SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO FEBRUARY 8, 2007VOL. 34, No. 6

NEWSBRIEFS

See BRIEFS, Page 5

Where do kids get all those questionsparents can’t answer?

— Quips & Quotes

1973

2007YEARS34

Rick Perry

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry issued anexecutive order this week directing theHealth and Human Services Commission(HHSC) to adopt rules requiring all girls age11 and 12 to receive the HumanPapillomavirus (HPV) vaccine prior to en-tering sixth grade, effective September 2008.

The executive or-der also directsHHSC and the De-partment of StateHealth Services(DSHS) to makethe vaccine imme-diately available toeligible young fe-males through theTexas Vaccines forChildren programfor young women

ages 9 to 18, and through Medicaid forwomen ages 19 to 21.

“The HPV vaccine provides us with an in-credible opportunity to effectively target andprevent cervical cancer,” said Perry. “Requir-ing young girls to get vaccinated before theycome into contact with HPV is responsiblehealth and fiscal policy that has the potentialto significantly reduce cases of cervical can-cer and mitigate future medical costs.”

Parents may choose to opt out of mandatoryvaccinations for reasons of conscience, includ-ing religious beliefs and the executive orderdirects DSHS to ease the opt out process byproviding exemption request forms online.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted dis-ease in the U.S. — about 20 million people inthe nation are infected, including one in fourpeople with ages 15 to 24 years. Certain strainsof HPV cause most cases of cervical cancerand Texas has the second highest number ofwomen suffering from it in the nation.

Some lawmakers, however, are protestingthe executive order on several fronts, includ-ing that it was issued so swiftly that it didnot have benefit of public hearings, prohib-iting medical and community input. The ar-bitrary manner of the order cut off input fromother state lawmakers and because it is anexecutive order, it cannot be rescinded bythe state legislature.

Some have insinuated a special-interestmotive in pointing to Perry’s ties to Merckand Co., which makes the HPV vaccine,known as Gardasil. The drug company isaggressively promoting mandatory-vaccinelaws in Texas and in other states. Perry’sformer chief of staff, Mike Toomey, is nowone of Merck’s Texas lobbyists.

Even those who believe Perry is actingwith all good intentions have voiced concernthat he should have proceeded with greatercaution and diplomacy. Among those wereLt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, however,expressed concern based on cost — the vac-cine runs about $120 a dose and a full vacci-nation requires three doses. Most large insur-ance companies cover the vaccine but for girlsnot covered by insurance, Perry’s order re-quires the state to pay for the vaccination.

Perry answered those who protested themandatory vaccination based on a concern that

Governor’s order to havegirls vaccinated for STDgets mixed reaction

See VACCINE, Page 5

Join ‘George’The Oz Glaze Senior Center invites thecommunity to join them in an open housecelebration featuring “George Burns” inthe person of comedian Dean Hinmon onFeb. 10, from 7-9 p.m. The event is free at13969 Veny Webb and admission is free.

Fabens arrestsFour men were arrested in Fabens onWednesday morning, Jan. 31, after thedriver of a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoriafled from El Paso County Sheriff’s depu-ties attempting to conduct a traffic stop.The driver was unable to successfullybrake the speeding vehicle and it woundup crashing into a 12-foot dry irrigationcanal. The driver and right front passen-ger fled on foot but the driver was caughtimmediately. The Sheriff’s Office, assistedon ground and in the air by the U.S. Bor-der Patrol, activated its Search and Res-cue unit to look for the other person whofled on foot. He was spotted about an hourlater by a Border Patrol helicopter pilotmore than a quarter mile away from theaccident scene in a field. Two male backseat passengers suffered upper body inju-ries. All four occupants of the vehicle weretransported to R.E. Thomason GeneralHospital. More than 80 pounds of mari-juana was recovered from the trunk of thevehicle and all four were charged with pos-session of marijuana over 50 pounds. Thetwo who fled were also charged with evad-ing arrest. Arrested were the driver,Fernando Magalde, 33, of San Elizario;Armando Arenas, 29; Francisco Calderas,34, of Juarez, Mexico; and Asael Martinez,18, also of Juarez.

In other news� The Texas School Counseling Associa-tion has awarded five Socorro ISD cam-puses its prestigious CREST (CounselorsReinforcing Excellence for Students inTexas) Award. Counseling teams fromAmericas, El Dorado and Socorro HighSchools, and Ernesto Serna K-8 and Pasodel Norte K-8, were noted. This is the sec-ond year for Paso Del Norte and SocorroHigh Schools to be honored.

� U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued asemi-conscious undocumented 23-year-old Chinese woman from the AmericanCanal on Feb. 3, administering first-aid forhypothermia. The woman was in a groupof 10 subjects attempting to make an ille-gal entry into the U.S. east of FonsecaDrive. As the agents approached, the othermembers of the group exited the riveragain on the Mexico side but the womancould not pull herself out of the ragingundercurrents. The woman was trans-ported to Thomason, then to the El PasoProcessing Center. In fiscal year 2007 sofar, 26 migrants in distress have been res-cued by border patrol agents — in 2006,that number was 506.

EAST EL PASO COUNTY— Meet Lex, the Clint Inde-pendent School District’s drugdetection dog, and Ray Rios,the district’s canine handlerand truant officer. Togetherthey make up the Clint ISDK-9 Team.

In an effort to keep districtcampuses drug free, the K-9program was established withthe primary goal of maintain-ing a safe learning environ-ment for the district’s 9,400students at six secondary cam-puses. The K-9 Team istasked with finding and re-moving any illegal drugsfrom the campuses and,more importantly, serving asa crime deterrent.

In the past, the district hasrelied on other providers forthis service. The serviceswere costly and unreliablewhich created frustrationand disappointment at thecampus level. The district-established team can spendmore hours at the campuses and the districtwill save $5,000 per year.

“The K-9 program has had a huge impact onwhether or not students bring drugs to school.We have had no possessions this year. The ran-dom, frequent visits are the most successful partof the program,” said Pam Howard, Horizon

By Laura CadeSpecial to the Courier

Clint ISD establishes own K-9 program

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

DYNAMIC DUO — Lex and Ray Rios.

High School Principal.A three-year-old Belgium Malinois, Lex is

trained to detect a variety of narcotics. He keepsup his sniffing skills by training eight hours amonth. Rios has 160 hours of training as a doghandler. This team is on call with the district,year-round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

CANUTILLO — Students from CanutilloElementary School were recently awarded cer-tificates, ice cream and milk coupons, along with$500 cash for winning a commercial contest heldby Channel 4 KDBC and Price’s Creameries.

Kindergarten students in Cynthia Arteagaand Maria Arroyos class, second grade studentsin Rick Armstrong’s music class, and first gradegifted and talented students in Judith Valle’sclass worked for four months filming, produc-ing, and editing their commercial entitled

Prize winning commercials nab honors for Canutillo ESBy Kim Guzman

Special to the Courier

“Drink Price’s Milk.” The winning song wascomposed by Armstrong and sung by his sec-ond grade music class.

“The contest was open to any school in thearea with only one winner chosen from an el-ementary school and one from a high school,and from the many schools that entered duringthe year, Canutillo was the winner,” said Su-san Smith, CES lead technology teacher andco-coordinator for the commercial project.

