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

NEWSBRIEFS

No one can grow by allowing others tomake their decisions.

— Quips and Quotes

DECEMBER 13, 2001VOL. 28, No. 50

Enviro info availableWant to know more about El PasoCounty’s environmental status? A newwebsite which debuted Dec. 4, gives de-tailed information about this sixth mostpopulated county in Texas including:• Our projected water use will increase by36 percent by 2020• We rank seventh in the state in theamount of hazardous waste we generate• We rank fifth in the number of statesuperfund sites• We also rank seventh in the number ofleaking underground storage tanksThe site, found at www.texasep.org, is pro-duced by the Texas Environmental Pro-files to provide a resource for anyone in-terested in important everyday informa-tion such as local air pollution levels,which is updated hourly, according toMolly Stevens of Environmental DefenseTexas. In addition to the provision of en-vironmental information — air and waterquality, land use, wildlife and more — thesite also allows visitors to enter discussionforums, report local pollution problems,volunteer in their communities, contactelected officials and obtain access to pub-lic records.

Stranger dangerThe students of Escontrias Early Child-hood Center in the Socorro school districtwill be given much-needed informationduring a program to be presented Dec. 13-14 in each classroom by law enforcementofficers including Socorro City MarshalJoe Ramirez. Entitled “Stranger Danger,”all 450 students will learn what to do whenapproached by strangers, according toCounselor Mary Harder.

No dog voodooThe Clint police department said a dog-kill-ing incident in Clint on Nov. 25 did not haveany relation to Satanic rituals as hinted bysubsequent El Paso media reports. It wasrelated, however, to agriculture economics.Officials said the dogs were killed by theowner of the property on whose fence theywere found hanging because the owner hadalready suffered some $2,500 loss due toloose dogs killing his pigs.

In other news■ The El Paso City-County Nutrition Pro-gram, which has locations in Canutillo,Clint, Fabens, Montana Vista, San Elizarioand Socorro as well as numerous centersin the city of El Paso, has announced theirholiday closure dates. Nutrition ProgramDirector Rafael Reyes said the centers willclose on Dec. 24, 25 and 31 in 2001 andJan. 1 of 2002. He said the Centers willresume their regular schedules on Jan. 2.

■ The Alta Vista Club, assisted by Mr.and Mrs. Joe Alvarado, Chuy Alvaradoand the West Texas Council on Alcoholand Drug Abuse, provided some 22 mi-grant families residing in the Clint areawith a complete turkey dinner on Thanks-giving. The Clint High School StudentCouncil and the National Honor Society

See BRIEFS, Page 8

CANUTILLO — Yesterday, today and tomor-row came together last Friday as the CanutilloISD held an open house to showcase its new cen-tral administration building and mark the “be-ginning of a new era”for the district.

The spacious ad-ministrative complex,formerly the Saharasportswear building at7965 Artcraft Road,that consolidates vari-ous support servicesunder one roof. Dis-trict offices were pre-viously located onBosque Road and laterin the old CanutilloElementary School.

“This is a new era ofacademic achieve-ment and facilitiesplanning,” saysAlfredo Vasquez,Canutillo ISD’s public

Canutillo ISD marks ‘beginning of new era’By Don Woodyard�Courier Staff Writer

— Photo by Alfredo Vasquez

CUT THE RIBBON — Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees do the honors. Shown from leftLinda Samples, Yvonne S. Sanchez, Mago Arellano, Joe Villarreal, Jose H. Damian, LaureSearls, Superintendent Charles Hart, and Carl Frietze.

information officer. He points out that the dis-trict enters the new era with “lots of firsts” —a new building with a new boardroom, a Rec-ognized School District and also with the state’sSuperintendent of the Year, Charles Hart.

Hart’s honor was marked in a CongressionalRecord entry from the office of U.S. Rep.Silvestre Reyes and a state legislative resolu-

tion from Rep. Joe Pickett.Pickett said he can now go around and brag

about Hart whom he said was referred to asthe “Hart of Canutillo,” in a play on words. Hetold the 150 gathered for the event not to besilent, not to be afraid to proclaim the district’sachievement. Along the line of not being quiet,he jokingly suggested the board might pull the

fire alarm located di-rectly behind theboard members’ seats.

Pickett pointed outhe had two copies ofthe state resolution.One is for the districtand the other is forHart to place on thedashboard of his car.

The open house thatfeatured staff presen-tations and campusdisplays on the yester-day, today and tomor-row theme.

“We are here tocelebrate the aca-demic achievements

See ERA, Page 5

Men honored for community contributionsHORIZON — His long,

friendly shadow was first cast overthe educational systems in the ElPaso area in 1951, as Landis M.Curlee began a career in educa-tion that spanned 35 years, sevenarea school districts, and three su-perintendencies.

The veteraneducator hassince been hon-ored with hisown day by theHorizon CityTown Council,and a prominentstreet in a newHorizon devel-opment hasbeen named inhis honor.

Dec. 13 thisyear is the one-year anniversaryof the proclama-tion of “LandisCurlee Day” inHorizon, honoring the years ofcommunity service by Curlee.

Born in Ben Hur, Texas in June

County educator recognized

EL PASO COUNTY — Thecontributions of the late BillNewkirk will not soon be forgot-ten either by thosewho knew him or bythe El Paso Hotel/Motel Association,which has establishedan annual award inhis name.

Lou Kegerreis, As-sociate Member ofthe Year and EPHMAHotel GM of theYear, was the first re-cipient during cer-emonies on Dec. 5 atthe Hilton El PasoAirport.

The award waspresented by Richard Cane,EPHMA vice-president, with spe-cial guest of honor, Mrs. VickieNewkirk.

“I am very honored to be here,and that Bill’s spirit is with all of

First annual Bill Newkirkaward presented by ElPaso Hotel/Motel Association

us,” she said.Cane recounted many of the

good times he shared with hisfriend, who was for-merly Executive Di-rector of the EPHMAfor a number of years.Cane said Newkirkserved “with hisusual mixture of po-litical savvy, great witand humor that wouldalways make otherssmile and laugh.”

In addition to hisWWII military ser-vice in the pacifictheater, his swim-ming accomplish-ments and his ser-

vice to the community of Hori-zon City where he lived in hislater years, Newkirk was alsoco-founder with historian LeonMetz of the popular promotionalprogram Discover El Paso.

Bill Newkirk

of 1924, he graduated from BenHur High School in 1942 and ob-tained a BS degree from AbileneChristian College before headingfor El Paso County. He laterearned a Masters at UTEP.

He started teaching at ClintHigh School in1951. Sincethen he has alsoeither taught orbeen an admin-istrator in theTornillo, Ft.H a n c o c k ,Socorro, SanElizario andYsleta schooldistricts.

He is a pastsuperintendentof Socorro ISD,Ft. HancockISD, and SanElizario ISD.

Over theyears he taught

everything in high school from

EL PASO COUNTY — As the 9th AnnualLuminaria Holiday Festival approaches on Sat-urday, Dec. 15, organizers at El Paso MissionTrail Association are completing the personal-ized luminarias for the 9-11 terrorist attack.

About 3,565 of the more than 30,000 candle-lit brown paper lanterns will have victims’names, when available, and be specially des-ignated with red, white and blue ribbons.

Dedicating the 2001 event to the September

See CURLEE, Page 4

Names of 9-11 victims personalize luminarias along Mission TrailBy Michelle J. Brown�Special to the Courier

Landis Curlee, with his awardfor community service.

11 tragedy victims, organizers encourage resi-dents and visitors to walk or ride along thisSocorro Road route on Dec. 15 from 6 p.m. to9 p.m. to pay tribute to those who perished.

Visitors are encouraged to attend the posadasand candle-lighting ceremonies at the follow-ing locations:

• Senor Nacho’s restaurant, 9173 SocorroRoad, 6 p.m.

