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2007
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SANDERSON – The 28th Annual Terrell County Fair took in $7,000 in the
sale of animals shown by area exhibitors last week, down from $8,975 last
year.
The record year was in 2005 when auction buyers left $11,450 in the
pockets of area young people. Treasurer Ada Lee Robbins told the News
Leader the decreases are because fewer animals are being shown.
The top moneymaker this year was Brandee Stegall and her Grand
Champion Goat, which sold to Ranch Enterprises for $800.
Brandee also showed the first place horse and third place rabbit in
the show.
Isabel Rivera put $700 in her pocket from the sale of the Grand
Champion lamb to Pecos County State Bank. She also showed the third-place
light weight goat.
The Reserve Champion goat shown by Shawn Stegall sold to First Choice
Power for $625. Olivia Adauto sold the Grand Champion Rabbit to First Choice
Power for $525.
Doodle Odgers sold the Reserve Champion rabbit to Faskin Oil and Ranch
of Midland for $400 and Hunter Truesdell sold his first-place Pee Wee goat to
Ranch Enterprises for $400.
The Pee Wee animals are donated by ranchers to children age 8 and
younger to groom for the show.
The child keeps the money but the animal is returned to its owner.
Some bidders also donate the animal they bought back to the fair but
they may keep them if the wish.
Sanderson State Bank provided belt buckles to top winners and N.M.
Mitchell, Jr. provided the buckle for showmanship winner Eliza Odgers.
The buckles were provided at cost to the fair by County Judge Leo
Smith who had them made at his plant at Guadalajara, Jal.
Brittany Patterson had the second place light-weight goat and Danell
Graham showed the second place heavy weight goat.
Second place Pee Wee goat went to Jacob Helmers, followed by Elijah
Carrasco, Al Johnson and Kailey Dominguez.
Joseph Carrasco showed the third place heavy weight goat and Eliza
Odgers had the fourth place rabbit.
The people’s choice award in arts and crafts went to a tie between
Doodle Odgers and Kayla Maldonado.
There were 25 blue first place ribbons in the arts and crafts show.
There were 38 exhibitors and 108 entries. Schools “in the black”
SANDERSON – The Terrell County Independent School District ended the
fiscal year 2005-06 with a positive fund balance of $24,366, compared to a
deficit of $639,134 at the beginning of the year.
That was the highlight of the annual audit report by Tracy Tarter, PC,
of Fort Worth revealed at the school board meeting Monday night.
“This is a clean audit report,” Tarter told board members.
“The district has had a negative fund balance for the last several
years,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said in his minutes of the meeting.
“Board members gave praising remarks for the frugality of funds shown by the
district employees.”
The report also showed a significant increase of nearly 300 percent in
net assets for the year.
“The district’s net assets increased by $219,346 as a result of this
year’s operations,” the audit said.
“That’s wonderful news,” Board President Ada Lee Robbins said.
She said the school board in recent years has frequently been in the
black at the end of a school year only to go into the red after the state
refigures WADA, the “weighted average daily attendance” which figure so
prominently in state financing rules.
So-called “property rich” districts must buy WADA from “property poor”
districts.
Robbins said the school district figures what it must send out each
year but the state refigures at the end of the school year.
At present, TCISD sends $3 of every $4 in taxes it collects to another
district.
School Business Manager Blain Chriesman said the school board approved
$500,000 in maintenance tax notes last fall in order to put the fund balance
in a positive position.
“The plan we put in motion worked,” he said. “Based on operations, we would
have had a balance of $163,500.”
The difference was the adjustment to the district’s WADA payments.
“It’s all driven by additional WADA payments,” Chriesman said.
In other action, the board agreed to publish names of people who are
delinquent on their school taxes in July.
Chriesman said a total of about $150,000 was owed to both the schools
and Terrell County as of the end of 2006.
Some of that is uncollectible and others will pay before July,
Chriesman said.
The names of those still delinquent in July will be published in the Terrell
County News Leader.
The board received cards and greetings prepared by school children in
several grades in honor of Board Appreciation Month.
“Survival kits” of “goodies” were presented to board members who also
watched a video made by Suzie Grusendorf’s first grade students.
SAN ANTONIO – A construction crew cut an AT&T fiber optic cable
between Alpine and Fort Stockton about 8:30 a.m. Monday, putting much of
Southwest Texas in the virtual dark for about seven hours.
There was no Internet, e-mail or long-distance telephone service
during the initial period and even cell phones were affected.
“We were good to go by 7 p.m. Tuesday,” AT&T West Texas Spokesman
Ryan Stirpe told the News Leader. “We need to encourage crews to call before
they dig.
“We have signs on our lines that provide a telephone number,” he said.
“Our techs will come out and show them exactly where the lines are. They
didn’t call and do that.”
Service was restored by 3:30 p.m. Monday but service remained spotty
until Tuesday evening when a permanent fix was installed.
“A Lot of people were out of service,” Stirpe said. “The spotty
service was because we had put a ‘band aid’ repair at first.
“The next day we took off the band aid and put in a permanent fix,” he
said. “It’s now in a better spot
than it was before.”
He said crews on Tuesday had to “unplug the broken part and plug in
the permanent fix.
“A two minute phone call [before digging] would have prevented all
that,” he said.
By ZACH ZNIEWSKI Jackass Reporter
Judy Majors, the “Burro Lady,” died last Friday over at Sierra Blanca.
The deputy I talked to said the cause of death was “probably exposure.”
Her burro is temporarily being taken care of by the county.
She ranged all over west Texas, from Sierra Blanca to Del Rio, and
down to the river.
Over the years there was lots of idle speculation about her and people
were curious about why she’d chosen to live on the road.
She didn’t talk much, preferring to keep her story to herself.
When I was a little kid up in Minnesota, there was an old guy outside
our town who we called a “hermit.”
He had built himself a dugout house in the railroad embankment and
lived there alone.
He had a kerosene lamp on the table and a wood stove. He lived pretty
much like pioneers did in the 19th century. Come to think of it, he probably
was one.
As a child I wondered why he chose to live away from society.
When he died, the section crew on the railroad kicked in to buy him a
tombstone so I suppose he’d been a railroad man once.
Seems like I have known quite a few people over the years who’ve
chosen not to be involved with civilization.
There’s a veteran of the Viet Nam war up home who lives outside,
winter or summer.
Most people see him as an “old bum” but he’s a guitar player too, with
a lot of stories.
The rumor about him is that he was in a bloody fight in a maze of
tunnels over there and something just cracked, leaving him fearful of any
enclosed place and being at peace only in the outdoors.
Lots of tourists over the years stopped to take pictures of Judy
Majors, regarding her as a part of the western landscape.
She didn’t welcome conversation usually or feel the need to explain
herself or justify her style of living.
A fair number of people who came west in the old days came because
they felt hemmed in and confined by civilization.
Some of them came eventually to fit in and helped make the west that
we live in today.
But some just drifted along, avoiding people and living their own
lives.
For some reason Judy Majors was one of them. Her burro companions
evidently gave her more comfort than the modern world of people.
Not everything needs to be explained. She had her own reasons for
living the way she did and I reckon we will never know them.
She and her burros were just creatures of the desert. SANDERSON – Sanderson High School
all-around football star Josh Estrada was selected as a second-team defensive
lineman on the 2006 Division II Six Man Football All State team.
Jimmy Ramirez received an honorable mention as a linebacker.
Sanderson High School Athletic Director Mark Dominguez announced the
selections this week.
Player of the Year was Colby White of Northside and Coach of the Year
was Nathan Hayes of Jayton.
Newcomer of the Year was Zach Agnew of Northside, Josh Wood of Jayton
was offensive Most Valuable Player and defensive MVP was Justin Acosta of
Northside.
First team offensive players included were tight end Zane Williamson
of Borden County, running back Brandon “Boo” Martinez of Grandfalls-Royalty
and kicker Bralyn Barker and special teams player David Piñon of Dell City.
First team defensemen included lineman Stevie Cavazos and linebacker
B.J. Santiago of Grandfalls-Royalty and corner back Clint Chapman of Borden
County.
SANDERSON – The proposed convention center at Oak and Second here
should be “the finest structure within 100 miles” and, as such, could make
Sanderson a “destination,” Terrell County Judge Leo Smith said Monday.
Speaking to the monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, Smith said
the facility should not be a “tin barn” but should resemble a “ski lodge” one
might find in Alpine or Aspen.
He envisions a center with one large hall to seat as many as 500
people plus a senior citizen center, youth activity center and a visitor
center, all under one roof.
Smith said right now the Hunter’s Feast in December is the only
activity that attracts anything near 500 people for a dinner but having the
facility could attract other such activities.
It should be an attractive structure, tastefully landscaped with
cactus “from every place on earth,” he said.
Sanderson is the “Cactus Capital of Texas” and, as such, should be
landscaped with plants from everywhere, not just those indigenous to Terrell
County.
Smith said the center could well be a catalyst for business activity
surrounding it and could draw enough tourists to make Sanderson a
“destination, not just a pass through.”
Smith said he will have the item on every Commissioners Court agenda
until it is accomplished.
“We are in the process of getting a surveyor to mark all the corners,”
he said. “We need to know exactly where the property line is.”
Once that is determined, an architect can begin drawing plans.
“The only way we can make it happen is to stay after it,” he said.
Smith said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said nearly three years
ago that if the county planned to use any of the half-cent “venue tax”
proceeds, it could do so “only” if it planned a “convention center.”
County voters approved a half-cent sales tax known as a “venue tax” to
provide parks and other facilities to enhance economic development.
Included in Smith’s plan is an “ultra-modern kitchen” that can serve
various functions and could allow seniors to get a low-cost meal five days a
week instead of the two currently provided.
“That’s just my idea,” he said. “If you’ve got a better one, let me
hear it.”
SANDERSON – The Sanderson Chamber of Commerce Monday voted to
celebrate the Fourth of July on June 30 this year.
The actual holiday falls on a Wednesday and the decision was to
celebrate it in the middle of the week, go the weekend before or the weekend
after. County Judge Leo Smith told chamber
members he will also place the item on the Commissioners Court agenda to be
sure the idea is acceptable to the commissioners.
In other chamber action, Dana Davis presented a proof of a four-fold
brochure she has designed and asked chamber members for final changes.
Smith said he would have the brochure printed in house using county
economic development funds.
The chamber discussed a banner proposed by Sanderson State Bank that
would be installed on utility poles through town.
The Texas Department of Transportation has told the bank that state
law prevents advertising on highway rights of way and the poles in Sanderson
are on the right of way.
Price Arredondo, who has been developing the banners but was out of
town Monday, told theNews Leader last week he would pursue the issue with
TxDOT in Austin to try to reach a settlement.
Henry Beth Hogg told the chamber that the Texas Pecos Trails committee
will meet here next month.
The group’s next meeting will be March 8 in Sanderson and Hogg said
members will be served a “fiesta dinner.”
Hogg said that instead of charging $10 or $12 as has been the case at
other meetings, members will be asked to make a donation to the Sanderson
Historical Commission.
Part of the program will be at Sanderson State Bank. Officials will
tell delegates about the bank’s 100th anniversary in July.
