SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO DECEMBER 27, 2007VOL. 34, No. 52

NEWSBRIEFS

The vanishing American is one who payscash for everything he buys.

— Quips & Quotes

1973

2007YEARS34

The Texas Department of State Health Ser-vices is urging Texans to heed a recent nationalrecall of certain heparin flush syringes made bySierra Pre-Filled Inc., a North Carolina company.

The recalled syringes contain “Heparin LockFlush Solution USP” and lot number 070926Hon the packaging and on a yellow label affixedto the barrel of each syringe.

People who have used the recalled syringesshould contact their physicians for guidance.

Those who have unused syringes should notuse them and should contact their physicians,

Special to the CourierBy Doug McBride

pharmacies or other suppliers for instructionsabout what to do with them.

Heparin is an anticoagulant. The recalledsyringes typically are used in hospitals and byoutpatients to keep catheters open.

The recall was prompted by bacterial ill-nesses in Texas and other states since early No-vember that were linked to use of the product.Laboratory tests detected Serratia marcescens,a bacterium, in the product.

The manufacturer is voluntarily recalling theproduct in cooperation with the U.S. Food andDrug Administration.

Physicians and others who have pre-scribed the recalled products are urged tocontact their patients.

Manufacturer recalls syringes

The cap and label are yellow.

RECALL — Sierra Pre-Filled Inc. has recalled “Heparin Lock Flush Solution USP”syringes with lot number 070926H on the packaging and on a yellow label affixed to thebarrel of each syringe. Tests found Serratia marcescens, a bacterium, in the product.

EL PASO COUNTY — U.S. Customsand Border Protection (CBP) officials inEl Paso are anticipating an increase inborder traffic through the holidays. As aresult, the agency is implementing a holi-day lane initiative Dec. 28-31. The CBPplans to staff all lanes between 5 a.m. and2 a.m. as traffic levels dictate.

“We implemented a similar strategy dur-ing the recent Thanksgiving holiday week-end and the results were positive,” said PollyFigueroa, CBP acting El Paso Port Director.“Most people crossed the border in a mini-mal amount of time in the three days imme-diately after Thanksgiving.”

The holiday travel season has historicallybeen a period when people who are infre-quent border crossers travel to and from theU.S. In addition, regular border crossers typi-cally cross more frequently than normal toshop and attend holiday functions. The holi-day lane initiative will help however CBP isalso reminding members of the travelingpublic that there are strategies they can em-ploy to cross the border quickly, safely andwithout incident.

“If the public adopts some of our tips,we believe we can keep traffic movingwhile insuring that our enforcement con-cerns are properly addressed,” said ArthurGonzales, CBP acting Director of FieldOperations in El Paso. “Our goal is en-force our anti-terror mission while allow-ing law abiding border crossers to reachtheir destinations in a timely manner dur-ing this busy travel period. We believethese tips will help the process.”

• Travelers should prepare for the inspec-tion process before arriving at the inspec-tion booth. Individuals should have theircrossing documents available for the inspec-tion and they should be prepared to declareall items acquired abroad. In addition, indi-viduals should end cellular phone conversa-tions before arriving at the inspection booth.

• Travelers should plan to build extra timeinto their trips in the event they cross duringperiods of exceptionally heavy traffic. Thisincludes Dedicated Commuter Lane users.CBP is also reminding travelers that the DCLservice hours were recently expanded at bothDCL locations, making the DCL program anattractive option for any border crosser.

• Travelers should familiarize themselveswith the “Know Before You Go” section ofthe CBP website at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/ to avoid fines andpenalties associated with the importation ofprohibited items. “Know Before You Go”brochures are also available at border ports.

• Members of the traveling public shouldconsult the CBP website site at www.cbp.govto monitor border wait times. Information isupdated hourly and is useful in planning tripsand identifying periods of light use/shortwaits.

