NEWSBRIEFS

Bad jokes never die — they just smellthat way.

— Quips & Quotes

See BRIEFS, Page 4

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLOVOL. 31, No. 52 DECEMBER 23, 2004

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ANTHONY — Mayor Art Franco had aquick answer when asked what his main wishwas for 2005 — completion of the soccerfields and the community center.

“We need recreational activities for kidsbadly,” the six-termmayor of Anthonysays.

Work is alreadyunder way in thearea off FranklinStreet across fromthe park. The soccercomplex eventuallywill have 15 soccerfields of differentsizes for adults aswell as youth. TheAnthony TownCouncil approved

the project first proposed by the Desert RatsSoccer Club.

The mayor is looking for funding for thesoccer complex in the private sector throughpartnering with area business.

Franco has a go-slow policy toward de-velopment of the soccer fields.

He hopes to have some of the fields readyfor use next summer with the remainder be-ing completed over a three-year period. Hesays he wants to be able to build and main-tain the facilities without overtaxing thetown’s resources. He wants to avoid theproblems faced by the county that has beentrying to divest itself of recreational facili-ties it cannot take care of.

Earlier this year the Canutillo IndependentSchool District turned down the county’soffer to take over operation of Gallegos Park.

With a grant of $263,000, the home of thefirst mayor of Anthony is being renovatedand turned into a community and culturalcenter, the mayor says. Located at the cor-ner of Magnolia and Main, the residence wasdonated by Becky Dutro, long-time residentof Anthony. Her husband was the town’s firstpostmaster.

Franco hopes the new community centerwill be ready by February of 2005.

The mayor says economic development iscontinuing. New industry has come into thetown that more than makes up for the finan-cial loss of the Pillsbury/Mountain Pass op-eration, including:

• A shopping center and 36-unit apartmentcomplex on Omar Street

• A proposed 200-unit subdivision on themesa east of town across I-10 with housesin the $65,000 range

• Commercial and residential developmentalong Wildcat Drive/Spur 6. The road, com-pleted last year, connects Franklin near thefreeway and Doniphan. Commercial devel-opment is seen on the southside of the roadand residential homes to the north, Francosays.

Grants are a major factor in the future ofAnthony. More than three-quarters of a

By Don WoodyardCourier Staff Writer

Mayor looks to the futurewhile reviewing town ofAnthony’s progress

Art Franco

See FRANCO, Page 7

SAN ELIZARIO — Piñatas come in allshapes and sizes; some might take the form ofyour favorite cartoon character or superhero.Some, well, someyou have no ideawhat the piñatamaker was going for,but one thing is cer-tain: they all havecandy stuffed insideand kids will do justabout anything to gettheir hands on it.

The Spanish I andII students at SanElizario MiddleSchool decided tohave a little funwhile learning thehistory of piñatasshortly before thewinter break, bymaking their owntraditional piñatas,according to Marisela Grado, a Spanish teacherat the school.

“It took the students about two weeks to dothe project,” Grado said.

By using materials available at any store —

San Eli students find out what’s in a piñata besides candyBy Phillip Cortez

Special to the Courier

VESSEL OF HISTORY — Students in Marisela Grado’s Spanish classdisplay their bright piñatas.

balloons, tissue paper, newspaper, wire and artpaste or flour mixed in warm water calledengrudo — Grado and fellow teacher IgnaciaRobles, guided their students through the pro-cess of making a traditional piñata while help-ing them understand the origin of what theywere making.

For example, many students did not knowthat the piñata’s origin is actually Chinese, notHispanic. According to materials the class

See PINATA, Page 4

AUSTIN — Texas Department of StateHealth Services (DSHS) officials said thisweek they will support the recommended ex-pansion of flu shot priority target groups an-nounced last Friday by the national Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.

The recommendation — which will not beeffective until Jan. 3 — adds people 50 andolder, out-of-home caregivers for the high-risk,and household contacts of those at high risk ofsevere complications should they get the flu.

“The delayed implementation will give thosein the current priority categories who haven’tbeen vaccinated a few more days to find a flushot,” said Texas Commissioner of State HealthServices Eduardo Sanchez. “The supply is still

Texas okays expanding flu shot target groupslimited and may vary from city to city, but thevaccine has become more readily available inrecent weeks. We urge those who have triedand failed to try again.”

Sanchez emphasized that the recommen-dation allows local public health officials tocontinue to follow the more-restrictive rec-ommendation if they believe the vaccinesupply in their specific areas is not suffi-cient to cover the demand from members ofthe current high-risk groups.

The current priority groups are children 6months through 23 months of age, adults 65and older, anyone with underlying chronic

Four die, one faces chargesin alcohol-related car crash

EAST EL PASO COUNTY — Four youngpeople from the East El Paso County commu-nity were killed Monday night and a fifth washospitalized and facing criminal charges fol-lowing a one-vehicle crash.

A spokesman for the El Paso CountySheriff’s Office Special Traffic Investigatorssaid about 10:53 p.m. on Dec. 20 a blue 1998Ford Explorer swerved off the road and strucka tree almost head-on. The vehicle then slid onits side, coming to rest wrapped around anothertree. Four passengers were not wearingseatbelts and were ejected from the Explorer.

The vehicle had five occupants. The driverAbigail DeLeon,18, of Clint, was found in thecar behind the steering wheel, with her seat belton. The SO spokesman said she was conscious

and transported to R. E. Thomason Hospitalwhere, at last report, she was being held forobservation.

Killed in the accident were:• Jennifer Chavez, 18, of Clint.• Christopher Reyes, 19, of Fabens.• Joe Rey Gomez, 20, of Fabens.• Marco Antonio Ortiz,19, of San Elizario.DeLeon faces four counts of manslaughter,

and her bond was set at $80,000. Upon releasefrom the hospital, the SO spokesman said, shewas to be booked into the El Paso CountyDowntown Detention Facility. Alcohol is con-sidered a contributing factor to the accident andthe charges may be upgraded to four counts of

See CRASH, Page 4

See SHOTS, Page 7

Clint chooses EstradaAt a special school board meeting on Dec.19, 2004, the Clint Independent SchoolDistrict Board of Trustees voted to nameRicardo Estrada as superintendent forClint ISD, formalizing his unanimous ap-pointment as interim superintendent dur-ing the regular meeting only days earlier,on Dec. 15. He will take office followinga mandatory 21-day waiting period. For-merly the Deputy Superintendent for thedistrict, Estrada has been with Clint ISDfor 35 years. Beginning as a teacher and acoach in 1969, he moved on to adminis-tration in 1977 as an assistant principal.Since then he has served as principal, bilin-gual coordinator, Director of Bilingual Edu-cation and Special Programs, assistant su-perintendent and deputy superintendent. Hewill fill the post recently vacated by Dr.Donna Smith, who moved to San Antonio.