Participating students and their teachers wererecently presented with their awards on theKDBC Channel 4 noonday news. The winningcommercials will continue to be aired through-out February on Channel 4.

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

FUTURE AD EXPERTS — Award winning students from Canutillo Elementary School’skindergarten through second grade classes are shown on the set with Robert Bettes,Chief Meteorologist at KDBC Channel 4.

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER February 8, 2007

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

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

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�

Member Texas CommunityNewspaper Association News, Inc.

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

1973

2007

YEARS34

Plain wrongI’ve been

s t u d y i n gabout ethicsand it’s been

causing me a little mental discomfort.The problem is that I always be-

lieved that people were who and whatthey were. They believed what theybelieved and behaved accordingly.Good people did good things and hadgood results. People bent on misbe-having generally wound up sufferingfor it. There wasn’t just a whole lotof surprise in the neighborhood whensome bad boy wound up in troublewith the law. By the same token,when some good kid won a scholar-ship, everybody was glad but, again,nobody was surprised.

I’ve been introduced to a wholenew way of thinking. You see,today’s world isn’t governed by whatis good and what is bad, nor by whatis right or what is wrong.

Nobody can agree on something assimple as that.

No, we need something that every-body can agree on, which is, basi-cally, nothing. So we’ve come upwith a whole new idea, an ingeniouspiece of nothingness.

It’s call ethics.Mr. Webster defines ethic — in the

way the modern business worldwants to use it — as, “the principlesof conduct governing an individualor a group.” I’d like to point out thatthey pulled this portion of Mr.Webster’s definition of ethic fromway down at the bottom of the list.The first preferred definition has todo with dirty words like good and badand moral duty and obligation and

similarly distasteful ideas so they hadto skip over all those till they cameto one that had no teeth in it.

Now, business needed some wayto seem good without actually beingor doing good, so they had to makeup their own rules. The word ethicsounded good, so they just added an“s” and “ethics” was born.

Business ethics are just about asrubbery as Silly Putty and not a bitmore stable. The term means noth-ing and can be twisted to fit an end-less variety of shapes and sizes.Therefore, everybody can agree onit which means that nobody has toagree to anything.

So while I was chewing on this newconcept I come across an article abouta former Texas drug agent, describedby his former supervisors as “perhapsthe best narcotics officer in the country.”

You know, one of the good guys.According to the story this man

worked for small police departmentsand operated very effectively on a drugtask force. However, once he was notlonger employed in catching the badguys, this fellow decided to market hisskills and make a little money.

In the spirit of business ethics ev-erywhere, he launched a website.Promoting his extensive backgroundas a DEA-trained narcotics officerand K-9 instructor with over 800 nar-cotics arrests notched on his belt, thisfellow began offering trade secrets tothe “general public” on how to trans-port narcotics without getting caught.He’s even got a DVD on construct-ing hidden compartments.

This boy had to be an honors stu-dent in his business ethics class.

While his promotional material as-sures the “general public” he canshow them how to avoid narcoticsprofiling and how to fool drug dogs,he says he’s really doing this for thegood of the country. He says he wantsto educate Americans about their“civil liberties” and he is “driven” inthis pursuit by the “unfairness andinjustice” of the current legal system.

Like I said, business ethics can bestretched, mutilated and perverted tocover almost anything. This man mayhave been a good narcotics officerbut I’d have to say he is even betterat something else, which shall remainunnamed for the sake of discretion.

Understandably, law enforcementofficers, especially his former col-leagues, are plenty steamed at hislittle exercise in so-called free enter-prise. At last report they were look-ing into every nook and cranny to seeif what he was doing is against anylaw, anywhere.

On his glitzy, well-designedwebsite is a little eye-catching add-on which states that his enterprise iscompletely legal but a news channelasked a bunch of viewers if theythought it was moral. The answer wasthat 63 percent of those who re-sponded said it was. Only 37 percentsaid what he was doing was immoral.Business may not be as brisk as he’dhoped though. He’s dropped hisoriginal price from $24.95 to $10.

You’ll notice that I have not men-tioned this fellow’s website address,his name nor even the title of his trash— oops, did I say that out loud? Howunethical of me to judge him like that!

Since I don’t plan on making realgood grades in business ethics, any-way, I’ll just go ahead and say thatthe reason I’ve omitted that informa-tion is because I’d just as soon notmake it easy for anybody to find thiskind of trash.

What this fellow is doing isn’tjust unethical. It’s just plain wrong.

When U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm in-troduced the “Dickey Flatt test” to hiscolleagues and to the country, hebrought a new conscience to budgetwriting and created an iconic imagefor fiscal discipline.

It was Dickey Flatt, the printerfrom Mexia, Texas with seeminglypermanent blue ink stained on his fin-gers, who became Gramm’s standardby which to judge every plea for agovernment appropriation. The testwas easy: Is an item of spendingworth taking a dollar from DickeyFlatt’s ink-stained hands? Grammknew that Washington’s generositywas truly paid for by hard workingtaxpayers like Dickey Flatt.

It is a test that lawmakers aroundthe country might do well to use to-day, including those now gathered inAustin.

Today, Texas stares at $14.3 billionin new revenue above the previousbudget, and the debate over what todo with it will take center stage. Oflesser profile will be debates on in-dividual items of spending and evenmatters of policy. But in any case,considering the cost of taking themoney from taxpayers’ pockets isimportant.

This isn’t merely an exercise in lowtaxes and low spending. It is aboutcreating opportunities for people totake care of their own families, giv-

View from here By Mary Katherine Stout

Bring back Dickey Flatt: Remember who really pays for government

See PAYS, Page 3

ing second thought to government’snaked redistribution of money andthe hardship it places on taxpayersto turn over their hard-earned cashwith little real say in how it is spent.

While the state budget is rife withexamples, the discussions on eligi-bility and services among the state’ssocial services programs come tomind first.

The Children’s Health InsuranceProgram has been a particular targetfor advocates of expanding govern-ment services through liberalizingeligibility requirements and makingit easier to enroll in government aid.

They portray the CHIP assets testas draconian, and remain undeterredeven after the state discovered someapplicants and recipients driving cur-rent-year luxury cars, and others withsubstantial cash in savings, all whileenjoying CHIP benefits paid for bytaxpayers.

They fight to lengthen the periodof continuous eligibility for theseservices from six months to 12,though they recognize that some re-cipients become ineligible during thecourse of a year.

They fight cost sharing in the pro-gram, pleading that recipients are toopoor to pay anything for their care— even those making as much as$40,000 annually for a family of four.

They presume that every applicant

or recipient is equally needy and ab-solve them of any responsibility,while efforts to protect taxpayers areportrayed as greed.

Perhaps some see this as noblewhen the images of the poor and thewealthy stand in sharp contrast: thepoor single mother with two childrenversus the wealthy business man andhis family. But what happens whenthe distinctions are less clear?