• San Elizario Placita, 6 p.m.• Mission Socorro, 328 S. Nevarez, 7 p.m.Each December, the luminarias line 8.5 miles

of historic trail in El Paso’s Mission Valley,home of two missions and a presidio chapel

dating back to the 1680s.“We have made every effort to include as many

victim names as possible from the World TradeCenter, Pentagon and Pennsylvania hijacking at-tacks,” said Mary Davis, executive director ofthe non-profit El Paso Mission Trail Association,founded in 1988 to preserve, promote and edu-cate people about the 300-year-old missions andchapel. She presented the idea of listing the at-tack victims on the luminarias to her board ofdirectors, who believes the remembranceproject is a way for the El Paso community to

See 9-11, Page 4

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 13, 2001Page 2

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

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

★

Member Texas Community

Newspaper Association

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

News, Inc.

HomesteaderEst. 1973

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

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2001 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:13899 Horizon Blvd., Ste. 2Horizon City, TX 79928

Phone: 852-3235Fax: 852-0123

E-mail: wtxcc@excite.com

PublisherRick Shrum

Business ManagerFrancis D. Shrum

ContributorsMarjorie F. Graham

Don WoodyardSteve EscajedaArleen Beard

The faceplastered al-

most as large as life on the front pageof the paper is so benign. He lookslike he could be anybody’s uncle,cousin, brother.

In a recent article I blasted awayat our inability to find the “dementedperson” who stole the life and futureof five-year-old Alexandra Flores.Then we did, apparently, find him.

And he looks like us.A face that could easily beguile a

child to follow.There are reportedly almost 600 or

so registered sex offenders living inthe El Paso area. They have to regis-ter with local law enforcement be-cause of “Megan’s Law,” which wasprompted by the horrible demise ofa young girl at the hands of a con-victed sex criminal.

There are more than a few suchoffenders residing within rock-throwing distance of Horizon City,at the El Paso Intermediate Sanctionsfacility. According to published re-ports, David Renteria was one ofthem for half a year.

According to the local news, he is32 years old. He worked at Lowe’sHome Improvement Center. He hasa van.

He also has a conviction for mo-lesting a six-year-old in 1992. He hashad three drunk-driving convictionssince then, each of which violatedterms of his probation and could havesent him back to prison — but didn’t.

Law enforcement makes an attemptto oversee these sex offenders whohave either “paid their debt to society”— a contradiction in terms in this con-text — or have managed to get re-leased on parole or probation. The of-ficers have an impossible job. Newsreports say a probation officer visitedRenteria at his home the day afterAlexandra disappeared, reporting ev-erything appeared as usual.

The officer said there were no vis-ible signs in Renteria to connect him

The evilthat men do

to the horror that had been perpe-trated a scant few hours before.

Incredibly, the Probation Depart-ment did recommend that Renteria’sprobation be revoked and that he goto prison for 20 years following histhird DWI incident — but their re-quest never made it to the presidingjudge, David Guaderrama. The Dis-trict Attorney’s prosecutor felt thecourt would have turned it down,published reports say.

The violation of a child is not a crimefor which society can ever be “paid.”And it has, regrettably, been provenagain — and again — that people whoviolate children do so repeatedly, withincreasing ferocity, and there is appar-ently no remedy for their behavior.

At best it can be “managed.”The mindset that allowed Renteria

to defy all the laws of civilization andmoral conscience by violating a childwas clearly illustrated by his willing-ness to violate drunk-driving laws.Driving drunk means he was willingto endanger innocent lives on the road.

I have to wonder why the lawdidn’t step in.

I know that the carriage of humanjustice is far from an exact science,but the victims of countless othersuch incidents — including MeganKanka, Dena Lynn Gore, and AdamWalsh — bear witness that those whowould violate children should bequarantined like a deadly disease.

What I am going to say next is notan indictment of the family ofAlexandra Flores. My heart goes outto them and I am so dreadfully sorryfor the terrible loss with which theymust now live.

What I am going to say next is forthe rest of us, for those whose daugh-ters and sons are still healthy, wholeand in our care.

Please watch them. Know wherethey are every minute. Teach themto stay near, to stay in the light.

Because the evil is out there.The evil that men do.

As our nation fights the War onTerrorism, we place our lives andliberties in the hands of the bravemen and women fighting on thefront lines. These individuals risk

their lives every day to preserve our freedom and safety.While we attend holiday parties and decorate our trees,our troops find themselves alone in foreign territory.Now, more than ever, it is paramount that we rally be-hind our troops and show our support.

When I think of our troops away from home over theholiday season, I am reminded of a story I heard manyyears ago. During the Vietnam War, Sgt. Billy Thomp-son sent a simple holiday request to news columnistAbigal Van Buren. He suggested that “just a letter fromhome” would make a wonderful Christmas present. Thisresulted in the holiday letter writing campaign called“Operation Dear Abby.”

For 17 years, American citizens sent letters and cardsto servicemen deployed away from home. These cardsserved to boost morale and spread holiday cheer to thou-sands of military personnel.

Many years later, during Operation Desert Storm, anew letter-writing campaign was born. Rather than fo-cus only on the holiday season, “Any Servicememeber”aimed to promote troops morale year round. During op-erations in Bosnia, the campaign continued to grow andbrought joy to many members of armed services.

A letter from homeUnfortunately, recent threats of Anthrax and biologi-

cal warfare, have made delivering large amounts of mailto our troops unsafe. The Department of Defense wasforced to announce that both of these highly successfulcampaigns would be indefinitely suspended. In the midstof a new kind of war, we must find new means of sup-porting our servicemen and women.

In light of these events, the Navy created a web-basedalternative to traditional letter-writing campaigns. Thenew “Any Servicemember” web site, provides a simplesystem to send e-mail greetings to our troops. Anyonewishing a reply to their message, need only to include areturn e-mail address. This simple process allows thosesending the message to chose any branch of the militaryto send their greetings. While our troops will miss thebrightly-colored envelopes and picturesque cards, theyare excited about the convenience of e-mail.

As our troops face new challenges, we must demon-strate the true conviction for our armed services. Eachperson must do their part to help boost the morale ofthose who will not be home for the holidays. I urge eachof you to participate in this thoughtful and patriotic cam-paign. It will take only a few minutes, but think of thejoy it will bring to these very special and admirable menand women.

For more information about the Navy’s “AnyServicemember” campaign visitwww.anyservicemember.navy.mil.

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERDecember 13, 2001 Page 3

View from the porch By Linda Mussehl

Hey, can I help it if I’m just alittle guy?

I try, I really do. Really.I mean, come on now, that woman is always on my

case. Isn’t she? Even when I’m off minding my ownbusiness, she’s always checking up on me. She evenhad Pardner tie a bell on my collar. She says I’m tooquiet when I’m getting into the most fun stuff.

Like, I’m just helping. Fer sure. All those sticks out-side, just rotten enough to be good and chewy andcrumbly, and she completely ignored that wonderfulresource. So, I bring them inside to dine in comfort.And then she goes, like, “again!” and throws themaway. Perfectly good sticks and guaranteed scorpion-free. Almost scorpion-free, anyway. Most of the time.

(Here’s a tip from Tip: old prickly pear pads aren’tworth the effort to haul inside. The risk-reward ratiodoesn’t pencil out in a pup’s favor. Just thought you’dwant to know.)

Anyhow, that woman thought she’d taught me all Ineeded to know about manure. She caught me withmy head inside the covered cat box, and went andslapped the top of the box with a big ol’ wet dish towel.Man, that was just like dining inside a bass drum. Myears rang for a week.

I got her back, though. If she thought those punkysticks and the cat box were bad, she just hadn’t checkedout all the fine, aged, vintage manure around here.So, I brought a selection inside to show her. Spread‘em out on the dining room rug just as nice as you

Tip’stips

please. Yep, cow pats and horse biscuits both. I didn’tthink she’d get so excited. Geez, what’s a little co-prophagia among friends?