Gold-rush footstepsFourteen students and three history teach-ers from Slider Middle School will climbaboard a wagon train on Jan. 4 to retrace aportion of the route of a gold-rush adven-turer, William P. Huff, who left behind a300,000-word journal of his gold-seekingtrek from Houston to Fresno, California,about 150 years ago. Students from vari-ous schools along the way from Califor-nia through Texas will make at least a por-tion of the trip — the Slider students willbe replaced by a group of 14 students fromDell City ISD when they reach a campabout eight miles from there. The studentswill have opportunity to harness and drivethe mule teams, as well as experiencecamp life much as it was in the 1800’s.The students’ experiences will ultimatelybe recorded in a hardcover and electronicbook entitled Following the Steps of Will-iam P. Huff.

In other news� The Friends of the Fabens Library —an advocacy group composed of commu-nity members — will host a communitygathering on Dec. 23, 1-3 p.m. at theCounty Library in Fabens. The theme ofthe event, “Be an Angel: Give the Gift ofLiteracy,” promotes literacy and the manyresources that the library offers to theFabens community. The event is open tothe public and will feature entertainmentand refreshments. For information call764-3635.

� The Clardy Fox Branch Library is host-ing a unique international exhibit featur-ing artists from Latin America. The exhibitentitled Encuentros or “Encounters” inEnglish, features a blend of cultural influ-ences from the countries of Mexico,United States, Argentina and Chile.Encuentros is symbolic of the encountersthat reunite the artists, cultures and people

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 2 December 23, 2004

SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

PUBLISHED:Published each Thursday byHomesteader News, Inc. Appreciationto our many contributors. Office openMonday through Thursday.

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2004 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

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ADDRESS:15344 Werling CourtHorizon City, TX 79928

Phone: 852-3235Fax: 852-0123

E-mail: wtxcc@wtccourier.comWebsite: wtccourier.com

PublisherRick Shrum

Business ManagerFrancis D. Shrum

ContributorsDon WoodyardSteve EscajedaArleen Beard

�

Member Texas CommunityNewspaper Association News, Inc.

HomesteaderEst. 1973

nineteenseventythree

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One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

Reyes Reports By U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

With theholidays justaround the

corner, many families are gatheringtogether to celebrate the spirit of theseason.

However, many of our men andwomen in uniform are spending theirholidays far from home defendingAmerica, and many military familieswill be left to celebrate without theirloved ones this year.

As a combat veteran, my heart goesout to these men and women and theirfamilies. I know how hard it is tospend the holidays separated fromboth home and family.

To ease the burden on our service-men and women, the United ServicesOrganization (USO) is continuingtheir tradition of providing a “touchof home” for those stationed over-seas. Just recently, they held a “Care

Happy holidays to thoseboth at home and abroad

Package Stuffing Party” on CapitolHill, offering Members of Congressthe opportunity to help fill thousandsof packages with music, comic booksand phone cards — the most popularitem — that will arrive in Iraq andAfghanistan during the holidays.

Knowing the importance these ac-tions hold for deployed soldiers, andas a founding member and co-chairfor the Congressional USO Caucus,I was proud to help. In fact, I hostedUSO President Ned Powell on myweekly television show, Congress onthe Border, highlighting the carepackages and emphasizing how thoseof us here at home can help the USOand our men and women in uniform.

I have traveled to Iraq and Afghani-stan several times since the start ofcombat operations and know howdedicated and committed our soldiersare to their mission. On one of these

trips, I had the opportunity to meet withthe men and women of Fort Bliss’s31st Combat Support Hospital (CSH)in Balad, who were hard at work pro-viding medical care to Coalition andIraqi forces injured in Fallujah. I’vealso met with Marines from El Pasowho were serving under the 1st Ma-rine Expeditionary Force in Fallujah.It was a privilege to see our men andwomen in action. Even while work-ing in the sweltering heat in the stressof a combat situation, “GI humor” pre-vailed and morale was high.

To our brave servicemembers, Iwish you a safe holiday and a swiftreturn home. We are grateful for yoursacrifice and your service. To ourmilitary families, please know thatyou have my utmost respect, appre-ciation, and support. You are all inmy thoughts and prayers this holidayseason and always.

She said Iwas a traitorfor loving thefiddle morethan the piano.

This beautiful lady teaches my kidspiano, you understand, and her lovefor the piano is lifelong and lovely.The sounds she makes come out ofone are wonderful, almost as won-derful as the fact she can coax somesimilar sounds out of kids’ hands,large and small.

But there is something she doesn’tknow, about the respect and admira-tion I have for her chosen instrument,and for the first person I can remem-ber making one sing.

Fiddles and guitars are portable. Pi-anos are not. Now there are those whowould disagree with me on that score,since pianos now come in a compactvariety of electronic keyboards youcan box up and move like a big suit-case. They’ve got all these little but-tons on them that make it sound like afull-fledged orchestra is backing youup while you play Chopsticks.

One of these electronic inventionscan be pretty handy on occasion, butit’s not a piano, as far as I’m con-cerned. A real piano is big and solidand made of wood. It has all theseintriguing hammers and strings insideand when you open it up, you feel alittle intrusive like you’re peeringinto an artist’s private workshop. Itmakes tones deep and throbbing andhigh and piercing by the manipula-tion of all those intriguing little ham-mers and strings and pedals.

A piano doesn’t qualify as a pianounless it’s heavy enough to hurt yourback if you try to move it by yourself.

I grew up with this sort of aweabout people who had pianos in theirhouses and who could play them.And when the folks gathered to“make music” it was wonderful to doso where a piano was handy.

My aunt is the first person I thinkof when it comes to playing the pi-ano. She sang, too, and her repertoireof country music hits and timelesscowboy ballads was formidable.She’d listen to the radio, pen andnotebook at the ready, and writedown the words to songs by the likesof Hank Williams, Johnny Horton,Charlie Pride, Loretta Lynn andConway Twitty. She had volumes ofspiral notebooks filled with the lyrics.

Then she’d sit at the piano and filla room with her magic. Her voicewasn’t high and lilting, though. It wasthroaty and powerful and sent chillsdown your spine. She had hands likeyou’d expect to see on a horse-woman, strong and gentle at the sametime, and she played the piano theway really good riders handle a goodhorse — she respected it, but she wasin charge. She had long, beautiful fin-gers and she kept her nails clippedstraight across and unpainted.

You see, I was paying attention,because she was one of the mostbeautiful women I have ever seen,and she didn’t have a clue. She wasso talented she was scary, and shedidn’t know that, either. She justplayed for family, friends and for thejoy of it. Though we can’t listen toher play it again, the music she madeis recorded inside all of us who did.

My parents got a piano for mewhen I was in grade school and afterschool I’d get off the bus at anotheraunt’s house and she gave me a fewlessons. But I didn’t stick to it, some-thing I regret to this day. Maybe that’sone of the reasons my two youngesthave become pretty competent on thekeyboard. It’s what many parents do,I guess — encourage our children tosucceed where we feel like we fellshort. I’m glad they like to play andthey sure give their mother consid-erable joy listening to them, just likeI had sitting on the bench beside my

Play it again

beautiful aunt.They say learning music is like

learning a foreign language and is bestdone at an early age. I think that’s true.During my brief period in lessons, Ilearned to play this little song aboutspringtime coming, and not long ago,while no one else was in the house, I

sat down at the keyboard and, amaz-ingly, was able to pick out the tune,one hand at a time, until I could playthe whole thing through again.