The chamber approved a resolution supporting state funding of the
Texas Trails.
The Texas Department of Transportation has decided to cease funding
for the Transportation Enhancements Program, which includes the Heritage
Trails program.
Sanderson is on the Texas Pecos Trail, one of ten scenic trails in the
state under that program.
And Lea Hawn, chairman of the Adopt-a-Highway committee said chamber
members will pick up its two-mile stretch US Highway 285 about five miles
north of Sanderson on April 14. Eagles,
Mustangs battle on court By CHRIS STRINGER Marathon Bureau
MARATHON – It was nip and tuck all night as the Marathon Mustangs
hosted the Sanderson Eagles in their frequently moved homecoming game Tuesday
here. At the final horn, the visiting Eagles had the edge 42-36.
At halftime, A.J. Olvera was chosen for king and Bianca Salmon for
queen of the Homecoming court.
The game itself saw the lead change throughout the evening and several
fans turned up the next day a bit hoarse from the shouting.
At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led 11-6. The fight
continued all throughout the second period and the teams repaired to the
locker room with a 23-15 advantage for the Mustangs.
After the halftime entertainment, the warriors came back on the court
and the crowd was pumped up and ready to go for the last half.
Again neither team could establish a lead and Marathon held a 28-26
edge after three.
Going into the fourth hopes were high, the boys played hard and their
opponents played harder.
Randy Ramirez, already playing with a wrapped dislocated right thumb
from Friday’s game, injured his knee but walked it off and continued playing
until he finally fouled out.
High scorers for the Eagles were Daniel Rapp with 14, Emigdio Rios
with ten, Jimmy Ramirez with six, Ben Rubio with five, Philip Lascano with
four free throws, Davis Stumberg with three before being ejected on a
technical foul and Darren Seidel with two.
All Mustangs scored with the top tally going to A.J. Olvera with ten
points, followed by Vincent Alvarez with eight, Devin Kolesar and Randy
Ramirez with six, Rusty Johnson with four and Cito Hernandez with a pair.
At the halftime show, Randy Ramirez and Victoria Zimmerman represented
the junior class as prince and princess.
Sophomores were represented by Adam Gonzales and Marisol Aguilar, and
Cito Hernandez and Crystal Ramirez represented the freshmen.
Bianca and A.J. were chosen from among five candidates.
Elementary School students performed a few cheers to get the crowd
pumped up for the second half.
If fans thought the boys’ game was exciting, there was still a treat
in store. The Lady Mustangs
topped their counterparts for edge-of-the action.
Like the boys before them, the lead went back and forth throughout the
evening before the Eagles pulled it out in overtime 53-46.
At the end of the first, the Lady Mustangs lead by three, ten to
seven. The second period saw the Lady Eagles shoot to lead by 22-21.
After the half, the Lady Eagles increased the lead to 40-32 but the
Lady Mustangs battled back in the final stanza to tie it at 44 each at the
final horn.
Now there were just five minutes on the clock in overtime and both
teams gave it their all but the Lady Eagles came out the winners.
High scorer for the Lady Mustangs was Karisma Martinez with 14,
followed closely by Queen Bianca Salmon with 13 and Marisol Aguilar with 11.
Others were Sara Zimmerman with five and Prissy Hernandez with four. February
2, 2007
100 days of school
By THE PAPER BRIGADE Fifth graders Serena Arenas, Julia
Ramirez, Shane Martin and Oscar Ureste
MARATHON – Last Friday seemed like a normal day for the citizens of
Marathon but not for the elementary students.
It was the 100th day of school for them.
The 100th day is a grand celebration of 100 wonderful days of school.
There are 180 days of school in all so now there are only 80 days left of
school.
Students came hobbling up to the entrance dressed and acting as if
they were 100 years old.
“Get off my lawn,” Jeremy Ramirez barked in an old man’s voice. Alexis Bowers shook her walking cane at
people.
Margaret Mathis’s class of first and second grade students brought
collections of 100.
Loryn Garlic brought 100 stickers, Jesse Lopez collected 100 tootsie
rolls, Zane Roberts brought 100 BBs, Brandon Briones 100 Pennies and Camenden
Lujan 100 Beads.
Emilio Briones gathered 100 marbles and so did Norman Martin. Jeremy
Ramirez brought 100 baseball cards.
Selena Martin’s third and fourth grade classes did some cool
projects. They discussed what it would
be like to be famous and replace author, inventor and diplomat Benjamin Franklin
on the $100 bill.
The students also decided how they would spend a $100 if they had the
chance.
The students stomped and popped 100 balloons covering the auditorium
floor in 100 seconds to end the day.
They will have to wait more than 100 days to celebrate again.
By MARILYN SHACKELFORD News Leader History Writer
MARATHON – Our first known jail was in the middle of the street where
highway 90 now runs.
This jail was first built around the windmill that was there. The jail
was built so petty criminals could be jailed for the night.
These criminals were the ones that got drunk or maybe left without
paying for a drink.
Their leg was chained or tried with a rope to the leg of the windmill
so they would not escape.
My Grandmother told me some great stories about these “bad men.”
This was all the jail they had for a period of time. If there were any
serious crimes such as a killing or cattle thief, the criminals were taken to
Alpine.
This jail was in operation circa 1886.
At a later time, it was decided that Marathon needed another jail.
An adobe jail was built behind the old French’s store, which was on
the South Main Street.
The jail was supposed to hold any criminal but this was not to be. Men
put in the jail would crawl out through the top or knock holes in the side.
It was no problem to enter or exit the jail whether locked or not.
However, the people of Marathon were still not too concerned as most
of the men put in the jail were “prominent” citizens who would be working
side by side with the law officers the next day.
Between 1890 and 1892, according to my Grandmother, the current jail
was built.
Now this is a jail.
It is made of rock, cement, iron bars and was built to hold the
“baddest” of the bad.
Excuse the English.
It is on the south side of the railroad and looks almost as good now
as it did when I was a little girl.
It had, and still has, pens in the back so that the criminals could
put their horses in them.
They used “slop jars” for their bathrooms and were fed whenever the
sheriff had time.
When their time was up, they
were ready to get out, from what I’ve heard.
They upgraded the jail in the late ‘50s, I believe. They put some
cells in it and a commode.
That didn’t last long as the criminals were treated badly. In the 60s,
they closed the jail and now everyone goes to Alpine to jail.
The commissioners are in the process, I understand, to fix the old
jail to its original state and open it to the public.
I hope this gets done soon as it is an historical place.
If you haven’t seen the jail, make it part of your time in touring the
town of Marathon.
BRACKETTVILLE – A $2,000 Dell WiFi
Laptop computer system with a printer-copier-scanner-fax will be awarded to
the winning entry in Rio Grande Electric Cooperative’s 2007 Essay Contest.
To be eligible, a student must be between the ages of 14 and 18 and
their parent or legal guardian must be a member of RGEC.
This means they must receive electric power from RGEC and have an
electric account in their name.
Students must submit an original, typed essay, containing no less than
500 words nor more than 700 words entitled “The Cooperative Advantage.”
The word count will be determined by Microsoft Word.
The essay should describe how and why the cooperative business model
is preferable.
Students may obtain a copy of the entry form and criteria in several
ways by picking one up at any RGEC area office, online at the Co-op’s web
site www.riogrande.coop or by
calling 800/749-1509 and requesting it be mailed to them.
Company offices are in Brackettville, Alpine, Carrizo Springs, Dell
City, El Paso and Fort Stockton.
Information packets containing rules and entry forms were also sent to
school superintendents throughout the eighteen Texas and two New Mexico
counties served by RGEC and should be available at middle and high schools.
A completed entry form must be attached to the front of the essay.
References to family names, specific locations or any information that
might reveal the identity of the writer must not be included in the body of
the essay.
Entries must be submitted to Rio Grande Electric Cooperative, Inc.,
P.O. Box 1509, Brackettville, TX 78832, in a sealed envelope, clearly
marked “ESSAY CONTEST”.
Entries must be received at the specified address by April 27. Late
entries will be disqualified without regard to postmark dates.
Essays will not be submitted to individual directors. Any essay so
submitted will be disqualified.
A blind judging of all qualified entries will be conducted by RGEC’s
board of directors at the regularly scheduled May board meeting and winners
will be notified thereafter. The decision of the judges is final.
Applicants may find helpful information about the cooperative business
model online on the company website and several others.
Contestants are reminded that judges will be familiar with the
information contained on these sites and plagiarism will result in
disqualification. February
9, 2007 Area mourns
Melissa Cruz
SANDERSON - Friends and relatives throughout the Big Bend/ Trans-Pecos area
were mourning the death last week of Melissa Cruz of Sanderson. The popular
16-year-old Sanderson High School cheerleader and athlete was killed about
10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, when her car collided head-on with a
semi-tractor-trailer truck on US Highway 90 east of here. The Texas
Department of Public Safety said it was raining at the time of the accident
17.2 miles east of here and about 1.5 miles east of the old Cedar Station.
But the weather did not appear to be a factor. Melissa’s
2006 Hyundai sports car drifted across the highway where it collided head on
with a truck driven by Timothy James Russell of Fridley, MN. DPS Trooper
Rene Ramirez of Fort Stockton said Fridley told him the accident happened so
quickly, he didn’t have time to react. Ramirez said there were no skid marks
at the scene. He said
Melissa was wearing her seat belt at the time of the accident, DPS said. Russell was not injured but the front
axle and a fuel tank separated from the truck and it jackknifed into the
ditch at the side of the highway. The two
vehicles wound up about 150 yards apart and debris was scattered over a wide
area. Terrell County
fire crews washed down the spilled diesel fuel and highway department crews
spread sand on the spillage. Justice of
the Peace Corina Castro responded to the scene and Melissa was pronounced
dead at the scene at 11:30 a.m. The highway
was closed until 4 p.m. but DPS Trooper Beau Martinez said traffic was
allowed to by-pass the accident on a dirt road along the fence line used by
US Border Patrol agents patrolling for illegal aliens. Melissa was a
track star, both at Sanderson and Comstock. She also played basketball and
was a cheerleader. Her parents, Carlos
Ruben, Sr. and Laura Flores Cruz of Del Rio, said her bedroom was lined with
medals and trophies she won in track. In what turned
out to be her last basketball game, Melissa was high scorer with 20 points in
an overtime victory against Marathon Jan. 30. The Lady
Eagles opted to play Friday in Grandfalls after losing Melissa the day
before. Ironically,
the Lady Eagles won by 11 points 44-33, the number on Melissa’s jersey. Funeral
services were Tuesday in Sanderson. See obituary on Page 2 of the Terrell
County News Leader print edition. Pecos Trail
funding promised SONORA –
Funding for the Pecos Trail has been promised through August of next year,
the regional coordinator here said this week. The Texas
Department of Transportation decided in November to cease funding for the
Transportation Enhancement Program. “The Heritage
Trails Staff in Austin asked TxDOT to approve a realignment of the funds they
have already granted THC for the Trails programs and allow THC to at least
award each region the grants contracted for through August of 2008 and
TxDOT agreed,” Keith Godwin said. “That gives the Trails the grant monies for
the coordinators salaries. “That means
the Pecos Trail Region will continue to strive for self-sufficiency by August
of 2008 as directed by THC grants and our board and I believe we will
achieve the directive we were given and we all signed on for,” she said. The TEP had
provided funding for hundreds of projects and programs including the Texas
Pecos Trail Program, which is a part of the Heritage Trails Program of the
Texas Historical Commission. TxDOT had
claimed its decision was based on several nationwide rescissions of unobligated
highways funds to the states by the Federal Highway Administration. In a letter
to transportation enhancements applicants, TxDOT said the rescissions
forced it to choose between the enhancement program and programs that advance
safety, mobility and congestion relief. The
department decided that transportation enhancements had a weaker relation to
their “core functions,” Godwin said. “However, the
federal government does not require them to eliminate the program,” she said
“In fact, federal law requires a 10 percent set-aside of state apportioned
funding to go to the transportation enhancements program.”
