our eight-foot real tree and my brother and I
spent Christmas morning picking needles out of the carpet. Call us with your story at 345-2676, or e-mail me at kim@tcnewsleader.com. Burro kills cause concern BIG BEND STATE PARK –
“Spent 30.06 shells lay on the ground,” Robert Garcia, the 17- year
Big Bend State Park peace officer said. “They were still shiny. Then I looked
down the canyon. “The little burro couldn’t have been more than a few
months old,” he said. “It was still trying to suck from her mother. She’d
probably been dead for two days. “Gut-shot,” he said. “Who knows how long she wobbled
around in the desert like that.” Texas Parks and Wildlife publicly announced last week
that a feral animal-harvesting program was under way in the Big Bend State
Park. “I’ve documented 18 burro kills in the park this year,”
Garcia said. “But there’s probably been more than a hundred shot since all
this started. “There ought to be a better way to do it. It’s
inhumane,” he said. “Not even good kills. I’ve found them shot in the
stomach, the buttocks. “They’ve already admitted to doing it,” he said,
mentioning two TPW workers from Austin. “They’ve been coming into the state park since June,
maybe seven or eight times,” said recently resigned state park manager Luis
Armendariz. “I saw their gun cases. Then I heard reports of dead and wounded
burros. That’s when I told Robert Garcia to make an investigation and let the
chips fall where they might.” “The claim of animal cruelty got my attention,” Texas
Parks and Wildlife spokesman Scott Boruff said. “We’re conservationists. We
don’t condone cruelty to animals. “If there is an opportunity that is reasonable to
harvest a burro we will do it,” he said. “All our people engaged in this are
certified in the use of firearms for the harvesting of animals.” Federal law protects burros and mustangs on federal
land from being shot or otherwise cruelly slaughtered However, in the state of Texas there are no statutes
that prohibit the killing of such animals on state lands. “There were no laws or policies broken. We are in the
process of harvesting feral animals from the Big Bend State Park, audad, hogs
and burros,” Boruff said. “West Texas has an incredibly sensitive eco-system
and we have to remove the ferals to restore endemic species. “We now have 1,000 Big Horn Sheep in Texas in three
places, Elephant Mountain, Sierra Diablo and Black Gap,” he said. “We’re
trying to make Big Bend State Park next. Restoration of an endangered species
like the Big Horn Sheep is quite an accomplishment.” Burros evidently
carry diseases that are not tolerated well by the Big Horn Sheep. “I think it would be mismanagement not to try and take
out the burros,” he said. “There are non-lethal ways to harvest the burro but
they spook pretty bad. “We spent six days recently baiting corrals in the park
and ended up with just two burros,” Boruff said. “We’re willing to give them
to the public. They might be able to rope them, if they’re good. “We’re open to other avenues,” he said. “An outfit from
California, ‘Donkey Rescue,’ has been talking to us about their methods of
non-lethal harvesting.” Meantime, Armendariz and Garcia both recently retired
after 35 and 17 years respectively of Texas Parks and Wildlife service and
remain on the sidelines as Austin internal affairs has taken over the
investigation. “I don’t have anything against the park,” Garcia said.
“It just seems there would have been a better way to handle the situation.” “I don’t think their retirement had anything to do with
this burro thing,” Boruff said. “We have a new model at the park, more
visitors, more access, more camping. Not everybody is happy about these new
plans.” “They’ve already admitted to doing it. Dan Cholly and
Bill Bundy. They worked together with Walt Dapney in Yosmite. Bundy was a
marksman in the Marine Corp.,” Garcia said. Texas Parks and
Wildlife employees Dan Cholly, Deputy Divisional Director, and Walt Dapney,
Regional Director, area of responsibility includes the Big Bend. Bill Bundy
is a contractor for Texas Parks and Wildlife. Wind Powering America By CHUCK HALL Culture Artist As the demand for alternative forms of energy continues
to increase across the nation, American farmers are discovering a new “crop.” All across America, farmers are now harvesting wind
energy and reaping the rewards. As of today, wind power is the fastest growing form of
alternative energy in the world. Between 1998 and 2002, wind power grew at an average
rate of 32 percent. According to a study by the Department of Energy, since
1980, the cost of producing electricity using wind power has dropped as much
as 90 percent as turbines have become more efficient and less expensive. If current trends continue, wind power will be less
expensive than electricity from conventional power plants by 2010. The “” initiative, sponsored by the DOE, hopes to
produce five percent of America’s electricity with wind by 2020. To do this, the DOE will provide $60 billion in
investment capital to rural locations across America. Of this capital fund, $1.2 billion will go to farmers
and other rural landowners to help establish wind farms across the United
States. There are three basic methods that a potential wind
farmer may use to generate income from farming the wind. The first and easiest is to allow a developer to
install a large wind turbine on the property. This requires no up-front costs to the wind farmer and
can generate royalties of up to $5,000 per year per turbine, depending on the
size of the generator. The second basic method is to connect the wind turbine
to the grid. In this arrangement, the owner you can either check
with the local utility company to see if they’ll help pay for the turbine or
finance the turbine himself. Federal law then requires the power company to buy any
surplus electricity from him. The third method is for the owner to buy the turbine
himself and sell the electricity generated to the highest bidder. The end user in this case doesn’t have to be a power
company. He could sell power to factories, to homes or to rural
subdivisions. The best part about wind farming is that even large
turbines have small footprints. This means the farmer may still use the bulk of his
land for growing crops while supplementing his income by harvesting energy
from the wind. To learn more about wind energy in general, visit http://www.awea.org. To download a fact sheet about wind energy from the
Union of Concerned Scientists go to www.uscusa.org/assets /documents/clean_energy/ Agfs_wind_2003.pdf. Chuck Hall is a graduate student and author. His latest
book, “Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,” is
now available at the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
Or contact Chuck by email at chuck@cultureartist.org. ALPINE – Joyce Miller, administrative
secretary in the office of recruiting and admissions, will retire Jan. 31
2008 from Sul Ross State University. There will be a reception at 3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 20, in the University Center’s second floor foyer. Miller began working as a secretary in the
registrar’s office in March, 1998. She was transferred to the office of
recruiting and admissions in 2002. Prior to that, she worked as a secretary
for oil companies in Lubbock, for El Paso Natural Gas in El Paso, for the
Pecos Enterprise and an attorney in Pecos and for an oil operator in
Monahans. A native of Ralls, she graduated from Ralls
High School and later attended Draughns Business School in Lubbock before
starting her secretarial career. Joyce and her husband, Bob, moved to Alpine
in 1993. Bob Miller was a music director in Baptist churches in Ralls, El
Paso and Kermit before going to work as a sales representative for Valley
Motors in Pecos. He now works at Alpine Auto Rental. Joyce Miller commuted to Monahans for five
years until her employer sold his oil properties. “I intended on retiring to play golf and
travel after leaving my job in Monahans in 1997,” she said. “That didn’t
quite work out but those plans are still out there.” Making the transition from the oil business
to the student business has been a pleasant experience, she said. She presently works with recruiters Aaron
Hardwick, Liz Castillo and Victor Natera as well as the student ambassadors. Her supervisor is Greg Schwab, associate
vice president for enrollment management. “I have enjoyed the people that I have
worked with, especially the students,” she said. “I enjoyed watching the
basketball teams and the 2003-2004 team that went to the national tournament
was one of my favorites. One of those players, Aaron Hardwick, is now a
recruiter.” The Millers will also celebrate 50 years of
marriage on April 3. They have three sons, Johnny, the choral
director at Borger High School, Brad, a Sul Ross graduate and his wife Terry,
who are dorm parents at Boys and Girls Country of Houston, Inc., in Hockley
and Monty, an interior designer who lives in Dallas. They have two grandsons, Loren, 14, and
Collin, 10. Retirement plans include golf, travel “and
doing nothing,” she said. “When I get tired of that, I will do some volunteer
work.” SR journalism class offered ALPINE – A basic news writing course,
featuring hands-on training in a newsroom setting, will be offered during
spring semester at Sul Ross State University. Journalism 2301: News Writing, will
introduce students to the basic tenets of news, sports and feature writing in
a writing laboratory. Steve Lang, director of news and
publications at Sul Ross and a veteran journalist, will teach the
three-credit course. Class sessions will be from 3:30 to 4:45
p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in ACR, Room 203. The class is open to enrolled students as
well as interested community members. The first class meets Thursday, Jan.