There’s something special that apiano seems to share with those whoplay it, an ethereal sort of dignity andgrace gained just by sitting down and

stroking the keys. That is, of course,unless you’re Jerry Lee Lewis, butthere’s a joker in every deck.

No, the beautiful lady who teachesmy kids piano didn’t know how muchI love the piano until now. In fact, itjust might be my favorite musical in-strument — next to the fiddle.

December 23, 2004 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 3

Eye on D.C. By U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla

Elaine Sepulveda, 15, is misseddearly by her family. She wentmissing from Oak Harbor, WA onNov. 6, 2004. Her mother, MaryLoa Jimenez, said the police are

Missing daughter sought

Elaine Sepulveda (Mandi)

treating the case as an abduction/homicide but have not foundSepulveda to date. Jimenez has notgiven up hope.

Jimenez said her family lived inthe El Paso area before moving toWashington. She said, “Elaine hasrelatives in El Paso and she mayhave gone back.” Posters havebeen placed around the county.Sometimes she goes by the name“Mandi.”

Jimenez is asking for help. “Thisis my daughter. I’d do anything toget her back.” If anyone has anyinformation they can call her at(360) 679-3771.

People can also contact the OakHarbor Police Department at (360)679-9567 or National Center forMissing & Exploited Children at(800) 843-5678 (800-THE-LOST).

Elaine Sepulveda Info

DOB: Mar 30, 1989Missing: Nov 6, 2004Height: 4’11" (150 cm)Eyes: BrownRace: White/HispAge Now: 15Sex: FemaleWeight: 115 lbs (52 kg)Hair: BrownAKA: MandiFrom: Oak Harbor, WA

National Center for Missing& Exploited Children1-800-843-5678(1-800-THE-LOST)

Oak Harbor Police Dept.(360) 679-9567

Mother’s Info:Mary Loa Jimenez2107 B Swan DriveOak Harbor, WA 98277(360) 679-3771

It’s not too late to help soldiersabroad this holiday season

The holiday season can be mad-dening. There are so many gifts tobuy, cards to send, lights to hang,homes to decorate, parties to at-tend, and people to see. Just think-ing about it can be a burden. Itseems like since before we evenmarked Halloween off our calen-dars, department stores wanted usin this holiday frenzy.

I think I speak for most Americanswhen I say that over the last fewyears, people have wanted to tonedown the extravagance and do morefor others. Watching our brave sol-diers every night on the news hashelped people pause and recognizethe things for which we are trulygrateful this holiday season.

In most cases, those “things” can’tbe bought in a store, wrapped in abow, or stuffed in a stocking. Peoplewho used to splurge — or even com-pete — when it came to holiday gift-giving, just want to spend time withtheir loved ones.

I’ve heard people say they don’t

Don’t forget the soldiers abroadwant anything for Christmas; theyjust want to spend time with thosewho matter most. Now more thanever this holiday season, people arecounting their blessings — faith,family and friends top the list. Nodoubt about it, also on that list isfreedom.

One of the most important thingswe can do as a country is show strongsupport for our military men andwomen. This holiday season, I urgethose who just want to “do some-thing,” to send gifts to our troopsonline through Operation Santa’s Giftfrom the Homefront.

Just log onto www.aafes.comand click on the camouflage-cladSanta. You can purchase certifi-cates in $10, $20, or $25 denomi-nations accepted at any military ex-change (AAFES, NEX, MCX,Coast Guard Exchange) retail storearound the world, including thosesupporting Operation EnduringFreedom and Operation Iraqi Free-dom. There will be a shippingcharge added depending on thenumber of certificates sent.

One of themany benefitsof this certifi-cate is thatsoldiers willbe able to use it right away. AAFESensures that soldiers will have imme-diate access to merchandise fromhome — like American candy bars— in Iraq. Also, this allows soldiersto buy things when they need them,and not have to worry about the lo-gistics of heavy packages.

Serving your country is a greathonor. However, that doesn’t keepour soldiers from missing family,friends, or America. Receiving giftsand messages of support from backhome is a real boost and a great wayto stay focused on the mission at hand— winning the war for freedom.

Please consider sending a gift to asoldier abroad. Your gift of supportmay be the most touching present asoldier far from home receives thisholiday season.

Thank you.God bless you and God bless

America.

HORIZON CITY — In May of thisyear you elected me as an Aldermanfor the town of Horizon City. I advisedyou that my phone number would beavailable for all the citizens that I rep-resent. That number is 852-8942.

Since being elected I have beenvery busy representing not only you,the citizens, but also our town. I wasable to put together a pharmacy,which will open just after the newyear begins, in Horizon Vista Mall.Three different doctors will be build-ing a doctor’s office complex thatwill eventually have a lab-xrays andthe pharmacy will relocate with thedoctor’s office.

I am also working on a plan to takeover of the former West Texas Air-

port (now Horizon Airport- ny namechange).

I also assisted other businesses toopen here Horizon. I plan to try andbring some factories here also, but thatmay be much more difficult. I am alsoworking on getting motorcycles forour police, since I can get two motor-cycles for the price of one car.

Now, I need your support. Pleaseadvise me as to what businesses youas citizens would most like to havehere in our town. You may send yoursuggestions and comments to:Honorable Jackie Rutledge14999 Darrington RoadHorizon City, TX 79928My email address isjleetexas2004@yahoo.com

Horizon has new opportunities as community grows

Jackie’s Corner By Jackie Rutledge

Archives at www.wtccourier.com

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 4 December 23, 2004

“As we are truly fortunate to enjoy this holidaywith loved ones, let’s remember our men andwomen in uniform — and their families — whosafeguard our freedoms and our country.”

Congressman Silvestre Reyes16TH Congressional District

Paid for by Reyes Congressional Campaign, Ron Pate, Treasurer, 1011 Montana, El Paso, TX 79901

“HappyHolidays

to all!”

852-8700

Horizon City

downloaded from the internet,piñatas were used to celebrate thearrival of spring. During his travelsin Asia, Marco Polo brought this cus-tom to the Spanish, French and Ital-ians. When the Spanish came to thenew world, this custom followed

them, too. In the Catholic culture,piñatas became a part of the Posada.

A variety of colorful piñatas hangfrom the ceiling of Grado’s class-room, the result of hard work by herstudents. These piñatas don’t looklike Scooby Doo or Dora the Ex-plorer, however. These colorful ob-jects are round with seven coned-shaped points that symbolize theseven deadly sins. According toGrado, breaking the piñata with astick (a symbol of love), symbolizesthe destruction of these sins. Theoutpour of candy that falls to theground once the piñata is brokensymbolizes the forgiveness of sinsand a new beginning.

