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

NEWSBRIEFS

Many a public speaker who rises to theoccasion stands too long.

— Quips and Quotes

AUGUST 30, 2001VOL. 28, No. 35

— Photo courtesy of S.P.A.L.

SPAL boxing team makes its markMIDLAND — The Socorro Peoples Athletic League (SPAL) boxingteam took second place honors out of some 32 teams competinghere Aug. 3-6. The team, which represents the City of Socorro, ex-pressed appreciation to the Kiwanis Club of Horizon City and UbaldoTorres Sr. for their support which made the success possible. Medal

winners, from left, front row, are Ubaldo Torres Jr. (silver medalist),David Medina (gold medalist), Ramon Castro (bronze medalist),Enrique Escobedo (gold medalist) and Joe Gutierrez (gold medal-ist). Not shown is Chris Ontiveros, who won a silver medal. Coachesfor the team are Joe Hernandez, Fred Fabela, and Jesus Medina.

Clint bond

meetings revisedThe Clint Independent School District hasrevised some of the dates of its schoolcampus meetings regarding the $67 mil-lion school bond election scheduled forOct. 6. The meetings, which will be in con-junction with PTA, PTO, Athletic Boosterand Band Booster meetings, are officiallyset for:• 6 p.m. Aug. 30 at Frank Macias Elemen-tary School Library• 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at Desert Hills El-ementary School Library• 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at Carroll T. Welch MiddleSchool Library• 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at East Montana MiddleSchool Library• 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at Mountain View HighSchool Library• 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at Montana Vista Elemen-tary School Library• 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at Red Sands Elemen-tary School LibraryEarly voting for the School Bond Electionwill be from Sept. 19 - Oct. 2 at MontanaVista Elementary School, Desert Hills El-ementary School, and Clint Junior HighSchool. Branch voting will take place from5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 27 at all 10 CISDcampuses during the district’s Open House.Election Day is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct.6. Call 851-2877 for information.

Murders unsolvedEl Paso area law enforcement agencies areseeking community assistance to solve acapital murder case involving the Aug. 21discovery of two young men dead near theSocorro ISD Activity Complex. SISD se-curity agents patrolling an area near theComplex discovered Jorge Jimenez, 20,and Juan Cristobal Jimenez, 21, shot todeath. Both men, found inside their 1997Ford Expedition, had suffered multiplegunshot wounds. The exact time of deathis unknown, and officials say they havefew leads in the case. Persons with infor-mation are asked to call Crime Stoppersat 566-8477, with potential for a $1,000reward for that information.

In other news■ Agriculture Commissioner SusanCombs said that the Texas Department ofAgriculture will host a El Paso Countytown hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. (MST) onThursday, Sept. 6 at the Texas A&M Re-search & Extension Center, 1380 A&MCircle, at IH-10, Exit 34 and Loop 375.The meeting is free and open to the publicfrom El Paso County and surroundingcounties. “I want to hear firsthand what’son the minds of the farmers, ranchers, citi-zens and leaders of our communities,”Combs said. “I want to know about issuesaffecting them, their families and theircommunity and to hear their ideas and so-lutions for the future. Rural Texas and ag-riculture are vital to the entire state, andby working together we can address issues

See BRIEFS, Page 4

HORIZON — The Horizon CityPolice Department will join a multi-state law enforcement crackdown tomake Texas roadways safer duringthe Labor Day Weekend, accordingHorizon City Police Chief TonyAguilar.

“Our officers and more than74,000 other law enforcement offic-ers will be patrolling and ticketingdrivers who ignore traffic laws foroccupant protection use, drinkingand driving, aggressive driving, and

Law enforcement agencies to crackdownon traffic violations during Labor Day break

exceeding the speed limits,” he said.Dubbed “Operation Blue TALON

3: Crash Crackdown,” the multi-state cooperative law enforcementeffort will unite more than 1,600agencies. It will begin at 6 p.m. Fri-day, Aug. 31 through midnight onMonday, Sept. 3, along Interstates10, 30, 35 and 40 and their feedersroutes in Texas, Arkansas, Louisi-ana, Oklahoma and New Mexico, aswell as many Indian Nation law en-forcement agencies.

“With this multi-state crackdown on viola-tions that annually account for many injuriesand deaths, we hope to make the roadways inour area safer for all holiday travelers,” Aguilarsaid.

“Last year during Operation Blue TALON 2in Region VI, Labor Day holiday fatalities de-creased from 85 in 1999 to 55 in 2000, a 35-percent reduction. This agency is pleased tobe involved in such an effort to save lives.

“The chances of getting stopped for

Tony Aguilar See CRACKDOWN, Page 4

SAN ELIZARIO — “Muyimportante, muy importante.”

Speaking in Spanish to the par-ents of immigrant studentsin the San Elizario Inde-pendent School District,State Rep. Manny Najeraemphasized repeatedlyhow important it was forthe parents to be educated,as well as their children.

Najera, who representsDistrict 75, spoke to about50 parents Aug. 22 in thesixth-grade conferenceroom of the San ElizarioMiddle School. His presen-tation was part of a series of informa-tional talks that are part of the district’soutreach immigrant program.

According to a brochure, thebroad-based federally-funded

Manny Najera

Najera stresses educationduring San Elizario address

By Don Woodyard�Courier Staff Writer

program stresses “family literacy,outreach to immigrant parents andtraining activities designed to as-sist parents to become more ac-tive participants in the educationof their children.”

“Parents have to be educated,”Najera said in Englishprior to his presenta-tion. “They have to berole models for theirchildren. They haveto set the example.”

Josie Campos, im-migrant clerk and thehome and schoolcommunity liaisonfor the program,translated Najera’slater remarks to theparents.

“Don’t permit age to be a bar-rier; you are never too old to learn.You must never stop learning.” He

See NAJERA, Page 5

EAST EL PASO COUNTY — Trustees in the Socorro ISD votedunanimously this week to approve a $234.5 million budget, supportedby a tax rate of just under $1.56 per $100 of property valuation, whichis an increase of just under three cents from last year.

The increase will support debt service for bonds issued to buildnew schools in the Socorro District — three new schools were openedin 2000, two more will open by the end of this year, and five more areanticipated to open next year.

The average home in the district is valued at $72,602, and with a $15,000homestead exemption, the yearly SISD tax bill on that house will run about$896.28. Even so, local tax revenue will provide only about 22 percent ofSISD’s total revenues. The majority will come from the state — 71 percent;and federal funds will account for seven percent.

Socorro ISD passes budget, tax rate

UPPER VALLEY — CanutilloIndependent School District Boardof Trustees approved a 9.5-cent de-crease to its tax rate for the 2001-2002 school year during a specialboard meeting Monday night.

Canutillo ISD drops taxrate by nine and a half cents

By Alfredo Vasquez�Special to the Courier

The decrease sent the tax ratedown from $1.70 last year to$1.606 per $100 property valua-tion this year. Canutillo ISD’s to-tal budget for the new school yearis $33.6 million.

For a $53,998 home, the aver-age home value in the district this

See CANUTILLO ISD, Page 7

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER August 30, 2001Page 2

★

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.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:Letter must not be more than 250words in length. They should bedated, must be signed and have anaddress and daytime phone number.Only the name and city will be printedwith the letter. The Courier reservesthe right not to print letters to theeditor or other submitted materials itconsiders inappropriate.

AD DEADLINE:Monday 4 p.m. for Thursdaypublication.

CLASSIFIED RATES$5 for 15 words, $10 for 35 words. Admust be in writing and pre-paid. TheCourier reserves the right not to printclassified advertising it considersinappropriate.

DISPLAY RATES:Open rate — $16 per column inch.Call for more information or to set anappointment. The Courier reservesthe right not to print advertising itconsiders inappropriate.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS:52 issues for $30.Delivery via 1st class mail.

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

True Texas Facts by Roger MooreAugust 26, 1836 - The Allen Brothers buy the site for Houston.