17. “Much of the class time will be devoted to
writing stories from information gathered and interviews conducted as
assignments between class sessions,” Lang said. As part of the curriculum, students will
cover Sul Ross and Alpine community athletic events, governmental meetings
and special functions as well as conduct interviews with local residents and
visiting artists, lecturers and dignitaries. Interested students may register on-line or
at the Sul Ross registrar’s office in room 202 of the Briscoe Administration
Building. 'Unto you a child is born' And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room
for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord. The Bible tells of the coming of Jesus Christ in the
Book of Luke, Chapter 2, including verses 7 to 11 above. Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Christ
on Dec. 25, even though there is no date of the actual birth mentioned in the
Bible. The most sacred event in the Christian calendar was
celebrated in Sanderson with church services, open houses and pageants. The First Cavalry Baptist Church and the First
Presbyterian Church both presented pageants Sunday. Taking part in the First Cavalry pageant were Mikayla
Baker as Mary, Jesse Roberts as Joseph, Max Baethge as Baby Jesus and T.J. Bellah
as Gabriel. The Wise Men were Al Johnson, Otto Turner and Luke
Carroll who then turned around and played the shepherds, joined by Elias
Hafner. Angels were Daniella Barron, Lauryn Carroll, Jacobi
Ramirez, Arianna Ramirez, Zane Turner and Tiny Angel Victoria Barron. Dan Waddell narrated and singers were Eddie Zion,
Danielle Baethge and Ashton Corder. Pagent workers included Brenda Waddell, Lea Hawn, Dana
Bellah and Lisa Corder. Clay Corder did the lighting and Baby Jesus was kept
happy and content by helper and dad Randy Baethge. Taking part in the First Presbyterian pageant were
Grace Jahn as Mary and Mason Blackmon as Joseph. The reader was Jon Tom
Lowrance. Kings were Shawn Stegall, Ryan Arthur and Kelly Lomas
and shepherds were Hunter Truesdell, Jacob Helmers and Dryden Baker. Dryden was also the voice of the donkey, Ryan provided
the cow’s voice, Hunter and Jacob spoke for the sheep, Mason for the ox and
Grace for the dove. Angel Gabriel was Brandee Stegall, little angels were
Landry Lowrance, Taryn Mitchell, Katy Jahn and Brooklyn Zuniga and littlest
angel was Lacy Lowrance. Christmas comes on Tuesday, Dec. 25. New Year’s Day is
one week later. In Sanderson, school lets out for the two-week holiday
at noon today. Most businesses will be closed at least Christmas and News
Years Day and some will remain closed longer. Because Christmas comes in the middle of the week, the News
Leader will suspend publication for one week, with no paper for next
Friday, Dec. 28. We will resume publication with the Jan.4, 2008,
edition. SANDERSON – Jonathan Calzada made newcomer of the year
on the Six Man Football All Region football team for Division II, Region I,
and six teammates also were elected to the All-Region team. The results were announced at the Terrell County School
Board meeting Monday. Jacob Benavidez was named first-team special teams
player and Ryan Rosas was named first-team cornerback. On second team offense was center Jaime Rodriguez.
Second team defense included Darren Seidel at nose guard, Ben Rubio as
defensive lineman and Phillip Lascano as a linebacker. Jimmy Johnson of Jayton was named six-man player of the
year and Jayton Coach Jeremy Phillips was coach of the year. Most valuable players were Tyler Speed on offense and
John Stanaland on defense. Both are from Jayton. Other All-Region offensive first teamers were tight
ends Harry Barron of Balmorhea and Carson Drennan of Dawson, wide receivers
Roy Longoria of Grandfalls and Trevor Young of Loop, center Tony Arriola of
Grandfalls, quarterback Jacob Sanchez of Loraine, spread back J.B. Santiago
of Grandfalls, running backs Tyler Speed and Ian Pantoja of Sierra Blanca,
fullback Peter Urvina of Sierra Blanca, utility back Caleb Harrison of Jayton
and kicker Daniel Shellhorn of Loop. Also on first-team defense were nose guard Justin
Seaton, defensive linemen John Stanaland, Anthony Beaver of Trent and Logan
Howard of Borden County, linebackers Russell Garlick of Balmorhea and Kyle
Mitchell of Loop, cornerback Landon Brown of Dawson, safeties Loren Gill of
Sierra Blanca and Pat Karoleweiz of Trent, utility player Correy Cobb of
Buena Vista and punter Quentin Schafer of Borden County. Second teamers on offense also included tight ends
Flynn Chapman of Borden County and Justin Lawson of Sierra Blanca, wide
receivers Kenny Esquivel of Loraine and Gabriel Pantoja of Sierra Blanca,
quarterback Troy Moore of Loop, running backs Michael Cooley of Borden County
and J.P. Ramirez of Dawson, fullback Joe Spann of Grandfalls, spread back
Adam Ramirez of Sierra Blanca, utility back Miles Valentine of Borden County,
kicker Bralyn Barker of Dell City and special teams player Daniel Domin-guez
of Grandfalls. Second team defense also included defensive linemen Roy
Hobbs of Dawson and Josh Barden of Loop, linebacker Jeremy Eaton of
Hermleigh, cornerbacks Sean Enloe of Balmorea and Robert Williams of Trent,
safeties Nigiel Lozano of Balmorhea and Joe Luis Soto of Loop, utility player
Jacob Benivamondez of Loraine and punter Ryan Mondragon of Balmorhea. In other area all-team selections announced this week,
linebacker Zach Calvert of Iraan was named to the Associated Press Class 1-A
All-State football team. Catholics celebrate Virgen de Guadalupe SANDERSON – December brings not only Christmas but, for
Catholics here and around the United States and Mexico, it also brings the
birthday of the apparition of the Lady of Guadalupe at the El Tepeyac to Juan
Diego national park in Mexico City. At the Basilica, singing groups San Antonio and Los
Angelos sing the Mañanitas and are shown on television where the singers
praise her with their songs on Dec. 11. Afterward, a Mass is offered in her honor at the
Basilica where thousands gather from all over to show her how much she is
loved. In Sanderson, the Guadalupana Society starts the
devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe with the Mañanitas at 6 a.m. Dec. 12. Then they celebrate Mass at church and have breakfast
at St. James Hall. That evening is the annual Guadalupana party with
bingo, gift exchanges, food and visiting. Officers for the coming year are
also elected. This year Anita Maldonado is president, Mage Hernandez
is vice president, Yolanda Connolly is secretary, Thelma Calzada is treasurer
and Consuelo Galvan is reporter. The Christmas Mass will be at 9:30 p.m. Christmas Eve,
Dec. 24. “We have nine days of Posadas asking shelter for Mary
to have her baby,” Reporter Consuelo Galvan said. “The Christmas Day Mass
will be celebrated at 12 noon. That’s a beautiful way to end a wonderful year
and go give thanks to our Savior for all he has done and given us.” Hut Brown of El Paso, SHS graduate, dies at 78 EL PASO – A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. today,
Dec. 21, in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, 805 Montana Ave here for
Harry S. “Hut” Brown, 78, of El Paso who died Dec. 13 at his home. Born May 28, 1929, in Del Rio, Texas, he graduated from
Sanderson High School, received his Bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian
University and his Master’s from the University of Texas at El Paso. A mason, Hut was a member of Fraternity Lodge #1111,
the El Paso Scottish Rite, and El Maida Shrine. He served for 14 years in the National Guard and was a
member of the American Legion Post #36.