These days, piñatas are used tomark a variety of special occasions,most notably birthdays. Thanks to thisvery interesting activity, these SanElizario students were able to have funwhile learning a little history.

PiñataFrom Page 1______________________

intoxication manslaughter pendingblood alcohol tests, he said.

The Ford was traveling north onsouth Fabens Road at the time ofthe crash. According to one wit-ness, whose name is being with-held, “…Explorer was traveling ata slow rate of speed.” The witnesswas also traveling north on SouthFabens Road and passed the slow-moving Explorer. The witness thenstated, “I suddenly saw the vehiclein my rear view mirror. The Ex-plorer was traveling at a high rateof speed and was almost on my rearbumper. I thought it was going topass my car. The next thing I see

the Explorer is off the road …itstruck a tree.”

The vehicle traveled approxi-mately 300 feet off the road before itcame to rest. The Explorer struck onetree on the right front quarter panel.The impact forced the door to comeoff and it was embedded in the trunkof the tree. The roof of the Explorerwas peeled off before the vehiclecame to rest wrapped around a sec-ond tree. Lacking the restraint ofseatbelts, the four passengers wereejected.

These deaths push the fatalitycount for the El Paso CountySheriff’s Office to 14 compared to thesame number at this time last year.Six out of seven S.T.I. team mem-bers responded to the fatality. Theroad was reopened on Tuesday, Dec.21, 2004 at 5:30 a.m.

HORIZON CITY — HorizonCity’s City Planner Ed Hamlyn pro-posed annexation of almost 600acres into Horizon City with CityCouncil at the regularly scheduledmeeting on Dec. 14.

The annexation would involvefour parcels of property. One of theparcels is known as Desert PalmsUnit 3, which includes around 230acres of land. Another 245 acresbeing considered for annexation arelocated on the southern half of Ho-rizon Blvd. up to Ascencion. Theremainder of the acreage discussedat the meeting, are in two other lo-cations. Plans to follow throughwith the annexation will take placein the near future.

Prior to the beginning of theRegular Agenda, Mayor DianneWhitty announced to members ofthe audience the arrival of a phar-macy in Horizon City.

Advantage Pharmacy will opensometime in January 2005 withplans to expand into a medical clinicin the coming years. Mayor Whitty

By Arleen BeardSpecial to the Courier

Horizon City council considersannexation of additional acreage

thanked City Councilman JackieRutledge for his diligence in pursu-ing the much needed business.

In other business, Becky Potter,Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT) trainer, presented 12community members with certifi-cates, certifying them as the officialCERT for Horizon City. PoliceChief Tony Aguilar expressed hisappreciation to the new team mem-bers for making Horizon City thatmuch more prepared to handle anydisasters that might occur. ChiefAguilar went on to say, Horizon Cityis now more in line with whatHomeland Security is asking citiesto do. “We are always looking forways to make our city safe,” he said.

It was also decided by councilto fill a vacancy left by the lateArt Borst through applications.City Councilmen Keenan Gresethand Taylor accepted the responsi-bility of reviewing applicationsfor people who are interested infilling Place 3.

In another agenda item, councilapproved the purchase of only onepolice car as opposed to the two carsChief Aguilar was seeking, due tobudget constraints.

CrashFrom Page 1______________________

of these diverse corners of theearth through artistic expressions.The exhibit is free and open to thepublic. For more information callMartha Toscano at the Clardy FoxLibrary at (915) 779-2400 or visithttp://www.elpasolibrary.org.

� The U.S. Department of Hous-ing and Urban Development(HUD) has awarded over$118,000 in federal funding toarea public housing authorities forHUD’s Family Self Sufficiency(FSS) program, CongressmanSilvestre Reyes has announced.This funding will pay the salariesof FSS program coordinators andFSS homeownership coordina-tors.• $81,422 to the Housing Author-ity of the City of El Paso• $36,875 to the Housing Author-

ity of the City of Anthony“HUD’s investment in El Paso isa good example of the federalgovernment working with localcommunities not only to addressshort-term housing needs, but tohelp families achieve self-suffi-ciency and move tohomeownership,” said Reyes.

� The Friends of the MemorialPark Library invite everyone tovisit one of El Paso’s hidden trea-surers. Memorial Park Library isoffering a free basic skills com-puter literacy course startingThursday, Jan. 6 through Thurs-day, Jan. 20 from 1-3 p.m. Seat-ing is limited so register early.Also, the Memorial Park Friendshave a book discussion group thatmeets the fourth Saturday of ev-ery month from noon to 1:30 p.m.On Jan. 22 the group will discussRimfire by Tom Diamond. TheLibrary is located at 3200 Cop-per. For more information call566-1034.

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

CANUTILLO — Joan Gil, tech-nology lead teacher for DavenportElementary School in Canutillo In-d e p e n d e n tSchool District,participated re-cently in theTexasEdTech: APrivate Viewingfor the TexasLegislature inAustin. Thisevent was anexhibit hall fullof educationalt e c h n o l o g yproducts for the exclusive viewing ofthe governmental leadership ofTexas.

The Texas EdTech Expo was spon-sored by the eLearning Initiative, anadvisory committee on educationaltechnology issues headed by Repre-sentative Kent Grusendorf, HouseCommittee on Public Education.More than 400 people, includingTexas legislators, their staffs and theGovernors and Lt. Governor’s staffsattended the event.

“This expo was organized at therequest of Rep. Grusendorf so thatattendees could learn about the tech-

By Alfredo VasquezSpecial to the Courier

Canutillo ISD teacher participates in tech expo for legislaturenology and products available toTexas schools,” stated Gil.

Following the EdTech expo, theHouse Committee on Public Educa-tion members held a meeting for pub-lic testimony. Gil said that she testi-fied for continued funding of tech-nology in education.

Gil is also among a select groupof technology teachers from acrossthe state that has been invited toshare lesson plans, student

projects, and assessment rubricsduring a full day workshop, Tues-day, Feb. 8, in Austin. This eventwill precede the Texas ComputerEducation Association (TCEA)annual conference.

About 100 exemplary technologyapplication teachers will present theirbest practices for integrating technol-ogy application TEKS (Texas Essen-tial Knowledge and Skills) into thecore content areas.

Joan Gil

December 23, 2004 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 5

Paid for and authorized by Texans for Henry Bonilla, Jill DeYoung, Treasurer

TORNILLO — Instead of justwatching the train pass by on its usualcourse through Tornillo, studentsfrom Tornillo Intermediate Schoolboarded it for a ride to Los Angeleslast week during a four-day field tripsponsored by the district.

Students in 4th and 5th grade whomet academic, behavioral and atten-dance requirements were eligible toattend the trip, which lasted fromTuesday, Dec. 7 to Friday, Dec. 10.A total of 33 students took advantageof this opportunity along with 12 dis-trict sponsors, including the superin-tendent and two school board mem-bers. Three parents also chaperonedthe event.