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

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

Last week, I had the honor oftouring a new building at theGateway Community HealthCenter in Laredo, Texas. I hold

this building especially close to my heart because it wasnamed in my honor. I was in Laredo last October whenGateway broke ground on the building and was proudto be there again last week for a tour of the new facility.

As I walked from room to room, I was reminded ofthe miracles that take place every day in centers justlike this one. Community health centers — like the onesin Laredo and Uvalde — serve the millions of peoplewho choose to live in rural America. They fill a criticalrole in health care and should not be taken for granted.

For over 30 years, community health centers haveprovided community-based care to patients who other-wise may not have received necessary medical treatment.Whether it’s because the only doctor is too far away oris too expensive, receiving proper medical care is just

Community health centers

Neighbors helping neighborsnot an option for some folks. This is where communityhealth centers step in.

We all know that being healthy is important to being aproductive member of your family and the larger com-munity. But too often in poor and rural regions of Texas,parents and children are forced to go without properhealth care. Community health centers are able to pro-vide important health services for rural America. Whetherit’s preventive prenatal care or early detection of dis-eases like diabetes or breast cancer, community healthcenters increase access to much needed care.

But community health centers do much more than justtreat illness. They also help prevent disease andstrengthen entire communities. Community health cen-ters improve citizens’ health, but they also provide jobs,strengthen schools, stabilize neighborhoods and enhancecommunity pride. Workers are able to be more produc-tive, children are able to stay in school, and mothers areable to care for their newborn babies. Community health

centers work because they are neigh-bors helping neighbors to keep theircommunity healthy and happy.

I’d like to say thank you, onceagain, to all the people who havededicated themselves to these impor-tant institutions. We owe you a greatdeal of gratitude and in many in-stances, we owe you our lives. Thankyou and keep up the good work!

HORIZON — What a nightmare— to be a regular guy one day and amulti-millionaire the next — and nota clue how to handle it.

I truly believe winning the lotteryis worse than being comfortably indebt. After all, that paycheck-to-pay-check drill is one that we’re all prettygood at.

Think about your regular day —do you have room in it for one morecomplication? Winning the lotteryjackpot would be the granddaddy ofall complications.

There was much ado on TV thisweek about a 46-year-old Kentuckyman who was recently laid off fromhis job and needing back surgery. Hehas an ex-wife to whom he pays childsupport, a fiancé, and a colorful his-tory in which he did a decade in theslammer for robbery.

Then he goes and wins thePowerball jackpot. He took the cashoption of $41.4 million. After taxes,he’ll get about half of that.

He is sure God answered hisprayers by letting him win. I’m notso sure. It sounds like his already-complicated life is fixing to get awhole lot more challenging.

Unless he really beats the odds, hischances of success with his big win-nings are pretty slim.

According to statistics, seven outof 10 major lottery winners are brokewithin three years — the reasons areas varied as the personalities in-volved, but there is some pretty con-sistent behavior involved.

Most don’t work their way intobeing rich by gradually upgradingtheir standard of living through in-vestment and wise money manage-ment. Instead they jump off the deep

Be carefulwhat youask for…

end — the big house, fine cars, ex-otic pets, long vacations.

They no longer take the time tocomparison shop or exercise cautionto make sure they aren’t getting takenwhen they make major purchases.

Most don’t consider that those big-ticket items require maintenance. Themore it cost to buy it, the more it isgoing to cost to keep it in good con-dition. A big house has to be fur-nished, cleaned and repaired, the poolfilled and maintained, the lawn andgarden groomed, the trees pruned, thecars cleaned and serviced, the hiredhelp paid.

Do you have any idea how hard it isto find good help these days? Some-body has to be trusted to look after allyour new responsibilities while youtake that extended trip overseas. Andright off the bat, you’d have to find agood lawyer and money manager youcould trust. Know any?

What about insurance and liabil-ity? What if Yo-Yo, your new Man-churian white tiger, devours Marvinthe gardener, who was the only goodhelp you had? Marvin’s familyknows you are loaded because theysaw you on the evening news. Nowthey want their cut.

Meanwhile, all those people youare related to but don’t have to seevery often suddenly become fixturesin your life. Just think what kind of aperson you would have to become tomake them all leave or — worse yet— let them all stay.

The telephone would no longer bea simple tool of convenience. Itwould become your worst enemy.

Good luck sleeping at night.If you are born into money, your

parents probably teach you a thing or

two about managing the family estateas you grow up. If you are rich becauseyou earned and saved it, I guaranteeyou’re going to be good at managingit. But if it suddenly falls into your lap,without preparation or warning, itcould be like having a millstone aroundyour neck in deep water.

I read this cartoon once about a guywho would drive by a conveniencestore and throw two dollars on thesidewalk. He said it was his weeklydonation to the lottery — throwing iton the sidewalk did him as muchgood as taking time to go in and ac-tually buy the ticket.

I’ve wondered sometimes whypeople would waste their money onsomething so unlikely as a chanceon the lottery when everyone knowsthe only true big winner is the taxcollector.

Who knows? Maybe the losers arethe really lucky ones.

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERAugust 30, 2001 Page 3

View from the porch By Linda Mussehl

Earn extra moneyat Tax Time

with

H&R BLOCK®

• THOUSANDS of people learn to prepare income tax

returns from H&R Block and then earn money as income tax

preparers. H&R Block, the world’s largest income tax

preparation service, offers its Income Tax Course starting

September 4, 2001. Morning, evening and weekend

classes are available.

• IDEAL FOR people who want to increase their tax

knowledge, the course teaches students how to save money

on their taxes and also prepares them for a rewarding career.

• TEXT BOOKS and supplies are included in the fee.

Qualified graduates of the course may be offered job

interviews with H&R Block but are under no obligation to

accept employment.

• THOSE INTERESTED in more information about the

H&R Block Income Tax Course may visit out Website at:

www.hrblock.com/tax or call:

For Eastside, Lower Valley or Socorro locations call us at:

772-8484For Central, Northeast or Westside locations call us at:

755-1315Ofrecemos clases bilingues.

When it comes to traditionalwomen’s skills, the “domesticarts,” I somehow missed the boat.It certainly isn’t the fault of thewomen in my family.

They tried. And tried. And thenthey tried again.

Early on, they taught me the basics of sewing, knit-ting, crochet and embroidery. What they failed to passdown was even a minor sustainable interest in any ofthe crafts.

I still shudder to recall my grandmother’s projectfor me in the summer of my ninth year: a grubby,wrinkled handkerchief with lumpy purple loops cro-cheted around two-thirds of its edge. (I also recallwhining, “May I please go weed the garden? Shovelout the chicken coop? Pleeeze?”)

Now, years later and still handicraft-impaired, I canbetter appreciate others’ handwork. I look at complexquilts or handwork made of tatting or bobbin lace andadmire, wondering how the heck they did that. Thesame goes for fine braiding — horsehair bosals andmecates, and leather quirts.

(On the other hand, I look at some other so-calledcrafts and wonder not “how,” but “why.” Sweatshirts— decorated with glitter, ribbons, and pink puff-paintpigs, usually worn by porky women at fairs — cometo mind.)

It would be a shame if the old crafts were lost. Iadmire those dedicated few who keep alive the oldskills and pass them along to others, those who spendtheir weekends traveling to reenactments or folk lifegatherings to demonstrate and teach the skills.

Knot a dying artMy friend, Virginia, is one. Her craft is tatting. An

art that reached its zenith in the Victorian Age, tattingis akin to lace making, but not quite the same. It isreminiscent of elaborate crochet work, but that’s notexactly it either. Worked with a small shuttle and thefingers, tatting is usually done with thread, makingpatterns of interlacing rings and semicircles to form afabric.

She’s made all sorts of pretties like Christmas treedecorations and wall hangings. But my favorite arelittle multicolored thread “harnesses” she made forcolored duck eggs, wrapping them in a web of fragiledesigns. They look like Fabergé jeweled eggs.

Virginia researched tatting and found someone toteach her. Later she developed her own teaching tech-niques and passes the craft along to others throughadult-education classes and folk craft demonstrations.