SANDERSON –
The Terrell County Commissioners at their regular meeting in November called
for the public to supply a name for the new hiking trail up and through
Hominy and Javelina Hills. The News
Leader sweetened the pot by offering $10 to the successful namer. But for
several weeks, nothing further came of the quest. Then, within
the last few weeks, several suggestions have come in. The most
frequent suggestion has been to name the trail for former County Judge Dudley
Harrison who died Nov. 25. Other
suggestions have included “Galaxy Trail,” “The Polo Calzada Trail,” “God’s
Country Trail,” “The Eaglet Trail,” “The Screaming Eagle,” “The Eagle
Flight,” “Mountainview,” “Solitude Summit Nature and Hiking Trial” and
“Sanderson Heights.” The trail was
part of a parks improvement program financed in part by a matching $180,000
grant from the Texas Department of Parks and Recreation and a county “Venue
Tax” approved by the voters in 2000. The trail is
complete but it still lacks signage that is being designed. It starts at
the north end of School Street, winds through Hominy Hill, around the school
athletic fields and up through Javelina Hill before ending at the
intersection of Wilson and Pine Streets.
Sanderson Rich in
Adobe
By MIKE LOWRIE Special to the News Leader SANDERSON –
Adobe and stone are the most original building materials in the history of
man. The planet is covered with adobe
and stone structures that were built hundreds and even thousands of years
ago. In the very
beginning of man’s dominion on earth, adobe was used as a material because it
was available to the builder. Man quickly
realized that adobe was a great insulator and lasted forever if it was
maintained. Archeologist
have uncovered adobe structures in ancient China and Egypt that date back to
3,500 BC and, even here in America, adobe has played a role for ancient
civilizations for more than 1,000 years.
In 950 AD the
“Anasazi” lived in Chaco Canyon, NM, which housed about 7,000 people in an
eight-mile stretch. The dwellings
were made mainly out of rocks and some adobe. During the
13th century, the Anasazi, or “ancient ones,” were driven from their homes
either by a 30-year long drought or war with other Indian tribes. Nobody
really knows why they left. The Anasazi
divided into three tribes and became the Pueblo, Zuni and Hopi. All the
tribes became earth dwellers using adobe for all their structures for the
next 700 years. Many of their adobe
structures still stand today. Unfortunately
most old adobe blocks were never stabilized to help the blocks resist
deterioration from the rain over time. The stabilization process wasn’t
commonly used until the last 50 years and even then with limited success. The problem
is a two-edged sword. The more
stabilization additive you use, the less the insulation effect and, if you
don’t add enough stabilization then you could loose the integrity of the
adobe block. The trick is
in knowing how much stabilization to use, how to blend soils and how to cure
the adobes. All these processes take
experience. At Bandera
Adobe the problem has recently been solved with the invention of the
Generation II block. Generation II
is not the ingredients in the block but rather the process of production that
makes it. Compressed
earth block machines have dwarfed traditional adobe production and strength
due to the modern technology of the compression machine. With that in
mind, compressed blocks have engineering integrity that allows the builder to
make a larger variety of structures. Adobe
building is all over Sanderson.
Unfortunately, all the people that built the structures are retired or
gone. With the cost
of conventional building materials on the rise and no end in site, Sanderson
has an opportunity to rediscover its assets in adobe manufacturing,
architecture, engineering and a specialized labor force of masons that can
build with adobe or rock.
Sanderson has a buffer zone of economic opportunity around it. We could explode just like Marfa. EDITOR’S
NOTE: Mike Lowrie is investigating locating a permanent plant to produce the
bricks in Sanderson. Telephone
companies seek to resolve outage ALPINE
– Big Bend Telephone Company said Wednesday it was meeting with AT&T
officials to try to resolve an outage that cut phone and Internet service
last week. “Recognizing
the hardship and safety concerns brought about by the telephone outage last
week, Justin Haynes, CEO of Big Bend Telephone Company, has contacted
AT&T Texas (Bell) in order to assure that such a disruption of service
does not happen again,” a Big Bend release said. “Immediately
following the notice that Bell’s cable had been cut, Mr. Haynes notified the
appropriate personnel at Bell.” Big Bend said numerous telephone calls
and a personal visit with Bell’s state president in Austin, Haynes was “very
hopeful that an agreement between Big Bend Telephone Company and Bell can be
worked out that would assure that outages as experienced last week will not
happen again.” Haynes has
also spoken with State Rep. Pete Gallego about this matter. Gallego has
been in contact with Bell to facilitate an arrangement to utilize additional
fiber routes to prevent future outages, Big Bend said. A
construction crew cut an AT&T fiber optic cable between Alpine and Fort
Stockton about 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29, cutting Internet, e-mail,
long-distance telephone service and even some cell service for about seven
hours. A temporary
patch restored service Monday afternoon and a permanent fix was in place by
late Tuesday. AT&T West
Texas Spokesman Ryan Stirpe said the construction crew failed to call a
posted number above the cable before digging.
“A two minute phone call [before digging] would have prevented all
that,” he said. Junior Eagles
dominate tourney SANDERSON –
The Sanderson Junior High School Eagles dominated the basketball tournament
here last weekend, coming out district champs for the third year in a row. Coached by
newcomer Art Rodriguez, the Eagles won their first game against the Buena
Vista Longhorns by a score of 50-33. Jonathon Calzada burned the buckets
with a high score of 28. Robert Montalvo, Casey Couch, Kelly Lomas and Taylor
Roberts contributed four points each. Chris
McDonald and Shawn Stegall scored two points each and L.A. Galvan and Dryden
Baker made a free throw each for one apiece. Other players
on this championship team include Abraham Orozco, Ryan Arthur and Ryan
Johnson. In their
second game the Eagles were beat the Marathon Mustangs 30-23. Again high
score went to Jonathon Calzada with 21. LA Galvan had
five points with a three pointer and a basket and Kelly Lomas scored two
points. High scorer
for the third- place Colts was Jerek Lara with 10 points, followed by Colton
Johnson with nine and Christopher Stephens had four points. Other Colts
include Edward Gonzalez, Isaac Gonzalez and Omar Grano. The Colts
finished their season 6-1. In the
Championship game, the young Eagles beat the Rankin Red Devils for the third
year in a row winning 29 to 15. Jonathon
Calzada was having a good day, taking high score again with 20, bringing his
total to 69 points for the day. Kelly Lomas
scored seven points against the Red Devil defense. Chris
McDonald and Taylor Roberts each made a free throw to score one. The boys then
dedicated the trophy to Melissa Cruz who lost her life last in an auto
accident last week. The Junior
High girls came out in second place at the end of the day, winning their
first battle against Buena Vista 25-17. Lizette
Ramirez scored 15 points, Juliana, aka “Jewelz,” Castro scored 8 and Julianna
Larrinaga had two points. The Red
Devils won the Championship game 42-9. Lizette had
five points that game while Roxanna Rodriguez scored four. The girls are
headed up by Coach Trisha Nichols, another Sanderson newcomer. Marathon News Mountain Trail funding promised SONORA – Funding for the Texas Heritage
Trail Program, including the Mountain Trail through Marathon, has been
promised through August of next year, the regional coordinator of the Pecos
Trail here said this week. The Pecos Trail runs through Sanderson. The Texas Department of Transportation
decided in November to cease funding for the Transportation Enhancement
Program. “The Heritage Trails Staff in Austin
asked TxDOT to approve a realignment of the funds they have already granted
THC for the Trails programs and allow THC to at least award each region the
grants contracted for through August of 2008 and TxDOT agreed,” Keith Godwin
said. “That gives the Trails the grant monies for the coordinators salaries.” She said the ten trails in Texas “will
continue to strive for self-sufficiency by August of 2008 as directed by THC
grants and our board and I believe we will achieve the directive we were
given and we all signed on for. The TEP had provided funding for
hundreds of projects and programs including the Heritage Trails Program of
the Texas Historical Commission. TxDOT had claimed its decision was based
on several nationwide rescissions of unobligated highways funds to the states
by the Federal Highway Administration. In a letter to transportation
enhancements applicants, TxDOT said the rescissions forced it to choose between
the enhancement program and programs that advance safety, mobility and
congestion relief. The department decided that
transportation enhancements had a weaker relation to their “core functions,”
Godwin said. “However, the federal government does
not require them to eliminate the program,” she said “In fact, federal law
requires a 10 percent set-aside of state apportioned funding to go to the
transportation enhancements program.” Dos Zetas
Burro News Burro Lady laid to rest
By ZACH
ZNIEWSKI Jackass
Reporter
TERLINGUA – The largest funeral in the memory of Terlinguans was held Monday
at St. Agnes’ for Judy Magers, the well-known burro lady who died on January
26 over in Sierra Blanca.
Folks from Georgia, California, Arizona, Nebraska, Dakota and New Mexico
attended as well as Texas residents.
Her five children were all there, all having put on thousands of truck and
airplane miles to attend.
The story of how they came to hear about their mother’s funeral is a
whole “Judy story” in itself but they all made it in good shape,
considering.
The coffin was carried from the church in the back of a truck,
trailed by a local Terlingua pinto donkey whose owner in respect for
tradition had placed Judy’s boots backwards in the stirrups and hung a grass
wreath over the pommel of the empty saddle.
The family members were amazed at the number of mourners – over 200 – as they
had not known about the place in the hearts of Big Bend residents their
mother had held.
They heard many tales, both far-fetched and factual, about their mother’s
life.
A telling note about Judy’s past is that among the family’s possessions
is Judy's bareback rigging from her bronco riding days up in Nebraska.
Bill Ivy spoke at the graveside and told of how the federals in the Social
Security would ask him about how to get in touch with Judy.
“Where does she live?”
“By the Rio Grande.”
“What’s her address?”
“She lives by the river right now.”
“In a house?”
“No.”
“Apartment?”
“No.”
“Condo?”
“No.”
“Townhouse?”
“No.”
“RV?”
“No.”
“Tent?”
"No.”
He said that she was the only person in the USA with the officially
governmentally-approved address,
“By the River, Texas, USA.”
An old ranchera in her 70s spoke at the grave and a young girl said, “Ever
since I was four, she’s been around.”
A friend offered up a couple bible verses.
Many people spoke of their encounters with the famous Burro Lady.