The voyage began when the groupboarded the Amtrak train at the

By Rudy BarredaSpecial to the Courier

It’s a fast train to LA for these Tornillo studentstime. “The ex-pressions on thechildren’s faceswere that of totaldisbelief,” saidEstella Pacheco,another districtemployee and tripsponsor. It wasthen on to Farm-ers’ Market,Grauman’s Chi-nese Theater andthe Kodak Center.On the way toGrauman’s, stu-dents were able toview the famousHollywood sign,as well as pass bya Lamburguinishowroom. As anadded bonus, students actually sawa Lamburguini drive right past thetour bus.

The last leg of the trip commencedat Union Station in LA, where stu-dents boarded the train back to Al-buquerque. From there, the groupwas picked up by a district school busfor the final stretch back to Tornillo.

Students and adults alike were ex-cited and pleased with the trip. More

importantly, the learning experiencesand human interactions that occurredduring the trip made an impact on thechildren that will last for the rest oftheir lives. “I saw lots of bonding thatoccurred between the teachers andstudents,” said TISD SuperintendentPaul Vranish.

What the students gained on thistrip goes far beyond the usual “pen-cil and paper” learning. The district

A RIDE ON THE FAST-TRACK —Students and sponsors from Tornillo Intermediate Schoolre-board the Amtrak train at the Tucson, AZ station.

plans to sponsor two more trips thisyear, which 7th and 8th grade eligiblestudents may attend as well as 5th and6th graders. In subsequent years, thedistrict plans to offer one trip per yearto eligible 5th graders. “My studentsgot to experience things they neverwould have before,” said Cammon.“This is a great opportunity for ourkids that I hope this will continue formany years to come.”

Union Depot in downtown El PasoTuesday evening. After almost 20hours on the train, the group finallyarrived in Los Angeles Wednesdayevening, at where a tour bus tookthem to Long Beach for their over-night stay. Early Thursday morning,a whirlwind tour of the LA area be-gan, with the first stop being theQueen Mary and a Russian subma-rine, the Scorpion.

“The boys really enjoyed seeingthe ship and the submarine,” saidCrystal Cammon, a 6th grade teacherwho was one of the sponsors on thetrip. Next, the tour bus passed by theLong Beach port, where studentswere able to view the thousands offreight cars that are loaded ontotrains, some of which pass throughTornillo everyday.

The next stop was Venice Beach,where many of the students experi-enced the ocean for the very first

The Socorro NJROTC ended a fooddrive on Dec. 17 with a donationof 250 pounds of food, which weredelivered to the West Texas FoodBank just in time for the Christmasdinner food items to help providea holiday feast for the area’s needy.As a continuing communityproject, the cadets will volunteertheir time for the remainder of theschool year to help the FoodBank’s staff of four sorting, orga-nizing, and packaging donatedfood items. The cadets pictured inthe attached photograph areAndres Salas (in the white hat) andMario Saldana (in the black hat).

— Contributed by GerryMangrum

Socorro NJROTC unit helps makesure the cubbard is not bare

EL PASO — The Main Library,in downtown El Paso, will closeto the public temporarily startingThursday, Dec. 24, 2004. That fa-cility is currently undergoing anexpansion and renovation providedfor by the Quality of Life bond is-sue passed overwhelmingly byvoters in 2000. The Library por-tion of the Cleveland Squareproject, which also includes theHistory Museum, is scheduled tobe completed in November of2005.

During the temporary closure,crews will continue work on thenew portion of the facility, whichwill add approximately 45,000square feet to the existing build-ing. They will also begin the reno-vation of the existing portion. Thetwo edifices will soon be conjoinedbringing the total space of the Mainlibrary to 110,000 square feet.

The expanded and renovated fa-cility will have a new 250-seat au-ditorium, a 50-station computer lab

Main library to close for constructionand classroom, a larger children’sarea and a teen area called “TeenTown”.

It will also house an expandedcollection of books and resourcesfor loan.

Library officials expect to re-sume limited service at Main li-brary in April 2005 but that is sub-ject to change depending on theprogress of the construction crews.They will also add hours to otherbranches starting in late January tocompensate for the closure.

Staff from the Main Library willbe transferred to the branches tobetter serve the public. Main Li-brary programs and classes will bepre-empted during this period. Allother El Paso Public Library facili-ties as well as the bookmobile willremain open to serve the commu-nity. The public is encouraged tocall or visit their local branch li-brary or visit “http://www.elpasolibrary.org”.

— Contributed by Jack Galindo

These Library facilities will remain open

Armijo .................................... 620 . 7th (Downtown) ................................... 533-1333Cielo Vista ............................. 8929 Viscount (Eastridge) ............................ 591-6812Clardy Fox ............................. 5515 Robert Alva (South Central) ................ 772-0105Literacy Center ...................... 5515 Robert Alva (South Central) ................ 779-2400Dorris Van Doren ................... 551 Redd Road (Westside) .......................... 875-0700Irving Schwartz ...................... 1865 Dean Martin (Far Eastside) ................. 857-0594Lower Valley .......................... 7915 San Jose (Lower Eastside) ................. 591-3391Memorial Park ....................... 3200 Copper (North Central) ........................ 566-1034Northwest Community ........... 6701 South Desert Rd. (far West) ................ 831-8840Richard Burges ...................... 9600 Dyer (Northeast) .................................. 759-2400Westside ................................ 125 Belvidere (Westside) ............................. 581-2024Ysleta ..................................... 9321 Alameda (Lower Eastside) .................. 858-0905

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 6 December 23, 2004

King Super Crossword

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

I WITNESSACROSS

1 Cheryl of“Charlie’s Angels” 5 _ ghanouj 9 “Sister _” (’92 film) 12 Rodeo ropes 18 “America’s MostWanted” info 20 Panache 21 Chase away gray 22 Changes 23 Start of a remarkby Gene Perret 26 Rice dish 27 Tangle 28 Quahog, e.g. 29 Consumed a knish 31 Cart 32 Altar oath 34 Hair ball? 36 “The _ Is High”(’80 hit) 38 Hazard 42 Part 2 of remark 47 Bete noire 48 Reserved 50 Mideast gulf 51 Supp. 52 Way in 55 Lend a hand 56 Noah’s eldest 57 Cornmealconcoction 58 Part 3 of remark 62 Surround 63 West ender? 64 Greene of

“Bonanza” 65 Author LeShan 66 Picturesque 68 _ shui 69 Switchboard abbr. 70 Irish island group 71 Asian island 73 Joanne of “RedRiver” 74 Cavalry weapon 76 Spare part? 79 French dynast 80 Part 4 of remark 83 _ of passage 84 University ordeal 86 Family vehicle 87 A hole near thesole 88 Sten relative 89 Profess 90 Walked off with 93 Pickable 94 Part 5 of remark 97 Act like a mirror100 Dweeb101 Empower102 Dernier _103 Bear’s advice105 Puppy bark107 Role for Liz111 Stout115 Reach117 End of remark121 Hispanic122 Cover the cake123 The _ Brothers124 Lofty spaces125 Exchanged