“I can teach a rock to tat,” she says modestly.She keeps threatening to teach me, but instead I

readily acknowledge my rockhood and spare us boththe frustration. It makes my hands knot, cramp andtwitch just to watch her work.

I tell her I first must finish a project I began a whileback, a knitted crib blanket for a grandbaby. I startedit when I learned my daughter was pregnant, and putabout six inches on the needles before the kid wasborn. I plan on finishing the baby blanket someday,even though he’s in first grade this year. Maybe it’llbe done before his college graduation.

As a handicraft-impaired adult, my handicap hasbeen really only a minor inconvenience. After all, ifPardner needs a button sewn on, he knows where tofind the needle and thread.

Public NoticeTO ALL INTERESTEDPERSONS AND PARTIES:The West Texas County Courier will publish twoeditions early. The October 4 and October 11, 2001issues will go to press on September 25, 2001.

All material for publication October 4 and Octo-ber 11, 2001 must be submitted to the West TexasCounty Courier no later than Friday, September21, 2001.

The West Texas County Courier office will close be-ginning Wednesday, September 26, 2001. The of-fice will open again on Monday, October 15, 2001.

Town of ClintPUBLIC NOTICEA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 5:30 p.m. onThursday, August 30, 2001 during the Planning and Zon-ing Commission meeting at the Clint Town Hall, 200 N.San Elizario Rd., Clint, Texas.

1) Approve the proposed subdivision of Tract 20B, Block 20 of San Elizario Grant located withinthe corporate limits of the Town of Clint;

2) Approve the re-zoning and a variance for M.Cobos, Lot 9, also within the corporate limits ofthe Town of Clint

The public is invited to attend the hearing to make anycomments regarding this request. Those that are unableto attend may submit their views to the Town of Clint.Persons in need of assistance to attend are encouraged tocontact the Town Clerk at 851-3146.

Jessica GarzaTown Clerk

WTCC: 08/30/01

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER August 30, 2001Page 4

Classified Ads

Our Professional Real EstateAgents will make your homebuying or selling experiencemore pleasant and less stressful.

Buying vs. Renting? New Homevs. Resale? How much home dowe want? Can we qualify? Whowill finance us? What stepsmust we take? What do all thesereal estate terms mean?

Home buying and selling can beconfusing. Do you have ques-tions? We have the answers!

Call and ask for Scott Fabiano.

From qualifying to move-inknow your next step before youtake it.

WE WILL HELP YOU!HORIZON PROPERTIES

Buyers & Sellers!You NEED

Horizon Propertiesas Your Agent.

852-33311-800-404-8078

LEGALS

CORRECTION:SOCORRO

INDEPENDENTSCHOOL DISTRICT

Invitation to Bid/Respond:

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

SOCORRO HIGHSCHOOL CAFETERIA

FURNITURECSP NO.

199-0904-1094TUESDAY,

SEPT. 4, 2001, 2:30 P.M.

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-8/23/01_______________________

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 - T25TLB28585,Ford Ranger, red, CHIH- DH90715VIN - unknown, Chevypickup, brown, CHIH -DH43874VIN - unknown, Ford two-door, burnedVIN -JA7FK44E5FP423817,Mitzubishi pickup, brownVIN -ISI26B231C652554,trailer, red, 0419929VIN -ISI7CI400WB674803,Strick, yellow, 2I2040VIN - D-33986, Flexi-van,black, 235894VIN -IB0IA4526F5I20593,Braf, white, 654-I3IVIN -IDNC4I256EM0I566,Dunham, rust, W47335WTCC-8/30/01_______________________

Tornillo Water SupplyCorporation

NOTICE OF PUBLICHEARING AND

AVAILABILITY OFPLANNING DOCU-

MENTS

The Tornillo Water Sup-ply Corporation (TWSC)proposes to construct awastewater collectionsystem and treatment

plant under the Environ-mental Distressed AreasProgram (EDAP) for theTown of Tornillo. Addi-tional financial assistanceis also being sought fromthe EPA Border Environ-mental InfrastructureFund (BEIF) that is ad-ministered by theNADBank for the areasthat are ineligible underthe EDAP program. Thecost for the EDAP portionof the project is estimatedto be $6,273,000. Thecost for the BEIF portionof the project is estimatedto be $5,689,500. Thetotal estimated cost of theproject is $11,962,500.

An application for finan-cial assistance for theproject is being filed withthe Texas Water Devel-opment Board, P.O. Box13231 Capitol Station,Austin, and Texas 78711-3231. A public hearing onthe project will be held at6:00 p.m. on September27, 2001 at the TornilloHigh School Library, lo-cated at 300 Oil MillRoad, Tornillo, Texas79853. One of the pur-poses of this hearing is todiscuss the potential en-vironmental impacts ofthe project and alterna-tives to it.

The first Phase of theproject (EDAP) will in-

volve construction of ap-proximately 38,000 linearfeet wastewater collec-tion piping, manholes,service connections, liftstations, and a 0.35 MGDwastewater treatmentplant. Project construc-tion locations includepublic right-of-ways andsmall parcels of privatelands that will be pur-chased within the Town ofTornillo. The areas to beserved by the proposedfacilities include all resi-dential ratepayers thatare within the EDAP eli-gible area of the town.

The second phase of theproject (BEIF) involvesthe construction of ap-proximately 30,000 linearfeet wastewater collec-tion piping, manholes,and service connections.Project construction loca-tions will be in publicright-of-ways. The areasto be served by the pro-posed facilities include allresidential ratepayers inthe Drake and Ranchitossubdivisions. The pro-posed plant under theEDAP project will be ex-panded to an additional0.59 MGD for this phase.The total treatment ca-pacity of the plant for bothphases will be sized to 1MGD.

The average estimated

monthly residential sewerbill may range from$28.00 to $43.00 and willbe dependent on theamount and type of finan-cial assistance acquiredby TWSC. The averageestimated monthly waterbill is $24.00.

An Environmental As-sessment and FacilityPlan Amendment basedon the total project hasbeen prepared which willbe available for publicreview at offices of theTornillo Water SupplyCorporation at 19225Highland Street, TornilloTexas 79853, betweenthe hours of 8:00 a.m. to5:00 p.m. for 30 days fol-lowing the date of thisnotice. Written commentson the proposed projectmay be sent to Mr. TonyHoldman, Business Man-ager, Tornillo Water Sup-ply Corporation, P.O. Box136, Tornillo, Texas79853 or to the TexasWater DevelopmentBoard.WTCC-8/30/01______________________

ENTERTAINMENT

Free Satellite SystemSistema Satelite Gratis

Ask Me How!Preguntame Como!

921-5009

FREE KITTENS

Free to good home — kit-tens about six weeks old,three white, one stripe. Eat-ing on their own and usingbox. Call 852-2919 or 852-3205 in Horizon City.

GARAGE SALES

FOUR-DAY MOVINGSALE: Friday throughMonday, Aug. 31-Sept. 3,8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bargainsgalore, everything re-duced. Antique sofa set,bicycle, patio furniture,desk with chair, coffeeand end table set, golfequipment, trolley bagsand clubs, electric golftrolley, garden tools, gar-den shed only fourmonths old for $100, stepladder, IBM typewriter for$50, cookware and muchmore. 3608 Colville inHorizon City.

GARAGE SALE: 19005Bremerton in HorizonCity (Heights) Friday-Sat-urday, Aug. 31, Sept. 1,8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Furniture,clothes, miscellaneous.

HELP WANTED

Hair Slingers in HorizonCity is seeking experi-enced cosmotologist. Ap-ply in person after 2 p.m.at 13899 Horizon Blvd.,

Ste. 4, Horizon City.

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 aproblem 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, 15360Horizo Blvd., HorizonCity, sesiones lunes a

sábado a 8 de la tarde.Informacion: 859-0484.

SERVICES

“Windshield Ding —Gimme a Ring”

JIFFY GLASS REPAIRWindshield Repair

SpecialistsBy appt. at your home

or office:R.V. Dick Harshberger

915-852-9082

BERT’SAUTOMOTIVE

REPAIRDomestic and Foreign

852-35231558 Oxbow,Horizon City

HORIZON CITYPLUMBING852-1079

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

insured for yourprotection.