What about the single mother withone child, struggling to make endsmeet, but making just more thanenough to qualify the two of them forgovernment assistance? They subsi-dize the single mother with two chil-dren making slightly less, thoughtheir situation is only marginally bet-ter. What about a middle-incomefamily living trying to provide healthinsurance for themselves, while gen-erously subsidizing those who paylittle or nothing for their care?

The reality is that government at-tempts to help some people will hurtothers. At the very least, governmentowes it to the taxpayers to ensure thatthose receiving government assis-tance are truly needy.

No doubt some will argue that gov-ernment should do more, mistakenlybelieving that government has theability to care for people and the

February 8, 2007 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Socorro Independent School DistrictStatement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance

Governmental FundsFor the Year Ended August 31, 2006

Data Debt Capital Capital TotalControl General Service Projects Projects Other GovernmentalCodes Fund Fund 2006 Bond 2005 Bond Funds Funds

REVENUES:

5700 Total Local and Intermediate Sources $ 59,480,546 $12,471,872 $ — $ 3,856,806 $ 4,524,136 $ 80,333,3605800 State Program Revenues 171,674,620 19,761,281 — — 5,572,935 197,008,8365900 Federal Program Revenues 862,687 — — — 35,708,488 36,571,175

5020 Total Revenues 232,017,853 32,233,153 — 3,856,806 45,805,559 313,913,371

EXPENDITURES:

Current:

0011 Instruction 135,133,824 — — — 22,047,914 157,181,7380012 Instructional Resources and Media Services 3,747,415 — — — 306,233 4,053,6480013 Curriculum and Instructional Staff Development 2,963,395 — — — 3,356,184 6,319,5790021 Instructional Leadership 3,960,113 — — — 494,477 4,454,5900023 School Leadership 12,706,086 — — — 89,322 12,795,4080031 Guidance, Counseling and Evaluation Services 7,639,582 — — — 1,462,960 9,102,5420032 Social Work Services 1,010,318 — — — 242,156 1,252,4740033 Health Services 2,333,462 — — — 444,180 2,777,6420034 Student (Pupil) Transportation 7,892,981 — — — 108,288 8,001,2690035 Food Services 1,131 — — — 15,199,835 15,200,9660036 Cocurricular/Extracurricular Activities 6,741,714 — — — 26,505 6,768,2190041 General Administration 6,426,589 — — — 130,979 6,557,5680051 Plant Maintenance and Operations 26,265,471 — — 206,799 288,349 26,760,6190052 Security and Monitoring Services 4,539,694 — — — 57,560 4,597,2540053 Data Processing Services 2,944,715 — — — 17,686 2,962,4010061 Community Services 870,536 — — — 266,019 1,136,555

Debt Service:

0071 Debt Service - Principal on long-term debt 1,225,723 11,588,058 — — — 12,813,7810072 Debt Service - Interest on long-term debt 75,630 16,824,412 — — — 16,900,0420073 Debt Service - Bond Issuance Cost and Fees — 685,608 717,108 — — 1,402,716

Capital Outlay:

0081 Facilities Acquisition and Construction 392,302 — — 28,604,437 16,247,483 45,244,222

6030 Total Expenditures 226,870,681 29,098,078 717,108 28,811,236 60,786,130 346,283,233

1100 Excess (Deficiency) of RevenuesOver (Under) Expenditures 5,147,172 3,135,075 (717,108) (24,954,430) (14,980,571) (32,369,862)

OTHER FINANCING SOURCES (USES):

7911 Capital-related Debt Issued (Regular Bonds) — 33,895,417 70,685,000 — — 104,580,4177913 Capital Leases 1,351,850 — — — — 1,351,8507916 Premium or Discount on Issuance of Bonds — 25,486,943 3,704,185 — — 29,191,1288949 Other (Uses) — (58,728,243) — — — (58,728,243)

7080 Total Other Financing Sources (Uses) 1,351,850 654,117 74,389,185 — — 76,395,152

1200 Net Change in Fund Balances 6,499,022 3,789,192 73,672,077 (24,954,430) (14,980,571) 44,025,290

0100 Fund Balance — September 1 (Beginning) 43,140,307 4,984,913 — 89,936,401 31,852,805 169,914,426

1300 Prior Period Adjustment — 877,429 — — — 877,429

3000 Fund Balance — August 31 (Ending) $ 49,639,329 $ 9,651,534 $73,672,077 $64,981,971 $16,872,234 $214,817,145

What’s up, doc? By Albert Balesh, M.D.

Many of us without health insur-ance make a beeline for the localemergency room wearing only theEmperor’s new clothes, when we arestricken with a sudden malady. Un-covered and left with no choice, weprefer a feel better now, worry aboutthe consequences later approach.

There was a t ime when thegreater good, personal integrity,and social consciousness heldsway. Not anymore! In our strictlyindividualistic culture, in which“me first” attitudes predominate,we seek gratification in the hereand now, and damn our posterity.With a health care system inshambles and millions of uninsuredmanning the minimum wagebreadlines, we can no longer counton Washington to tackle this ex-tremely difficult and complex is-sue. While hard times require in-novative thinking, conflicts of in-terest abound to preempt unified,concerted progress toward univer-sal health insurance for all.

Even the middle class has not beenspared. The prevalence of uninsured,college-educated, full-time workingAmericans is growing. Small firmsand the self-employed simply cannotafford to pay rising health care pre-miums. There is also a mentality is-sue here, as the healthy perceivecostly and unnecessary insurancecoverage as an unwanted drain ontheir already thinning financial re-sources. The unhealthy, on the otherhand, are either unable to obtain anycoverage at all, or only limited insur-ance at unheard of prices.

Perhaps a look at universal healthinsurance systems in Europe and Is-rael is warranted at this point, the al-ternative being finger insertion in aproverbial dike. Bah, you say. Thingsare not that bad. Then explain the factthat we as a nation spend twice asmuch per capita on health care as ourEuropean counterparts, only to re-ceive mediocre returns, for example,in the areas of infant mortality andlife expectancy.

The general consensus is thatsomething is broken. Fixing it isanother story. Medicare, a crownjewel at its inception, is barelychugging along on four cylinders.At one time, it addressed the needsof our aging population, and pro-vided services the private sectorturned a blind eye to. Funding forthe program at current levels is nolonger sustainable, however, and,while there is no doubt that Medi-care has improved the condition ofour nation’s elderly, political in-fighting, legislators’ lust for power,envy of the elderly by the young,and the financial numbers them-selves have eroded support for aprogram destined to meet the endof the dinosaur. We must now asktwo important questions. First, iscontinued government investmentin health care morally justified?Second, is consumer-driven healthcare a better alternative?

Turning our sights for a momentaway from the elderly and back tothe U.S. population as a whole, wenote that just 10 percent of the in-sured population accounts for 70percent of all health care expendi-tures. Shunned by insurers whofear shrinking profit margins, and

Bare to health carecondemned to making hard, unholychoices between high cost premi-ums and food, these hapless vic-tims watch health, savings, andcredit scores decline in a techno-logically advanced society thatlong ago outlawed debtors’ prisonsas cruel and inhumane.