Hey, can I help it if I’m just a little guy? I try, Ireally do.

Is it my fault I learn really fast? And then get boreddoing the same old stuff over and over and over andover again?

I mean, like, a guy likes a little variety in life. Shegoes, “Sit,” and I do. Well, then what? So then I gothrough my whole repertoire — really fast. Jump up,turn around, lie down, find my squeaky toy, speak,the whole schmear. You know, I’m thinking I can getall this training stuff over in three minutes so life canget back to normal.

And what does she do? She starts all over again andsays “Sit.” Dumb. And we have to go through thisevery day. I mean, come on, she should get over it.I’ve got work to do, important stuff.

There’s the Ghost in the Shower that needs checkedon. Every time she washes dishes, the Ghost wakesup and burps and whispers to me. I’ve been trying todig him out, but he just hides down in that drain holeand growls at me. I’ll get him someday, mark mywords.

A guy’s got to know his limitations though. I’mbrave, but there’s no way I’m going to tackle thePuppy-Eating Monster out by the barn. When Pardnerwants to stick two pieces of metal together, “weld” hesays, the Monster wakes up and roars. Man, that’swhen it’s time for me to go to the house.

(Here’s a tip from Tip: Watch out for that woman inthe house. She cusses. It hurts my feelings, really itdoes. It was just a little puddle, and she went aroundwaving the paper towels and cussing. She even saysthe worst cuss of all, the B-word: “bad-bad-bad-bad.”)

Hey, can I help it if I’m just a little guy?

City of SocorroPUBLIC NOTICEA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 6:30 p.m. duringthe City Council Meeting of Thursday, December 20,2001 at City Hall, 124 S. Horizon Blvd., Socorro, Texas.Purpose of the public hearing is to allow any interestedperson to appear and testify at the hearing regarding thefollowing proposed ordinance(s):

1) An Ordinance granting an exemption for cer-tain local Charitable Organizations by the City ofSocorro, Texas;

2) An Ordinance requiring the continued taxa-tion of Motor Vehicles leased for personal use bythe City of Socorro, Texas.

Those that are unable to attend the public hearing maysubmit their views to the City of Socorro. Accommoda-tions for handicapped persons will be available; handi-capped persons in need of special assistance for attendingthe hearings are encouraged to contact the City Secretary(915) 858-2915, forty-eight (48) hours prior to this meet-ing. Ordinances are too extensive to print. Copies of or-dinances are posted in City Hall and are available uponrequest.

TERE RODRIGUEZCity Secretary

WTCC: 12/13/01

I am overjoyed to be able to an-nounce that the State of Texas willsoon give something back to themany Texas veterans who have self-lessly served our state and country.On Nov. 6, 2001 Texas veterans werehonored by the passage of Proposi-tion 7. By passing Proposition 7Texas voters have said thank you toour veterans.

I am extremely proud to serve asVice-Chairman of the State Veteran’sCaucus as well a member of the State,Federal and International RelationsCommittee which passed Proposition7, during the 77th Legislative Session.

Proposition 7 authorizes the Vet-erans’ Land Board (VLB) to issue upto $500 million in general obligationbonds to benefit the Veteran’s Hous-ing Assistance Fund II. This amend-ment would also allow the use offunds from veterans’ land and hous-ing assistance programs for veterans’cemeteries and help meet the rising

View from here by State Rep. Manny Najera

A tribute to the veterans of Texasdemands for veterans’ home mort-gage loans. The loans that will beoffered through these bonds will bebelow market value. This programcomplements the land loans andhome improvement loans currentlybeing offered by the VLB.

This milestone is a tremendousextension in the Texan tradition ofcaring for our veterans. Proposition7 will allow the State to providepeaceful, dignified, and honorableresting grounds for Texas veterans.Under this act, the VLB will be pro-vided with a funding mechanism thatwill allow them to utilize moniesfrom certain veteran land and hous-ing assistance funds for the futureoperation and maintenance of a stateveterans cemetery program. Whilethere are national cemeteries in ma-jor cities of Texas, we are workingtoward establishing the long overdue

See VIEW, Page 4

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 13, 2001Page 4

Classified AdsLEGAL

As per Article V, Sec.5.05(a), all owners andlienholders have ten (10)days from this date to re-claim their vehicles atSouthwest Wrecker,1401 Darrington Rd.,855-1900, 851-2091-fax,or it will be sold at publicauction for charges:VIN -IFTCRI4A3TPA25434,Ford Ranger, green, CO- 06350WSVIN -IGBEG25H2E7I84209,Chevy van, gray, no li-censeVIN -3NIEB3IS9XLI09929,Nisan Tsuru, white, MEX- DVB70IIVIN -IFAPP93J0JW268845,Ford Escort, maroon, nolicenseWTCC-12/13/01________________________

NOTICE OF INTENT

El Paso Electric Com-pany (EPE) intends tosecure a Certificate ofConvenience and Neces-sity (CCN) from the Pub-lic Utility Commission ofTexas (PUCT) for theconstruction and installa-tion of one 115kV trans-mission line in east ElPaso County, Texas. ThePUCT requires EPE topublish notice in a news-paper having general cir-culation in the county(ies)where the CCN is beingrequested. Persons withquestions about thisproject should contactEPE, Lawrence F.Thoenen at (915) 543-5811 or Martha A.Velasco at (915) 543-4025. Persons whowish to intervene in theproceeding or com-ment upon actionsought, should contactthe Public Utility Com-mission of Texas at P.O.Box 13326, Austin,Texas 78711-3326, orcall the Public UtilityCommission at (512)936-7120 or (888) 782-8477. Hearing- andspeech-impaired indi-viduals with text tele-phones (TTY) may con-tact the commission at(512) 936-7136. Thedeadline for interven-tion in the proceedingis January 14, 2002,and a letter requestingintervention should bereceived by the com-mission by that date.

The project is containedwithin a 30-square-milearea located 2 miles east

of Loop 375 at theMontwood/Zaragosa in-tersection. The proposed7.8-mile line will connectEPE’s Montwood Sub-station to the CoyoteSubstation.

EPE has a preferredroute and two alternativeroutes, which are de-scribed below. Acquisi-tion of right-of-way will berequired.

Preferred Route (G)The preferred route be-gins at the MontwoodSubstation located in thenorthwest corner of Sec-tion 2, Block 79, Town-ship 3 and heads east,paralleling the north sec-tion line of Section 2,Block 79, Township 3 andexisting roads for ap-proximately 4 miles to afuture substation site atAscencion Street. Fromthis point, the line turnsnorth and parallels As-cension Street for ap-proximately 1.2 miles,then continues westalong the south sectionline of Section 17, Block78, Township 2 for ap-proximately 0.7 mile.From this point the lineheads north for approxi-mately 1 mile throughvacant land and contin-ues 1 mile north alongKrag Street to the CoyoteSubstation located at thenorthwest corner ofMarvin and Krag in Sec-tion 5, Block 78, Town-ship 2.

Alternative Route (F)Beginning at theMontwood Substation lo-cated in the northwestcorner of Section 2, Block79, Township 3, the routeheads east, parallelingthe north section line ofSection 2, Block 79,Township 3 and existingroads for approximately 3miles to a future substa-tion site 1 mile west ofAscension Street. Fromthis point the route headsnorth, following an exist-ing access road along thewest section line of Sec-tion 20, Block 78, Town-ship 2 for approximately1 mile, then turns eastalong the south sectionline of Section 17, Block78, Township 2 for ap-proximately 0.3 mile.From this point the lineheads north for approxi-mately 1 mile throughvacant land and contin-ues 1 mile north alongKrag Street to the CoyoteSubstation located at thenorthwest corner ofMarvin and Krag in Sec-tion 5, Block 78, Town-ship 2.