AL’S PLACEWarehouse Space

900 sq ft-$200Yard Storage $20 and UpHorizon Industrial Park,

418 Kenazo,Horizon City

852-3949

such as water, marketing, federalinitiatives, rural economic devel-opment and drought.” For moreinformation on the TDA town hallmeeting, contact John McFerrin,TDA Producer Relations special-ist, at (512) 463-4879.

■ Norma Ayala has earned $500for Socorro High School by be-ing chosen as Teacher of the Yearby the 9441 Alameda Walmart.The SHS Business Ed teacherdidn’t walk away empty-handedherself, however. She wasawarded a blue Walmart vest.

■ Fabens High School cel-ebrated 24 Spanish III AP stu-dents passing the Spanish APexam, showing their proficiencyin the language and earning col-lege credits. Spanish teacherGuillermo Rubio said 15 stu-dents scored 5, four scored four,and five scored three.

■ Clint High School will cel-ebrate Homecoming on Sept. 22,and nominations are beingsought for Outstanding Ex, aformer graduate who has madepositive contribution to the com-munity. Letters of nominationshould be sent to Inez Garcia bySept. 6, with selection to be an-nounced Sept. 11. Call 851-2344for further information.

■ Navy Airman Arturo Juarezrecently completed a five-monthAviation Electrician’s MateCourse at the Naval Air Techni-cal Training Center inPensacola, Florida. The courseprepared him to work on theelectrical components of jet air-craft. A 1996 graduate of ClintHigh School, Juarez is the sonof Maria D. Varela.

BriefsFrom Page 1____________________

ignoring speed limits, drinking anddriving, and violating occupant pro-tection laws will be high this holidayweekend. If our officers don’t stopyou, another agency most likely will.By working together, we are increas-ing the odds that travelers will gethome safely,” he said.

New laws go into

effect SaturdayMeanwhile, several new laws re-

garding use of a motor vehicle willbecome enforceable Saturday, Sept. 1.

It will no longer be allowed forpassengers in a motor vehicle to havean open container of an alcohol-con-taining beverage and police say they

will pull over anyone who looks sus-picious. Violation could cost up to$500. MADD (Mothers AgainstDrunk Drivers) applauded the legis-lation saying it clearly separates theactivities of drinking and driving.

New law also extends the time ofsuspension of driver’s licenses forpeople who fail or refuse breath testsand it allows police to confiscate thatperson’s license at the scene.

Other new laws prohibit anyoneunder age 18 from riding in the backof an open pickup bed. Childrenyounger than four, or who are under36 inches in height, must ride in acar seat. Anyone under age 17 mustbe strapped into a seat belt.

Failure to use restraints on young-sters will also be more expensive —violation is punishable by fines of$100 to $200, compared with $25 to$50 under current law.

CrackdownFrom Page 1____________________

EAST EL PASO COUNTY — TheClint Independent School District isthe oldest and first independentschool district to be established in ElPaso County.

Nonetheless, the district recentlyofficially marked a “first” in historyfor the veteran school district, whichwas established by the County Com-missioners Court on May 28, 1929.

The Texas Education Agency offi-cially gave Clint ISD its first “Rec-ognized” rating — the second high-est rating to be bestowed on a dis-trict by the state for academicachievement. The highest ratinggiven out to a district for academicexcellence is “Exemplary” — a rat-ing that no district in El Paso Countyhas ever been awarded.

“Last year was truly a banner yearfor our entire district,” said Clint ISDSuperintendent Sylvester Perez. “Notonly did our district earn a state-rec-

Clint school district, county’s oldest ISD,celebrates new status in state rating

By Debra DominguezSpecial to the Courier

ognized status for the first time in itshistory, but the academic gains in stu-dent achievement are credit to thecommitment of our teachers to ourstudents.

“We’ve also had our Clint ISDBoard of Trustees elected as theRegion 19 School Board of theYear, broke-ground on a new mag-net school, opened a new elemen-tary school and established a moredistinct district vision and mis-sion,” Perez said. “However, weneed to continue to work to reachthe next level. Now we’re thinking‘Exemplary.’”

The Clint school district, which hasan estimated student population of8,000 — a number that is expectedto double within the next five years— rests on a large and geographicallydiverse area of almost 400 squaremiles.

With a stretch of land that beginstwo miles from the Mexican borderand that runs into the desert area near

See Clint ISD, Page 8

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERAugust 30, 2001 Page 5

WEST TEXAS — By day, the hoveringneedle-nosed pests attack silently, evidencedonly by a bloody “splat” or ugly welt. In dark-ness the mosquitoes dive bomb, their high-pitched drone cutting a swath through slum-ber. In late summer 2001, however Texas healthofficials are the ones losing sleep because ofmosquitoes. While most of the time, the pestsare just unpleasant and troublesome, this yearmosquitoes are threatening the health of hu-mans and livestock.

Staff members from the Texas Departmentof Health (TDH) and Texas Animal HealthCommission (TAHC), the state’s livestockhealth regulatory agency, are pooling resourcesto prevent, track and alert Texas about cases ofmosquito-borne viruses.

West Nile VirusIn mid-August, West Nile Virus (WNV) was

detected in a dead bird in a suburb of New Or-leans, meaning this virus, first discovered inthe US in l999 in New York City, has madesignificant progress in its migration towardTexas. The disease, common in Africa, MiddleEast and West Asia, was not documented inhumans or animals in the Western Hemisphereuntil l999.

This year, a dozen states and the Districtof Columbia have detected WNV in mos-quitoes or birds: New York, Maryland, Mas-sachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, RhodeIsland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia,Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.

“WNV will eventually come to Texas,” saidDr. Joe Garrett, veterinary epidemiologist forthe Texas Department of Health’s ZoonosisControl Division, which tracks animal diseaseswhich can affect humans. “As soon as it is de-tected in Texas, state agencies will alert vet-erinarians and physicians so they can be pre-pared to recognize the disease in their patients.”

“WNV is carried by at least 54 species ofwild birds that die from the disease,” ex-plained Dr. Garrett, who is also a formerTAHC epidemiologist.

“After mosquitoes feed on affected birds,they’re then able to transmit the virus to peopleor other animals.”

He said most WNV-infected humans willhave no symptoms of illness.

However, a small number of victims developfever, head and body aches, skin rashes andswollen lymph glands. Fewer than one in ahundred infected persons may develop inflam-mation of the spinal cord, known as meningi-tis, or encephalitis, a swelling of the brain.Symptoms may involve coma, tremors, con-vulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.

Since l999, 85 persons in the US have beendiagnosed with West Nile Fever; nine havedied. This summer two persons hospitalized in

Texas health officials concerned about mosquito-borne infectionsFlorida and another in New York were diag-nosed with the disease.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms compat-ible with West Nile Fever should see their phy-sician as soon aspossible,” advisedDr. Garrett. “Goodsupportive medicalcare is needed to as-sist patients in re-covering from theillness. Those per-sons over 50 years ofage, or sufferingfrom other medicalproblems are athighest risk for ill-ness if they are ex-posed to the virus.”

West Nile Fever isnot spread by humanor animal contact.And, although thereis no evidence thatdead birds can trans-mit infection, Dr.Garrett urges thatgloves be worn whenhandling wild deadbirds or animals thatmay have been ex-posed to the virus.

“Horses affected by WNV usually don’t havesigns of illness. Like human victims, however,a few may develop acute illness, and may stag-ger, become weak, be unable to rise and even-tually, could die,” he said.

Twenty-four horses have tested positive forthe disease in 2001; 23 in Florida and one inGeorgia.

Dr. John Irby, the TAHC’s equine issues spe-cialist and director for counties in northeastTexas, noted that the US Department ofAgriculture’s Center for Veterinary Biologicshas issued a conditional one-year license to FortDodge Laboratories for a West Nile vaccinefor horses. He said the product will require twodoses, administered three to six weeks apart.Final approval for the vaccine may be grantedafter information on the effectiveness and po-tency of the drug is reviewed.