I had to admit, along with others, that I had tried to “help” her out by
offering her money.
Everyone agreed that was not the thing to do, Judy having been well-known for
not accepting gifts.
Many such tales were told and the family members were at times unable to keep
their emotions in check, hearing for the first time all the folks relating
tales about their mother.
One of her sons said, “If only those burros could talk and we could hear
their stories.”
Conversation later at the pot luck concluded that her range had been from
about Dryden, Texas, to Paso Lajitas, Chihuahua, Mexico, over to Columbus,
New Mexico, and from there down into estado Sonora, Old Mexico.
Just imagine having, as Judy did, all that land and sky as your home. By CHRIS
STRINGER Marathon
Bureau MARATHON – “Bocce Ball” is coming to
Marathon. The game will be part of some additions to
the Gage Hotel and The Gage Gardens. The hotel plans to add a human
checkerboard, a putting green, volleyball court and a Bocce Ball court. Bocce Ball has a history going back to
about 5000 BC with the early Egyptians using polished rocks instead of the
hard bowling ball used now. In 1576 in the Republic of Venice
publicly condemned the sport of Bocce with a fine and imprisonment. The first modern Bocce Ball clubs were
formed in Italy along with the actual league in 1947. That year also marked
the yearly gathering for the world championships. The rules of this game are simple. They
are not unlike the rules for shuffleboard but it takes a bit of luck to
master the game. To play Bocce Ball, find a flat, level
playing surface – packed dirt, gravel or grass are ideal. A regulation bocce court is 76 feet long
and 10 feet wide. Divide players into two teams of one,
two or four players each. Each team gets four balls, divided
equally among the players. A player from the starting team stands
behind the foul line, which is 10 feet from the throwing end of the court,
and throws the small ball or “pallina” toward the opposite end of the playing
surface. Players then throw one of the larger
balls, or “boccia,” trying to get it as close to the pallina as possible
without touching it. Players from the opposing team take
turns throwing their balls until one of the balls stops closer to the pallina
than the starting player’s ball. If they fail to do so, the starting team
tries to outdo its first attempt. This continues until all eight balls
have been thrown. The team with the closest ball gets one point for each of
its balls that are closer to the pallina than the other team’s closest ball. If the two teams’ closest balls are an
equal distance from the pallina, no points are awarded. After all eight balls have been thrown
and appropriate points have been awarded, the scoring team begins the next
frame. The teams play as many frames as needed
until one team has a total score of 16 points. The biggest Bocce ball club is currently
the Bocce Bums and it is in California, not Italy. There are only three places in Texas
currently playing Bocce Ball, two in
Houston and the third in Georgetown. But soon, the town of Marathon can be
added to that list. But most of all, you don’t have to be
Italian to play.
By THE PAPER
BRIGADE Fifth graders
Serena Arenas, Julia Ramirez, Shane Martin and Oscar Ureste
MARATHON – We are losing a teacher to private industry. Leslea Charlesworth
had been the Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher for almost three years.
She was given an opportunity to work in the business world so her desk will
now be at Mustang Propane Company.
Lavern Avery, who has entered the classroom for the third time after her
retirement, is her replacement.
While Charlesworth will miss her classroom and her young charges, they will
miss her too.
Kindergarten student Mackenzie Pinedo said she will miss Mrs. Charlesworth
because she didn’t give hard homework.
“The goats,” Tristyn Galindo said.
“I’ll always remember the goats that Mrs. Charles-worth brought last
year.”
There were four doggies, or goats without mothers. The students took turns feeding them by
bottle.
They would feed the two male and two female goats three times a day. The
students would take them to the playground and go with them down the slide.
Another strong memory for the Pre-K and Kindergarten of Mrs. Charlesworth
will always be Cowboy Day.
The students worked the barrels on stick horses. They learned how to rope a
plastic model of a cow.
Charlesworth’s husband Brent and his friend Frank Galvan brought horses to
the Marathon Elementary School playground and told them about what cowboys
do.
Students got on their stick horses and pretended they were on bucking
broncos.
The older elementary students scored the young riders, age one to five.
Alyssa Olvera will miss hugging her every day and four year old Dominic
Paredez said that Mrs. Charlesworth always smelled like flowers.
Avery has taught for more than thirty-five years.
She has taught in Marathon for twenty-six years, in Odessa for four years and
five years in Presidio.
She’s a local girl, the daughter of ranchers.
When it came time for her to attend school, she boarded with Pud Chambers, as
did eight other “ranch kids.”
After graduating from Marathon High School, she attended Sul Ross State
University and returned to teach.
In between retirements, Avery studied cosmetology and opened her own
shop. She is also an avid quilter.
Avery has taught a lot of people and in different places. She is teaching her
third generation in the Marathon Schools.
One of her current students is Tyler Estrada, son of Erik Estrada and grandson
of Mary Lou Estrada, both former students.
What keeps bringing her back?
“I like the students – most of the time,” she said. By MARILYN
SHACKELFORD News Leader
History Writer MARATHON – Our town has been known to
have some of the best honey ever robbed. Honey in this area mainly comes from
whitebrush, catclaw and other tasty cactus blossoms. When I was growing up, Mildred Miller
Stumberg and I were very good friends. Uncle John Bennett and her mother, Bina
Miller, were two of the people of this area that produced honey and had their
own bee boxes. Bina told me many stories about the bee
business and about her many bee experiences. I was involved in some of those
“experiences” and there was nothing funny about them at the time. John Bennett, who was Bina’s brother and
Cornelia Skinner and Sylvia Vaughn’s daddy, was the one who had started the
bee business and Bina was his helper. He began the apiary in about 1927 and
continued until 1963. He sold honey all around the area. Most
of the time he took the honey himself and delivered it to the surrounding
areas. There were several “bee keepers” before
Uncle John and Bina but I didn’t know them. I did know that my great uncle Allie
Davis was an inspector for the Cactus Division and had bees. He shipped much
of his honey out of state. Mr. Cooper, who owned Cooper’s Store,
and his son Bill (whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the Historical
Meeting in Big Bend) also had bees in the country close to their stores,
which were in what is now Big Bend National Park. Much of that country was used to put bee
boxes because of the great plants that produced flowers for the bees to make
honey from. Uncle Lee Dickson, J.N. Meeks, P.M.
Chambers and sons Charles Cox, Bill Smith, W.E. Rau, J.R. Smith, Byron
Hampton and many more locals had bees at one time or another. The bee/honey business was at its peak
in the ‘40s. The Hatch brothers, Harvey and Howard, were two of the largest
producers in the US. They had more than 120 million bees and
shipped their honey to every state is the Continental US and to some foreign
countries. They had a storage and supply place
here, which was later the Shoemake Hardware Store and is now the Spring Creek
Gallery. Most of their bee boxes were kept north
of Marathon but some were on their ranch. The ranch, 12 miles south on Hwy,
385, is where they worked the bees and strained the honey and prepared it for
shipping. The red brick building is still standing
and now belongs to Combs Cattle Company. Johnny and Myrtle Adams became the
largest bee business in 1977. They got their honey from cacti south of
Marathon and the honey was known as some of the best honey in the nation. Florencia Uranga and his wife and family
took over the business from Johnny and Myrtle and have produced honey for
many years. Florencia gave Mackey some of the honey
not too many years ago and it was still just as good as ever. The honey business was a very prosperous
business and kept food on many families tables. It was very hard work but lots of fun
stories can be told about “robbing bees” and all the stings it provided. When you eat honey, check the label and
see what plant the honey is taken from. Also, check to see who the producer is.
You might be surprised to see that it is from your area. Our heritage is preserved because of the
people who had the knowledge and determination to make something from the
nature which is provided for us. By the way, did you know that honey is
the only known food that cannot be made into a generic food? February
16, 2007 ‘Memorial
fund’ set for Melissa Cruz
SANDERSON – A
“Memorial Fund for Melissa Cruz,” who died in a traffic accident east of
Dryden Feb. 1, has been established. An account has
been set up at Sanderson State Bank and a group of Sanderson residents are
supporting the fund-raising drive to help the family deal with funeral
arrangements and other costs. Letty
Rodriguez and Maria Rodriguez are among those organizing the effort to
benefit Melissa’s parents, Ruben and Lora Cruz of Del Rio. The had a bake
sale at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at Uncle’s convenience store. The sale
quickly ran out of items and volunteers scurried home to replenish the
supplies. The next week,
Feb. 24, there will be a noon barbecue at the Fair Hall for $5 per plate with
proceeds going to the fund. There will
also be an auction of Sanderson High School football players and Sanderson
Junior High School students. Successful
bidders can use the students for work around their home or business. A bingo game
is also planned with proceeds going to the fund and there will be a dance
from 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, to 1 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 25 with music donated
by RPM Productions. Admission will
be $3 per person, $5 per couple and tables are $5. Children under 12 will be
admitted free. Tickets are
available from Letty Rodriguez at 432/345-3094. Rodriguez said
people wanting to make a donation directly to the fund can do so at Sanderson
State Bank. She said if
enough money is collected to pay the funeral expenses, a scholarship may be
established. Melissa was a
star athlete, particularly in track, and the award could go to a student who
does well in track and field events.
SANDERSON –
Funeral services for Ima Crozier Wilkinson, 104, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday,
Feb. 18, at First Presbyterian Church here. The long-time organist for
the church died Feb. 9 in Houston. She was the
wife of former County Judge R.S. Wilkinson who was in that office during the
flood of 1965. Ima Crozier
was born Oct. 27, 1902, in Waelder to William Guy and Essie Naomi
Crozier. She married
Robert Sims Wilkinson at the First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi on August
3, 1921. The couple
moved to Sanderson where they raised two sons, James Scott and Robert
William. They lived in
Sanderson from 1921 until 1997 or 1998 when she moved to Brownwood, then to
Houston in April of 2000. Ima Wilkinson
played the organ for the First Presbyterian Church in Sanderson for 73 years. She played for
at least 50 weddings, many funerals and several high school graduation
exercises. She taught
piano and organ to successive generations of West Texas students. The family had
a tradition of nicknames. Ima’s husband called her “Jack” while other family
members called her “Jackie.” Her son, Bob,
called her “Kiddo.” Aunt Avis was “Duchess” and Aunt Ura was “Bruie.” She was
preceded in death by her husband, parents, and two sons, and by sisters Ura
Crozier Lester and Avis Crozier Reiffert. Surviving are
five grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and two nephews. Contributions
may be made to First Presbyterian Church in Sanderson. SANDERSON –
Monte Hunter of Hunter Corral Associates of Odessa met with the Terrell
County School Board last week to begin hammering out details of a proposed
May bond issue election. “In general,
facilities were in fair or poor condition,” Hunter said in a “Facility
Assessment Draft.” “All were in
need of some improvements,” he said. “Some systems are at the end of or have
exceeded their normal life cycles and need to be replaced. Others are nearing
their normal life expectancy.” In his report,
he said it would cost less to replace some facilities than to renovate them. This was
particularly true of the high school building and to a slightly lesser extent
the band hall. Buildings 20
to 25 years old should be up for “system renewal,” he said. Those 40 to 50
years old need “major renewal” while those in the 65 to 75 year age range should be
replaced. He said it
would cost about $1.4 million less to replace the high school than to
renovate it. Total
renovation estimates came to $9.632 million. Board
President Ada Lee Robbins said renovation and replacement of facilities was
only one of two major reasons for seeking a bond issue. As important,
if not more so, she said is that revenues received from “voter approved
bonds” are not subject to “recapture.” Under the
state’s school finance scheme, “property-rich” districts like Terrell County
have to buy daily attendance figures from “property poor” districts. Under the
scheme, Terrell County schools had to send out $3 for every $4 it collected
in tax revenues. While the
district will have to pay interest on bonds it issues – in effect borrowing
money from the bond buyers – the interest rates will be significantly lower
than the 75 percent the district would have to pay if it financed the
improvements through tax receipts, Robbins said. The final
shape a bond issue package would take has not been determined. Hunter
suggested the board have public meetings and reach a consensus on what is
needed. “Get the big
picture and then work on the details,” he said. “You should make all
decisions as a group.”