It doesn’t end there. The U.S. isculturally challenged, culturallymixed, and a frying pan (not amelting pot) for the politically op-pressed and for individuals of di-verse ethnic and religious back-grounds. In order to meet theirhealth needs, we must first under-stand what makes them tick, i.e.,the health determinants of particu-lar people in particular places atparticular times. Then apply whatwe have learned to thenonhomogeneous American pan-orama, being mindful of the factthat race, class, and gender also in-fluence perceptions of health andour health care institutions and

economy. We are slowly coming tothe realization that epidemiologyand social science must firmly andwarmly embrace the new kids onthe block, ethnography and socialhistory, if our health care systemis to shift from rattle to hum.

Finally, we would be remiss ifwe did not offer two small, yet con-crete solutions to the health carecrisis. A system of government “re-insurance,” to reimburse insurersfrom the public coffers, might in-sulate them from the financialweight of particularly expensivecases. That, and cost-effective“health condition managementunits,” interdisciplinary care teamsproviding a full range of healthcare services to patients with con-ditions such as diabetes, hyperten-sion, or cancer, might attenuate, ifnot eliminate, the mortal embar-rassment of getting caught with ourpants down.

We are born in birthday suits. Yetthere is no need to leave this worldprematurely, for lack of properhealth care attire. The Emperormust not win!______________________________________________________© 2007, Albert M. Balesh, M.D. All

rights reserved.

limitless resources to do it. But inreality, the only way the governmenthas the resources to pay for theseprograms is by confiscating themoney through taxing its people.And taxing people necessarilymeans stripping people of their re-sources to meet their needs, whilelawmakers redirect their money toothers.

It’s easy to hand out the money

PaysFrom Page 2______________________

when lawmakers see only the facesof people with outstretched hands,be they compelling faces of childrenor friendly faces of those making abusiness on profiting from taxpayermoney. Indeed, taxpayers need aface that reminds lawmakers wherethis money comes from — that orDickey Flatt’s blue fingers.______________________________________________________Mary Katherine Stout is the vicepresident for policy and director ofthe Center for Health Care PolicyStudies at the Texas Public PolicyFoundation, a non-profit researchinstitute based in Austin.

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER February 8, 2007

Tornillo Independent School DistrictStatement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance

Governmental FundsFor the Year Ended August 31, 2006

Data 10 TotalControl General Other GovernmentalCodes Fund Funds Funds

REVENUES:

5700 Total Local and Intermediate Sources $ 1,303,596 $ 104,095 $ 1,407,6915800 State Program Revenues 7,526,704 1,093,907 8,620,6115900 Federal Program Revenues 606,787 1,388,004 1,994,791

5020 Total Revenues 9,437,087 2,586,006 12,023,093

EXPENDITURES:

Current:

0011 Instruction 4,153,025 1,509,375 5,662,4000012 Instructional Resources and Media Services 60,067 80,994 141,0610013 Curriculum and Instructional Staff Development 38,463 73,521 111,9840021 Instructional Leadership 165,482 — 165,4820023 School Leadership 386,321 — 386,3210031 Guidance, Counseling and Evaluation Services 5,557 47,255 52,8120033 Health Services 4,394 79,002 83,3960034 Student (Pupil) Transportation 264,659 72 264,7310035 Food Services 745,496 19,268 764,7640036 Cocurricular/Extracurricular Activities 292,311 — 292,3110041 General Administration 535,696 — 535,6960051 Plant Maintenance and Operations 962,868 — 962,8680052 Security and Monitoring Services 146,042 — 146,0420053 Data Processing Services 345,599 36,208 381,8070061 Community Services 20,477 — 20,477

Debt Service:

0071 Debt Service - Principal on long-term debt — 469,000 469,0000072 Debt Service - Interest on long-term debt — 327,429 327,4290073 Debt Service -Bond Issuance Cost and Fees — 223,679 223,679

Capital Outlay:

0081 Facilities Aquisition and Construction 99,575 — 99,575

Intergovernmental:

0093 Payments to Fiscal Agent/Member Districts of SSA — 25,858 25,858

6030 Total Expenditures 8,226,032 2,891,661 11,117,693

1100 Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues Over (Under) Expenditures 1,211,055 (305,655) 905,400

OTHER FINANCING SOURCES (USES):

7911 Capital-related Debt Issued (Regular Bonds) — 3,919,997 3,919,9977915 Transfers In 10,000 39,246 49,2467916 Premium or Discount on Issuance of Bonds — 219,691 219,6918911 Transfers Out (Uses) (49,246) — (49,246)8949 Other (Uses) — (3,920,000) (3,920,000)

7080 Total Other Financing Sources (Uses) (39,246) 258,934 219,688

1200 Net Change in Fund Balances 1,171,809 (46,721) 1,125,088

0100 Fund Balance — September 1 (Beginning) 5,402,915 63,165 5,466,080

3000 Fund Balance — August 31 (Ending) $ 6,574,724 $ 16,444 $ 6,591,168

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LUBBOCK — Memorial ser-vices for Charles Pat Downer,who served El Paso Countyschools as a teacher and admin-istrator, were held Jan. 27, 2007in Lubbock. He died on Sunday,

Jan. 21,2007 inLubbock inthe com-pany of hisfamily. In-t e r m e n twas to willfollow inT e x o l a ,Oklahoma.

Downerwas born

April 15, 1929 in Texola, to Tho-mas Burton and Clara Rebecca(Neely) Downer, where he wasraised and graduated from highschool. He married Jean Tayloron Nov. 2, 1950, and they hadthree children, Debra Lloyd ofLubbock, Dena Dean of SanAngelo and Pat “Bo” Downer ofLubbock.

He served with the 45th Infan-try Division of the OklahomaNational Guard in Korea, earneda BS from Oklahoma A&M anda Masters degree from UTEP. Heserved as a teacher, coach andadministrator in the SierraBlanca, Clint, Socorro andLittlefield school districts. He re-tired in 1989 and subsequentlylived in Rocky, Oklahoma, andin San Angelo and Lubbock,Texas. He was also a member ofthe Fabens chapter of MasonicLodge.

Downer is preceded in deathby his wife Jean. He is survivedby his three children, sevengrandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Former countyeducator, PatDowner, dies

Pat Downer

SAN ELIZARIO — Working un-der pressure, improvisation, andteamwork are skills that can takeadults years to develop yet studentsat Borrego Elementary have learnedto harness these abilities to shine.

On Jan. 18, the San Elizario Inde-pendent School District sent twoteams of gifted and talented (GT) stu-dents from Borrego Elementary tothe West Texas Team Quest RegionalChampionships. One team placedthird overall from among 26 otherteams winning an award for their per-formance and a gift package fromAdventures in Learning.

This was the first school year thatany team from San Elizario ISD com-peted in Team Quest, a unique andchallenging experience that incorpo-rates critical thinking and problemsolving activities from different academicareas such as art, science, and math.

The teams were composed of fourstudents each — one made up of 3rdand 4th grade students and the other

Borrego ES students shine at Team Quest

Special to the CourierBy Cynthia P. Marentes

of 5th grade students. The theme ofthis year’s Team Quest competitionwas “Artists and their Art: Leonardo’sWorkshop.” Helping to prepare thestudents was Borrego 1st grade teacherAdriana Castruita who only becamethe GT Coordinator for the campus inDecember, leaving very little time forher to work with the students. “Youcan’t prepare for the challenge. We didresearch on DaVinci but it’s mostlyabout what the students bring to thecompetition,” Castruita said.