• During periods of heavy travel, bordercrossers may wish to consider alternativeentry routes. For example, border crossers

CBP to keep alllanes open tohandle traffic

Special to the CourierBy Roger Maier

See LANES, Page 4

AISD Board vacancyThe Anthony Independent School DistrictBoard of Education is accepting applica-tions from interested district residents tofill a vacant position on the Board. To beeligible, a person must be a U.S. citizen,at least 18 years of age, and be a residentof the district. Interested persons shouldsubmit a letter of interest and resume tothe Board of Education by Wednesday,January 9, 2008. Required materials canbe mailed or delivered to theSuperintendent’s office located at 840Sixth Street, Anthony, Texas, 79821. In-terviews with the Board will be conductedon Thursday, January 10th. For additionalinformation, contact Catalina Levario at886-6506.

Canutillo HS appealTexas Education Agency (TEA) notifiedCanutillo Independent School District onDec. 11 that it has granted Canutillo HighSchool’s appeal for meeting AdequateYearly Progress (AYP) in reading partici-pation. CHS’s appeal requested the changein status of 12 students in the reading par-ticipation calculation from non-partici-pants to participants based on a miscodingentry. Documentation provided by the dis-trict, and staff research of the assessmentdata, confirmed that the 12 students inquestion were, in fact, present during theTAKS testing period. “As a result of ourappeal, the participation measure was re-calculated to include 12 additional stu-dents, and the AYP standard was met. Sub-sequently, the 2007 AYP status forCanutillo High School is Meets AYP,” saidDr. Pam Padilla, CISD superintendent.“This rating is important because it indi-cates that the high school campus is meet-ing criteria in the federal accountabilitysystem.”

Mortgage insuranceIn the current housing market, potentialhomeowners are paying special attentionto mortgage insurance that can make itpossible to buy a home with a down pay-ment of as little as three to five percent.But since mortgage insurance protects thelender, not the homeowner, against finan-cial loss, it’s crucial that you can really af-ford to keep up the payments on your home.Find out more, including how much mort-gage you can afford, with How to Buy aHome With a Low Down Payment from theMortgage Insurance Companies of America.For your free copy, send your name andaddress to the Federal Citizen InformationCenter, Dept. 597R, Pueblo, CO 81009. Orcall toll-free 1 (888) 878-3256, and ask forItem 597R. And visit www.pueblo.gsa.govto read or print this and hundreds of otherFCIC publications for free.

Torsten Knauerhase, second grade dual lan-guage teacher at Deanna Davenport Elemen-tary School (DDE) in the Canutillo Indepen-dent School District, was selected recently toparticipate in the West Texas Writing Project’s(WTWP) Teacher Institute that is sponsoredby the Department of English, College of Lib-eral Arts, at the University of Texas at El Paso.

WTWP is designed to improve the teachingof writing, use of writing in the classroom, andprovide leadership opportunities and recogni-tion for El Paso area teachers.

As an Institute member, Knauerhase will at-

tend monthly, Satur-day workshopsthroughout theschool year, whichhave been designedby master teachers.The workshops willcover a number of im-portant topics, frommaking the most ofcollaborative workin the classroom tousing technology toteach writing skillsand content.

“After meeting with Torsten in person andreading a writing sample, my co-directors andI decided immediately that we wanted him tobe an Institute participant. Torsten is an incred-ibly dedicated teacher who thinks about seri-ous pedagogical questions and brings creativeand exciting ideas to his classroom,” said JonnaPerrillo, Assistant Professor of English andWest Texas Writing Project Director.

Davenport teacher selectedfor West Texas WritingProject’s Teacher Institute

By Kim GuzmanSpecial to the Courier

Torsten Knauerhase

The Fabens High School marchingband placed first in their class at theNMSU Tournament of Bands in No-vember. Band members excited abouttheir recognition claimed to have felt“successful and relieved,” after theystepped off the field.

“The NMSU Tournament of Bands isvery important for us. It’s proof of thehard work that our students have donethis year,” Mr. Gonzales, FHS band

Fabens marchingband takes firstat NMSU meet

Special to the CourierBy Raquel Ramirez

— Photo courtesy Fabens ISD

BAND IS FIRST IN CLASS — Fabens ISD bandmembers celebrating with each other stood stilllong enough for a picture with their trophy. See BAND, Page 4

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 27, 2007

Reyes Reports By U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

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

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2007 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 — $20 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 $35.Delivery via 1st class mail.