SANDERSON – The
Terrell County Commissioners Court Monday approved the purchase of about
$6,500 in fire protection equipment for the Sanderson Volunteer Fire
Department, the first of three items requested by Fire Chief Raymond Phelps. The
improvements are also planned to bring the department up to code to reduce
the cost of property insurance in the county. Included in
the new equipment from Fire Safety USA and Clarey’s Safety Equipment of
Rochester, MN, are five coats, pants and helmets, ten hoods and 15 pairs of
gloves and flashlights. The total came
to $6,363.75 plus “shipping and handling.” Phelps had
asked for the fire and EMS building to be expanded to include additional
office space, meeting rooms, storage and rest room facilities. He said Monday
he had taken out reference to living facilities because “we just don’t have
the need for that right now.” He submitted a
rough drawing of the fire and EMS building at Oak and First to show a
doubling of the square footage. Ambulance bays
would be around the corner on First Street. Of the five
bays facing Oak Street – Highway 90 – the middle three would house fire
trucks. The eastern bay would be converted to storage space and the western
space would be for expansion. In the new
facility would be a new classroom, two rest rooms with showers and additional
storage facilities. “Although
mentioned in the last Commissioners Court meeting to have living quarters in
the building, after some careful consideration, the idea was scrapped,”
Phelps said. “However nice it would seem, the need just is not there.” EMS Training
Officer Butch Maldonado suggested a washer and dryer be included for crews
who might get hazardous materials on their closing from a disaster scene and
a wash bay for vehicles. Commissioners
discussed whether money was in the budget for the improvements. Commissioner
Kenn Norris suggested that, by the time the building is designed and
construction bids let, it could go into next year’s budget cycle. Maldonado said
there may be grant money available and suggested two plans, one with “all the
bells and whistles” in case grant money were available and a less ambitious
plan if the county had to pay for it. Phelps also
presented a proposal from Industrial Communications, Inc., of Odessa for 25
pagers for fire and EMS crews. The pagers
would cost $455 each or $11,375 for the 25. County Judge
Leo Smith asked Phelps if he would monitor fire crews to be sure they were
seriously interested in responding to fires. Phelps said he
is “committed” to a rule that says volunteer fire fighters must respond to 25
percent of calls and attend 50 percent of meetings. Smith asked
for 30 days to explore a grant for the pagers and said he would put the item
on the March 12 meeting agenda. SANDERSON –
The possible addition of an aircraft hangar at Terrell County Airport came up
for consideration Monday at the regular monthly Commissioners Court meeting. John and Sandy
Pierce told commissioners they wanted to build a hangar for their two-seat
Piper Tomahawk now based in Alpine. County Judge
Leo Smith told the couple the airport belongs to the county and any
improvements would be county-owned. But he said
the Pierces could then lease the hangar “at no cost” for ten years. Pierce
asked that commissioners consider an option for an additional ten years. Pierce said he
has noticed some hunters fly their own airplanes to Terrell County during
hunting season and he might build a larger hangar so he could rent space to
itinerant operators. County
Attorney Marsha Monroe said before the county agrees to improvements at the
airport, it needs a master plan and the county “needs Airport Board input.” Smith said
that would be the next step. “This is a
wonderful opportunity to look at the land around the airport for some kind of
industrial park,” Commissioner Kenn Norris said. County/District
Clerk Martha Allen, a member of the Airport Board, said there is a “zoning
committee” created several years ago under the old Texas Aeronautics
Commission, which identified land uses at the airport.
Airport board members said they would attempt to contact Chairman Lee
Brandon, who has been out of town. Trail
name to include ‘cactus’
SANDERSON –
The new hiking trail through Hominy and Javelina Hills in Sanderson will be
called “Cactus Capital Hiking and Nature Trails.” The name was
chosen by Terrell County Commissioners Court Monday from a list of 58
suggested names. The winning
entry was suggested by Dick and Jean Zimmer, of Alpine and Sanderson. Zimmer
is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Sanderson and Marathon. The trail was
provided as part of a parks improvement program funded in part by a $180,000
matching grant from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and a
half-cent venue tax approved by the voters in 2000. County
Commissioner Kenn Norris said the trail is completed and open and lacks only
signage, which could not be provided until a name was selected. Commissioners
also considered Sanderson Friendship Trail and Terrell County Friendship
Trail, Mountainview Trail, Sanderson Memorial Friendship Trail, Javelina Hill
Hiking and Nature Trail, Desert Adventure Trail and Sunset Near the Sun
Trail, among others. Several
suggestions were to name the trail after an individual. Most frequent
suggestions were for the late former County Judge Dudley Harrison who was
instrumental in getting the trail and for Melissa Cruz who died in a traffic
accident Feb. 1. The trail
starts at the north end of School Street, winds through Hominy Hill and down
and around the school athletic fields. It continues up Javelina Hill
behind the athletic field house and locker room, up around the summit and
comes out near the intersection of Wilson and Pine Streets. SANDERSON –
Students in the Terrell County Independent School District will take their
TAKS tests next week. The
state-mandated tests are to measure performance of schools in the state. “Due to
security concerns on the TAKS tests, we will be asking the students to set
their cell phones on the teacher’s desk until the testing is completed,” a
school statement said. “If a student is caught with a cell phone during
testing, we will need to invalidate the answer document.” Superintendent
Gary Hamilton told the News Leader students would be better served leaving
the telephones at home or in their cars.
“Statewide, they have found that students are very good at text messaging and
can send messages across the room,” Hamilton said. “We’re not saying our kids
will cheat but whether they are cheating or not, the opportunity is there.” SANDERSON –
The Eighth Annual Falkfest will be next weekend, Friday, Feb. 23 and 24 here
and in Junction. Eight years
ago, a group of Austinites including Mason Adikins, Steve Anderson, Richard
Zelade and artist Walter Falk who had bought homes and property near
Sanderson began a series of free barbecues to thank the community, which
included a showing of original Falk paintings. The event was
called Falkfest and was expanded to include the community of Boquillas, Coah.
Three hundred
pounds of barbecue was prepared, ferried across the Rio Grande and served to
the entire community while Falk showed paintings. In the fourth
year, the border was closed and the Railroad Blues in Alpine hosted the event
with free barbecue and the paintings on their patio. In this year’s 8th Falkfest, Aurora
“Paris” Galvan, who had enjoyed the event and community in Boquillas, will sponsor
the event, Friday Feb 23, with free barbecue and art at Cantina El Gavilan
here from 6 till 9p.m. On Saturday,
Feb. 24, the event moves to Junction, sponsored by the Riverside Inn and
Cowboy Cottages. It will be on Main Street from 2 to 9p.m. Cowboy
Poetry Gathering Next Week ALPINE – Poets,
musicians and storytellers will descend on Alpine and the Big Bend starting
Friday next week for the 21st Annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering on the
campus of Sul Ross State University. The Gathering
gets underway officially at 10 a.m. in Marshall Auditorium. Alpine poet
Joel Nelson will be the master of ceremonies and, after a welcome by SRSU
President Dr. R. Vic Morgan, Andy Wilkinson will perform. Red Stegall,
returning to the gathering after an absence of several years, will be the
keynote speaker. Jody Nix and
his Texas Cowboys return for the Saturday night dance at the Civic Center. Folks who were
not invited to participate but would like to recite or sing are invited to an
open session at 9 a.m. Friday in Room C of the University Center. The hugely
popular “Tribute to Marty Robbins” session by Jeff Gore with Washtub Jerry
will follow at 11 a.m. in Marshall. After lunch,
Michael Stevens, Doris Daley, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Robert Chaison, Rod Taylor
and Stephanie Davis will provide a preview of things to come with a 1 p.m.
session in Marshall. There will be
multiple sessions simultaneously starting at 2 p.m. at various places on the
Sul Ross campus. All day
sessions Friday and Saturday are free. Stegall will
be the Master of Ceremonies and will perform for the main shows Friday and
Saturday nights. Stephanie
Davis and Randy Rieman will be the featured performers Friday night. On Saturday
night, Stegall will be joined by Jerry Brooks and Dan Roberts. Both nights,
other participants in the Gathering will appear on the shows. The two
evening shows cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. Lap babies are free. A pair of
spurs specially made for the gathering by Fort Davis’ Jerry Falkner will be
auctioned off to support the event. Tickets for
the drawing are on sale at Twin Peaks Liquor Store in Alpine and from any
member of the Steering Committee. Tickets will
also be on sale at the event. The drawing will be during the Saturday night
stage show. The
headquarters during the event is in the Sul Ross University Center. Tapes and
books by the performers will be on sale at the University Center. February
16, 2007 Marathon News
By THE PAPER
BRIGADE Fifth graders
Serena Arenas, Shane Martin and Oscar Ureste MARATHON –
Spring is here and basketball season is over so that can only mean one thing.
Track season is here. Boys’ coach
Austin Mathis and Girls’ coach Adrienne Reyes hope that this will be a great
season. Track practice
began Monday. The junior high contestants are eighth graders Colten Johnson
and Jerek Lara along with seventh graders Zach Gonzales, Edward Gonzales and
Omar Grano. The high
school boys’ team is made up of twelfth grader A.J. Olvera, eleventh grader
Randy Ramirez and ninth grader Cito Hernandez. The high
school girls have a team as well. They are twelfth graders Karisma Martinez
and Bianca Salmon and tenth graders Marisol Aguilar and Christina Martinez. Along with
their own meet the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will compete in Grandfalls,
Sanderson, Wink and Alpine. When the Marathon
ISD track was built, it was a blessing. Over time, the original track was
worn down so much that in some places, it was just dirt. “The track was so worn out that it was bumpy
in a lot of places,” MISD Secretary Coy Gonzalez said. In 1998, the track was resurfaced with a new
top layer of rubber. Ever since
then, Marathon Junior High School has been able to host its own track meets
here. It is also used for track practice each day. Many members
of our community use the track for exercise and the field is used for
football and soccer practices in the fall.