Commander of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Reserve for
42 years, he became the oldest person to qualify as a Texas Master Peace
Officer on their firing range. He was named as the Texas Administrator of the Year by
Texas School Librarians in 1975. In 2000, he was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall
of Fame as a coach and administrator. Hut and his late wife Jackie served on the Sun Bowl
Committee for 42 years. A member of Crime Stoppers as well as the El Paso
Historical Society, Hut portrayed John Wesley Hardin in several walks through
history. A former member of the state of Texas Silver-Haired
Legislature, he was currently serving as a member of the Legislative
Committee of the Texas Retired Teachers Association. Active for 30 years in the Chili Appreciation Society
International, Hut not only cooked chili but also qualified for Terlingua
several years, served as Executive Director for eight years and was currently
serving as the Chairman of the CASI College Scholarship fund. EPISD recently honored Hut for his many years of
service in education as teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, area
superintendent and retired volunteer reading mentor by naming their newest
middle school for him. He was preceded in death by Jackie, his wife of 55
years. Hut is survived by one son, Jeff; one daughter, Debbie
and Steve Overby, all of Dallas; two brothers, Joe N. Brown of Sonora and Tom
Mansfield of El Paso; a sister, Marilyn Bell of San Angelo, and two
grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to
the CASI Scholarship Fund, c/o Alan Dean, 112 Leaning Oak Circle, Johnson
City, TX 78636. SANDERSON – Pancho and Della Fuentes of Sanderson won
the grand prize of $300 plus a $75 tabletop waterfall at the Second Annual
Christmas on Main Street here Thursday. Martin Arredondo and Daniel Rodriguez each won $100 in
separate drawings. There were no entries in yet for the 7 p.m. drawing so
Chamber of Commerce Secretary Lea Hawn drew two names for the smaller
drawings at 8 p.m. and the final drawing at 9 p.m. from the 61 who turned in
cards filled out with signatures of all the participants. Edwin Carrasco helped draw out the winning entries and
said he was thrilled to be able to call his friend Daniel to tell him he was
a winner. Many others attended open house celebrations at the 17
participating businesses but did not turn in cards. To be eligible for the drawings, visitors had to get a
signature from each participating business. “We started the drawing with a similar open house on
the July 4 weekend this year because on the first Christmas event last year,
people would congregate at a few businesses and not visit the others,”
Chamber President Jim Street said. He said businesses donated $510 for the drawing and the
Chamber donated the $75 waterfall for a total windfall of $575 to area
residents. “There were a few glitches again this year but mistakes
are the way one learns,” Street said. “We hope to eliminate them for future
events so they can get better each time.” Christmas Mountain sale on hold BIG BEND – Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson will
meet with Big Bend National Park Superintendent Bill Wellman in January to
discuss the progress of the Park’s intent to buy the 8,932-acre tract of land
called Christmas Mountain. Located in Brewster County near the Park’s present
north boundary, a series of auctions failed to confirm private buyers earlier
this year as the three-member Texas School Land Board, chaired by Patterson
and under intense public pressure to keep the tract public, could not
generate a consensus. Patterson, a former Marine Corp lieutenant colonel and
gun advocate, had earlier indicated he would oppose any purchase that
restricted hunting on the land. The Park Service has not yet indicated whether hunting
will be allowed on the property should it obtain title to the land. An earlier December meeting between Patterson and
Wellman had been cancelled due to weather conditions. “We fully expect to have a proposal for the
commissioner in due time,” said David Elkowitz, a Big Bend National Park
spokesman, earlier this month. The deadline for a proposal is Feb 6. RANKIN – Sanderson Elementary School students in grades
K-5 brought in 836 points and sixth graders competing in the junior high
competitions earned 421 points for a total of 1,257 at the 2007-2008 District
UIL Meet here this month. Marathon scored
236 points. “At the
Elementary level we had 14 teams competing and we received 13 First Place
Teams,” sponsor Irma Mendoza said. The other participating schools were Rankin with 528
points, Buena Vista with 334 and Grandfalls with 73 points. “The Sanderson students were commended for their good
behavior throughout the day,” Mendoza said. “Once again, our students made us
proud by representing Terrell County ISD well.” Mendoza said the Sanderson students were not only the
“best dressed” at the competition, they were also “the best looking. Head Coach and Athletic Director Mark Dominguez, who
also serves as the elementary principal, said Sanderson “pretty much blew
everyone away.” He said he was “very, very proud” of the effort by the
children. The Sanderson fourth graders also won the first-place
team award and fifth graders won first-place team in all but one event. In individual events, fifth graders Grace Jahn, Alexis
Olivares and Luis Garza took all three places in Social Studies. Abby Carrasco took first in ready writing and Luis and
Grace took second and third. Audrey Galindo of Marathon was fourth. There was a similar lineup in art with Audrey taking
first, Luis second, Abby third, Grace fourth and Capri Garlick of Marathon
fourth. Grace won first place for dictionary skills, followed
by Alexis and Abby. Grace won the spelling contest, followed by Joseph
Carrasco and Luis. Grace also placed first in maps, graphs and charts with
Luis second and Abby sixth. Abby was first and Luis second in numbers sense. Grace
placed sixth. Capri placed first in music memory, Audrey was second
and Alexis Olivares was sixth. Abby was second in listening skills. Grace was fourth
and Alexis was sixth. Grace placed second in oral reading. Joseph was fourth
and Capri was sixth. Fourth graders
John Pierce, Jesse Roberts and Mayra Rodriguez of Sanderson were first,
second and third respectively in spelling and Alexis Bowers of Marathon was
fourth. Jesse, Mariah Aguilar, Mayra and Andrew Portillo were
first, second, third and fourth in art and Alexis was fifth. Mayra, John and Andrew were first, second and third in
ready writing. John was first and Jesse second in numbers sense. Mayra
was fifth. In oral reading, Andrew was second, Jesse third and
Mariah fifth and Sarah Arena of Marathon was sixth. Alexis Bowers of Marathon was first in music memory.