126 Getz’s instrument127 Sammy or Stubby128 No sweat

DOWN 1 Chou En- _ 2 Charity 3 AnthropologistFossey 4 Arp’s art 5 Role for a rat 6 Baldwin of“Malice” 7 Cry like a baby 8 Novelist Seton 9 “Tobacco Road”character 10 Nosy guy? 11 Try out 12 Drink like adachshund 13 ’92 Disney film 14 Audiophile’sequipment 15 Ward of “Sisters” 16 French airport 17 Govt. agency 19 Printer’s stroke 24 Robert of“Rhapsody in Blue” 25 Fireplace fragment 30 Practice piece 33 Vintage 35 Manipulate 37 Bookkeeping entry 38 Dad-to-be, often 39 Like MachuPicchu

40 Rock hound? 41 Find out 42 DesignerGernreich 43 Cowardly LionBert 44 Mother Judd 45 Jerkin 46 Draft animals 47 Movie piglet 49 Boxer Tyson 53 Taciturn 54 Teatime treat 56 Where the gullsare 57 Quaker colonist 59 As a result 60 Link 61 Banned pesticide 62 Cordial 66 “The Thief ofBagdad” star 67 Minos’ realm 68 Manumit 69 Misjudge 71 Feltlike fabric 72 Eye-related 73 Singer Shannon 74 Ginger cookie 75 One of theYokums 76 Antique 77 Like a lummox 78 _ the bullet 79 Muck 80 Dupe 81 Roman poet 82 Present

84 Mind _ matter 85 Actor McDowall 89 “Sweet _” (1903song) 90 Heifer or hen 91 Good speller? 92 Cal. page 95 Like mother-of-pearl, often 96 Llama kin 98 Starting at 99 Neighbor of Niger103 Christmas-treetopper104 Singer James106 Mascagni opera108 Plumbing problem109 “Cope Book” aunt110 Heed112 Punta del _113 Blood components114 “_ Coming” (’69song)115 Cockpit fig.116 Head motion118 John Ritter’s dad119 Language suffix120 Weldon or Wray

Answer Page 7

I’ve been attending UTEP-New MexicoState basketball games since I was just a littlereporter and you could always count on onething — every game was a knockdown-dragoutaffair no matter who was favored or where thegame was played.

Through the years, the Miners have had spec-tacular top-25 teams that had oodles of trouble

in their games with the Aggies.The Aggies have had teams advance to the

final four and yet struggled mightily in theirregular season tussles against the Miners.

And that was in front of the fortunate fewthat witnessed the games. You’ve always hadto go to the ticket counter early if you wantedto attend the contests because both games ev-ery year, in El Paso or Las Cruces, were auto-matic sellouts.

The games are always played in December— so toss in the holiday season and you had a

festive, yet highly competitive, evening.All that being said, the Miners and Aggies

just finished their home-and-home series for2004 and both games were about as excitingas any insurance seminar.

And I don’t mean any disrespect to those whorun insurance seminars.

UTEP is about where it should be in theyoung season but NMSU is just a shell ofwhat it used to be. And though I’m a hugeUTEP fan, I must admit that I miss a highlycompetitive NMSU team.

You couldn’t help butfeel that something wasmissing last week when theMiners swept the Aggies,and with very little trouble,I might add.

The magic just wasn’tthere for the annual affairsand that’s a shame.

The Miners are just startingto hit their stride right now.

Fili Rivera is back fromhis injury and leading theteam the way he did last sea-son. John Tofi is beginningto recover from his surger-ies and is moving better. Ja-son Williams, Omar Tho-mas and Gio St. Amant arebusy doing their thing.

The Miners are startingto get used to each otherwith just a handful ofgames left before WACplay begins on New Year’sDay at Boise State.

The Aggies, who defi-nitely have some talent,look lost and don’t seem tobe on the same page.

The loss of head coachLou Henson doesn’t helpthings for the Aggies.Picked to finish in lastplace in the West Divisionof the Sun Belt Conferenceby the coaches, the Aggiesare certainly doing nothingto prove those coacheswrong — yet.

Henson, though currentlyconfined to a wheelchair, isscheduled to join his teamon the bench after the first

of the year and that has got to help.Players can watch him return from the ail-

ments he’s suffered over the last two years andhopefully draw some inspiration from that.

If they don’t, the Aggies are going to betreated as rudely in their Sun Belt Conferenceseason as the Miners treated them last week.

Good job, Miners, for sweeping the NewMexico State Aggies. I still feel cheated as afan that UTEP wasn’t able to play the Aggiesat their best.

Hey, maybe next year’s game will be morelike those of the past — with the Miners stillwinning, of course.

Suns on fireWhen the NBA season started this season

all the talk surrounded Shaq and his new team(Miami Heat), Kobe taking over the reins ofthe Lakers and whether or not the Pistons couldrepeat.

Very quietly, under the radar screen, there’s ateam out west that is begin to steal the thunder.

And that team, amazingly, is the PhoenixSuns.

Can anyone out there explain to me what isgoing on with this team? Talk about not seeingthis one coming.

The perennial middle-of-the-road basketballteam is the biggest surprise of the young NBAseason and off to a 22-3 start.

And the Suns aren’t just doing it at homeagainst the weaker teams of the league.

Phoenix already owns 11 road wins againstonly one loss.

You might recognize three of the names lead-ing the team — Shawn Marion, QuentinRichardson and Amare Stoudemire. But every-thing on this Earth that moves with any kindof velocity needs a catalyst of some kind.

The Suns found their catalyst in point guardSteve Nash. Nash seems to be the final pieceof the Sun’s winning puzzle. And this teamreminds me a lot of Nash’s old team, the Dal-las Mavericks — only faster!

The Suns are the NBA’s version of NolanRichardson’s old “40-minutes of hell” teamsat Arkansas.

I know the NBA season isn’t even a third ofthe way done yet and it’s still to be determinedwhether they can keep up this frantic pace forthe whole season — but keep your eye on thePhoenix Suns.

After the infamous basketbrawl game,they’re a pleasant surprise in what has to beone of the darkest NBA seasons ever.

Battle of I-10 turns into lopsided skirmish

December 23, 2004 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 7

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

Classified Ads

By Don FloodI saw recently that Bill Gates

gets 4 million e-mails a day.In others words, about half what

I get during a single trip to the cof-fee machine.

Not that I mind opening 8 mil-lion e-mails. It’s just difficult tocompose 8 million thoughtful re-plies. (OK, maybe a few get de-leted.)

The ones I most enjoy are frompeople who understand that mygreatest joy in life — really myonly reason for existence — is toserve them.

These messages are usuallysomething like, “I need some in-formation about my great uncle,who may have lived there brieflyin 1948. Did you have anythingabout him in your newspaper?”