“The drawback is that Texas may be downthe list on receiving supplies of the vaccine, asit will be issued first to states that have experi-enced the disease. Furthermore, anyone ship-ping animals internationally should be awarethat this vaccine could cause false-positiveblood tests, hindering the ability to exporthorses,” he noted.

Through a grant from the Centers for Dis-ease Control, TDH staff is conducting surveil-lance on mosquitoes, dead crows, bluejays and

hawks. To submit a bird for laboratory exami-nation, call your regional Texas Department ofHealth office or the Texas Department ofHealth in Austin at 1-512-458-7255,

The TAHC andTDH are testingequids, such ashorses, mules, don-keys and asses.TAHC field person-nel are collecting anextra blood samplefor WNV when theydraw specimensfrom equids sus-pected of being in-fected or exposed toequine infectiousanemia (EIA), anunrelated viral dis-ease that does not af-fect humans. (Theextra blood samplewill be tested forWNV in the TDHlaboratory.) Theowner’s names willremain confidential,and only the countynames will be reportedas part of the federallyfunded study.

Encephalitis or

“Sleeping Sickness”Also being diagnosed are various other forms

of encephalitis, also known as “sleeping sickness.”Dr. Garrett said at least nine persons in Loui-

siana have been hospitalized with encephali-tis, or inflammation of the brain, caused by avirus carried from birds to humans by mosqui-toes. Doctors have not yet determined the vi-rus which has caused this outbreak. In l998,said Dr. Garrett, one person died in Louisianafrom ailment that causes fever, nausea, vomit-ing, confusion and speech and vision impairment.

“Physicians provide supportive care, butthere is no treatment, only prevention,” he said.“Thank goodness the disease is rare.”

TAHC officials are urging Texas equineowners to have their animals vaccinated for“sleeping sickness,” after a horse in HendersonCounty and another in Jasper County testedpositive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).Also two horses in northwest Louisiana havetested positive for the disease. A horse in TitusCounty, in northeast Texas, has tested positivefor Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE).

“Both forms of this virus are seen sporadi-cally in the U.S.,” said Dr. Logan. “We encour-age owners to have their horses, donkeys,mules and asses vaccinated if they are in, or

are traveling to, an area where mosquitoes area problem.”

Dr. Logan said private veterinary practitio-ners can administer an effective “two-way”vaccine that protects equine against both East-ern and Western Encephalitis. She suggestedthat producers in South Texas consult with theirprivate practitioners about using a “three-way”vaccine that also will protect the animals froma foreign form of the disease, known as “Ven-ezuelan Equine Encephalitis,” or “VEE.” Inl971, VEE jumped from Mexico to Texas, andan “all out” effort was undertaken by federal,state and private entities to save horses andkeep the illness from spreading.

More than 2.8 million horses in 19 states werevaccinated against the disease in two years.

“VEE has been diagnosed in Colombia,South America, and on occasion, there havebeen cases reported in Mexico. “

Protecting equine in South Texas againstVEE makes good sense,” said Dr. Irby. “Onthe other hand, if an equine is destined for in-ternational shipment, use only the ‘two-wayvaccine, as the animal could have a ‘false-posi-tive’ result on VEE tests that may be requiredprior to movement.”

Encephalitis vaccines for horses require twoinjections, 30 days apart. To remain effective,a ‘booster shot’ is needed annually or biannu-ally. He said some veterinarians also employthe vaccines in an off-label use to protect ra-tites, such as emus, rheas and ostriches.

Protecting Human

and Livestock Health“Whenever we see encephalitis diagnosed in

equine, it is an indication that infected mosqui-toes are in the vicinity,” said Dr. Garrett. “Toprotect human and animal health, destroy breed-ing grounds for mosquitoes and protect yourselfand your animals with insect repellent.”

“Be sure to use only insect repellents andinsecticides that are approved for use on andaround animals, and follow label instructions,”said Dr. Irby. “A product containing syntheticpyrethroid compound, such as permethrin, mayoffer the best protection. Consider reapplyingrepellent on the animal after it has been exer-cised or ridden, as sweat can dilute the effec-tiveness of a product.”

Dr. Garrett said birdbaths and troughs shouldhave fresh water, and optimal chlorinationshould be maintained in pools. Flowerpots andother containers that hold stagnant water shouldbe drained, and roof gutters should be cleanedyearly. Control stagnant puddles that collectaround stables.

Both health officials reminded equine own-ers to seek appropriate medical care if they ortheir animals develop illness compatible witheither West Nile Virus or encephalitis.

As illustrated above, a female mosquito lays araft of several hundred eggs which, in a fewshort weeks, produce adult mosquitoes. Themale mosquito feeds only on nectar but the fe-male feeds on blood and hence can carry dis-ease. Draining standing water and using insec-ticide can help control the mosquito popula-tion, which is a food source for fish, birds anddragonflies.

pointed out that they should neverbe afraid to take initiative to learnthrough various educational pro-grams that benefit both themselvesand their families.

Najera urged them to read to theirchildren every day — to learn the En-glish language and become bilingual.

The state legislator particularlywants parents to become computerliterate so they can guard againstchildren accessing pornographicwebsites and inappropriate chatrooms.

He also told the parents that fund-ing for community projects is avail-able from Austin, but he said it wasimportant for the community tocome together to tell legislators justwhere the money should be used.

With Campos translating, RosaConde, an SEISD parent who at-tended the meeting, said she wanted

to be better educated so she couldbe a better achiever. Conde praisedNajera, saying she was glad therewas someone like him they couldcount on to help them.

Maria Gutierrez, another at-tendee, said the information Najerapresented was valuable to her.Gutierrez, who has her GED, saysshe wants to continue her educationand become a school teacher.

Campos says she is happy to be apart of the San Elizario team — tomake a positive difference in thelives of people like Conde andGutierrez.

There are 125 parents taking partin the district program which willbe three years old in December,Campos said.

Other concerns and issuesbrought out at the meeting includedthe importance of having adequatebus transportation so parents canaccess school district libraries, andof having schools open after hoursfor community members to furthertheir education.

NajeraFrom Page 1____________________

FABENS — The Fabens ISDschool board met in regular sessionAug. 16, greeted with the news thatthe Texas Education Agency (TEA)has found the district “AcademicallyAcceptable” overall, with some spe-cial acknowledgments.

Fabens High School was noted forpercentage of students completingrecommended high school programat 49.6; Fabens Middle school for itsattendance record of 96.5 percent;and O’Donnell Elementary for its at-tendance record of 97.1 percent, ac-cording to Poncho Garcia’s report tothe board. Overall, TAAS scores im-proved over last year, he said.

Garcia also reported that the dis-trict has completed preparation forthe upcoming District Effectivenessand Compliance evaluation. TheDEC teams have worked hard to pre-pare and gather the informationneeded, he said.

Representatives of the El PasoLeadership and Research Councilalso made presentation to the boardregarding their Student Success Ini-

Fabens designated ‘acceptable’ overall by TEAtiative. The organization consists ofsenior and chief executives of lead-ing corporations in the El Paso area.Their main points of concern includeeducation, transportation and regula-tory infrastructure.

The group gathers and publishes“non-threatening” information aboutlocal schools, based on self-reporteddata given to the TEA by the schooldistricts.

In other business, a parent expressedconcern over the lack of time for girlsto eat lunch and shower after the fourthperiod sports class. The board said thesituation will be reviewed.

The board also approved theTeacher Appraisal Calendar (PDAS)to begin on Sept. 10, 2001 and endon May 3, 2002.

New staff members for the 2001-2002 include Pedro Gonzalez, whowas named assistant principal atO’Donnell Elementary. JesusAnchondo, Veronica Gallegos andBrandi Laird also joined the staff.

The next regular meeting will beThursday, Sept. 20.