Alternative Route (H)Beginning at theMontwood Substation lo-cated in the northwestcorner of Section 2, Block79, Township 3 the routeheads east, parallelingthe north section line ofSection 2, Block 79,Township 3 and existingroads for approximately 4miles to a future substa-tion site at AscencionStreet. From this point,the line turns north andparallels AscensionStreet for approximately1.6 miles, then headswest for approximately0.7 mile. From this pointthe line heads north forapproximately 0.6 milethrough vacant land andcontinues 1 mile northalong Krag Street to theCoyote Substation lo-cated at the northwestcorner of Marvin andKrag in Section 5, Block78, Township 2.

The estimated cost of thisproject is $2,689,462.61.A map of this project maybe viewed at the El PasoElectric Company officelocated at 123 W. MillsStreet, El Paso, Texas, inSuite 295. A copy of themap may be obtained atthis same location or fromLawrence F. Thoenen,EPE, at (915) 543-5811or Martha A. Velasco,EPE, at (915) 543-4025.

AVISO

La compañía El PasoElectric (EPE) intentaobtener un Certificado deNecesidad (CNN) de laComisión de ServiciosPúblicos de Texas(PUCT) para laconstrucción de unalínea de transmisión de115kV en el este delCondado de El PasoTexas. La PUCT requiereque EPE publique unaviso en alguno de losperiódicos de circulacióngeneral. Aquellas per-sonas con preguntascon respecto a esteproyecto, deberáncomunicarse a laoficina de EPE,Lawrence F. Thoenen al(915) 543-5811 o MarthaA. Velasco al (915) 543-4025. Las personas quedeseen intervenir eneste procedimiento oque deseen haceralgún comentariosobre esta acción,deberán comunicarsecon la Comisión deServicios Públicos deTexas a la siguientedirección, P.O. Box13326, Austin, Texas78711-3325 o llamar a laComisión de Servicios

Públicos al (512) 936-7120 o al (888) 782-8477. Las personassordomudas conteléfonos de texto TTYpueden ponerse encontacto con laComisión llamando al(512) 936-7136. El ul-timo día para interveniren este procedimientoes el día 14 de Enerodel 2002, enviando unacarta solicitandointervención quedeberá ser recibida porla Comisión para esafecha.

Este proyecto abarcadentro una área de 30millas cuadradaslocalizado 2 millas al Estedel Loop 375 en laintersección Montwood/Zaragosa. El proyecto de7.8 millas de líneaconectará a lasubestación Montwoodcon la subestación Coy-ote de EPE.

EPE tiene tres rutas, unade preferencia ya dosalternativas, las cualesse describen acontinuación. Serequiere adquisición dederecho de paso.

Ruta Principal (G)La ruta principal daprincipio en lasubestación Montwoodubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3 concamino hacia el Este,paralela con la líneaNorte de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3 ycaminos existentes conuna distancia deaproximadamente 4millas hacia el lugar de lafutura subestación en lacalle Ascencion. A partirde este punto, la líneacorre hacía el Norte yparalela con la calleAscencion a unadistancia deaproximadamente 1.2millas, continuando haciael oeste a lo largo de lalínea hacía el sur de laSección 17, Block 78,Township 2 a unadistancia deaproximadamente 0.7millas. A partir de estepunto la línea corre hacíael Norte a una distanciade aproximadamente 1milla pasando por unterreno baldío y contin-uando a una distancia deaproximadamente 1 millahacia al Norte a lo largode la calle Krag condirección hacía lasubestación Coyote,ubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de las callesMarvin y Krag en laSección 5, Block 78,

Township 2.

Ruta Alternativa (F)Comenzando en lasubestación Montwoodubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3, laruta se dirige hacia eleste paralela con la líneaNorte de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3, ycaminos existentes a unadistancia deaproximadamente 3millas del lugar de lafutura Subestación unamilla al Oeste de la calleAscencion. A partir deeste punto, la ruta sedirige hacia el norte,siguiendo un camino deacceso en existencia a lolargo de la línea Oeste dela Sección 20, Block 78,Township 2, a unadistancia deaproximadamente 1milla, da vuelta hacia elEste a lo largo de la líneaSur de la Sección 17,Block 78, Township 2 auna distancia deaproximadamente 0.3millas. A partir de estepunto la línea se dirigehacia el Norte a unadistancia deaproximadamente 1 millapasando por un terrenobaldío y continuará a unadistancia deaproximadamente 1 millahacia el Norte a lo largode la calle Krag hacia laSubestación Coyoteubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de las callesMarvin y Krag en laSección 5, Block 78,Township 2.

Ruta Alternativa (H)Comenzando en lasubestación Montwoodubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3, laruta se dirige hacia eleste paralela con la líneaNorte de la Sección 2,Block 79, Township 3 ycaminos existentes a unadistancia deaproximadamente 4millas hacia al lugar de lafutura subestación en lacalle Ascencion. A partirde este punto, la línea sedirige hacia el Norte yparalela con la calleAscencion a unadistancia deaproximadamente 1.6millas, y luego hacia elOeste a una distancia deaproximadamente 0.7millas. A partir de estepunto la línea se dirigehacia el Norte a unadistancia deaproximadamente 0.6millas pasando por unterreno baldío y contin-uando a una distancia de1 milla a lo largo de la

calle Krag hacia laSubestación Coyoteubicada en la esquinaNoroeste de las callesMarvin y Krag en laSección 5, Block 78,Township 2.

El costo aproximado delproyecto es de$2,689,462.61. Un mapadel proyecto estadisponible para consultaen la oficina de El PasoElectric, ubicada en el123 W. Mills, El Paso,Texas, Suite 295. Sidesea una copia delmapa, se puede obteneren las mismas oficinascon el Sr. Lawrence F.Thoenen, EPE, númerode teléfono (915) 543-5811 o Martha A.Velasco, EPE, númerode teléfono (915) 543-4025.WTCC: 12/06 & 12/13/01________________________

SOCORROINDEPENDENT

SCHOOL DISTRICTInvitation to Bid/

Respond:

Sealed bids/proposals/CSP to furnish the Districtwith the following prod-ucts and/or services ac-cepted at the followingtimes:

WEDNESDAY,JANUAR Y 09, 2002

3 P.M.

LOCAL TELEPHONESERVICES,

199-0109-0220

PBX FOR NEWSSCHOOLS,

199-0109-0221

TELECOMMUNICATIONNETWORK CABLING,VARIOUS CAMPUSES,

199-0109-0222

TELECOMMUNICATIONSYSTEM

NETWORKING,199-0109-0223

LONG DISTANCESERVICES,

199-0109-0224

PBX MAINTENANCE,199-0109-0225

PBX SOFTWAREUPGRADE,

199-0109-0226

NOTE: The District Of-fices will be closed dur-ing December 21, 2001,to January 07, 2002.Voicemail, inquiries,faxes, etc. will bechecked as regularly .The District will attemptto be as responsive aspossible during this

time.

Proposals will be re-ceived at Business Ser-vices Dept., 12300Eastlake Drive, until thespecified times. Detailedspecifications are avail-able from the above of-fice between 8 a.m. and4 p.m. Mondays throughFridays.WTCC-12/13/01________________________

BARGAINS

Two good pianos, byGulbranson, for sale,$500 each OBO by Dec.20. Contact the First Bap-tist Church of HorizonCity, 852-3027.

HELP WANTED

Applications will be re-ceived for Paid VISTAVolunteers. VISTA volun-teer is paid a small sti-pend of $700 a monthand may not have an-other job or be attendingschool. The program is a24-7 program; on call 24hours a day seven daysa week. If you like help-ing people, young andold and are interested,applications are availablewith the City of Socorro,124 S. Horizon Blvd.,Socorro, Texas up until4:00 p.m. Wednesday,December 19, 2001.WTCC-12/13/01________________________

Hair Slingers in HorizonCity is seeking experi-enced cosmotologist.Apply in person after 2p.m. at 13899 HorizonBlvd., Ste. 4, HorizonCity.TFN

OFFICE SPACE

Office for lease in Hori-zon City. Corner ofDarrington and HorizonBlvd. $350/month. CallHorizon Properties, 852-3331.