Sure, no problem. In fact, study-ing your great uncle’s life has be-come a special passion of mine,ever since I learned he was the firstman to develop a semaphore sig-naling system using only his ears.

OK, I’ll stop ranting — well,maybe — but it’s amazing to thinkthat just a few years ago there wasa movie called “You’ve Got Mail,”which was about a woman who gotexcited whenever AOL told her shehad e-mail.

But now on to the reason we’reall gathered here today: the annualPublic Relations Coup of the YearAward.

As many of you realize, this yearhas included two of the biggest PRcoups in the history of WesternCivilization.

In the first, Janet Jackson wasable to parlay a minor wardrobemalfunction — which few peopleactually saw — into 148 billiondollars’ worth of free publicity.

In most years, Jackson’s stuntwould have won hands down, but

ABC followed with the GreatLocker Room Meltdown of 2004.

In this promo for “DesperateHousewives,” NicoletteSheridan… well, everybodyknows what happened after that —especially since it received morecoverage than the presidential elec-tion.

Soon as it hit the airwaves, con-troversy erupted. Outraged fans de-manded to know: How come TeriHatcher wasn’t naked too?

But, yes, some people reallywere upset, and ABC realized ithad to go into Crisis Mode, whichmeans: Issue an apology so themedia have a second-day story toreport.

“We have heard from many ofour viewers about last night’s MNFopening segment, and we agreethat the placement was inappropri-ate,” ABC Sports said in a state-ment as the network’s PR teamlaughed hysterically and ex-changed high fives.

OK, I made up the part in ital-ics, but I think that pretty well de-scribes their mood. The only thingthe PR guys found “inappropriate”was the camera angle that onlyshowed Sheridan’s back.

And the talking heads ate it up.They’d show the spot and moanabout how deplorable it was.Sometimes they’d run it again, justin case one person in America hadsomehow missed the trashy spec-tacle.

(Unfortunately, since this isprint, I’ll have to ask you to replaythe promo in your mind. Sorry.)

But I don’t think anyone did,which is why it’s the PR Coup ofthe Year.

Anyone who disagrees can dropme an e-mail.______________________________________________________(c) 2004 King Features Synd., Inc.

ABC scores with promo of the year

LEGAL

SOCORROINDEPENDENT

SCHOOLDISTRICT

Invitation toBid/Respond:

Sealed bids/pro-posals/CSP to fur-nish the District withthe following prod-ucts and/or ser-vices will be ac-cepted at the fol-lowing times:

MONDAY,JAN. 17, 2005

3 P.M.

DISTRICT WIDEINTERCON-NECTIONUPGRADECSP NO.

199-0117-0579

Proposals will bereceived at Busi-ness ServicesDept., 12300Eastlake Drive, ElPaso, Texas 79928until the specifiedtimes. Detailedspecifications are

available from theabove office be-tween 8 a.m. and 4p.m. Mondaysthrough Fridays.

NOTE: The DistrictOffice will be closedduring Dec. 20,2004 to Jan. 3,2005. Voicemail, in-quiries, faxes, etc.will not be checkedas regularly. TheDistrict will attemptto be as responsiveas possible duringthis time.WTCC-12/23/04________________________

PUBLICNOTICE

As per Article V,Sec. 5.05(a), allowners andlienholders haveten (10) days fromthis date to reclaimtheir vehicles atS o u t h w e s tWrecker, 1401Darrington Rd.,855-1900, 851-2091-fax, or it willbe sold at publicauction for charges:VIN -

IFMCUI4TOJUB89380,1988 Ford BroncoSUV, green, Texaslicense K32-LSFVIN -IFTCFI5N4GKA62408,1986 Ford F-150,red, New Mexico li-cense GBF IIIWTCC-12/23/04________________________

HELPWANTED

AVONCalling - Buy, Sell,

Free SkincareConsultation, Free

Wrapping!Servicing anyarea! Hablo

espanol727-3626

12/30________________________

BARGAINS

D R A S T I C A L LYREDUCED Collect-ible car/trucks. Col-lectible porcelainChristmas Villagehouses, $11.99.Unique Christmasgift/decor, 99¢ to$9.99. Full service.No traffic jams,

easy parking. Spe-cial orders wel-come. Ryan Sup-ply/Ace Hardware,117 North FabensSt., 20 minutes eastof El Paso off I-10.Open 7 days. 764-2239 for hours/di-rections.12/23________________________

REALESTATE

V A L L E YR A N C H I T O S ,Socorro, Clint,Fabens, Tornillo.Adobe Homes: fourbedroom, 3/4 acre;three bedroom, 1acre. APODACALAND CO., 859-5472. Commercialland.1/6________________________

RENTALS

F a i r w a yTownhouse, Hori-zon City, view 18thhole, EmeraldSprings. Two bed-room, two bath,available. 755-

1730, 494-3054.TFN________________________

SERVICES

“Windshield Ding—

Gimme a Ring”JIFFY GLASS

REPAIRWindshield Repair

SpecialistsBy appt. at yourhome or office:

(No repairs withinHorizon City)

R.V. DickHarshberger

915-852-9082________________________

BERT’S

AUTOMOTIVEREPAIR

Domestic andForeign

852-35231558 Oxbow,Horizon City

________________________

HORIZON CITYPLUMBING852-1079

•Electric rooterservice for sewers

and drains•Applianceinstallation

•Many otherplumbing servicesLicensed, bonded

and insured foryour protection.

________________________

million dollars for quality of life is-sues is either pending or in hand. Inaddition to the community centerfunding:

• $250,000 is pending for upgrad-ing water and sewer service

• $218,000 for home rehabilitation• $23,000 for town cleanup

• $10,000 in a U.S. Forest Servicegrant to plant trees in private areas.

The Anthony Police Departmenthas had controversy and problemsin the past, but not any more.

“There is progress in the (reorga-nized) police department. I don’tworry about them anymore,” Francosays.

Police Chief Ed Miranda is work-ing on having an SRO (School Re-source Officer) in Anthony HighSchool in the near future.

FrancoFrom Page 1______________________

medical conditions, women whowill be pregnant during flu season,residents of nursing homes andother long-term care facilities, chil-dren 6 months through 18 years onchronic aspirin therapy, medicalcare workers providing direct pa-tient care and caregivers and house-hold contacts of children under 6months old.

DSHS is asking its regional of-fices and local public health de-partments to continue to serve asinformation clearinghouses tomatch up doctors and other pro-

viders who have the vaccine withthose who need it. Doctors andother providers who have or needthe vaccine should contact one ofthose offices.

People wanting to get a flu shotshould — in order — contact theirdoctor, call the 2-1-1 informationservice and call their local publichealth department or nearest DSHSregional office.

Officials say it is not too late toget a flu shot. Flu season officiallyruns from October through May. InTexas, the heavy part of flu seasontypically occurs in late December,January and February.

It takes about two weeks after get-ting the flu shot for the vaccine tooffer maximum protection.