Jesse Roberts was second and Mayra Rodriguez was fourth. Sanderson and Marathon kids took five out of six places
in third grade oral reading. First was Al Johnson of Sanderson, followed by Mikey
Shoemaker, Jaime Rosas and Jesse Lopez of Marathon. Jeremy Ramirez of
Marathon was sixth. Jesse Lopez was first in ready writing followed by
Mikey, Jaime and Al of Sanderson and Jeremy Ramirez of Marathon. Jesse Lopez was also first in music memory, followed by
Al, Mikey and Jacob Helmers of Sanderson. Jeremy Ramirez was sixth. Mikey and Jacob were first and second in creative
writing. Al Johnson was fifth. Al was second in spelling, Mikey was third, Jeremy was
fifth and Jesse Lopez sixth. And Jaime Rosas placed fourth and Joel Savoie was fifth
in storytelling. Luke Carroll of Sanderson placed first in second grade
story telling. Sister Lauryn was fourth and Arlena Blanco, also of Sanderson,
was sixth. Luke was second in creative writing, followed by Arlena
and Noah Aguilar, also of Sanderson. In first grade storytelling, MacKenzie Pineda of
Marathon was fourth and Justin Flax of Sanderson was fifth. And in kindergarten, Isaac Briones of Marathon was
second in storytelling followed by Monique Perez, also of Marathon and Taryn
Mitchell of Sanderson. Kate Roberts of Sanderson was sixth. RANKIN – Individual results from the Junior High UIL
competition here this month were released this week. The SJHS seventh and eighth grade academic UIL
competitors earned a total of 796 points, outscoring the remaining four teams
to win the Junior High District 8A Academic UIL Championship. Taylor Roberts earned top honors with 203.5 points. He earned District Championships in art, calculators,
dictionary skills, listening, mathematics, maps graphs and charts and number
dense and was runner up in editorial writing, impromptu speaking, modern
oratory and social studies and third in
spelling. Shawn Stegall earned 150.5 points in editorial writing
and number sense and was runner up in dictionary skills, listening,
mathematics and oral reading and third in calculators, impromptu speaking and
maps graphs and charts. Ashley Hagelgans earned 106 points in art, listening,
modern oratory, oral reading and social studies. She placed in six other
events. Seventh grader Ryan Johnson earned 119 points in
impromptu speaking, was runner up in mathematics and number sense and third
place in calculators, dictionary skills, listening and social studies. Daniel Garza earned 103 points in calculators and
mathematics and was third in maps graphs and charts and number sense. Dryden Baker earned 65 points as runner up in
calculators and listening and third in editorial writing. Abraham Orozco earned 50 points as third in modern
oratory. He placed in five others. Sixth Graders competing at the junior high level
included Jalen Chriesman, who earned 151 points and district championships in
listening, maps graphs and charts, mathematics and oral reading, runner up in
dictionary skills and third in social studies and spelling. Kayla Fuéntez earned 103 points and district
championship in art and calculators, was runner up in number sense and third
in mathematics and oral reading. Daniel Luevano earned 80 points and district champion
in dictionary skills and was runner up in listening, calculators and
spelling. Mason Blackmon earned 74 points as runner up in maps
graphs and charts, mathematics and social studies and third in calculators. Bailee Everett earned 26 points as runner up in art and
third in dictionary Skills. Marathon competitors included eighth grader Zack
Gonzales, who placed second in science and art, fourth in listening and maps
graphs and charts and sixth in reading. Omar Grano placed fourth in editorial writing and fifth
in listening. Seventh grader Micella Grano placed first in art and
fourth in dictionary skills. Christropher Stephens was first in dictionary skills,
science and social studies, second in spelling, ready writing and art, third
in number sense and maps graphs and charts and sixth in editorial writing. Krystal Aguilar placed second in editorial writing,
third in art and ready writing, fourth in spelling and fifth in listening. Elizabeth Hernandez was fifth in art and sixth in
science. Sixth Grader Serena Arenas was first in music memory
and third in art. Julia Ramirez placed fourth in music memory, fifth in
art and sixth in spelling. And Oscar Urestes placed fifth in ready writing. Customer service, finance explored ALPINE – Finance and customer service were the main
topics discussed at the monthly Big Bend Leadership Conference at the Gallego
Center here last week. Kate Langford of Fort Davis State Bank hosted the
three-man banker panel, which included Glenn Garcia of Marfa National Bank,
David Rogers of West Texas National Bank and Zach Dean of Fort Davis State
Bank. Denny Miller with the Small Business Development Center
at Sul Ross also spoke on the art of customer service. “The key is putting yourself in the customer’s shoes,”
said Jerri Dale Jones who attended the conference. “Approaching the customer
with the right attitude makes a difference.” Mary Jane Morgan spoke on parliamentary procedures and
agenda planning. Sul Ross State University hosted lunch and afterward
the group toured the offices of Big Bend Telephone led by Rusty Moore, Alicia
and Justin Haynes. “They talked about the history of Big Bend Telephone
and gave out some interesting stats. Their service area covers 18,000 square
miles,” Jones said. “That’s a lot of country.” SANDERSON – Santa Claus got more letters from Sanderson
Elementary School. We presented
kindergarten to second graders last week. Here are the letters from third and
fourth graders. They are all unedited
from the way the children wrote them. From the third grade: Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is a Pirets of the Caruben, an
I pod. A Wii. A rip stic, Pirets of the Caruben at worlds end Movie, and a
new black Game Boy please. Love, Jacob
Helmers Dear Santa, I want an I pod, a toy horse, a wii, a white Ds, and a
toy dog. Love Shyanne Thank You! Dear Santa, May I get a wii, I-dog, a psp, pokemon verisonRudy,
sport game for a wii, clothing, DS, Sims 2 for Ds, Pokemon Pearl for Ds, and
a I-pod, heelys, and cars for psp. Love, Austen Cole Stepp Dear Santa, I want for Christmas a wii, ripstike, ipod and guitar
heor. Santa please can you bring some of this stuff. Love, Jaime Rosas Dear Santa, May I please have mini GI Joes, vehicles for the GI
Joes, a Rip Stick, Halo action figures, and a new MP3 Player. Your friend, Mikey Shoemaker Dear Santa, May I please have little G,I Joes, vehichles for Gi
Joes, guns for Gi Joes a stuffed starly in a pokeball, Halo action figures,
toy dragons and my family. Your friend Al McGahan Dear Santa, I want a wii for Christmas. Big toy remote control car,
speed stack, I dog, xbox 360, and an xbox. I also want 68 Bucks, madden 08 on
psp xbox 360, Rippstick, and a toy airplane. Love, Joel Savoie Fourth graders wrote: Dear Santa, For Christmas I would like legos, and a new computer
game. That’s all that I want for Christmas. Sincerely, Jesse Roberts. Dear Santa, I would like a Nintendo D.S. more than anything in the
world with a Transformer game for my Nintendo. I also would like a green
mongoose bike and a couple of Hotwheels and some new wheels for my Heelys.