SELF-HELPOPPORTUNITIES

Alcoholics AnonymousGroup Paso Del Nortemeets at 8501 Kingswayin Westway, Monday-Saturday, 8 p.m. Call886-4948 for information.

Alcohólicos AnónimosGrupo Paso Del Nortesesiones lunes a sabado,a 8-9 de la tarde, 8501Kingsway, Westway. 886-4948 para informacion.

Persons who have a

problem with alcohol areoffered a free source ofhelp locally. AlcoholicsAnonymous Group 8 deEnero meets at 15360Horizon Blvd. in HorizonCity on Mondays throughSaturdays at 8 p.m. Call859-0484 for information.

Tiene problemas con elalcohol? Hay unasolucíon. Visitemos.Alcohólicos Anónimos,Grupo 8 de Enero, 15360Horizon Blvd., HorizonCity, sesiones lunes asábado a 8 de la tarde.Informacion: 859-0484.

SERVICES

“Windshield Ding —Gimme a Ring”

JIFFYGLASSREPAIR

Windshield RepairSpecialistsBy appt. at

your home or office:R.V. Dick Harshberger

915-852-9082

BERT’SAUTOMOTIVE

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and Foreign852-3523

1558 Oxbow,Horizon City

HORIZONCITY

PLUMBING852-1079

• Heating/cooling• Electric rooter servicefor sewers and drains• Appliance installation• Many other plumbingservices • 24-hour serviceLicensed, bonded and

insured for yourprotection.

AL’SPLACE, INC.

Household or Commer-cial Storage

and Yard SpaceFenced and Lighted

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418 Kenazo, HorizonCity

852-3949

Y&MAIRCONDITIONING

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Commercial/ResidentialHealting

& CoolingRefrigerated Air

Heat PumpsDuct WorkAppliances

VISA & MasterCardTX Lic.#TACLA021147E

Free Estimates onNew Installations

math, algebra and geometry to busi-ness law, speech, drama, social stud-ies, and typing. His short-lived retire-ment ended in 1985 when he beganteaching 5th grade in Ysleta.

He also taught adult ESL (Englishas a Second Language) classes at night,developing his own textbook for con-versational Spanish — an off shoot ofhis extensive travels in Mexico.

In 1966, Curlee and his wife, MariaTeresa, built a house on HomesteadDrive in the new development under-way by Horizon Corp. They havemaintained a residence there eversince.

A licensed “ham” radio operator,Curlee was an ever-present force inHorizon’s early years. He wrote the

charter for and was the first electedpresident of the Horizon CityHomeowner’s Association, whichserved as the unofficial “town coun-cil” before the town incorporated in1988. He flipped morepancakes than anyonecares to count duringfund-raising events forthe Horizon CityKiwanis Club, ofwhich he is a pastpresident.

Curlee was askedby then-Mayor WaltLee to serve as thevolunteer director ofthe Oz Glaze SeniorCitizen Center following its openingin 1998. He did so with gusto untilhis health interfered in 2000.

Another former Horizon CityMayor, Tom Ruiz, whose signature

graces the proclamation of Curlee’sown day in Horizon City, said whena subdivision by Hanson Develop-ment along Eastlake Loop was pro-posed it became apparent that an ex-

tension street leadinginto the upscale resi-dential neighborhoodwould have to be aseparate roadway,with a new name.

Landis Curleeseemed the logicalchoice, he said.

“Landis Curleewil l l ikely be re-membered as a bris-tly sort of fellow.

That’s because he is always con-cerned with taking action ratherthan taking credit,” Ruiz said. “I’llalways remember him as driven tomake things better for everyone.”

CurleeFrom Page 1____________________

Street sign honors Curlee.

participate in a beautiful ceremonythat recognizes the price more than3,000 people paid for the freedomof a nation.

Several thousand elementaryand high school students fromYsleta, Socorro, San Elizario andClint school districts will write thenames of each victim on aluminaria including, when pos-sible, something reflecting thatperson’s life. For instance,firefighters’ luminarias will featurevariations of the Maltese Cross, theinternational firefighters symbol.

For more information about the9th Annual Luminaria Festival, callMary Davis at the El Paso MissionTrail Association, (915) 534-0630.

9-11From Page 1____________________

local cemeteries that honor veter-ans all across this great state.

As one of your State Represen-tatives from El Paso, I am proudto relay my personal congratula-tions to all the Texas Veterans andmy thanks to the voters for pass-ing Proposition 7. The legislationwill help to improve the quality oflife for Texas veterans.

More information regarding vet-erans benefits and recent legislationcan be found on the website of theTexas General Land Office atwww.glo.state.tx.us/vlb. To inquireon this or any other issue, I encour-age those interested to call my Dis-trict office at (915) 592-7757 or myCapitol office at (512) 463-0954.

ViewFrom Page 3____________________

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERDecember 13, 2001 Page 5

NOTICE TO PUBLIC OF NO SIGNIFICANTIMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND NOTICEOF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

City of Socorro West Texas County Courier124 S. Horizon Blvd. December 13, 2001Socorro, Texas 79927

TO: All Interested Agencies, Groups and Persons:Seventeen (17) days after this publication, the City of Socorro, Texas intended to requestthe Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to release Federalfunds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-383) for Project No. 721751.

Environmental Assessment ActivitiesConstruction activities will take place along Alameda Estates, Grijalva Gardens,Melissa Circle, and Moon Addition and will include the installation of approxi-mately twenty one thousand seven hundred and fifty linear feet (21,750 l.f.) of hotmix asphalt cement paving.

Finding of No Significant ImpactIt has been determined that such a request of release of funds will not constitute an actionsignificantly affecting the quality of the human environment and accordingly the City ofSocorro has decided not to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement under the Na-tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190). The reason for such a decision notto prepare such a Statement is based upon the fact that all environmental concerns couldeither be minimized or mitigated.

An Environmental Review Record for the proposed project has been made by the City ofSocorro which documents the environmental review of the project and more fully sets forththe reasons why such a statement is not required. The Environmental Review Record is onfile at the Office of Community Development, City of Socorro, 124 S. Horizon Blvd.,Socorro, Texas 79927, and is available for public examination and copying upon requestbetween the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Public Comments on FindingsAll interested agencies, groups and persons, disagreeing with this decision are invited tosubmit written comments for consideration by the city to the address as set forth above.Such written comments must be received at the addressed specified within sixteen (16) daysafter this publication. All such comments so received will be considered and the City willnot request the release of funds or take administrative action on the project prior to the datespecified in the proceeding sentence.

Release of FundsThe City of Socorro will undertake the activities described above the Community Devel-opment Block Grant Funds under the Title 1 from its Program Year 2001 under grantnumbered 721751 from the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. TheCity of Socorro is certifying to TDHCA that Mr. Amado D. Padilla in his official capacityas Mayor consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought toenforce responsibilities in relation to environmental reviews, decision-making and action;and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. The legal effect of the certification is thatupon its approval, the City of Socorro may use the Block Grant funds and it will havesatisfied its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. THDCAwill accept an objection to its approval only on one or more of the bases and the proceduresdescribed in 24 CFR Part 58.75. Objections are to be addressed to the Texas Department ofHousing and Community Affairs, P.O. Box 13941 Austin, Texas 78711.

Objections to the release of funds on bases other than those stated above will not be consid-ered by the TDHCA. No objections received later than thirty-three (33) days after thispublication will be considered by TDHCA.