MISD
maintenance man Javiar Piñedo has been readying the field for spring events
such as the track meet and field day. Signs have
been ordered and will be placed at the gates on the field asking people to
pick up after their pets. “Spring is here and we will be
getting the field ready for spring activities,” MISD superintendent Conrad
Arriola said, “And we have water available at the field this year to grow
grass.” Dos Zetas Big
Bend Burro News By ZACH
ZNIEWSKI Jackass
Reporter In local burro
news, DJ’s jenny had a blessed event. A little foal came out all happy and
cute. Next week I’ll
try to have an interview and a couple photos of the little guy. Cinda
Meunsch’s red roan burro dropped a jack colt a week ago with a white blaze.
Dam and foal are doing well. Because of the
cold weather the wise dam waited a month extra to push her foal out into the
world. The donkey’s usual gestation period is 366 days but moms are smart. Over at the
county seat, Miss Helen Harman has a new tall saddle donkey named Ivory. The young lady
was surprised at the jumping ability of her new mount, unknown to her at the
time of purchase. The burro came
originally from Matamoros and was a bit rough around the edges but Helen and
her mom are sprucing it up real nice. Will Massey
came by with his family to visit my pens to have a look at the burros and
told a couple good mule stories, including one about his own cigar-hating
mule. He also
commented on the high price of trained mules and the low price of good horses
here in Texas. I have heard
“it takes a real fast cow horse to catch one of them wild burros down by the
river. You would be real surprised at how fast they are.” Fred Gipson
told a story from the old days about the vaquero Cayetano Vascas over by
Ozona who, mounted on a fast horse, was nearly killed dead when the black
jenny he was chasing jumped a wire fence that his horse couldn’t clear. Four days in a
coma for the charro and the horse lived, too. Turning to
modern times, Cindy Price went up to the Boone County draft horse and mule
sale up in Missouri. She says, “A
LOT of good lookin mules and great mammoth jackstock. High seller was a TB
molly, almost 17hh, coal black, four years old, extremely well trained, went
for $7,000. Not many smaller mules and not many cheap ones either. Lots of
standard jacks in almost any color you would want.” Finally, mules
are seldom mentioned in the arcane academic world of poetry criticism, but in
the New York Times Book Review, Jim Harrison commented in a review of Karl
Shapiro’s early work regarding the difficulty of attracting a big audience
for modern poetry, “Perhaps there are tens of thousands of mules across the
country who dream of winning the Kentucky Derby.” Mas mula y
burro chismes next week. Don’t forget to e-mail me with your donkey ideas at:
dos_zetas@yahoo.net Adios. Concert to
launch furniture factory
MARATHON – A
concert has been planned for the grand opening of Sonworks Gallery here next
month. The first
annual Sonworks concert will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m., March 31 and proceeds
will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation. The grand
opening of the furniture factory will begin at 2 p.m. The gallery is
at 900 E. Hwy 90 across from the Shell station at the east entrance to
Marathon. The concert will be behind the building. Money will be
raised by selling t-shirts, posters, gifts, and by a raffle. Wes Spears
will raffle off one of his tables with all proceeds going to the Make a Wish
Foundation. The property
will be home to his gallery of handmade furniture, a coffee shop and a hair
salon. Plans in the
future are for some other artists to have other shops on site. Wes’s sister
Linda, who will open the hair salon, also plans to open a wellness center. The Make a
Wish Foundation provides a special treat for children with life-threatening
illnesses. By MARILYN
SHACKELFORD News Leader
History Writer MARATHON – The
“Cracker Box House” is so named because it always reminded us of a cracker
box by the way it was built. The two-storey
house, built next to Marie Simpson and Grace Lochausen’s house on South Main,
was built by Frank Wedin. It was a two
apartment house. There was an apartment on the top and one on the bottom. When the house
was built, I believe in the early ‘40s, the apartments were much needed
because of the activity that was taking place in the Marathon community at
that time. Fluorspar
hauling, railroad workers, cattle hauling, road construction and many other
things were happening. Frank had the
foresight to keep people in Marathon. They had to have a place to live, so he
built the “Cracker Box” house. It stayed
rented nearly all the time. In fact, I don’t ever remember the house ever
being without a resident for over a month at a time. J.P. Bryan
bought the house and used it for his employees at the Gage Hotel. Several
different people lived there and they were thankful to have a place to live
so they didn’t have to travel to work each day. Bill Sachs was
one of the employees who lived there and, before he passed away, he sat down
with Lyn Shackelford and were talking about a porch on the house. Lyn and his
crew at Marathon Construction, after consulting with J.P., went to work on
putting on a porch. The house
began to develop into a sight for sore eyes. The people here could not
believe what was developing right before their eyes. Both the top
and the bottom have beautiful, scalloped, Spanish-design, verandahs. The entire
house and verandas were covered with stucco with the theme color tan, which
is used throughout the Gage Properties. The house is
no longer called the “Cracker Box.”.
It was transformed into “The Dry Bean Café” run by Richard and Rosemary
Nichols. They are
cowboy and cowgirl entertainers which not only whipped out a great batch of
vittles but entertained you with their humor and wit. The decor in
the restaurant had a western theme. The space to sit was small but on warm
days and nights they had plenty of outside sitting room. In fact they
did their entertaining, on Saturday nights outside. The outside
was as well landscaped as the inside is decorated. The desert
plants, chuck wagon, campfire and the picnic tables were just perfect to
relax on and around and look at the scenery and the beautiful sky that
Marathon has to offer. Richard and
Rosemary moved to Fort Davis and opened a dinner theater there. The building
is once again an apartment and used for housing. For those of
us who have lived here forever, we will always remember the Cracker Box house
and its uniqueness. Correction on
the bee story last week, Marathon News Leader, Feb. 9, page 7: Mildred Miller
Stumberg was the daughter of Bina Miller and the niece of Uncle John Bennett. Also, the bee
building in Marathon is now the Mary Baxter Gallery, not Spring Creek. Keep smiling. ALPINE – The
Chameleons, youth basketball team of Marathon have won again, this time
beating the Marfa Shorthorns 32-12 here last week. The team is
playing one short because Julia Ramirez is in California visiting her brother
Andrew, a Marine who has just returned from Iraq. High score
went to sixth grader Krystal Aguilar with 12 points. Micella Grano,
also a sixth grader, had six and Libby Hernandez, a sixth grader, and Serena
Arenas, a fifth grader, scored four apiece. The Chameleons
are still undefeated. February
23, 2007
‘Memorial
fund’ set for Melissa Cruz
SANDERSON – A
“Memorial Fund for Melissa Cruz” is nearing $1,200 just a week after being
established, Melissa, 16,
died in a traffic accident east of Dryden Feb. 1, and an account has been set
up at Sanderson State Bank. Organizer
Letty Rodriguez said a bake sale Saturday morning brought in more than $300
and, as of Wednesday morning, an additional $800 had been collected or
pledged in direct donations. The moneys
will be used to help the family deal with funeral arrangements and other
costs and, if enough is left over, to start a scholarship in Melissa’s name. There will be
a noon barbecue tomorrow, Feb. 24, at the Fair Hall for $5 per plate with
proceeds going to the fund. There will
also be an auction of Sanderson High School football players and Sanderson
Junior High School students. Successful
bidders can use the students for work around their home or business. A bingo game
is also planned with proceeds going to the fund and there will be a dance
from 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, to 1 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 25 with music donated
by RPM Productions. Admission will
be $3 per person, $5 per couple and tables are $5. Children under 12 will be
admitted free. Tickets are
available from Rodriguez at 432/345-3094. SANDERSON –
Sanderson High School running back Josh Estrada will represent his school in
the District Two all-star football game in July. Daniel Rapp
and Marie Ramirez will play in the all-star basketball game. Josh and Jimmy
Ramirez were invited to participate the following week in the Texas Bowl
Number One. Athletic
Director Mark Dominguez said the all-star players were chosen by the Six-Man
Coaches Association. The Sanderson
athletes will all play for the west team in the east-west contests. The football
game will be Friday, July 20 at Lowery Field in Lubbock and the basketball
players will take the court Saturday, July 21, at Lubbock Christian Church. The Texas Bowl
will be the following week at Garden City High School. District One,
the smaller schools, will play their larger-school District Two athletes in
that contest. Bond decision
nears
SANDERSON –
Decision time is near on a May school bond election and up to three meetings
have been planned for this weekend to get citizen input. Architect
Monte Hunter of Hunter Coral Associates of Odessa told school board members
Monday night the total “wish list” for improvements plus factors for
inflation and additional costs because of Sanderson’s distance from major
communities have pushed the total to $13.2 million. “You need to go over this list and mark
‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘yes’ and start prioritizing your needs,” Hunter said. The board will
meet at 6 p.m. today, Feb 23, in the High School Library and additional
meetings will be at 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday “if needed,” Board President
Ada Lee Robbins said. “We want to encourage the public and everybody to come
to these meetings.” “The students,
too,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said. “They are the ones that are going to
be living here.” A key feature
of the present bond plan is to move high school classrooms to new facilities
adjoining the newer junior high school building and use the 76-year-old high
school for the school tax office, administration and other office space. The
auditorium, cafeteria and gyms would be maintained and upgraded. Hunter said it
would cost $4.9 million to renovate the high school building for school use
but only $740,000 to bring it up to par for office space. Adding high
school classrooms to the junior high building would cost $1.9 million. Other
improvements would include a new band hall, perhaps adjacent to the
auditorium so it could also be used for other fine arts programs, renovate
the existing field house and build a new one and other athletic improvements,
$1.5 million in upgrades to the elementary school including new playground
equipment, $610,000 in upgrades to the existing junior high school building
and replacing the vocational building. Some older
facilities like the band hall or vocational building could be used for
maintenance or storage. Hunter said he
factored in 40 percent, or $3.479 million, because Sanderson is so far from
most contractors’ bases. It would cover
travel, lodging and meals and other expenses a contactor could expect to
face. Board members
wondered aloud if a smaller issue might be offered initially to be followed
by another one later. Roy Deaton, a
member of a citizen committee studying the bonds suggested all of the needs
be placed in an issue now. He said the
legislature may well close a provision exempting “voter approved bonds” from
the “recapture” provisions of the state school finance scheme. Terrell
County, which is considered a “property rich” district, must buy attendance
figures from a “property poor” district and, at present, must send $3 of
every $4 collected from taxpayers to another district. “That means if
we want to buy something, we have to buy three for another district first,”
Board Secretary Johnnie Couch said. Robbins noted
that the school tax rate next year will have to be no higher than $1.04 per
$100 valuation. With eight
cents on the rate going to retire the bonds, the rate next year will still be
lower than this year’s $1.342. A major reason
for the bond issue, besides improving aging facilities, is to allow the
district to keep more of its tax money. Chamber to
hear about Pecos Trail
SANDERSON –
Ms. Keith Godwin of Sonora, regional coordinator for the Texas Pecos Trail
Region, will address the Sanderson Chamber of Commerce at its regular monthly
meeting Monday, Feb. 26. The Chamber
will meet in a sack-lunch session at noon in the conference room at Sanderson
State Bank. The Pecos
Trail, which runs through Sanderson, is one of ten scenic trails in the state
as part of the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Heritage Trails Program. The
award-winning regional tourism initiative that helps Texas communities
promote tourism, revitalize local economies and foster community leadership
through historic preservation. Ms. Godwin is
responsible for assisting in heritage tourism development, promotion and
funding research and development in the 22 counties in the heritage region
which include Andrews, Crane, Crockett, Ector, Edwards, Glasscock, Kimble,
Kinney, Loving, Martin, Maverick, Midland, Pecos, Reagan, Reeves, Sterling,
Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler. Godwin earlier
served as the manager of the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau
and manager of the booking and sales department for both the San Antonio
Convention Center and the Corpus Christi American Bank Center. She has worked
in sales, marketing and management divisions for several hotels and resorts
in Texas and as a hospitality and tourism economic development consultant for
Lajitas Resort, The Canyon of the Eagles near Burnet and Canopy Towers in the
Republic of Panama. With more than
25 years experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, she also serves
on the Texas Nature Tourism Council and the AdventGX Advisory Council. “I have
traveled he Texas Pecos Region extensively, followed the impressive progress
of the Texas Heritage Trails Program for several years and most recently have
been an active board member for the Texas Independence Trail Region,” Godwin
said. “I was thrilled to have this
opportunity to live and work in this region –– to help preserve and protect
the valuable heritage of what I consider a true representation of all that is
mystical, beautiful and historically significant about Texas –– The Pecos
Trail Region.” She said she
also has a special fondness for Sanderson and looks forward to her presentation
next week. For additional
information on the Texas Pecos Trail Region, contact Godwin at 325/387-2927. “Or come to
the meeting,” Chamber President Jim Street said. “Guests are always welcome
and you might find something worthwhile in being a member of the chamber.” By MELISSA PERNER Editor and Publisher Ozona Stockman OZONA – What
was suppose to be a cut and dry plan for Wool Growers Central Storage Co., has
hit a snag. The company
faces a lawsuit and an objection filed against the bankruptcy plan by a group
of Sutton County ranchers. The Wardlaw
Group law firm has filed an objection to the disclosure statement in the bankruptcy
case, as well as a lawsuit against the Wool Growers Board of Directors,
current manager Mike Edinburgh, former manager Donnie Laughlin and former
secretary Tonya Stalcup. Court
documents reveal Board of Directors President George Bunger Jr., Vice
President Bill Black and Secretary-Treasurer John Allison have contributed
$2.625 million toward the reorganization plan that was filed in early
January. This money
will go toward the payout of some of the $4.3 million in claims to the more
than 100 creditors that have filed since Wool Growers filed for bankruptcy in
April 2006. The objection
states the disclosure statement should contain more specific details about
the possible liability of the directors. This includes
regular director’s meetings that were not held during the time most of the
fraud was being committed and no investigation was made of Laughlin’s
background when he was hired. Prior to the
bankruptcy the directors discovered Laughlin had failed to pay producers more
than $200,000 they were due and that the directors were negligent in
performing their duties, the objection claimed. The disclosure
statement releases the board of directors from any liability, including
negligence of Laughlin. Laughlin and
Stalcup were arrested and charged in May with misapplication of fiduciary
property over $200,000, which is a first-degree felony punishable by up to
life in prison and a fine up to $10,000. A March 1
court date has been set in the US Bankruptcy Court in San Angelo. At the
hearing, a judge will decide on the objection filed by the Wardlaw group and
whether the disclosure statement is good. Reese said the
creditor’s committee is expected to send a summary to all the creditors of
their recommendations for both the reorganization plan and the disclosure
statement. “The next 50
to 90 days will be critical in this case,” Bass said. Wool Growers
plans to go forward with its retail, consignment and commission sale business
in both Ozona and Sanderson locations, documents stated. ‘Smart
board’ illustrates history
SANDERSON –
The eighth grade class was studying early American history and a white board
at the front of the classroom had Federalist at the top left of the board and
Democratic-Republican on the right. At the bottom
were platforms of the two new political parties and one by one students came
forward. With just a
touch of a finger, they could pull a feature from the bottom of the screen
and move it to the proper place at the top. It was one of
three new “smart boards” that are bringing high tech to the classrooms in the
Terrell County Independent School District. A computer
projects an image onto a screen very much like a regular “movie” screen
except that it is imbedded with sensors that react to the student’s touch. Students were
eager to take part in Coach Leighton Conway’s American History discussion by
using the new smart board. Technology
Director David Carrasco told the News Leader that students are highly
motivated to learn because using the screen can be fun for them. The board is
one of three currently in use in the district. After going
through the exercise on the board, a printer can make copies of what was
displayed for the students to study at home. It can also
display notes for students to study after they have been printed out.
Materials can also be saved for use in a later class. Carrasco said
there also are two “wireless slates” available and teachers Amy Carman and
Gina Garza have mastered the slates. The teacher
can write on the slate at her desk and what she has written is displayed on
the screen. Some teachers
are more reluctant than others to adapt to the new technology but Carrasco
said the smart board can be learned in about ten minutes. The slates may take a bit longer but are
easily mastered, he said. While learning
may take a while for older teachers, students can pick it up “right away,”
Carrasco said. The slate also
allows a student to work a problem at his desk and the work shows up on the
screen. That can also be printed for later study. Carrasco said
he hopes to get smart boards for every classroom and more slates as the
school upgrades its technology equipment. He has a “wish
list” of about $500,000 in new equipment and has asked the school board to
consider including that in a proposed bond issue. He said
besides working class exercises on the smart board, it can also display DVDs
from a central control computer. The board is
very useful in preparing for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
tests mandated by state law and for math, science, chemistry and other
subjects. In elementary
school, students are studying the rainforest, for example, and the board can
display a typical rainforest scene. Carrasco said
students can import animals that live in the rainforest and learn where each
one belongs, such as birds in the canopy and mammals on the floor. “It’s got all
kinds of graphics,” he said. Carrasco said
the students are highly motivated to learn when they use the new equipment. “They are
having fun and may not even realize they are learning at the same time,” he
said. Rio
Grande Relays this weekend SANDERSON –
The Rio Grande Relays will be next weekend in Sanderson and the call has gone
out for volunteers to work the track and field meet. The Junior
High track teams travel to Iraan for the Warrior relays today, Feb. 23, and
the high school teams will be in Fort Stockton tomorrow, Feb. 24, for the
Comanche Relays. It’s back home
next week with the High School Eagles hosting a dozen schools for the Rio
Grande Relays Friday, March 2 and the younger Eagles facing a similar number
of schools on Saturday, March 3. Athletic
Director Mark Dominguez said schools accepting invitations to the Rio Grande
event include Dell City, Marfa, Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon, Grandfalls,
Buena Vista, Balmorhea, Comstock, Wink, Iraan and Big Bend. Volunteers are
needed as timers, pickers and field events coordinators. They can just
“show up” at 12 noon next Friday, March 2, for the high school events and 9
a.m. Saturday, March 3, for junior high “and we will direct them,” he said. Chili
Supper Band Open House Monday SANDERSON – Two
events are planned for the same time Monday evening but supporters should be
able to attend both. The Sanderson
Eagle Band Booster Club’s annual Chili Super will be at 6 p.m. Monday at St.
James Hall. At the same
time, Sanderson State Bank will have an Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. at the
bank at Oak and School. The Band
Boosters host a chili super every year as a fund raiser for a future trip, a
scholarship fund and other expenses. Diners can get
a bowl of chili for $5, a baked potato with all the fixins for $4 or both for
$7. “To go” orders
will be at 5:30 p.m. only. For delivery
call Kim Rapp at 432-/290-4053, “the earlier the better,” she said. The Sanderson
Eagle Band will provide entertainment from 6 to 6:45p.m. Tickets are
available from band students or from Thomas Torres at the band hall. “Come have
some chili, listen to the band and then go to the bank open house,” Rapp
said. “Or go by the bank and then come have some chili. “Either way,
we thank you for your support,” Rapp said. SANDERSON –
Phyllis Causey at Uncles Convenience Store said she had to call the game
warden this week when a trucker complained of an animal loose in the roadway. The trucker
reported a “chicken” on the highway at the east entrance to Sanderson. “It was
probably a rooster,” the unidentified trucker told Causey. “But it tried to
chase me.” Causey said
she told the visitor the bird probably wasn’t really chasing the big truck.
It probably just wanted to get to the other side of the road. She said she
doubted the chicken would harm the big truck. February
23, 2007 Marathon news
Red
Stegall To MC Cowboy Gathering ALPINE –
Cowboy poet and country singer Red Stegall will be the Master of Ceremonies
for the shows tonight and tomorrow night, Feb. 23 and 24, for the 21st Annual
Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which opens today on the campus at Sul Ross
State University. Stegall’s
weekly radio show is heard at 8 a.m. on KVLF each Sunday. The Gathering gets underway officially at 10
a.m. today in Marshall Auditorium. Alpine poet
Joel Nelson will be the master of ceremonies and, after a welcome by SRSU
President Dr. R. Vic Morgan, Andy Wilkinson will perform. Stegall,
returning to the gathering after an absence of several years, will be the
keynote speaker. Jody Nix and
his Texas Cowboys return for the dance at the Civic Center tomorrow night. Folks who were
not invited to participate but would like to recite or sing are invited to an
open session at 9 a.m. today in Room C of the University Center. The popular
“Tribute to Marty Robbins” session by Jeff Gore with Washtub Jerry will
follow at 11 a.m. in Marshall, sponsored by Morrison’s True Value Hardware. After lunch,
Michael Stevens, Doris Daley, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Robert Chaison, Rod Taylor
and Stephanie Davis will provide a preview of things to come with a 1 p.m.
session in Marshall. Starting at 2
p.m., there will be multiple sessions simultaneously at various places on the
Sul Ross campus. All day
sessions today and tomorrow are free. Tonight
Stephanie Davis and Randy Rieman will be the featured performers. Tomorrow
night, Stegall will be joined by Jerry Brooks and Dan Roberts. Both nights
other participants in the Gathering will appear on the shows. The two
evening shows cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. Lap babies are free. A pair of
spurs specially made for the Gathering by Fort Davis’ Jerry Falkner will be
auctioned off to support the event. Tickets for
the drawing are on sale at Twin Peaks Liquor Store in Alpine and from any
member of the Steering Committee. Tickets will
also be on sale at the event. The drawing will be held during the stage show
tomorrow night. The
headquarters during the event is in the Sul Ross University Center. Also in
the University Center tapes and books by the performers will be on sale. Also
participating in this year’s event are Mary Abbott, Apache Adams, Oscar
Auker, Leon Autrey, Sally Bates, Mike Beck, Don Cadden, Kip Calahan, Ivan
Cates, Bob Campbell, John Campbell, Charley Chambers and Craig Carter. Also Sam
Dawson, Ray Fitzgerald, Rolf Flake, Doug Foshee, Jeff Gore, Andy Hedges, Don
Hedgpeth, Randy Huston, Chris Isaacs, Joaquin Jackson, Jill Jones, Kay
Kelley, Suzi Killman and Linda Kirkpatrick. And Rusty and
Deanna McCall, Karen McGuire, Pat Meade, Chuck, Hallie and Cody Milner, Glenn
Moreland, Nika Nordbrock, Biscuits O’Bryan, Ray Owsens, Tera Peters, Gary and
Jean Prescott and Mike Querner. Also Chris
Roach, Bunni Roach, Matt Skinner, Ann Sochat, Gail Steiger, Rod Taylor,
Washtub Jerry and Jim Wilson. Underwriters
for the event are the Alpine Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Kay Burnett, The Alpine Avalanche, West Texas National Bank,
Trans-Pecos Banks and the City of Alpine. Ultra
Run donates to friends of Big Bend BIG
BEND – A successful Big Bend Ultra Race has paid off for the Friends of
Big Bend National Park. Race Director
P. Carroll Voss presented a check for $3,000 to Friends of Big Bend National
Park President Reb Gregg at the regular board meeting last week. Last year, the
race raised $2,500. “We’re in our
third year and Voss said. “With the combination of more sponsors,
cutting our costs, extremely dedicated volunteers and more interest from
racers, we are able to keep increasing our annual donation. “This race is
all about the park and our love for it,” he said. The Friends of
Big Bend National Park is a private, non-profit, 501 (C) 3 group that supports
the national park. It is celebrating a decade of service this
year. In its ten
years, “The Friends” has raised more than half a million dollars for park
improvements. The Big Bend
Ultra Marathon is the only race of its kind within a national park. Voss said the
park already has given permission for next year’s race. It will be
January 20, 2008. Registration will open soon. For more
information, go to the website at www.bigbend50.com.