ShotsFrom Page 1______________________

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 8 December 23, 2004

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

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To find a Cub Cadet retailer near you, visit www.cubcadet.com, or call 1-877-CUB-TOUGH.

Q: I started getting Social Securitydisability benefits just over a yearago. I have just received a notice thatmy eligibility for benefits is beingreviewed. What does this mean?

A: All Social Security disability ben-eficiaries must have their eligibilitystatus reviewed periodically to de-termine if they still meet the legaldefinition of disability. Claims arereviewed either annually, once everythree years or once every sevenyears, depending on the severity of

the disability.

Q: I recently suffered a heart attackwhile at work. I have applied for bothSocial Security disability benefits andworker’s compensation. Can I re-ceive both?

A: You are potentially due both ben-efits. However, regulations stipulatethat the combination of your SocialSecurity disability benefits and yourworker’s compensation paymentscannot exceed 80 percent of your

average salary before you becomedisabled. If the combined benefitpayments exceed that amount, thenone or the other of your benefits willbe offset or reduced, depending onwhich state you live in. You shouldcontact your local Social Securityoffice if you think you would be af-fected.

Q: I have been a federal employeefor most of my working life and willget a pension from the civil serviceretirement system when I retire. ButI also worked a little less than 10years at jobs that were covered bySocial Security, and earned 38 quar-

ters of coverage. I was told that itwould not be worth it to get a job andearn the two quarters I need to beeligible for Social Security becausemy government pension totally off-sets any Social Security I would bedue. Is this true?

A: No, it is not true. Your civil ser-vice retirement pension will reducethe amount of Social Security youwill be due, but it will not “totallyoffset” it. In other words, if you are“insured” for Social Security pur-poses, meaning that you have at least40 credits, you will get a small So-cial Security benefit; your benefits

will be figured under a modified for-mula. But if you have only 38 cred-its, you will not be eligible for anySocial Security retirement benefit.For more information regarding themodified formula, you can read the“Windfall Elimination Provision”pamphlet.______________________________________________________For more information visit your lo-cal Security office, see www.ssa.govor call us at 1-800-772-1213. If youhave any questions that you wouldlike to have answered, please mailthem to the Social Security Office,11111 Gateway West, Attn: Ray Vigil,El Paso, Texas 79935.

THURSDAY

Breezy and coldwith a touch of rain

or snow.

39°� �

THUR. NIGHT

Very cold with afew snow showers.

FRIDAY

Remaining coldwith clouds givingway to some sun.

37°� 23°�

SATURDAY

Plenty of sunshinewith a mildafternoon.

50°� 24°�

SUNDAY

Abundant sunshineand mild.

56°� 29°�

MONDAY

Becoming cloudywith a couple of

showers possible.

59°� 29°�

TUESDAY

Limited sunshinewith the chance of

a shower.

51°� 26°�

WEDNESDAY

A mixture of cloudsand sun; cooler.

48°� 23°�

WEATHER AccuWeather.com

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO

TEXAS WEATHER TRAVELERS CITIESUV INDEX

REAL FEEL TEMP®

AGRICULTURE

Statistics for noon.

Thursday ............ 2 ..............MinimalFriday ................ 3 ....................LowSaturday ............ 4 ....................LowSunday .............. 4 ....................LowMonday .............. 2 ..............MinimalTuesday .............. 2 ..............MinimalWednesday ........ 3 ....................Low

The higher the UV Index, the greaterthe need for eye and skin protection.

Albuquerque 31/15/sf 35/22/s 44/24/s 48/26/s 48/25/sAtlanta 48/26/pc 42/18/pc 36/20/pc 42/28/s 50/33/sAtlantic City 56/39/r 41/20/pc 35/17/c 37/21/s 42/28/sAustin/San Antonio 46/22/pc 39/20/pc 54/28/s 57/35/s 63/41/cBaltimore 54/36/r 41/22/pc 31/16/pc 36/23/s 43/30/sBoston 50/41/r 44/26/sh 30/23/c 33/26/pc 39/33/cChicago 16/2/sf 6/-2/pc 14/12/s 28/26/pc 35/25/cDallas/Ft. Worth 34/19/pc 37/22/pc 46/30/s 56/36/pc 58/41/sDenver 9/0/sf 40/18/pc 48/25/pc 53/25/s 46/15/pcFlagstaff 27/8/pc 40/16/s 48/18/s 49/18/s 44/10/sHouston 44/26/pc 39/24/sn 48/30/pc 58/42/s 66/48/sKansas City 16/-3/pc 16/4/pc 32/20/s 42/29/c 44/26/cLas Vegas 52/32/s 55/35/s 58/37/s 60/37/s 58/32/pcMiami 83/67/t 79/61/sh 73/48/r 69/56/pc 73/56/pcMinneapolis -1/-8/pc 3/-1/pc 18/15/sf 32/18/c 24/8/cNew Orleans 48/28/c 38/23/sn 42/29/pc 51/37/s 58/43/sNew York City 53/38/r 42/26/pc 30/19/c 37/30/c 39/36/cPhiladelphia 57/38/r 42/24/pc 29/20/c 35/25/s 41/33/sPhoenix 56/36/s 60/38/s 67/44/s 69/44/s 68/37/pcPortland 46/34/pc 46/38/pc 48/40/r 44/28/sh 44/32/pcSan Francisco 63/44/s 59/46/s 57/46/s 56/45/pc 57/34/shSeattle 46/36/pc 44/38/c 46/36/r 40/28/sh 39/26/cTucson 52/27/s 54/30/s 62/36/s 66/36/s 66/34/pcWashington, DC 56/35/r 41/25/pc 32/20/pc 36/25/s 45/35/s

City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/WThur. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon.

An upper-level disturbance will cause plenty of clouds to cover the region Thursday with a touch of rain or snow dampening the area;snowfall accumulation will be light as rainfall averages 0.05-0.15 of an inch. Winds will blow from the east-southeast at 12-25 mph.Temperatures will be several degrees below normal Thursday and Friday. Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,

r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

Thursday .................................... 16°Friday .......................................... 24°Saturday ...................................... 38°Sunday ........................................ 43°Monday ........................................ 48°Tuesday ...................................... 46°Wednesday ................................ 42°

The exclusive AccuWeather composite index ofeffective temperature based on eight weatherfactors.

Shown is Thursday’sweather.Temperatures areThursday’s highs andThursday night’s lows.

All forecasts and maps provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2004

Anthony 39 21

Canutillo 40 21

Fabens 34 18

Clint 34 18

E. Montana 38 19

Socorro 37 18

Horizon 38 20

San Elizario 35 17

Tornillo 34 18

Vinton 40 21El Paso39/19

Santa Fe25/8

Albuquerque31/15

Alamogordo37/14

Las Cruces40/22

Deming41/19 Carlsbad

27/15

Amarillo14/8

Lubbock26/11

Alpine33/15

Odessa24/13

Lajitas46/22

Ruidoso23/10

Cloudcroft22/5

CiudadJuárez37/17

19°

Mexico