________________________Amado D. Padilla, Mayor

City of Socorro124 S. Horizon Blvd.Socorro, Texas 79927

Steve Mosher, R.Ph./Owner1330 Fabens St. • Fabens, TX 79838

(915) 764-2739Inside S & S Big 8 Grocery Store

The Pharmacy That’sAll About You!®

PUBLIC MEETINGThe Transportation Policy Board (TPB) of the El Paso Met-ropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will hold a PUBLICMEETING on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2001, at 9:00A.M., at The El Paso MPO Office, c/o The Gate-way Business Center, 10767 Gateway Blvd. West,Suite 605, El Paso, Texas 79935, to discuss the fol-lowing agenda:

1. Approval of Minutes.

2. Discussion and Action on the Report by Executive Committee Chairman on the following items:

a. To Recommend Transportation Projects and Request Funding from the Texas Transportation Commission on May 30, 2002;

b. To Submit Transportation Projects to the Transportation Policy Board for Consideration for Special Congressional Funding;

c. To Review and Revise the TPB Process to Request Project Level Funding (Engineering and/or Construction) from State and Federal Sources.

3. Discussion and Action to Amend the Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2025:

a. Darrington Road Project No. A403X-05A — Revise project limits to start from Homestead Drive and end at Horizon City Limits;

b. Darrington Road Project No. P420A-15A — Revise project limits to start from Homestead Drive and end at Eastlake Dr.; and Discuss Effects on the Air Quality Document;

c. Add the “Job Express” Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) Grant Project;

d. Add the El Paso Starter Light-Rail (tentatively named Sun Metro Area Rail Transit Starter Line) Project Preliminary Engineering, Final Design and Construction.

4. Discussion and Action to Amend the Transportation Improvement Program 2002-2006:

a. Add the “Job Express” Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) Project;

b. Add the El Paso Starter Light-Rail (Tentatively Named the Sun Metro Rail Starter Line) Project Preliminary Engineering, Final Design and Construction;

c. Add the El Paso Starter Light-Rail (Tentatively Named the Sun Metro Rail Starter Line) Project Preliminary Engineering, Final Design and Construction;

d. Request to Reprogram $602,330 of CMAQ Funding to the Union Plaza Transit Terminal (Project #T308X), $427,016 from the Oregon St. Pedestrian Mall and $175,314 from the San Antonio Ave. Transit Plaza Projects;

e. Request to Reprogram $550,759 of CMAQ Funds from the Commuter Vanpool Project, $132,139 in FY 1995 and $418,620 in FY 1996, to Provide Public Transportation Service in El Paso County.

5. Discussion and Action to Amend the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) FY 2002 by Adding the El Paso Starter Light-Rail )Tentatively Named the Sun Metro Rail Starter Line) Project Preliminary Engineering, Final Design and Construction.

6. Discussion and Action on TxDOT’s Policy and Proposed Rules Regarding Frontage Roads.

7. Discussion and Action to Approve Additional Surface Transportation Program (STP) 4C Funds for the George Dieter Project (R411X).

8. Status of Annual Listing of Projects Obligated in FY 2001.

Under federal legislation, the MPO, through the TPB has anexpanded role in transportation project selection and pro-gramming in El Paso County and the City of Sunland Park,New Mexico. For more information call the MPO Office at(915) 591-9735. WTCC: 12/13/01

and successes of the district,” saidBoard President Joe Villarreal whopraised the efforts of the faculty andstaff to make it all possible. “The fu-ture of our children and our commu-nity is our fundamental responsibility.”

Charter board member Gonzalo“Chalo” Garcia recounted the earlydays of the district, going back to 1958when he first became a trustee. Hespoke of the “sleepy, farming commu-nity” and district that faced “huge,

complicated problems” in gettingstarted. More classrooms were needed;a high school was needed.

He spoke of signing a note to bor-row money for the district.

“My heart bursts with pride, Eaglepride,” he said in conclusion. “Youhave done well; thank you.”

Vicki Davis, assistant superinten-dent for student performance, tookthe audience on a quick tour of thedistrict’s campuses.

“We are dynamic. There is noth-ing static about us,” she said. “We aregrowing, changing and progressive.”

Dr. John Kessinger, assistant su-perintendent for operations and plan-

ning, spoke of the high-tech changesthat enhance students’ learning suchas a wireless technology and a sci-ence class where you can dissect afrog on the computer.

“Today is the tomorrow wedreamed about yesterday,” he added.

Underscoring Kessinger wasPauline Dow, director of student ser-vices. “The children are the future.The children are really what we areall about. Knowledge is power. Edu-cation has never been more impor-tant than it is today.

EraFrom Page 1____________________

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 13, 2001Page 6

By Steve Escajeda�Special to the Courier

King Super CrosswordDELAYED REACTION

ACROSS

1 Writer Susan

7 AAA handout

10 Explorer Tasman

14 Checker move?

19 Carry too far

20 Winter hazard

21 Creme _ creme

22 Kunta _ (“Roots”

character)

23 Start of a remark by

Steven Wright

25 Patrician

27 Canadian prov.

28 Victim

29 Wool gatherer?

30 Roll-call reply

31 Level

33 Entire range

36 Put up with

38 Thick stick

41 Put aside

43 Blind part

44 See 11 Down

45 Part 2 of remark

50 It may get flipped

51 Connecticut town

54 Summit

55 Live and breathe

56 Mighty mite

58 Sausage segment

59 Long Island resort

62 Tel Aviv teacher

64 Out of the way

66 Beak

67 One way to park

68 Tranquil

70 Part 3 of remark

71 Kukla or Lamb

Chop

72 Ill will

73 Cherbourg cha-

peau

74 Glee

75 “_ a Symphony”

(’65 song)

76 Submarine finder

77 Competitors

78 Facilitate a felony

82 _ Tin Tin

83 Paradise

85 Merchant

87 Cal. page

88 Part 4 of remark

93 Over

95 Jai _

96 Sounds the tocsin

97 Ullman or Gold

98 Goatish gamboler

100 Bar hop?

101 Dr. Scholl’s concern

102 Source

103 Cardinal

105 _ Flynn Boyle

107 Mil. training ctr.

110 African capital

113 End of remark

116 Jazzman Chick

117 Forehead

118 Organ of equilib-

rium

119 Steak or lobster

120 Abrasive substance

121 “_ forgive those . .

.”

122 Be too interested?

123 Arid area

DOWN

1 Manhattan district

2 Hot spot?

3 Frog’s kin

4 Singing syllable

5 They may be per-

sonal

6 Mahalia’s music

7 Pixie and Dixie

8 “_ Breaky Heart”

(’92 hit)

9 Princess bruiser

10 Orthodontists’ org.

11 With 44 Across,

salad veggie

12 “Silas Marner” au-

thor

13 Endure

14 Ring stat

15 Kansas city

16 “The Lady _” (’79

film)

17 Gawk

18 French bean?

24 Fancy vase

26 A Muse

31 Inflatable item?

32 Sell

33 Continue

34 Circle section

35 “Mal de _”

37 Impoverished

38 Fountain order

39 Component

40 Carthaginian queen

41 Book part

42 Travel with Spock?

43 _ aerobics

46 Rotisserie part

47 Defer

48 NASA lap

49 Equine accessory

52 Skirt shape

53 Coney Island at-

traction

57 Ballet’s Tallchief

59 Actress Stevens

60 Santa’s problem

61 Destiny

63 Dominant, as a dog

65 On the sly

66 Doris Day refrain

67 Wrinkle

68 Master, in Madras

69 ’85 John Malkovich

movie

70 Barnyard belle

71 Mottled

72 Sorvino or Nair

73 _ fide

74 Complains

76 Big rig

77 Lute feature

79 Coll. hotshot

80 Roof part

81 Playing card

84 TV’s “_ & Greg”

85 “Comin’ _ the Rye”

86 Half-baked?

89 More squalid

90 Heavenly sight

91 Alphabet sequence

92 Network

94 Try for a hit

97 Provoked

98 Biblical city

99 Pianist Watts

100 Fishermen, fre-

quently

101 Auber’s “- Diavolo”

102 Confront

104 Swedish rockers

105 Last name in limer-

icks

106 Crooked

107 Grimm creature

108 “Moonstruck” star

109 Dele a dele

111 Utter

112 Blow away

113 Drill sergeant’s

shout

114 Compass pt.

115 “_ Not Unusual” (’65

hit)

ANSWER PAGE 7

Wealthy baseball owners claim welfare isright around the corner.