The flurry of activity that charac-terizes the Team Quest challenge isenough to turn anybody into a ner-vous wreck. For example, the com-petition was a daylong event startingat 9 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m. Stu-dents worked through their lunchcompleting several components ofthe challenge including a buildingactivity, answering trivia questions,and writing and performing a skit.The teams were then judged on apoint system for each of the activi-ties and the five teams with the high-est composite scores advanced to thenext level of competition.

The members of the team include

Yolanda Mota, Samuel Reyes,Humberto Marquez, and MannyHernandez, all 11-year-olds fromBorrego Elementary. The studentsworked through Team Quest chal-lenges as a team by asking one an-other questions and deciding on thebest approach. Manny Hernandezstated that the hardest part was beat-

ing the other teams and added thatduring the competition he felt “astrange mixture of being nervous andbeing excited.” The second teamfrom Borrego Elementary was com-posed of 3rd and 4th graders. Theteam member’s were Eduardo Sierra,Denise Argumedo, Rick Rodriguez,and Romanti-Ezer Mata.

— Photo courtesy San Elizario ISD

TEAMWORK — Adriana Castruita, from left, with students SamuelReyes, Humberto Marquez, Yolanda Mota, and Manny Hernandez whoperformed well in their first appearance in Team Quest competition.

February 8, 2007 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Bertha Silva-Holguin Beto Gomez

On board at Anthony ISDPhotos for several schoolboard members were notavailable by press time forthe February 1 issue of theCourier which carried a fullpage ad dedicated to schoolboard service. Bertha Silva-Holguin and Heriberto“Beto” Gomez serve astrustees on the Anthony ISDSchool Board.

Pepperoni’s Pizza & Deli852-2544Limited Delivery Area

Chinese Food

Burgers & Subs

Canutillo Independent School DistrictStatement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance

Governmental FundsFor the Year Ended August 31, 2006

Data 10 CP-Campus Capital Proj. TotalControl General Additions & New High Other GovernmentalCodes Fund Renovations School Funds Funds

REVENUES:

5700 Total Local and Intermediate Sources $12,314,987 $ 114,576 $ 247,928 $ 1,899,181 $ 14,576,6725800 State Program Revenues 23,190,350 — — 3,216,506 26,406,8565900 Federal Program Revenues 3,391,795 — — 5,976,789 9,368,584

5020 Total Revenues 38,897,132 114,576 247,928 11,092,476 50,352,112

EXPENDITURES:

Current:

0011 Instruction 20,134,171 — — 3,743,741 23,877,9120012 Instructional Resources and Media Services 501,222 — — 434,364 935,5860013 Curriculum and Instructional Staff Development 492,883 — — 1,193,272 1,686,1550021 Instructional Leadership 822,062 — — 373,126 1,195,1880023 School Leadership 1,868,888 — — 17,750 1,886,6380031 Guidance, Counseling and Evaluation Services 781,402 — — 155,187 936,5890032 Social Work Services 86,353 — — 1,000 87,3530033 Health Services 315,428 — — 21,808 337,2360034 Student (Pupil) Transportation 1,590,752 — — 14,.268 1,605,0200035 Food Services 3,400,808 — — 282,576 3,683,3840036 Cocurricular/Extracurricular Activities 775,529 — — 70,865 846,3940041 General Administration 1,997,478 — — 10,271 1,987,7490051 Plant Maintenance and Operations 4,501,181 14,923 — 431,957 4,948,0610052 Security and Monitoring Services 61,173 — — — 61,1730053 Data Processing Services 654,120 — — 65,512 719,6320061 Community Services 186,449 — — 422,052 608,501

Debt Service:

0071 Debt Service - Principal on long-term debt 150,000 — — 1,785,000 1,935,0000072 Debt Service - Interest on long-term debt 165,402 — — 2,033,398 2,198,8000073 Debt Service -Bond Issuance Cost and Fees 5,500 75,471 — 151,347 232,318

Capital Outlay:

0081 Facilities Acquisition and Construction 1,751,868 1,915,391 4,368,176 826,270 8,861,705

6030 Total Expenditures 40,222,669 2,005,785 4,368,176 12,033,764 58,630,394

1100 Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues Over (Under) Expenditures (1,325,537) (1,891,209) (4,120,248) (941,288) (8,278,282)

OTHER FINANCING SOURCES (USES):

7911 Capital-related Debt Issued (Regular Bonds) — 7,500,000 — 3,814,998 11,314,9987915 Transfers In 118 — — 234,332 234,4507916 Premium or Discount Issuance of Bonds — 88,300 — 102,376 190,6768911 Transfers Out (Use) (234,332) — — (118) (234,450)8949 Other (Uses) — — — (3,995,000) (3,995,000)

7080 Total Other Financing Sources (Uses) (234,214) 7,588,300 — 156,588 7,510,674

1200 Net Change in Fund Balances (1,559,751) 5,697,091 (4,120,248) (784,700) (767,608)

0100 Fund Balance — September 1 (Beginning) 7,434,010 — 4,072,254 2,286,095 13,792,359

3000 Fund Balance — August 31 (Ending) $ 5,874,259 $ 5,697,091 $ (47,994) $ 1,501,395 $ 13,024,751

it encourages young girls to engage inpre-marital sex because they may be-lieve they are inoculated against theconsequences.

“Providing the HPV vaccinedoesn’t promote sexual promiscuityanymore than providing the Hepati-tis B vaccine promotes drug use,”Perry said. “If the medical commu-nity developed a vaccine for lung can-cer, would the same critics oppose itclaiming it would encourage smoking?

“While I understand the concernsexpressed by some, I stand firmly onthe side of protecting life. The HPVvaccine does not promote sex, it pro-tects women’s health. In the past,young women who have abstainedfrom sex until marriage have con-tracted HPV from their husbands andfaced the difficult task of defeatingcervical cancer.

“Finally, parents need to know thatthey have the final decision aboutwhether or not their daughter is vac-cinated. I am a strong believer in pro-tecting parental rights, which is whythis executive order allows them toopt out,” Perry said.

VaccineFrom Page 1______________________

� The Town of Horizon Cityhas joined over 20,000 commu-nities nationwide that are nowallowed to purchase federallybacked flood insurance, follow-ing the town’s adoption andagreement to enforce an ordi-nance to reduce flood losses asmandated under the NationalFlood Insurance Program. As ofNov. 8, 2006, residents of Hori-zon became eligible for the in-surance, however, there is a 30-day waiting period before cov-erage goes into effect. The Na-tional Flood Insurance Programis administered through FEMA(Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency, and offers insur-ance for renters as well as resi-dential and commercial propertyowners.

� The Texas Dept. of Agricul-ture has extended the cottonstalk destruction deadline forcotton growers in Zone 10 toFeb. 15, due to wet field condi-tions. This extension applies tofields in El Paso County and aportion of Hudspeth County. Forinformation, call 806-799-8555.