Sincerely, Andrew Portillo. Dear Santa, What I would like for Christmas is a motorscooter, a
gocart also a PSP. I would also want boots that are black and white. Sincerely, Mariah Aguilar. Dear Santa, What I want for Christmas is a Beauty Cutie, a stuffed
horse, and a vet kit. Sincerely, Mayra Rodriguez Dear Santa, I would like a razor phone in black or silver and a Wii
laptop in black or silver. I would also like some new clothes and shoes. A
Monopoly game that is electric would also be nice. I would also like stuffed
puppy that has a blue Santa hat with white snowflakes on it and a white ball
on the end of the hat. The puppy also needs a blue scarf with snowflakes on
it. A digital camera, and a video camera would also be nice. Sincerely, Olivia Adauto.
Letters are on file in the News Leader office for parents to
pick up. We thank all the children for letting us share their most cherished
dreams. By DON KELSO 4-H Poultry Science Leader SANDERSON – Some new and younger 4-H members are
thinking about why their hens stopped or were laying fewer eggs this time of
year. There are many factors which can cause hens to stop
laying and, in many cases, there are multiple causes which add up to few or
no eggs. The most common causes of decreased egg production
include decreasing day length, improper nutrition, disease, advancing age and
stress. Hens require 14 hours of day length to sustain good egg
production. Once day length drops below 12 hours, production will
decrease and frequently stop. This happens naturally from October through February.
To prevent this, provide artificial light to maintain a constant day length
of at least 14 hours. One 40-watt light for each 100 square feet of coop is
adequate. The lights should be added in the morning hours so the
birds can go to roost as the Sun sets. This prevents birds from being stranded when lights are
turned out during dark hours. Some small flock owners, like 4-H members, find it
easier to leave the lights on continuously. This is not a problem as long as you do not use light
bulbs over the 40-watt size. However, the time clock will help lower your
electric bill. Layers require a completely balanced ration to sustain
maximum egg production over time. Improper nutrition can occasionally cause
hens to stop laying. The most common problem is failing to provide a
constant source of fresh water. This is especially a problem during the coldest months
when the water might freeze. Provide adequate water equipment so the birds always
have fresh water. Inadequate levels of energy, protein or calcium can
also cause a production decrease. This is why it is so important to supply your laying
hens with a constant supply of nutritionally balanced layer food balanced at
16 to 18 percent protein. Feeding whole grains, scratch feeds and table scraps
will cause the birds’ diet to become improperly balanced. Many times these imbalances can cause other problems
like prolapse, or egg blowouts, which is when the bird is too fat and/or egg
is too large and the bird’s reproductive track is expelled with the egg. Prolapse usually causes permanent damage to the hen and
is fatal in many cases. Feeding oyster shell “free choice,” which is always
available, is also a good idea to help insure strong eggshells. Disease problems can occur under the best of
conditions. Often one of the first signs of disease is a drop in
egg production. Other symptoms of disease include dull and listless
appearance, watery eyes and nostrils, coughing, molting, lameness and mortality
in the flock. Remember, some death is normal over the period of a
year in any flock. However, if you suspect a disease, contact a skilled
veterinarian or your county extension agent for help in examining your flock
and get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. Your best protection against disease is to buy healthy
stock and keep them isolated from other birds. Buying adult poultry and introducing them to your flock
is asking for trouble. If you wish to increase your flock, buy chicks from a
reputable hatchery or hatch some of your own 4-H eggs. Adult birds can look healthy and carry diseases. Production hens can lay efficiently for two laying
cycles. However, after two or three years, many hens decline in productivity. This varies greatly from bird to bird. Good layers will
lay about 50 to 60 weeks per laying cycle. Between these cycles, they will be interrupted by a
rest period called a molt. Poorer layers and older hens will molt more often and
lay less. Removal of non-layers is recommended if economical egg
production is your goal. Any stress such as moving, handling, changes in
environmental conditions or fright can contribute to or be the main cause for
egg production declines. Common stresses include chilling. Chickens do not
handle damp, drafty conditions well. Prevent excessive exposure to wet,
drafty conditions during colder months. Another is handling or moving. Once the laying flock is
in place, limit any unnecessary moving or handling. Switching roosters or changing the pens’ population
will also disrupt the pen pecking order and cause some temporary social
stress in your 4-H flock. If external or internal parasites are present, get
proper diagnosis and treatment. Another cause of stress is fright. Limit the movement
of children, dogs, livestock and vehicles around your flock as well as loud
noises to prevent frightening the hens. Predators also can stress the birds and create a
decrease in production. Other problems to consider when you see a decrease in
egg collection include predators and snakes consuming the eggs or egg-eating
by hens in the flock. Other problems include excessive egg breakage and hens
hiding the eggs when they are able to run free. For more information about the Terrell County 4-H Club
program, contact County Extension Agent Mark Carroll in Sanderson at
432/345-2291. Lady Eagles second in tournament By RAQUEL HINKLEY News Leader Intern SANDERSON – The Sanderson Lady Eagles took second at
the Sanderson Basketball Tournament last week. Comstock came out number one. Jenny Hernandez of Sanderson won all-tournament player
and Hannah Black all- tournament MVP. The Sanderson girls played the Grandfalls Cowgirls
first on Friday, Dec. 14, and won 51 to 12. The top scorer of the game for Sanderson was Jenny
Hernandez with 16 points and the top scorer for Grandfalls was Kayla
Westbrook with seven points. The Lady Eagles held the Cowgirls scoreless in the
second and fourth quarters The tournament resumed on Saturday with the Eagles
playing against the Fort Davis Indians and winning by 16 points 38 to 22. The top scorer for the game on Sanderson’s side was
again Jenny Hernandez with 12 points and on the Indian’s side was Alex
Hernandez with nine points. Sanderson played the Comstock Panthers in the final
game that night and had their first and only loss of the tournament at 50-26.