This year,
Denver resident Paul Grimm came in first overall. The 38-year-old
runner finished the 50 kilometers at 4:17:13. 41-year-old
Jana Curry finished first in the 50K Women’s Division. The Port Lavaca
resident finished at 6:07:26. Army
helicopter pilot and Iraq war veteran Capt. Luke Craven blasted more than ten
minutes off the time for Big Bend Ultra Run 25K race in the third annual run
through the desert in Big Bend National Park. Capt. Craven
finished the rugged course at 1:42:45. Last year, Mike Dunleavy
finished at 1:53:13. “I sincerely
mean this,” the 28-year-old Harker Heights resident said. “This is the
greatest race I ever had the privilege of being in.” Women’s 25K
division winner Sarah Slezk finished with 2:10:03. Fortunately,
for the third year in a row, there were no major injuries among the 127
runners. Big Bend Ultra
Run competitors take on primitive, four-wheel drive roads in Big Bend
National Park. The trails
include Glenn Springs Road, Black Gap Road, Juniper Canyon Road and River Road.
The course has
a net drop in altitude of 1,400 feet. To minimize
the impact on the park, organizers and runners must follow strict rules,
including a zero tolerance anti-litter policy. Race organizers
also must set up portable toilets at each aid station along the rugged roads. By MARILYN
SHACKELFORD News Leader
History Writer MARATHON – The
Buttrills came to Marathon in 1884 and were driven to promote the development
of the area. They brought
cattle from South Texas, where they had previously lived and set up
housekeeping in the Rosillos area where they ran their cattle. In the early
1900s, Lucius Buttrill bought land sixteen miles south of Marathon. He built his cattle herd up and ran only
Herefords. In 1917,
Buttrill built his family a home on the ranch, a beautiful home which was
considered one of the finest homes in the area. It is still
occupied by a great-grandson and his family, Tim and Rexann Leary and their
three children. Lucius and his
wife Margaret had two children, Marian and Louanna. Louanna
married Frances T. Leary and they had two sons, Tomas (Tom) Buttrill Leary
and James Lucius Leary. The family
lived on the ranch and were a large influence on the ranching industry and
the cultural and civic affairs of Marathon. Mrs. Buttrill,
who was one of Grandmommy’s best friends, was a charter member of the
Marathon Study Club, helped organize the Marathon PTA, was developmental in
the restoration of the First Marathon School, which is now the Study Club
building, and was a great bridge player. Mr. Buttrill
died in 1933 and the ranch was leased to the Combs family for a while and
then to Fred Barrett. Biddy Martin
worked for Fred and Alma when they had the ranch leased. Mrs. Buttrill
then fixed up the ranch to accommodate geologists in the 1950s. This was a
big business in the Marathon area. Geologists
from many of the universities in Texas came to Marathon to study the
formations of the earth. Marathon is
known as one of the best geological formations in the world. The geologists
would stay at the Buttrill Ranch for weeks at a time and study the formations
around the area. Mrs. Buttrill
died in 1955 and her son Tom and his wife Ann and their four sons, Mike, Pat,
Tim and Kevin, moved to the ranch and began running it. They continued
to run the ranch through the ‘80s. They kept the geologists and put in an RV
Park, which became known all over the United States as a place to come and
get away from all the “rat races,” stay on a real Texas ranch and visit with
some of the friendliest people ever. Tom and Ann
developed friends all over the world. After Tom and
Ann left the ranch and retired to Alpine, Tim, their third son, and his wife
Rexann took over the ranch. The geologists
and RVers no longer stay there but the ranch is still in operation as it once
was, a real ranch. Rexann and
their three children live in Fort Davis but Tim still road runs back and
forth to keep things going. Tom and Ann
celebrated their 50th anniversary on May 1, 1999. Shortly
afterwards Ann passed away. Tom now lives in Midland, but keeps in
touch with the people of Marathon. It is always
great to have land stay in a family and continue to exist. Thanks Tim and
Rexann for your hard work and diligence. Smile a
little. You will feel better. By ZACH ZNIEWSKI Jackass Reporter An east coast
correspondent told me of a mule-related adventure back in the 60s. His future
father-in-law drove a complicated French car, a Citroen, from Austin heading
toward Tepoztlan with his pregnant wife and two kids. The car’s
elaborate hydraulic system failed in Piedras Negras, disabling the brakes and
automatic transmission. The car needed
to be towed backwards to prevent further damage and when the mechanic showed
up to bring him to the nearest French car repair shop, he was driving – a
team of mules. The trip ended
well, the Mexican mechanic in his primitive shop completing a successful
repair. Everybody
seems to have a mule story and, also from out east, Pat Workman told me this
one. “As a
teenager, I lived on a farm in the mountains of north Georgia. “We had a HUGE
white mule named ‘Old Eller’ that my uncle got for $5 because nobody could
handle her. “She was
independent and ornery as get-out, pushing the cow out of the way, and ate
all their feed, never wanted to pull the plow. “My
uncle used to say, ‘No consarned mule has ever been cussed as much as
this one.’ “For some
reason she took a shine to me. “Initially I
was pretty frightened of her. She could have squashed me with one big ol’
foot or chomped my arm right off with her long brown teeth. “My uncle was
full of mischief and regularly threatened to throw me up on her back and
leave me there. “Her back was
taller than the top of my head and I was 5’ 6” at the time. “I laid awake
many nights worrying about that. “Finally, I
decided I would pluck up my courage and try to befriend Ol’ Eller. She was a
laughin’ stock and outcast among all the mule owners in the county. “Every day
after school, I would slip down to the fence and hold out an apple for her. I
knew the way to reach her was through her stomach. “At first, I
had to cut the apple and throw it to get her attention. “Finally she
would take them from my hand. There were those big ole teeth again and way
too close to my shakin’ hand. “After weeks
of us getting used to each other, I decided to climb to the top of the fence
and slide one leg across her back. “Boy was that
uncomfortable. I practically had to do the split to sit on her. “She bucked a
little and I hung on to what there was of her mane. “I got pretty
good at stayin’ on her and we rode all over the pasture. Of course, at first
we went where she wanted to go. “My uncle got
the bright idea that, if I could ride her, he could possibly make her plow
his garden. “She was above
listening to the ‘gee haw language’ of most respectable mules but she turned
fairly well if I talked to her in proper English and pulled a little on
either ear- depending on the side she needed to turn. “When my
school bus would come down the road by the pasture, Ol’ Eller would run right
along beside it. “I started
occasionally riding her into town. I never put a bit in her mouth or a bridle
on her neck. She was just too smart for that nonsense. “We didn’t
have to worry about traffic because everyone gave us a wide berth. “She went from
being a local joke to having some respect and appreciation. “When she died
of old age, we brought a backhoe in and buried her in one of our special
meditating spots.” Next week,
finally some pictures of DJ’s new foal and a shocking report on the
booze-fueled riots and outlaw mule races at the Dia de los Mula in Arrena,
Spain. Adios, you
donkeys.
MARATHON –
History Fair students now have a reason to stay after school so they can work
on their projects for the upcoming fair. The seventh
graders interviewed Danielle Gallo, founder of Fronteras Unlimited, this
week. Fronteras
helps the residents of Boquillas, Coah, which has struggled since the
informal border in Big Bend National Park was closed in 2002. Local artisans
in the tiny village across from the Rio Grande Village RV park in Big Bend,
had sold their wares and provided food and cerveza to tourists who took a
tiny rowboat across the river before it was officially closed. The students
have adopted the village as their project for the fair.
By THE PAPER BRIGADE Fifth graders Serena Arenas, Shane
Martin and Oscar Ureste MARATHON –
Pizza anyone? That’s what Marathon
students and teachers have every Thursday for breakfast. Marathon ISD
has been a participant in the School Breakfast Program sponsored by Department
of Agriculture since 2000. The program
began in 1966 and became permanent in 1975. The Breakfast
Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in 78,000 schools
across the country. It operates in
the same manner as the School Lunch Program and is monitored on the state
level by the Food & Nutrition Division of the Texas Department of
Agriculture. As a result,
in Marathon it means every student and the teacher who monitors breakfast is
served a free breakfast. Sixty-seven
breakfasts are served each morning in the classrooms. Chelo Salmon
took over breakfast duties from Betty Wink and is in her third as
supervisor. Gracie Galindo
and Candy Hernandez assist in the preparation. Salmon comes in at 6 a.m. each day and
Galindo follows at 6:45. Hernandez fills in where and when necessary. Large plastic
totes are filled with juice or fruit, milk, placemats, napkins, straws and a
breakfast item for each student such as pizza, a hot pocket or a breakfast
burrito. Salmon must
follow guidelines that set calorie consumption to 544 calories. Each morning
teachers set up the breakfast for their students. By 8:10, the empty totes are set out in the
hallway with the trash and it is all whisked away. Monthly menus
are mailed to parents, and the Marathon News Leader publishes the breakfast
menu weekly. Dennis
O’Higgins, an inspector with the Food & Nutrition Division out of Austin,
paid a visit to the school on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Marathon was one of five in the area to
receive a visit. Marathon ISD
was one of two schools he visited to have a perfect inspection. Chameleons
rack up wins MARATHON – The
Chameleons remained undefeated this week after beating “The Ballers” of
Alpine 38-14 over the weekend. The Chameleons
are the girls youth basketball team who are playing one short while Julia
Ramirez is vacationing in California. High score
went to Krystal Aguilar who had 12 points followed by Libby Hernandez and
Serena Arenas with four points apiece and Micella Grano put two points on the
board. If it seems
the scores don’t add up, that’s because in this league there are no free
throws. If one team fouls, the other team gets a point. The girls will
play a championship game tomorrow, Feb. 24, against The Dominators in the
high school gym in Alpine. Tipoff is at 12:45 p.m. |