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

TORNILLO — A group of about15 pediatric physicians visited theTornillo Wellness Center as part ofa tour conducted by the Council onCommunity Pediatrics. The tour,which was organized in part by Ri-chard Mojica, Unit Manager ofSchool-Based Health Centers forTexas Tech University of HealthSciences Center, enabled the groupto visit various school-based healthcenters in the El Paso area. The

By Rudy BarredaSpecial to the Courier

Pediatrics group tours Tornillo Wellness Centergroup also toured the Clint,Montwood and Mobile Car units.The main purpose of the Councilhosting the event was to showcasehow the El Paso region tries toovercome health care barriers en-countered by many children andtheir families in the area.

The Council of Community Phy-sicians is a part of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics. The presi-dent of AAP, Jay E. Berkelhamer,M.D., FAAP, was extremely im-pressed with the high level of col-laboration between Texas Tech andTornillo ISD. “This is one of the

best school-based health clinics Ihave seen in the nation,” said Dr.Berkelhamer.

Dr. Gilbert A. Handal, chairmanof Texas Tech’s Department of Pe-diatrics, was complimentary ofTornillo ISD Superintendent PaulVranish and Wellness CoordinatorMiranda Peck. “The collaborationestablished here has set the bar sohigh that future meetings will bedifficult to match,” said Dr.Handal.

The group crossed the U.S.-Mexi-can border at the conclusion of thetour to attend a reception in Juarez.

archives: www.wtccourier.com

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER February 8, 2007

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

Public NoticeTown of Horizon CityThe Town of Horizon City will be accepting letters ofinterest for the vacant position of an Alderman to theCity Council. As outlined in Section 3.02 (A) & (B) inthe City Charter, Qualifications to read as follows:

• Be a qualified voter of the City;

• Reside within the corporate limits of the City;

• Not hold any other office or employment underthe City government nor be an elected memberof any agency, board or district, which is directlyinvolved in taxing, providing services, or estab-lishing schools within the Town of Horizon City;

• No person shall be eligible for an elective officeof the City unless at the time of their election theyhave resided in the City during the twelve monthsimmediately preceding the election; and

• Other qualifications prescribed by the laws ofthe State of Texas.

Applicants must be willing to seek office in the May 2007elections for a one-year term and in May 2008 for a fullterm. Council will interview qualified candidates in anupcoming Special Meeting. Citizens that are interested inserving may submit a letter by Friday, February 16, 2007at Town Hall, 14999 Darrington Road, Horizon City,Texas 79928 or by fax at 852-1005. For additional infor-mation contact Fidel Morales or Rene Vallecillo at 852-1046, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Raymond Morales Date PublishedMayor February 8, 2007

It seems frighteningly apparent tome that the once proud Green BayPackers are now dedicated to onething and one thing only — the totalcontentment of Brett Favre.

The future Hall of Fame quarter-back announced last week that hewould be returning for his 17th NFLseason in 2007. And that’s greatnews for Brett Favre, and BrettFavre alone.

Most of the experts around pro-football thought Favre should haveretired about four or five years ago.I don’t know if I qualify as a pro-football expert, but I was in totalagreement with them.

Over the last few seasons it’s beenpainfully difficult to watch the once-great Favre struggle just to hit theguy in the same-colored jersey as hisown.

Everybody knows that Favre al-ready owns the consecutive gamesplayed streak and total passes com-pleted record, and there are manyother records just within his grasp.But the Packers are a shell of whatthey once were under Favre and itseems as if the organization has putFavre’s personal achievementsahead of the accomplishment of theteam.

No one disputes Favre’s contribu-tions to the Packers and to the NFL,but there comes a time when everyplayer must look in the mirror andcome to grips with their own mor-tality.

Wasn’t it just over a year ago that

Athletes should not playjust to set personal records

Favre told reporters that he wasn’tsure he wanted the football in hishands at the crucial part of the gameanymore? That tells me that not onlyhas he passed his prime physically,but no longer has the mental tough-ness to deal with the game on aweekly basis.

It’s not that I dislike the guy per-sonally, but I’ve seen too many greatathletes embarrass themselves at theend of their careers. RememberEmmitt Smith in an Arizona Cardi-nals uniform? Remember WillieMays swinging and falling down ina New York Mets uniform? Ask yourdad about a fat Muhammad Ali get-ting smacked around the ring in hislate 30s.

During Favre’s first 13 years withthe Packers he never sufferedthrough a single losing season. Overthe last two years Favre has leadGreen Bay to a dismal 12-20 record.

Individually, Favre’s play over thelast two seasons ranks him near thebottom of the league. After complet-ing nearly 70 percent of his passesfor a decade, he has only connectedon 58 percent of his tosses the lasttwo years.

And here’s one more startling fact— prior to the last two seasons,Favre had thrown a total of 376touchdown passes and just 225 in-terceptions. In the last two years,Favre has thrown 38 touchdownpasses and a whopping 47 intercep-tions.

But that sharp drop in numbersdoesn’t seem to have the Packer’sbrass worried at all. Again, winningand losing has become secondary tothem. It’s as if Favre has so much

mud on them that they don’t dareeven consider giving the washed upveteran his walking papers.

But the one thing I cannot do isblame Favre for taking the moneywhile he still can. I just hope when Ibecome senile and lose my eyesightand the ability to recognize my owngrandkids, that my employers con-tinue to pay me anyway.

Super role modelsAs I write this column the Super

Bowl will be kicking off in exactlyone hour.

I decided to write this segment be-fore the outcome of the game toprove a point, that no matter whowins, the head coaches of the India-napolis Colts and Chicago Bears willprovide minority youngsters aroundthe country with a great gift — acouple of role models.

Much of the talk surrounding thisbig game has been about the historicmeeting of two black coaches. Butin the larger scale of things, it meansso much more.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith aremore than black football coaches;they are teachers, leaders, men ofclass, respect, dignity, and honor. Itruly hope there will come a daywhen the focus of a game is put on aman’s character, and not on his pig-mentation.

Young people of every color, andespecially young African Ameri-cans, would do well to follow eitherman’s distinguished lifestyle.

Real role models come along alltoo infrequently, but fortunately, atthis year’s Super Bowl, youngpeople have two to choose from.

El PASO COUNTY — The SanAntonio Stock Show and Rodeo as-sociation and the San AntonioKiwanis Club honored40 outstanding youngpeople during the 52ndAnnual Rural YouthBanquet on Jan. 26. Twoof those honorees are 4-H member from El PasoCounty.

The honored 4-H andFFA members were cho-sen by their organiza-tions for their continuingcontributions to agricul-ture and agricultural-re-lated fields, and for theirinvolvement in leader-ship and community ser-vice activities throughtheir respective organi-zation.

Elizabeth Ivey, daugh-ter of Everett andDanielle Ivey, received aYouth LeadershipAward. She is a junior atMontwood High Schooland a member of DesertValley 4H and El PasoCounty Teen Council.

Nicole Gonzales,daughter of Lupe andLorissa Gonzales, was similarly hon-ored. She is a senior at Clint HighSchool, a nine-year member of 4-H,and a member of El Paso CountyHorse Club and El Paso County Teen

Two from El Paso Countyhonored at Rural Youth Banquet

Council. is a nine year member of 4-H, belonging to the El Paso 4-HHorse Club, and serves as Presidentof the El Paso County Teen Council.