The top scorer was Hannah Black with 13 points for
Sanderson and Jayda Spencer with 22 points for Fort Davis. SANDERSON – The question of whether to add volleyball
as a new team sport at the Terrell County School District occupied a lot of
discussion but no action at the school board meeting Monday. Athletic Director Mark Dominguez said 34 of 35 students
in grades four through 11 had indicated they would like volleyball added and
similar results came from other surveys. “That indicates a pretty good interest in it,” Board
Member Cheryl Seidel said. But Dominguez said it could cost $6,000 to prepare the
gym and provide equipment for the sport and there are other issues that have
to be dealt with before a decision is reached. He said it is sometimes difficult to field sports teams
when students are ineligible if they don’t pass all their courses. Basketball Coach Jerry Garza said volleyball would give
girl students another avenue for sports but said it “would cut into the
basketball season.” Garza said some students had heard a rumor that
cross-country would be eliminated, perhaps brought about by the volleyball
survey. Board members stressed there was no plan to eliminate
the popular cross-country event. Business Manager Blain Chriesman and Seidel both
suggested starting volleyball in junior high and gradually moving into the
high school. Board President Ada Lee Robbins said a lot more
discussion is needed before a decision is reached. She said she would also like to see the full board
present for such a discussion. Three board members were absent for the Monday
meeting. In other action Monday, the board re-appointed Robbins
and Seidel as members of the Terrell County Appraisal District Board of
Directors for a two-year term and named Roy Deaton as the “at large” member
appointed by both the county and school board. Robbins said she had discussed the issue with County
Judge Leo Smith and Deaton was acceptable to Smith. The county is expected to take action on the issue at
its January meeting. The board also renewed its contract for appraisal
services with the appraisal district. LAJITAS – Kelcy L. Warren, CEO and Chairman of the
Board for Energy Transfer Partners LP, a Dallas based oil and gas pipeline
company, has won the bidding for the “Ultimate Hide-Out,” the Lajitas resort,
for approximately $13.5 million. The resort remains in full operation and sources
indicate that it will remain open under the new ownership. Creditors who forced the sale due to unfulfilled loan
obligations by previous owners are hopeful that the Warren deal will go
through, Should it not, there will be a public auction New Years
Day at the east end of the Brewster County Courthouse. ODESSA – Enthusiastic fans put orange and black
streamers on highway signs and other locations along highways as the
Sanderson Eagles football team worked its way up the playoff ladder this
fall. But the Texas Department of Transportation said that
was a “no-no.” “That is not allowed,” said Mike McAnally, the Odessa
District’s director of operations. In a press release, McAnally asked local boosters to
stop the practice and has asked TxDOT maintenance supervisors in the
district’s 12 counties to inform local school district personnel. “We realize that they [the school district] are not the
people responsible for the streamers,” McAnally said. “But we hope that they
can help us send a message to the booster clubs that this is not acceptable.” He said the streamers wind up as litter along the
roadway, which then must be cleaned up by highway department crews. “I understand the enthusiasm to support their teams but
putting those streamers out is not any different than throwing a fast-food
cup out the window,” he said. “I think that when people hear it explained
those terms, they will understand.” Litter pickup costs TxDOT more than $30 million a year. “We’d like to see the day when nobody litters Texas
highways and we can spend that money on roadway improvements,” he said. McAnally emphasized that TxDOT’s authority includes the
entire state highway system-interstate highways, US highways, state highways,
farm-to-market highways, ranch-to-market highways and associated spurs and
loops. MNL December 21, 2007 By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor MARATHON – As if Santa Claus didn’t have enough to do
that day, he also will tend the cash register at The French Grocery from 9
a.m. to noon Christmas Day. For those with last-minute requests or who don’t like
what they got, this is a chance to go see him. Santa’s Reindeer performed at the Elementary School
Monday. The students covered all the bases including making sure Rudolf was
Santa’s lead reindeer. The Marathon Booster Club served refreshments after the
play. The Chamber of Commerce -sponsored Marathon Christmas
Light contest is set for Dec 21 between 7 and 8 pm. The three-judge panel will be sleighing through town
looking for the top three light displays. The winners will be announced this weekend and their
store-credit prizes will be immediately available. Friends of the Marathon Public Library hosted a
Christmas Party Saturday night. More than 20 people attended and enjoyed a Spaghetti,
Lasagna and salad dinner. The White Elephant gift exchange went off without
glitch and only one gift remained unclaimed, a paper Mache statue of a
kangaroo rat. A new volunteer program requiring 150 hours of service
will commence in January, Librarian Carol Townsend said. “It’s going to be fun,” she said. “We already have
three people qualified.” The library will be closed from Dec 22 until Jan 2. The Marathon Baptist Church hosted a live nativity at
the church Wednesday. Only children performed along with live animals.
Refreshments were served. Because Christmas falls on Tuesday this year, The
Marathon News Leader will not publish on Dec 28. The next issue will be January 4, 2008. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the News
Leader staff. MISD gets early present MARATHON – The Marathon Independent School District got
an early Christmas present this week. Five Gold Performance Acknowledgements have been
awarded to the district. Results for the 2006-2007 Texas Academic Excellence
Indicator System were released this week and Marathon ISD scored big. Superintendent Conrad Arriola was pleased but issued a
warning. “You have to maintain it,” he said. The Texas Education Agency will test the district again
early next year for the 2007-2008 school year. “It’s a major improvement,” Arriola said. “We went from
Academically Unacceptable in 2005-2006 to the highest ranking the state
gives.” The five Gold Performance Acknowledgements included
advanced and on-line classes done primarily by the senior class of 2006,
earning the Recommended High School Program. Elementary Language Arts was awarded the Texas Success
Initiative and was also commended for reading, which means that at least 25
per cent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the
“Commended Performance” standard on the reading exam. Grades one through 12 were commended on writing and the
Comparable Improvement Acknowedgement was given for Reading/ELA and Math. The overall school report card issued by the state
comes out in January. SAN ANTONIO – Some young Mustangs were in the stands
last week as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 102-91. The Marathon Student Council cheered their team on from
the bleachers at AT&T Arena. “They were fast, real fast,” Audrey Galindo said. After the game, Spurs guard Tim Bowen talked to the
students about motivation, keeping your head up and never giving up. “He said a lot of interesting things,” Capri Garlick
said. During half-time, Coach Gene Peña was seen on the
stadium TV monitors. We don’t know if ESPN has offered him a contract. By ANDREA JOHNSON Special to the News Leader MARATHON – The Marathon Elementary classes presented
the DLTK play “A Crossword Puzzle” on the stage in the auditorium Monday
night. The Brown Santas, portrayed by Sheriff Ronny Dodson and
Deputy Sheriff Sean Roach, arrived with more than 400 presents. The Marathon Parent Teacher Organization brought in a special
visitor from the North Pole who posed for pictures and passed out candy canes
and the Marathon Booster Club provided and served punch and cookies. The play told the story of a schoolboy, played by Jesse
Lopez, who was trying to complete a Christmas crossword puzzle for his
homework. He got stuck on one question. How many reindeer had
pulled Santa’s sleigh? His dad, played by Noah Lopez, volunteered that it was
eight but that didn’t fit. Mom, played by Loryn Garlick, said it was nine counting
Rudolph but that didn’t fit either. Finally Grandpa, played by Cameden Lujan, gruffly
barked that it was ten and ten fit. The little sister, played by Alyssa Olvera, said
“Olive” was the name of the tenth reindeer as in “Olive the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.” But Grandpa and Uncle Joe, played by Zane Roberts,
explained that the tenth reindeer was Leroy, played by Emilio Briones. The scene switched back and forth to the other side of
the stage, or “North Pole,” as the reindeer acted out their parts and danced.
Dominique Fierro, Alexya Grano, Dominic Paredez, Isaac
Briones, Joshua Guzman, Giana Gonzales and Monique Perez played the reindeer
with Colee Charlesworth as Rudolph and Jeremy Ramirez as Santa. The choir consisted of Alexis Bowers, Sarah Arenas,
MacKenzie Pineda and Tristyn Galindo who sang “Thirty-Two Feet and Eight
Little Tails” by Gene Autry, “Rudolph
the Red Nose Reindeer,” also by Autry, and “Leroy the Red-necked Reindeer” by
Joe Diffey. Belinda Bynum’s tenth and 12th grade art classes
designed and constructed the stage, which was divided into two sets. One side was a winter wonderland with an igloo, snowman
and glistening lights and trees. The other side was the family’s home with a stove,
glowing wood fireplace and checker table.