I’ve never been quick to pick the players’side during a collective bargaining dispute inany sport. I’ve always felt that the players weregreedy and would never be satisfied until theybroke the bank.

Professional football, basketball and base-ball players have held a financial pistol to theheads of the owners for years.

They threaten to sit out the season refusingto play another game until they get the amountthey want. Players want the owner to re-nego-tiate the contract they originally signed becausehe now feels he deserves more money.

Funny how players never want to re-negoti-ate for less money during a lousy season.

Baseball owners gathered in Boston thisweek for Major League Baseball meetings. Theowners had the gall to announce — and I’mnot kidding here — that they were losingmoney. Tons of it.

I haven’t heard one that good since I wasasked to buy Enron stock.

Baseball owners need remedial course in Business 101The owners, who said they were losing

money last year, went out and paid AlexRodriguez $252-million and Manny Ramirez$160-million.

O.K., that was only two players but in all,baseball owners committed $739-million tojust 25 players last season. Sounds like an aw-ful lot of money to dish out by men who claimthey don’t have it.

Now if my wife and I go out looking for acar and we don’t have enough money for aparticularly expensive car, we buy the type ofcar we can afford.

If I go out and commit to a vehicle that istoo expensive and eventually find out that Ican’t keep up with the payments — guess what— it’s my fault. I can’t go out and blame thecar dealer who talked me into the deal. As con-vincing as he might have been, he never held agun to my head.

The owners are saying that they are goingbroke. Yet every year they throw ridiculousamounts of cash at top athletes. It’s getting tothe point that even the most mediocre ballplayer can stick around for about five yearsand then retire for life.

Case in point, the New York Yankees are justminutes away from giving Jason Giambi awhopping $120-million. Heck, they’ve alreadysigned Steve Karsay for just $21-million. TheSt. Louis Cardinals just inked JasonIrsinghausen for $27-million. The AtlantaBraves just signed three guys, Vinny Castillafor $8-million, Javy Lopez for $6-million andJohn Smoltz for a cool $30-million.

And it doesn’t end there. How about theslumping Baltimore Orioles — they just signedMarty Cordova for a paltry $9-million. TheTexas Rangers just inked Todd Van Poppel for$7.5-million. The San Francisco Giants just

bought Jason Christiansen for $6.8-million, andthe Seattle Mariners just paid Mark McLemore$6-million.

The signing season just started!How the heck are we supposed to believe

these poor owners who have many other busi-ness interests on the side? To most of thembaseball is just a hobby. Think about it. Theydidn’t make all their millions or billions bybeing stupid businessmen.

Heck, today’s baseball owners are getting inthe neighborhood of $300 or 400-million forthe sale of their teams. Not a bad investmentfor a club that was originally bought for wellunder $100-million just 10 years ago.

I don’t buy it. That’s the owners’ problem —they did. They went out and overspent. They paida lot of players way more than they were worth.

And they don’t care what it does to the game.They care about the game as much as the play-ers do — nada — not at all. They all say theydo, but all they really care about is the money.Are you telling me that a guy couldn’t make aliving making $80,000 (expenses paid, ofcourse) a year playing baseball?

Heck, if given the opportunity, I’d do it.Are you telling me that an owner couldn’t pay

a $3-million salary to a team and charge an av-erage of $20 per ticket per game and still makemoney? Of course it would work — but thatwouldn’t be greedy enough now, would it?

So all you owners and players, give me andall of the fans a break. All of you are richerthan 95 percent of us will ever be.

Quit your complaining and act like men. Justonce, just one time I’d like to hear a profes-sional athlete say “no thanks, I already haveenough money” or an owner announce that be-cause of the fans’ unwavering support “ticketprices will go down next season.”

Social Security: Q & A by Ray Vigil

Q: When a person applies for disabil-ity, do benefits begin the date the per-son applies for these benefits?

A: If Social Security determines a per-son to be disabled, monthly benefitsbegin with the sixth full month of dis-ability. If the six-month period is priorto the date you filed your application,you could be eligible for benefits themonth you apply for them.

Q: If I retire at age 62 will I be eli-gible for Medicare at that time?

A: No. Medicare benefits do not be-

gin until a person is age 65. If youretire at age 62, you may be able tocontinue to have medical insurancecoverage through your employer, or,if not, you can purchase coveragefrom a private insurance companyuntil you turn age 65 and become eli-gible for Medicare.

Q: Is it true that a person can own ahome and still may be eligible forSupplemental Security Income ben-efits?

A: Yes. Under the Supplemental Se-curity Income (SSI) program, a per-

son can own a home and a few assetsand get SSI benefits.

Q: I’ve always kept my Social Secu-rity card in my wallet, right with mydriver’s license and other identifica-tion cards. A co-worker told me thatI should not carry it with me. Is thistrue?

A: With the growing concern aboutidentity theft, we now advise indi-viduals to keep their Social Securitycards in a safe place to prevent lossor theft. We recommend keepingyour card with your other valuabledocuments, rather than carrying it inyour purse or wallet. Take your cardwith you only when you are going

somewhere that the card will beneeded, like to a job interview. Thenreturn it to a secure place.

Q: I am self-employed working for anonprofit organization (my church).Do I need to report my earnings toSocial Security?

A: Yes. You must report earnings of$100 or more if you are self-em-ployed working for your church orchurch-controlled organization.

Q: I am a diabetic and my eyesight isfailing. Should I become blind, wouldI be entitled to any Social Security ben-efits? Can I receive Social Securityinformation in large print or Braille?

A: Yes, if you were to become blind,you may be eligible for disability ben-efits. Disability benefits are awardedunder two programs: under the Supple-mental Security Income (SSI) programor Social Security disability program.And there are many special servicesfor the visually-impaired such as talk-ing books, publications on tape, Braillepublications, etc.

For more information visit your lo-cal Security office, see http://www.ssA:gov, or call us at 1-800-772-1213. If you have any questionsthat you would like to have answered,please mail them to the Social Secu-rity Office, 11111 Gateway West, Attn:Ray Vigil, El Paso, Texas 79935.

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERDecember 13, 2001 Page 7

OUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

GOT A LIFE By Terri Davis

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

Comix

Put us towork for you.

852-3235

Newspapers work!

By Don FloodLike all great ideas — sliced

bread, Jennifer Lopez’s dress,Brady Bunch reunion shows — itall seems so obvious in retrospect.

I’m talking, of course, aboutDennis Rodman’s new restaurant,Sloppy Joe’s in Irvine, Calif.

Yes, like many other formerpro athletes, NBA star Rodmanis going into the restaurant busi-ness, but his great contributionto American eateries is to be thefirst to offer — along with theusual food and live entertain-ment — a tattooing and body-piercing service!

Well, duh!Tell me that doesn’t want to

make you slap your forehead!You, me, your neighbor, your

dog — we all could have been thefirst in the body-piercing/tattoo-ing/food-service biz.

But we didn’t think of it.That’s what makes Rodman a

great entrepreneur. He saw a need,and he filled it.

Just think of all the times you’vebeen asked, “Would you like somefries with that shake?,” and all youcould think was, “No, but I sure

of piercings.It can’t miss, I tell you! People

will be begging Rodman for afranchise.

Like many people, one of thethings that has held me back fromgetting my tongue pierced wasfinding the time.