“I am proud of what Nicole hasaccomplished thus far. I would liketo encourage more young people in

our community to be-come involved in thistype of program andmake them aware thatthey too can accomplishthe same,” said LupeGonzales.

The Rural YouthAward is a prestigioushonor and each recipi-ent receives a $1,000scholarship to assistthem with their collegeeducation. The San An-tonio Kiwanis Club andthe Stock Show are avidsupporters of highereducation and believethat this investment inthe leaders of tomorrowis a sound one.

The San AntonioStock Show and Rodeoassociation is a volun-teer, nonprofit organiza-tion whose mission is topromote agriculturalawareness and its ad-vancement througheducation.

To learn more about 4-H, visit www.fourhcouncil.edu. For in-formation about the El Paso HorseClub, call 525-9858 or 859-9560.______________________________________________Laura Cade contributed to this story.

Special to the CourierBy Jim Rodgers

Nicole Gonzales

Danielle Ivey

archives: www.wtccourier.com

February 8, 2007 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

By Don FloodDo you ever feel like, you know,

you’ve lost that certain spark?Well, now you can get it back

— 50,000 volts’ worth.The latest fun activity in Las Ve-

gas? Getting Tasered.That’s right, people recently

lined up at the Consumer Electron-ics Show in Las Vegas for the op-portunity to be Tasered.

Here’s a description of the funyou’ve been missing, courtesy ofthe “Las Vegas Sun:” “When[Adam] Devlin is stunned, how-ever, his legs lock rigid and hisback keels, stiff as a plank, to thefloor. There, on convention hallground, Devlin rocks from side toside for a few seconds and thengets up, stunned.”

And the best part, it’s free!I’m afraid I wouldn’t be a good

candidate because, frankly, I wasstunned just reading this.

The article also helpfully men-tions that Metro Police reportedjust three in-custody deaths for2006.

Only three deaths! So your oddsare pretty good.

It doesn’t say how many peoplewere Tasered in-custody and didn’tdie, but I’m guessing it’s lots andlots. So go ahead, enjoy yourself.

Still I’m wondering, is this thekind of no-holds-barred fun they’retalking when they slyly say, “Whathappens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”?

I guess I’m behind the times. Ialways assumed they were refer-ring to good old-fashioned sinand debauchery — like eatingpotato chips and ice cream in bedat 3 a.m. while watching “Nip/Tuck” reruns.

Generally, when planning a va-cation, I don’t think to myself,“Where is the best place to be tor-tured?”

Which brings up the question,which Web sites offer the best va-

cation-torture deals? Or, to savemoney, should family membersstay home and torture each other?

But the new trend does open upnew vistas for Las Vegas, which al-ways has to find new ways to thrillAmerica’s increasingly jaded fun-seekers:

• Waterboard World — Real-liveex-CIA operatives use the infa-mous waterboarding technique topry the information out of you.Better yet, the merriment lasts andlasts because you don’t have anysecrets to divulge. Fun for thewhole family!

• Dental Adventure — Themepark highlights the growing popu-larity of dental tourism, which al-lows people to enjoy the pleasuresof painful procedures, especiallywhen they’re unnecessary. Noneed to wait six months for yournext appointment.

• Club Chalkboard — An all-in-clusive resort featuring unlimitedchalkboards and professionals whoknow how to make the most irri-tating sounds imaginable usingtheir fingernails. Visitors also re-ceive training so they can bringtheir Club Chalkboard experiencehome with them.

Taser International was holdingits complimentary torture sessionsto unveil its new “stylish” Tasergun aimed at women (figurativelyspeaking). It comes in titanium sil-ver, black pearl, electric blue, andof course, metallic pink.

It’s softer and feminine-looking— the kind of device that wouldbe appropriate to use, for example,at a dinner party:

“While I would defend to thedeath your right to say what youjust said, I do find it a little irritat-ing.” ZAP!

Don’t worry, they’ll probablyenjoy it.______________________________________________________(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

Vacation fun turns shocking

OUT-OF-IT AFRICAACROSS

1 “Li’l Abner”cartoonist 5 Mann or Greeley 11 Lloyd Webbermusical 15 Owns 18 Fragrance 19 Military helicopter 20 Tigris-Euphratesland 21 Convent cubicle 22 AfricanRevolutionary Warheroine? 24 Hunt’s “_ BenAdhem” 25 Wells’ creatures 26 Stun 27 Author Follett 28 Actress Massen 29 Primer pooch 30 Nobelist Wiesel 33 Operettacomposer 37 _ out (eradicate) 39 African sitcom? 44 Actress Talia 45 Relished a roast 46 King of comedy 47 Grind 49 _ cotta 52 “America’s MostWanted” host 55 Jubilant 57 Belfry sound 59 Marry

60 Roller-coaster unit 62 LAX letters 63 Desire 64 Botanist Gray 65 Frighten 67 _ -Magnon 69 Roll-call reply 70 Cozy 71 Swiss sight 72 African appetizer? 74 Crewel tool 76 European capital 77 Memo start 79 “Agnus _” 80 Wonderful 81 Conductor Queler 82 Like a raisin 83 _ deco 85 Lodge brother 86 Part of MPH 87 Stalk 88 Infantry action 91 CosmeticianLauder 95 Take the honeyand run 97 Walker’s “The _Purple” 99 Pat on the buns?101 Sign a contract102 Declaim104 Start of an Africananthem?108 Nasty109 Puccini’s “_Lescaut”110 Secure the ship111 Scoundrels

112 Cow’s cry114 LP successors117 Most minute121 Potpourri122 British buggy124 African movietheme song?127 Wise _ owl128 Turner or Wood129 Aromatic plant130 Mrs. CharlieChaplin131 Looney Tunescritter132 In addition133 Salem’s state134 Manipulates

DOWN 1 Deep uncon-sciousness 2 Smith or Sandler 3 Actress Negri 4 Much valued 5 “Bali _” 6 Select, with “for” 7 Pinion’s partner 8 Flu symptom 9 Chinese Olympicskater 10 Chariot follower 11 Security grp. 12 Ann _, MI 13 New Mexico resort 14 Court sport 15 Beach Boys’African hit? 16 Knock for _

(astonish) 17 Skirt feature 21 One of the Borgias 23 Soccer superstar 31 Tempest _ teapot 32 Parisian pronoun 34 TV’s “The _ ofNight” 35 Card collection 36 Actress Alicia 38 Deed 39 Shorten a slat 40 Actress Hagen 41 Tierra _ Fuego 42 Connecticutcampus 43 Grabbed 44 Start woolgathering 48 Mall madness 50 Upshot 51 Proverb 53 It’ll give you aweigh 54 Jackrabbit, for one 56 O’Harahomestead 58 Settle a score 61 Go to bed 63 Certain singer 65 Make a pile 66 African actress? 68 Peculiar 70 Pursues 71 _ suzette 72 Philosophy 73 Paper quantity 75 Perry’s creator