Elementary teachers LaVerne Avery, Selena Martin and
Andrea Johnson said they wanted to thank Sheriff Dodson, Deputy Roach, MISD
secretary Coy Gonzalez, Bynum, Martha Abrego, Chelo Salmon, Gracie Galindo,
Judy Briones, Betty and Kenneth Wink and Javiar Pinedo for their help in
making the evening a success. Christmas Mountain sale on hold BIG BEND – Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson will
meet with Big Bend National Park Superintendent Bill Wellman in January to
discuss the progress of the Park’s intent to buy the 8,932-acre tract of land
called Christmas Mountain. Located in Brewster County near the Park’s present
north boundary, a series of auctions failed to confirm private buyers earlier
this year as the three-member Texas School Land Board, chaired by Patterson
and under intense public pressure to keep the tract public, could not
generate a consensus. Patterson, a former Marine Corp lieutenant colonel and
gun advocate, had earlier indicated he would oppose any purchase that restricted
hunting on the land. The Park Service has not yet indicated whether hunting
will be allowed on the property should it obtain title to the land. An earlier December meeting between Patterson and
Wellman had been cancelled due to weather conditions. “We fully expect to have a proposal for the
commissioner in due time,” said David Elkowitz, a Big Bend National Park
spokesman, earlier this month. The deadline for a proposal is Feb 6. Santa Claus, you've got mail MARATHON – The Marathon School District has made
letters to Santa from Marathon Elementary School students available to the News
Leader. From Andrea Johnson’s fourth
grade class, come these gems: Dear Santa Claus, What I want for Christmas is a motor scooter. How are
you doing? How have the reindeer been this year? I have been good. Next year, I’ll try to do
the same. Your friend, Sarah Elaine Arenas. Dear Santa Claus, As you know Christmas is coming so let me tell you what
I want. I want an I-phone, a X-Box 360, Digi makeover, a South Pole jacket, a
puppy, and moon sand. How are the reindeer and Mrs. Claus? Your friend, Alexis Ann Bowers Third graders wrote: Dear Santa Claus, We both know that Christmas is coming, and I want four
new PSP games, a Nintendo DS, and another X-Box 360. Now since I told you what I want, how have you been?
Are you having a good time? Merry Christmas! Your friend, Jesse Jr.
Lopez. Dear Santa, The thing I want for Christmas is a Nintendo DS and a
new bike. The thing I want most of all is a new game for my Game Cube. Your friend, Jeremy Isaac Ramirez From Mrs.
Martin’s second graders: Dear Santa, How are you doing? I listen to my mom and dad and
teachers. I share with my friends and brother and sister. Has Mrs. Claus made
lots of cookies? Are the reindeer ready to fly for Christmas? How are the
elves doing? What I would like is a four-wheeler. Your friend, Emilio Briones Dear Santa, How is Mrs. Claus? How are the reindeer? How are the
elves? How was the North Pole this year?
I will be very good for Christmas. I will fall asleep.
I will open my door. I will leave cookies for you. For Christmas I want a
video game and a trampoline. Your friend, Loryn Garlick Dear Santa, How are you doing? I have been very good this
Christmas. For this Christmas I want a four-wheeler, T.V., I-pod, and an X-Box
360. Has Mrs. Claus made a lot of cookies? Can you come to Marathon? P.S.
Please bring lots of toys and bye. P.S.S.
I forgot-toy guns. Thank you
Santa. Your friend, Zane Roberts Dear Santa, How have you been? How have the elves been? Is
Rudolph’s nose still glowing? Is Leroy’s neck still red? What I want for
Christmas is a new phone. I have been very, very, very good. I let my friends
have my toys. When you eat my cookies, I want to eat them with you. Is Mrs.
Claus mean? Your friend, Cameden Lujan Letters from first graders: Dear Santa, Santa, are you bringing some presents? I have been good
this year. I love you Santa very much. How are your reindeer? In class, we
colored your picture. Are your elves doing good? We will leave cookies for you on Christmas
Eve. I want a four-wheeler for Christmas. I also want a go-cart. I will also
leave an apple for you. Your friend, Noah Lopez Dear Santa, How are you doing? How is Mrs. Claus doing? I have been
good this year. Are the reindeer doing good?
Are you ready to fly on Christmas Eve? Is Mrs. Claus cooking cookies?
Is Rudolph still red? What I want for Christmas is a laptop computer. Your friend, Tristyn Galindo Dear Santa, How are you doing? How are reindeer? I have been very
good. Did Mrs. Claus make raisin cookies? Are all the reindeer ready to fly
for Christmas this year? I share toys
with my friends. I am nice to my sister and play with her. I listen to my
parents and teachers. For Christmas, I would like a go-cart. Your friend, Alyssa Olvera Dear Santa, How are you doing? How is Mrs. Claus? Did she make some
cookies? How is Rudolph? For Christmas, I want a play horse and a Barbie
house. Your friend, Colee Charlesworth Dear Santa, How are your elves and your reindeer doing? Is Mrs.
Claus still making you your cookies? I have been very nice to my brothers. I
have already bought my mom a present. Santa, what I want for Christmas this year is a
computer, a soccer ball, and a laptop for when I travel. I would also like a
new baby sister. Your friend, MacKenzie Pineda LaVerne Avery’s Pre-K & Kindergarten classes: Dear Santa, Please bring me a new doghouse. Love, Isaac Briones Dear Santa, Please bring me a motorcycle and a go-cart. Love, Josh Guzman Dear Santa, Please bring me a go-cart. Love, Monique Perez Dear Santa, I have been a good boy. Please bring me a motorcycle
and rocket ship and a Spiderman toy. Love, Sean Ramirez Dear Santa, I have been a good boy. Please bring me a 4-wheeler and
a motorcycle, and a Spiderman toy. Love, Domique Fierro Dear Santa, I want a reindeer and a diesel truck. I have been good.
Please bring me a robot and another truck and some houses and motorcycles. Love, Dominic Paredez Dear Santa, I have been good. Will you please bring me a bug maker,
a computer, and make-up. Love, Alexya Grano Customer service, finance explored ALPINE – Finance and customer service were the main
topics discussed at the monthly Big Bend Leadership Conference at the Gallego
Center here last week. Kate Langford of Fort Davis State Bank hosted the
three-man banker panel, which included Glenn Garcia of Marfa National Bank,
David Rogers of West Texas National Bank and Zach Dean of Fort Davis State
Bank. Denny Miller with the Small Business Development Center
at Sul Ross also spoke on the art of customer service. “The key is putting yourself in the customer’s shoes,”
said Jerri Dale Jones who attended the conference. “Approaching the customer
with the right attitude makes a difference.” Mary Jane Morgan spoke on parliamentary procedures and
agenda planning. Sul Ross State University hosted lunch and afterward
the group toured the offices of Big Bend Telephone led by Rusty Moore, Alicia
and Justin Haynes. “They talked about the history of Big Bend Telephone
and gave out some interesting stats. Their service area covers 18,000 square
miles,” Jones said. “That’s a lot of country.” 'Cutest baby' aids Alpine library ALPINE – A “Cutest Baby” contest has contributed $235.17
to the Alpine Public Library. The Alpine Alco store has had the contest for several
years and Store Manager Mike Ward said the library was chosen as this year’s
beneficiary. The winner was Mia Dominguez, daughter of Christopher
and Rosemary Dominguez of Alpine. Ward said the money came from jars placed at the front
of the store. People would vote for their favorite by placing money in the
jar. Library Director Anitra Clausen said the funds will be
used to supplement the library’s easy-to-read book collection and to help
foster a love of reading from infancy. By R.M. GLOVER Marathon Newsleader Editor MARATHON – “I’m a writer. I write on a variety of
natural history subjects,” Alan Tenant said. “Writing is a craft like any
other you’ve learned” He sat back in the outdoor chair under the awning of
his porch at his house here. “Making jewelry, pottery, rugs, you’re stitching words
together,” he said. Tenant’s “On
the Wing” was on the New
York Time’s Best Seller List for several weeks and was rated as high as
number four on the Amazon Book List. National Geographic owns the option to
make a movie out of it. “It’s a picaresque,” Tenant said. “An adventure story
that started in Padre Island, went on to Central America and then up to the
artic. ”George Vose, the pilot, and I followed falcons in our
small Cessna across the American continent,” he said. “We experienced what
they experienced, head winds, lightening, vicious vortexes, thermals, hunger.