EL PASO COUNTY — Schoolhas started and the Girl Scouts ofthe Rio Grande is seeking inter-ested girls and adult volunteers tosign up for the 2001-2002 GirlScouting year at recruitment nightsheld in the community in Augustand September.

Deborah Zuloaga, ExecutiveDirector, said “Girl Scouting em-phasizes leadership, values, diver-sity and community service. (It is)a great way for girls to makefriends, develop leadership andother lifelong skills.”

Membership is for girls ages fiveto 17, willing to abide by the GirlScout Promise and the Girl ScoutLaw. For adults it is an opportu-nity to contribute an hour, a day,or more to a worthy cause.

In El Paso County, contact KeriMoe, 566-9433.

Girls can signup to be GirlScouts now

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER August 30, 2001Page 6

King Super CrosswordSTRIKE ONE!

ACROSS

1 Resembling

6 Lowdown lit

10 Small shot

13 Ellipse

17 Prompts

18 Sheet of stamps

19 _ League

21 Send payment

23 Buenos _

24 Computer image

25 Non-stereo

26 Praise for

Pavarotti

27 “Norma _” (’79

film)

28 Bruins’ sch.

30 “Ada” author

33 List entry

34 Start of a remark

by Will Rogers

38 Author LeShan

39 About

40 Very cold

41 Mets’ milieu

44 Artist Neiman

46 Steakhouse order

49 Kasbah cap

52 Printed matter

53 Hook on a hawk

54 Wall Street

spoilers

55 Poi base

56 Code letters

57 Prominent Hatch?

58 Gardener’s delight

59 So out it’s in

60 Bow

61 Playground game

62 Uncool ones

63 Who stoops to

conquer

64 Middle of remark

72 Snaky swimmer

73 Actor Lorenzo

74 Logical letters

75 “Knots Landing”

character

76 Yankee Derek

79 Nickel creature

80 Toughen up

82 Dachshund

declaration

83 Surrounded by

84 Dedicated to

defamation

85 Laotian native

86 “La Boheme”

seamstress

87 Lave the linoleum

88 Part of a process

89 Black piano key

90 Spirit

91 _ Lanka

92 Mutt of mystery

93 _ -relief

95 End of remark

106 Corner a cat

107 Indy 500 figure

108 Actress Freeman

109 Fury’s food

110 Destined to diet

112 Lost

113 Ultimate whale

watcher?

115 Former African

nation

117 Actress Marisa

118 Garr of “Mr. Mom”

119 Theater section

120 New York city

121 Salamander

122 57 Across, e.g.

123 Look like a letch

124 Com. treaty

DOWN

1 Peck part

2 A Heep of Dickens

3 Come around

4 Look at

5 Sent out

6 Like some milk

7 Jungle bird

8 Top numero

9 “In Memoriam”

poet

10 Hefty grass

11 Witch wheels?

12 Low-octane joe?

13 Sphere

14 Prove

15 Famed figure in

fiddles

16 Bile producer

20 Opus

22 Magnum opus

29 R.E. Lee’s govt.

31 Part of DA

32 Scores in ores

35 Best

36 Hitter Hank

37 Sail through

41 Scarecrow stuffing

42 Monsieur Matisse

43 Precise

44 A particular Key

45 Lilly of pharma-

ceuticals

46 Mans the bar

47 Met men

48 Rossini’s

“Le Comte -”

49 Some trimmings

50 Bungle

51 Gnus center?

53 Seek out a

school?

54 Conifer coverings

55 Really rain

57 Sleek swimmer

58 Some kind of a nut

59 _ Island

62 “In Search of …”

host

63 Unyielding

65 Pay attention to

66 Opens the mail

67 Discernment

68 Hunker down

69 Serve a purpose

70 Fate

71 Impish

76 Berry sweet stuff?

77 Funny Philips

78 Inside info

79 Herd word

80 Farouk’s faith

81 Nicole on “Fame”

84 Exercises the

arms

85 “_ is said and

done”

86 A real butte

88 Expert

89 Tennis legend

91 Playground

feature

92 Reach

93 Prohibition

94 Woman warrior

95 Subway station

96 Papal name

97 “Superman” star

98 Coup d’_

99 Desert refuges

100 Jacques, for one

101 Effigy

102 Like a judge

103 Man of steal?

104 Jeweler’s weight

105 African scavenger

111 Tolkien creation

114 Form furrows

116 Cookbook phrase

Answer Page 7

By Steve Escajeda�Special to the Courier

For any of you out there who think golf isboring I hope you were watching the finalround of last weeks NEC Invitational in Ak-ron, Ohio.

Did you enjoy Ali-Frazier? How aboutHearns-Hagler? Heck, did you like the knock-down drag-out between Bush and Gore? Well,you would have loved Woods-Furyk.

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk finished tiedafter four rounds and had to play seven dra-matic sudden death holes before the winner wasfinally crowned.

The winner? Who else — Tiger Woods. Butnot before some of the most dramatic golf I’veseen in a long time. First of all, I was onlywatching because Tiger was in contention. Andam I glad I was.

It seemed like one of the two golfers wasleft for dead during every playoff hole butmanaged to make some kind of miraculous shotto come back and tie the hole.

First it was Furyk nailing a do-or-die shotfrom the bunker, then it was Tiger draining a30-footer to keep the tournament going. One

Woods, Furyk thrill fans with dramatic shootoutguy would hit his tee shot into the woods, be-hind the scoreboard or in deep rough, but al-ways managed to hit the shot that got him backin the match.

Furyk finally caved in the seventh extra holebut he had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

It was exciting golf. Two guys who werephysically and emotionally drained at the endof it all and I must admit I wiped a little sweatoff my brow when it was finally over.

Time will tellWell, the time is finally here. For one long

year, UTEP football fans have been waiting tosee if last year’s Miners’ bowl team was a flukeor a hint of what was to be the new norm for ElPaso.

We all know the Miners lost a few talentedfootballers from last season. Rocky Perez,Brian Natkin, Menson Holloway, Trey Merkinsand Ricky Bishop quickly come to mind, butthe orange and blue return some great namesfor 2001.

Starting with All-American wide receivercandidate Lee Mays. Now for Mays to be ef-fective this season he will need someone to gethim the football and that someone is WesleyPhillips.

Name sound familiar? It should, he is theson of former Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillipsand the grandson of former NFL coach BumPhillips.

When it comes to a name, Wesley can’t miss.When it comes to hitting Mays in stride, it stillremains to be seen if the inexperienced fifth-year senior has what it takes.

On the ground the Miners return three backswho showed signs of breaking out of the so-soranks last year but never did. Rovann Cleve-land, Sherman Austin and Chris Porter will belooked upon to carry the load but coacheswould really like Porter to take control.

Another target for Phillips will be All-Ameri-can tight end candidate Joey Knapp. Just likeNatkin (Tennessee Titans) before him, Knapphas very good speed and great hands.

On defense the Miners will count on a de-fensive front which returns seven of the eighttop pass rushers from last season. A good cropof linebackers and an experienced secondaryshould help UTEP be even better defensivelythan last season.

UTEP opens its season Saturday at NewMexico before returning home next week forgames against Texas Southern and Texas Tech(ESPN 2).

Do the Miners have a chance to repeat asWAC champs? I believe it all depends on thearm of new quarterback Wesley Phillips.

For a guy that’s never started a college foot-ball game, that’s pressure.

‘Boys snookeredOf course, it would happen to the Cowboys.Do you remember how awful Tony Banks

looked in a Dallas Cowboys uniform? I mean,he didn’t even come close to hitting any re-ceiver with the football.

He looked tentative, lackadaisical and totallylost out there. So the Cowboys promptly cutthe poor soul, who last year was benched by theBaltimore Ravens in favor of…(gulp) Trent Dilfer.

The paint on his locker nameplate wasn’teven totally dry yet when Banks left town.

So Banks is out of football, right? Wrong.He landed with the Washington Redskins andquarterbacked the team last week against theCleveland Browns.

What did the poor over-rated sap do? He onlycompleted 12 of his 15 passes for 177 yardsand two touchdowns in leading the ‘Skins tocome-from-behind 27-25 win.