Problem solved!According to the story, Rod-

man hopes to build “a restaurantempire.”

If he’s successful — and sincehe has the body-piercing/tattooing/fine-dining niche all to himself,why wouldn’t he be? — we canexpect to find Rodman Road-houses all over America.

Soon you’ll be able to go down-town and hear your heavily tat-tooed waitperson say, “Goodevening, I’ll be your server today.Can I start you out with a “GodBless America” tattoo? We alsohave a special tonight on elbowrings. They’re really going fast.”

It’ll be fun for the whole family,as Mom, Dad and the kids checkthe tattoo menu to see what they’llbe ordering that evening.

Hopefully, they’ll have achildren’s tattoo menu, too.

But I’m sure Rodman’s alreadythought of that._____________________________________(c) 2001 King Features Synd., Inc.

would like to get my eyebrowpierced.”

And yet you didn’t follow yourinstincts. (Don’t be too hard on your-self. I didn’t either.)

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised ifRodman beats Michael Jackson to thepunch and opens the first restaurantoffering plastic surgery on the side.Special: Wednesday Nights Only —All You Can Eat Prime Rib Night andLiposuction Operation! Reservationssuggested.

(What a great idea! Maybe Rodand I could open the first restaurantwith body-piercing, tattooing andplastic surgery.)

The only question I had was,would people want their eyebrowpiercing done at a place called SloppyJoe’s?

Wouldn’t Careful, Precise andSober Joe’s be a more appealingname for this kind of fine-diningestablishment?

But Rodman, of course, was wayin front on this.

After much soul-searching, Rod-man decided on the surprising andinnovative idea of naming the restau-rant after ... himself — Rodman’sRoadhouse!

And just like the guy from the HairClub, Rodman will be able to say,“I’m not only the owner. I’m also aclient,” as he shows off a new batch

Tattoo you

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WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 13, 2001Page 8

THURSDAY

Cool with sun andclouds; shower

possible.

48°▲ ▼

THUR. NIGHT

Perhaps a showerwith patchy clouds;

cold.

FRIDAY

Sunshine andpatchy clouds.

58°▲ 36°▼

SATURDAY

Partly sunny.

60°▲ 32°▼

SUNDAY

Sunshine.

56°▲ 26°▼

MONDAY

Sunny.

58°▲ 30°▼

TUESDAY

Abundantsunshine.

60°▲ 26°▼

WEDNESDAY

Mostly sunny.

51°▲ 20°▼

WEATHER AccuWeather .com

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO

TEXAS WEATHER TRAVELERS CITIESUV INDEX

REAL FEEL TEMP™

AGRICULTURE

Statistics for noon.

Thursday ............ 2 ..............MinimalFriday ................ 2 ..............MinimalSaturday ............ 3 ....................LowSunday .............. 3 ....................LowMonday .............. 3 ....................LowTuesday .............. 3 ....................LowWednesday ........ 3 ....................Low

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

Albuquerque 38/18/s 46/24/pc 48/24/c 44/16/pc 46/22/sAtlanta 60/40/sh 60/40/pc 62/46/c 60/44/r 56/38/cAtlantic City 54/48/c 52/36/pc 50/34/s 52/38/s 54/40/cAustin/San Antonio 63/38/s 62/48/s 70/48/c 60/33/s 57/40/sBaltimore 60/46/c 54/34/pc 50/32/s 52/36/s 54/32/cBoston 54/44/r 54/34/c 46/30/pc 48/39/pc 47/36/rChicago 40/26/c 40/36/pc 44/40/c 46/40/sh 42/20/cDallas/Ft. Worth 52/38/s 60/46/pc 64/46/pc 53/34/sh 53/40/sDenver 40/20/pc 48/20/pc 42/14/pc 42/16/pc 50/18/sFlagstaff 38/19/s 41/22/pc 37/13/pc 39/12/s 49/15/sHouston 60/40/pc 64/50/pc 68/56/c 66/38/c 61/40/sKansas City 40/26/pc 45/32/pc 48/29/c 37/21/c 40/35/pcLas Vegas 56/34/pc 58/38/pc 52/32/pc 54/32/s 62/30/sMiami 82/70/s 82/70/pc 82/70/pc 80/68/s 79/63/cMinneapolis 30/16/sf 32/26/pc 36/26/sn 34/22/c 30/20/sfNew Orleans 70/45/c 66/53/s 70/58/c 69/49/sh 59/42/pcNew York City 58/46/c 52/36/pc 48/36/s 50/40/s 52/40/cPhiladelphia 58/46/c 54/34/pc 50/34/s 52/38/s 54/40/cPhoenix 59/38/s 59/44/pc 62/42/pc 59/42/s 64/46/sPortland 48/40/r 42/36/sh 44/36/r 46/38/r 46/36/shSan Francisco 58/50/pc 56/44/sh 56/44/s 58/48/pc 56/44/pcSeattle 46/40/r 42/36/sh 44/36/r 44/36/r 44/38/shTucson 54/32/s 60/40/s 62/38/pc 66/40/s 68/42/sWashington, DC 60/48/c 56/36/pc 50/36/s 52/40/s 56/32/c

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

There is a slight chance of showers for Thursday and Friday, but then it will be dry with plenty of sunshine across the area.Temperatures will be near to slightly above normal across the region.

Weather (W): s -sunny, pc -partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh -showers, t-thunderstorms,r-rain, sf -snow flurries, sn -snow, i-ice.

Thursday .................................... 44°Friday .......................................... 55°Saturday ...................................... 56°Sunday ........................................ 52°Monday ........................................ 55°Tuesday ...................................... 57°Wednesday ................................ 48°

A composite of the effects of temperature, wind,humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precip-itation, and elevation on the human body.

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

All maps, forecasts and data provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2001

Anthony 48 26

Canutillo 49 27

Fabens 49 31

Clint 49 31

E. Montana 48 26

Socorro 47 26

Horizon 49 27

San Elizario 48 27

Tornillo 49 31

Vinton 49 27El Paso48/26

Santa Fe35/20

Albuquerque38/18

Alamogordo47/25

Las Cruces48/27

Deming50/29 Carlsbad

57/29

Amarillo46/24

Lubbock48/22

Alpine54/26

Odessa57/29

Lajitas58/28

Ruidoso43/32

Cloudcroft33/7

CiudadJuárez46/29

26°

Mexico

also held a canned food drive withthe proceeds delivered to severalother migrant families in the Clintschool district by Ana MariaTelles, the Clint ISD MigrantClerk/Recruiter.

■ El Paso County’s ThomasonHospital Family Planning HealthServices is currently offering re-productive health services formen. A confidential yearly healthscreening and counseling is of-

fered with charges made on abil-ity-to-pay. Health Services formen are provided each Wednes-day evening 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at4824 Alberta, Suite 403 behindThomason Hospital.

■ More than 700 El Paso CountyCommunity College students willreceive their degrees during the2001 Fall Commencement Cer-emony on Friday, Dec. 14 at 6p.m. at the Don Haskins Centerat UTEP. The ceremonies willhave a patriotic theme to honorthe men and women in uniformcurrently fighting terrorism. In-formation: 831-2262.

BriefsFrom Page 1____________________

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Dear Editor:Texas state law requires that

state agencies and offices affordpreference in employment to Vet-erans of our state. The law goeson to provide mandatory percent-ages of employment for Veteranswithin these organizations.

Unfortunately, our state agen-cies have neither approached normaintained these percentages andtend to ignore the law completely.Research into these violations ofthe law has indicated that the law

is without enforcement or penalty.The result is that countless TexasVeterans are denied employmentand state agencies are in violationof the law.

Veterans who have been deniedemployment by an agency statingTexas Veterans Employment Pref-erence should contact their StateRepresentative and the Governorof Texas requesting that the legis-lature rectify this injustice and dis-service to our state and its Veter-ans.

Ron RobertsTexas Veteran

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