78 Sib’s kid 82 Trepidation 84 It may be small 88 Mindy of “TheFacts of Life” 89 Approximately 90 Abound (with) 92 Archaiccontraction 93 Compass pt. 94 Scrape by, with“out” 96 Bastille, e.g. 98 Mauna _100 Yoko _103 Curly Shirley105 Stick-in-the-mud?106 Cry of distress107 “– LonesomeTonight?” (’60 hit)108 Taco topping109 Haunted-housesounds111 Paint layer113 Spoken115 Barry or Brubeck116 Stocking mishap118 Baseball’sSlaughter119 Unit of loudness120 “_ brillig…”123 West of Hollywood124 Day- _125 Past126 Bog

Answer Page 4

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER February 8, 2007

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

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7-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO, TX

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2007

Thu. 6:54 a.m. 5:46 p.m.Fri. 6:53 a.m. 5:47 p.m.Sat. 6:53 a.m. 5:48 p.m.Sun. 6:52 a.m. 5:48 p.m.Mon. 6:51 a.m. 5:49 p.m.Tues. 6:50 a.m. 5:50 p.m.Wed. 6:49 a.m. 5:51 p.m.

Thu. 11:53 p.m. 10:03 a.m.Fri. none 10:33 a.m.Sat. 12:51 a.m. 11:07 a.m.Sun. 1:51 a.m. 11:49 a.m.Mon. 2:52 a.m. 12:38 p.m.Tues. 3:51 a.m. 1:36 p.m.Wed. 4:46 a.m. 2:41 p.m.

SunRise Set

Last

2/10

New

2/17

First

2/24

Full

3/3

IN THE SKYWEATHER TRENDS THIS WEEK

Moon

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

Atlanta 55 37 c 44 33 r 48 28 pc 53 34 pcBoston 29 14 pc 29 19 pc 25 15 pc 27 18 pcChicago 18 2 pc 18 5 pc 18 7 pc 20 13 pcDenver 48 27 pc 46 24 c 36 29 sn 55 27 cDetroit 20 7 pc 19 13 sf 19 11 sf 24 13 pcHouston 73 54 r 65 48 c 57 45 c 61 52 cIndianapolis 20 10 pc 22 10 pc 21 6 pc 28 14 pcKansas City 28 14 c 28 10 c 22 13 pc 34 22 cLos Angeles 66 54 pc 70 54 c 70 52 c 66 51 cMiami 78 65 pc 80 65 c 79 61 pc 77 64 pcMinneapolis 10 -5 pc 6 -6 sf 11 3 pc 17 7 pcNew Orleans 68 50 c 67 50 r 57 46 c 55 46 cNew York City 29 20 pc 31 21 pc 30 21 sf 32 23 sOmaha 20 11 c 18 1 c 13 8 pc 28 17 cPhoenix 75 51 pc 75 53 pc 76 55 pc 76 52 pcSan Francisco 61 52 r 61 50 r 61 51 r 60 47 cSeattle 50 39 c 49 41 r 51 38 r 49 40 rWashington 35 20 pc 34 20 pc 34 21 sf 35 23 s

CITY HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO WThursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Abilene, TX 56 38 pc 59 36 c 49 38 c 61 47 pcAlbuquerque, NM 59 34 s 57 34 pc 55 35 c 57 35 cAmarillo, TX 53 28 pc 54 28 pc 36 28 i 61 35 pcAustin, TX 70 48 c 65 47 c 53 43 c 60 52 cBrownsville, TX 80 64 c 80 64 c 78 61 c 77 63 cDodge City, KS 38 20 c 40 17 c 35 22 sn 47 27 cJackson, MS 62 40 c 54 33 r 49 31 pc 48 39 cLaredo, TX 82 61 pc 82 62 c 77 58 c 74 60 cLittle Rock, AR 35 30 i 45 28 pc 39 25 c 43 32 cLubbock, TX 58 33 pc 60 32 pc 47 33 c 64 38 pcMemphis, TN 36 30 i 42 27 pc 39 29 pc 45 35 cMidland, TX 66 38 pc 68 36 pc 55 39 c 64 43 pcPueblo, CO 50 22 pc 52 24 c 39 22 sn 58 25 cRoswell, NM 68 37 s 67 36 pc 58 35 pc 67 36 pcSt. Louis, MO 26 15 pc 28 14 pc 26 14 s 34 24 cSan Antonio, TX 75 55 c 71 52 c 61 49 c 64 54 cTexarkana, AR 48 34 r 51 35 pc 46 32 c 46 40 cWaco, TX 60 45 r 57 41 c 50 39 c 55 51 cWichita, KS 37 23 c 39 20 c 32 22 c 40 27 c

CITY HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO WThursday Friday Saturday Sunday

REGIONAL CITIES U.S. CITIES

Rise Set

Clear

Thu. night

42°

38°RealFeel

Mostly sunny

Friday

RealFeel

43°70°

40°72°

Partly sunny

Saturday

RealFeel

42°67°

35°70°

Partial sunshine

Sunday

RealFeel

41°69°

31°69°

Plenty of sunshine

Monday

RealFeel

40°64°

29°62°

Mostly sunny

Tuesday

RealFeel

34°60°

34°65°

Periods of cloudsand sun

Wednesday

RealFeel

33°57°

34°60°

Plenty of sunshine

Thursday

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70°RealFeel

If you expect a refund on your fed-eral taxes, you can avoid a delay bymaking sure all names and SocialSecurity numbers are recorded cor-rectly on your tax return.

When processing tax returns, theInternal Revenue Service (IRS)checks all names and Social Security

numbers for accuracy. When IRS dis-covers an incorrect Social Securitynumber on your tax return, they sendyou a letter explaining the discrep-ancy. To fix the problem, you’ll needto give IRS the correct Social Secu-rity number before you can expectyour tax refund.

If your employer’s record or W2form does not match the informa-tion housed by the Social SecurityAdministration, you might also en-counter delays in processing ofyour income tax return. One of themost common situations whichcome to mind is failure to visit theSocial Security Administration toreport your recent marriage. Whena person gets married but nevercorrected their Social Securityrecord to reflect your marriedname, your tax return informationdoes not match what’s on your taxreturn. If you need to replace, cor-rect or apply for a social securitycard, call or visit Social Security.

You’ll need to show your age, citi-zenship or lawful alien status, andverify your identity. To learn moreabout the sort of information anddocuments you may need to submit,visit Social Security’s Card andNumber website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber/.

You should also check the SocialSecurity number on your W-2 state-ment and pay stubs to make sure itmatches the one on your card. If itdoes not match, tell your employerimmediately and also contact SocialSecurity.

Always review your tax returnforms before you submit them toIRS. Make certain that each

individual’s social security numberis properly reflected on everyschedule; especially if you are re-porting self employment. You wantto make certain your self employ-ment income is reported on yoursocial security record rather thansomeone else’s.______________________________________________________For more information on any of thequestions listed above, visit ourwebsite at www.socialsecurity.gov orcall us at 1-800-772-1213. If youhave any questions that you wouldlike to have answered, please mailthem to the Social Security Office,11111 Gateway West, Attn: Ray Vigil,El Paso, Texas 79935

Wrong numbers candelay your tax return