“These were young birds too, who without their parents,
left their place of birth – many times solo – and flew thousands of miles,
all by instinct,” Tenant said. “It’s a journey that allowed me to study the
relationships of people, countries, birds. It’s about getting arrested,
landing in uncharted terrain, crossing borders at night,” he said. “And the
path of these birds afforded me the opportunity to journal the environmental
degradation across the continent.” Tenant, who taught writing and literature at the
University of Texas at Austin in the late 1960s, said, “People don’t realize
how much chaff you have to throw out. I wrote probably 20,000 pages to get
300 good ones.” “UT was a hot bed for protesters back then. Viet Nam –
I’m anti-military. Some of us professors had to keep the students cool. It
was the time of Kent State. I didn’t want to see any more kids get killed,”
Tenant said. “I was one of four people that founded Wildlife Rescue.
We took care of injured animals. Many times we’d get them from the Humane
Society. Back then if nobody claimed them they were destroyed,” he said. “I
don’t have pets now because I travel so much, but back then I’d have as many
as seventy animals in my Austin house. Dogs, cats, possums, foxes, golden
eagles, fawn walking around my living room. “People shouldn’t pick up fawns,” he said. “The doe
leaves them but comes back twice a day to feed them. People pick them up
thinking they’re abandoned, then they forget where they got’ em.” Tenant enjoys fruit and vegetable smoothies and rides
his bike 30 to 40 miles a day when he’s home in Marathon. But much of the
time he’s traveling. “But I like Marathon,” he said. “I like it because
there’s a lack of people, pollution and cars. It’s the darkest place on the
infrared map and usually warm. People are real nice.” Tenent writes every day when he has a project, “sun up
to sundown.” One of his present projects can be seen at his website www.alantenant.com where he explores
the life of grizzly bears in the wilds of Alaska. “If you’ve seen Werner Herzog’s film ‘Grizzly Man,’
you’ll know what I’m talking about. In fact I’ve probably been in the close
proximity of those same bears,” Tenant said. “Timothy Treadwell, the Grizzly
Man, and his girlfriend Amy Hugenard were eaten by bears there in October of
‘05. We went back to the same place exactly a year later.” Tenant and Treadwell’s best friend Marc Gaede, who
wanted to experience, “up to the point of being eaten,” his dead friend’s
love of the place called “The Green,” flew in by float plane illegally and
spent several days recording the life of pre-hibernating bears. “We used the red plastic flare pistol more than once,”
Tenant said. “It was our first line of defense.” Tenant grew up in Fort Worth and got a Masters in
English from UT Austin. He presented his doctorate dissertation but never
finished the Ph.D program. He also earned a bachelors degree in herpetology. He
has written ten other books, nine of them about snakes and several of them on
their third publication. “I had a rancher come by last week and tell me that he
had finally learned that snakes, mountain lions, eagles had as much right to
be here as we do,” Tenant said. “Now that’s a widening of perspective. “People used to kill them at the drop of a hat. Hell,
they named the Alpine airport after an eagle killer,” he said. “But little by
little, that point of view is changing and I think it’s beautiful.” ALPINE – The Brewster County Commissioners heard an
update on the remodeling of the Marathon Community Center Wednesday. The kitchen construction is underway, including the
cabinets, and Ty Williams submitted a $9,500 bid for installation of a
central heating system. A February 8 fish fry is planned to raise funds for the
center. The county also applied to the state this week for a
$30,056 solid waste grant to purchased three six-ton capacity roll-on
containers for solid waste. One of the roll-ons would be placed at the Marathon
county yard to be used primarily for roadside trash including abandoned or
dumped refrigerators. In other action, commissioners approved the purchase of
one 2008 Ford Pick up truck, a $72,670 Kodiak 14-yard dump truck and a
$120,000 loader for county road maintenance. Panther Junction rehab under way BIG BEND – Construction is underway at Big Bend
National Park, which in partnership with Big Bend Natural History Association
and the Friends of Big Bend National Park, is rehabilitating and improving
the park’s main visitor center at Panther Junction. The first phase of the project, to rehabilitate the
facilities’ restrooms, is nearly complete.
The second phase, starting January 6, will include
expanding the current visitor center to allow for a larger visitor center
desk, new exhibit space and a larger and more efficient bookstore. This will require that visitor center services,
including information, permits and bookstore, be temporarily located to the
north side of the current compound. All the services normally found or obtained at the
visitor center will remain open and available from the temporary
location. During this phase of construction, visitors can expect
some disruption and reroutes of access. Signs will be posted to direct visitors from the usual
parking area in front of the visitor center around the west side of the
building to the temporary location. Once the expansion is complete, a third project phase
will occur. This involves completely replacing and upgrading the visitor
center’s interior exhibits through funding raised by the Friends of Big Bend
National Park. The design and text layout for the new exhibits is
complete and fabrication is underway in anticipation of an April installation
for the new exhibits. “We are pleased with work completed so far, and look
forward to the project’s completion in the near future,” Park Superintendent
Bill Wellman said. “Visitors to the park will be the true beneficiaries of
these long-term efforts.” Lajitas brings sale bid LAJITAS – Kelcy L. Warren, CEO and Chairman of the
Board for Energy Transfer Partners LP, a Dallas based oil and gas pipeline
company, has won the bidding for the “Ultimate Hide-Out,” the Lajitas resort,
for approximately $13.5 million. The resort remains in full operation and sources
indicate that it will remain open under the new ownership. Creditors who forced the sale due to unfulfilled loan
obligations by previous owners are hopeful that the Warren deal will go
through, Should it not, there will be a public auction New Years
Day at the east end of the Brewster County Courthouse. Sul Ross mid-winter
classes Web registration for Sul Ross State University
mid-winter classes will continue through Tuesday, Jan. 1, from 7 a.m. - 7
p.m. daily. Regular registration (in Briscoe Administration Building, Room
202, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) continued through Friday, Dec. 21. Late registration
will be held from 9 a.m. - noon Wednesday, Jan. 2 in Briscoe Administration
Building, Room 202.
Mid-winter classes include: Animal Science 3407, Sausage Manufacturing (with
laboratory); Art 3310, Fused Glass Jewelry; Biology 3303, Sciences in Cinema
and TV; Business Administration 4350, Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media;
Chemistry 3301, Chemistry in World History; Computer Information Systems
3306, Hardware and Software; Criminal Justice 3302, Victimology (web-based);
Criminal Justice 5319, Use of Force (web-based); Fine Arts 1301, Fine Arts
Appreciation; Finance 3340,Corporation Finance; Management 4362, Management
of Small Business (web-based); Political Science 2305, Federal Government;
and Sociology 3302, Victimology Victims Services and Rights (web-based). -------------- The news Leader did not print an edition for December 28, 2007 |