All this, while Dallas remains mired in quar-terback purgatory.

By Cynthia HernandezThe crowd yells with excitement,

the players are motivated by a peptalk from the coach, the cheerlead-ers yell loudly with school pride —it’s football time, a most popularand long-awaited season.

At San Elizario High School, thefootball squad waits anxiously tostart their 2001 season. San Elizariowill face Parkland in their firsthome game on Aug. 31, with kick-off set for 7 p.m.

Joe Carrillo, head football coach,is in his fifth year of coaching at SanElizario. In 1999, he and his staff led

San Eli football raises anticipation in athletes, fansthe players in winning the 2-4AChampionship; however, this yearthere are more underclassmen versussenior players on the varsity team.

“We are trying to find our iden-tity right now,” Carrillo said.

Each and every athlete plays withdedication and heart, but the seniors of-ten play with more determination, giventhat this will be their last year playingfootball in an Eagle jersey.

As varsity quarterback Rene “Bo”Solis said, “The past three years havebeen very fun and exciting and my lastyear as a senior I want to leave behind adistrict championship trophy.”

Horizon Plumbing �852-1079

• Master Licensed Plumber� #M18624�• 24-Hour Emergency Service�• Bonded and Insured�• Senior Citizens Discount

• Heating and Cooling�• Sewer and Drain Cleaning�• Faucet and Sprinkler Repair�• Appliance Installation�• Mobile Home Repair�

SAN ELIZARIO —San Elizario Indepen-dent School Districttrustees were busy last

week — meeting four times — to establish a tax rate,adopt a budget, and evaluate their superintendent.

Action on the first two items came last Friday at twomeetings held back-to-back. A public hearing on the taxrate and budget was followed by a second meeting thatprovided good news for San Elizario taxpayers.The good news was that the school board ap-proved a tax rate of $1.50 per $100 of propertyvaluation, unchanged from last year, said Su-perintendent Mike Quatrini.

At the second meeting, a budget of $26.7million was approved for the 2001-02 schoolyear — less than a percentage point (0.58 per-cent) increase over last year’s budget. The su-perintendent said 54 percent of the new bud-get goes into instruction and other student-re-lated services.

The board had met in a budget workshopon Thursday, Aug. 23.

Quatrini received a vote of confidence for his workfrom trustees in his mid-evaluation at an Aug. 22 meet-ing. They rated him as “exceeding expectations” with ascore of 2.81 out of a possible 3.

“He is taking us where we want to go,” Board presi-dent Anthony Araujo said. “The board and the commu-

San Elizario ISD board holds line on taxrate, gives superintendnet good marks

nity are pleased with his performance. We are confi-dent we are going higher; it’s just a matter of time.He’ll do it.”

The board also moved forward with construction ofa $1.9 million administration building which will belocated on two acres of land on the north side of SocorroRoad at the intersection with Chicken Ranch Road. Ur-ban Associates Inc., which has been in charge of sev-eral previous district projects, will be the general con-

tractor and construction manager for the new18,959-square-foot administration building.

Impacting district projects was approvalFriday of a generally higher hourly wage ratepaid various construction workers. The ratewas the same as that used by the El Pasoschool district. Araujo said the higher ratewas approved so as to attract more highlyskilled workers to work in SEISD.

Quatrini says bids are going out, and con-struction is expected to start by the end ofSeptember. Estimated completion date isMay of 2002. The present central adminis-trative offices on FM 1110, near the inter-

section with Socorro Road, will be used to consolidatesupport services under one roof and provide improvedstaff development facilities.

Araujo sees the action by the board as an expressionof confidence in the future growth of the district. “It(population growth) is stable now, but it will grow.”

By Don Woodyard�Courier Staff Writer

Mike Quatrini

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERAugust 30, 2001 Page 7

Comix

Put us towork for you.

852-3235

Newspapers work!

OUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

GOT A LIFE By Terri Davis

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

HAIR�SLINGERS�Hair & Nail Salon�Hot Wax Removal�

Tanning�Walk-Ins Welcome�

852-1655�13899 Horizon Blvd. & Darriington

WHOLESALE LUMBER CO.

748 Horizon Blvd.�Socorro, TX�859-0212

12298 Alameda�Clint, TX�851-2804

206 N. Fabens�Fabens, TX�

764-3155

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!®

By Don FloodI don’t ask much of soap.I like white soap, cut into square

bars — the kind Granny used tomake down by the cement pond.

(Cultural reference for youngerreaders: “Granny” was a charac-ter in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” aseminal 1960s sit-com based on apilot by William “Bill”Shakespeare, who later becamefamous for his autobiographicalfilm “Shakespeare in Love.”)

But the other day I entered theshower and was confronted by astrange and horrible sight — a stallequipped not with bars of soap butwith things called body washesand body scrubs and, yes, some-thing called a Vanilla Moisturiz-ing Shower Gele´e.

(Yeah, it’s even got that weirdaccent mark in the middle. Whatis that about?)

Now if you’re a normal person— by which I mean a man —you’re probably asking yourself:a what!?

Yes, men, BEWARE! The nexttime you take a shower with a nor-mal bar of soap may be your last!Hoard your soap! Take to the hills!

I’m sorry, but I don’t particu-

Coming clean had some coffee that morning.)But perhaps this is some kind of

“smart shampoo” that soaks intoyour brain and makes you smarter.(Sort of the opposite of what hap-pened to Jethro after he usedGranny’s soap.)

As you know, Americans need“smart shampoo” technology if weare to remain competitive with thetop students in other countries.

In fact, we need “smart sham-poo” to remain competitive withthe top sheep in other countries.

And in case the phrase “Energiz-ing Shampoo” seems confusing,there is a helpful clarifier under-neath. It says “ShampooingEnergisant.”

There, that makes sense, doesn’tit?

“Energizing Shampoo” worksbecause it contains a “Shampoo-ing Energisant,” which I assume isa special formula like“platformate” or “retsyn.”

Cultural reference for youngerreaders: “Platformate” helpspeople get better gas mileage;“retsyn” promises fresher breath.

Or maybe it’s the other wayaround. I can’t remember.

I think I’ll try that energizingshampoo._____________________________(c) 2001 King Features Synd., Inc.

larly like washing myself with some-thing that sounds like the dessert spe-cial at CafZˇ La Foofy. (“Could Itempt either of you with a very spe-cial Vanilla Gele´e?”)

By the way, did you hear that theDial Soap Co. is on the market?

Remember them? They weregreat! Granny herself would havebeen proud of their soap.

No wonder they’re going down thedrain. Poor fools, they made soap!They need to get on the stick and startmaking gele´e!

And gele´e is just the beginning.My wife bought a Healing Garden

product that described itself as a “soulcleansing bath and shower gel.”

Soul-cleansing!Does the FDA know about this?

How about the Pope?And how come Consumer Reports

hasn’t checked this out?(“While Healing Garden shower

gel did show a minimal efficacy intreating venial sins, its ‘green teatherapy’ soap technology provedwholly insufficient in treating mor-tal sins — even after repeatedwashings.”)

There’s more.Elizabeth Arden sells something

called a Green Tea Energizing Sham-poo.

I found this in my shower but,frankly, was afraid to try it. (I already

year, the district property tax billwill be $626, a decrease of about$21 for the owner of an average-value home.

“I feel very good that the Dis-trict is solvent, that it is meetingall of its financial commitmentsand still is able to reduce the taxrate. It is a tribute to the schoolboard, superintendent and hisstaff,” said Gonzalo Garcia Sr., aCanutillo resident.

According to Tony Reza,Canutillo ISD comptroller, the taxcut was made possible by an in-crease in the district’s assessedproperty values coupled with ad-ditional state funding. “I think thatCanutillo ISD is the only Districtin the region to pass a tax decreasefor this coming school year,” Rezastated.

“Last year we made a difficultdecision to raise the tax rate, butit was essential for generating thenew funding that we are experi-encing this year. However, wecannot lose sight of the fact thatinflation and cost of goods in-crease every year. Our needs aregetting greater in facilities, cur-riculum, and personnel, and wehave to be willing to bear the costof educating our children,” saidCanutillo ISD Board President JoeVillarreal.

Canutillo began the school yearwith more than 4,620 students en-rolled at its six campuses. The wasrecently named a “Recognized”district based on the 2000-2001Texas Education Agency (TEA)performance indicators.

Canutillo ISDFrom Page 1____________________

EL PASO COUNTY — TheChamizal Connection, a retrospec-tive of the works of regional artistsManual Acosta, Rudy Montoya andGene Wilson, opens to the publicwith a reception Thursday, Aug. 30in the Chamizal National MemorialLos Paisanos Gallery.

The exhibition runs through Fri-day, Sept. 21.

“In putting the show together ourfriends group discovered that memo-ries and stories about the artists arestill strong in the community,” saidVirginia Ness, gallery director.“Many of the works, like the signa-ture hats by Manuel Acosta used forthe exhibition’s invitation, are stillwidely recognized.

“Significantly, there are numerousworks by all the artists that have beenout of public view for some time,”she said.

Many of the works will be for sale,including Estate Certified prints byRudy Montoya, during the openingreception. Prints of work by GeneWilson will also be available. A per-centage of all painting sales is ear-marked to support Memorial galleryprojects.

The reception will run from 5-7p.m. at 800 South San Marcial be-tween Bowie High School and theCordova Bridge. The public is invitedto the reception and there is no fee.For additional information, call 915-532-7273.

Fondly rememberedregional artists to befeatured at Chamizal

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER August 30, 2001Page 8

THURSDAY

Hot with periods ofclouds andsunshine.

92°▲ ▼

THUR. NIGHT

A few clouds.

FRIDAY

Mostly sunny andhot.

92°▲ 66°▼

SATURDAY

Mostly sunny andhot.

90°▲ 66°▼

SUNDAY

A stray t-storm withclouds and sun.

90°▲ 64°▼

MONDAY

Clouds and sunwith a t-storm in

one or two spots.

88°▲ 64°▼

TUESDAY

A good deal ofsunshine; hot.

90°▲ 66°▼

WEDNESDAY

Hot with partialsunshine.

95°▲ 68°▼

WEATHER AccuWeather .com

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO

TEXAS WEATHER TRAVELERS CITIESUV INDEX

REAL FEEL TEMP™

AGRICULTURE

Statistics for noon.

Thursday ............ 8 ....................HighFriday ................ 8 ....................HighSaturday ............ 8 ....................HighSunday .............. 6 ............ModerateMonday .............. 6 ............ModerateTuesday .............. 8 ....................HighWednesday ........ 8 ....................High

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

Albuquerque 86/60/s 86/60/s 84/58/pc 82/58/pc 84/60/pcAtlanta 89/70/pc 87/68/pc 87/68/pc 87/66/pc 85/71/tAtlantic City 80/66/s 84/68/pc 82/64/pc 80/60/pc 78/58/sAustin/San Antonio 90/72/t 91/73/t 92/73/t 91/74/t 94/67/sBaltimore 86/66/s 88/68/pc 84/64/pc 82/62/s 80/58/sBoston 78/62/s 82/64/t 78/62/pc 75/59/s 71/53/sChicago 82/62/pc 74/56/sh 72/54/s 74/54/s 78/58/pcDallas/Ft. Worth 86/70/t 88/72/t 90/72/t 92/72/s 92/61/pcDenver 80/54/pc 80/52/pc 78/52/pc 80/54/pc 82/54/pcFlagstaff 72/44/s 74/47/pc 72/46/c 73/47/c 71/39/pcHouston 88/72/t 90/72/t 92/74/t 91/69/pc 92/67/tKansas City 86/62/t 80/58/t 78/58/pc 80/60/s 80/58/pcLas Vegas 102/74/s 100/72/s 100/72/s 97/74/s 97/74/sMiami 90/80/pc 90/78/pc 90/78/pc 90/78/pc 90/76/cMinneapolis 78/56/sh 74/52/s 74/54/pc 76/56/t 74/54/pcNew Orleans 89/75/t 89/77/t 89/75/t 91/75/t 91/75/tNew York City 82/66/s 86/70/pc 80/64/pc 78/64/s 76/60/sPhiladelphia 84/66/s 88/68/pc 82/64/pc 80/62/s 78/58/sPhoenix 102/78/s 100/80/pc 102/80/pc 102/82/pc 102/80/pcPortland 82/58/s 76/56/pc 78/56/pc 82/54/s 82/54/pcSan Francisco 64/54/pc 66/54/pc 68/54/pc 72/56/pc 72/56/pcSeattle 76/56/pc 72/54/c 74/54/pc 76/56/s 78/56/pcTucson 98/72/s 96/72/pc 96/72/pc 98/70/pc 96/70/pcWashington, DC 86/68/s 88/70/pc 84/66/pc 82/64/s 82/62/s

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

There will be a lot of sun on Thursday, about 8-12 hours worth, with hot and dry conditions. It looks like the next best chance of someshowers or thunderstorms will be on Sunday and Monday when some moisture moves into the area. Otherwise, hot and mainlysunny. Weather (W): s -sunny, pc -partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh -showers, t-thunderstorms,

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

Thursday .................................... 89°Friday .......................................... 92°Saturday ...................................... 91°Sunday ........................................ 91°Monday ........................................ 92°Tuesday ...................................... 91°Wednesday ................................ 93°

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 92 68

Canutillo 93 69

Fabens 92 68

Clint 92 69

E. Montana 92 68

Socorro 91 67

Horizon 93 69

San Elizario 89 66

Tornillo 92 69

Vinton 93 69El Paso92/68

Santa Fe81/51

Albuquerque86/60

Alamogordo91/64

Las Cruces92/66

Deming93/64 Carlsbad

95/65

Amarillo87/63

Lubbock88/64

Alpine86/62

Odessa92/68

Lajitas91/64

Ruidoso82/58

Cloudcroft75/41

CiudadJuárez92/68

68°

Mexico

the New Mexico line, Clint ISD isthe “gateway” district for Mexico.

As such, the district carries a di-verse student population with anoverall 87 percent economicallydisadvantaged ratio. It is com-prised of three separate and distinctcommunities: the Town of Clint,the Town of Horizon City and theunincorporated area known as FarEast Montana.

Ray Saenz, principal of the EastMontana campus of Mountain View

High School, said he not only at-tributes the district’s notable suc-cess to the teachers and students,but to every member of the district,including custodians and cafeteriastaff, who “work for the students.”

“I know how hard it was for megrowing up as a child with eco-nomic obstacles,” he said.“Sometimes I didn’t know if I wasgoing to have light to study, or ifI’d have heat or cool air to keepme comfortable, nor did I everknow what sort of transportationor if I’d have transportation to getto school. Despite these types ofobstacles though, our kids havemade academics a priority.”

Olivia Campos, Clint’s AssistantSuperintendent for Research, Evalu-ation, Accountability and Adminis-tration, said the newly released andofficial TEA Recognized status is adirect result of dedicated employees.

“We are very excited and pleasedwith the official results,” Campossaid. “And we are very proud of ourteachers, students, staff and admin-istrators for making this happen.Thank you!”

The Clint District will officiallycelebrate its new TEA Recognizedstatus Sept. 27 with outdoor recre-ational events, a donated lunch forall employees and a District OpenHouse.

Dear Editor:I would like to take this oppor-

tunity to thank the Coca Cola Co.,Southwest Airlines and VIVA ElPaso! for their donation of passesto the VIVA El Paso! show for theSocorro senior citizens. The se-niors truly enjoyed the show.

I would also like to thank theSocorro ISD and Mr. ChenteQuintanilla for their support in pro-viding a bus to take the senior citi-zens. Also, a sincere thank you toRachel, the bus driver, who wasvery helpful and courteous.

Sam BrewsterCouncilman, City of Socorro

Write stuffClint ISDFrom Page 4____________________