OFFICE: MAIL:14200 Ashford 15344 Werling Ct. Horizon City, TX 79928

Phone: 852-3235Fax: 852-0123

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

PublisherRick Shrum

Business ManagerFrancis D. Shrum

ContributorsDon WoodyardSteve Escajeda

Arleen Beard • Jan Engels

�

Member Texas CommunityNewspaper Association News, Inc.

HomesteaderEst. 1973

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

1973

2007

YEARS34

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

Low Prices and Daily Specials1330 Fabens St. • Fabens, TX • 764-2215 or 851-3149

“Family Owned and Operated”

Open7AM - 8PM

Daily

Sun Ridge RealtyEdward Martinez

(915) 526-1739 • (915) 252-7426e_mart2000@yahoo.com

Once again, the holidays areupon, and as the year comes to aclose, I want to share some of theimportant steps my Democraticcolleagues in the U.S. House and

I took this year to benefit working families, veterans andstudents in El Paso and across the country.

VeteransCongress passed, and the President signed into law,

the largest increase in health care funding in the 77-yearhistory of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Thisyear’s funding exceeds President Bush’s budget requestby almost $4 billion and is $6.6 billion over 2007 fund-ing. The VA funding bill $37.2 billion for health care,$124.2 million to provide 1,800 new claims processorsto address the 400,000 benefit claims backlog, and $125million to increase the reimbursement rate for veteranswho must travel long distances for medical appointments.

InnovationCongress passed, and the President signed into law,

the America Creating Opportunities to MeaningfullyPromote Excellence in Technology, Education and Sci-ence (COMPETES) Act, a major part of the HouseDemocrats’ Innovation Agenda. It is an important billthat will help El Paso students, teachers, businesses andworkers have the tools they need to succeed in the glo-bal economy.

The bill authorizes funding for programs to create morequalified teachers in science and math fields and to sup-

port scientific research and innovation through the Na-tional Science Foundation, the Department of Energyand the National Institute of Standards and Technology.As someone who has long been working for more teach-ers in these fields, I also included provisions in the billto help improve opportunities for underrepresented mi-norities in these fields.

StudentsCongress passed, and the President signed into law,

the College Cost Reduction Act, which boosts collegefinancial aid by about $18 billion over the next five years.This is the single largest investment in college financialaid since the GI Bill in 1944, and is without additional costto taxpayers.

With El Paso students specifically in mind, I workedwith the House Democratic leadership to increase fed-eral funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) likethe University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Commu-nity College. The College Cost Reduction Act will in-vest $200 million in HSIs.

These bills, along with raising the minimum wage,passing major energy legislation, and reauthorizing theHead Start program, are all important priorities that as-sist individuals and families across the country, and Iam happy to celebrate them this holiday season. As theChairman of the House Intelligence Committee and amember of the House Armed Services Committee, I willalso continue to work on behalf of our servicemembersand military families, and this holiday season and al-ways, I pray for their security and safety.

Wrapping up the year

What doyou figure we’re doing wrong?

If you add two and two together,you always get four. Math is like that.Whatever variables you feed into theformula, that is the answer you get.Every time.

Life is like that, too, as little as wewant to admit it. You ingest the wrongthings, you get sick. You don’t getenough sleep, you aren’t productive.You are rude to other people, they arerude back. You disrespect law andorder, you have chaos. You hit some-body, you are likely to get hit.

With that kind of natural simplic-ity, you’d think that running a globalcommunity wouldn’t be that compli-cated. You just do right things, otherpeople do right things, and every-thing works out, right?

Of course, it is never that simple.Our attempts at world management

The peaceformula

are, no matter how you slice it, anabysmal failure. There has neverbeen, since the Garden of Eden, atime when mankind wasn’t fightingwith itself for one reason or another,or more likely, for no reason at all.

In the beginning, Eve just couldn’tkeep her hands out of the wrong treeat the utopian produce market. Shedidn’t respect another’s property. Itled to lying, the family gettingevicted, and ultimately her first bornson became the first murderer whenhe killed his younger brother in a jeal-ous rage. It was the culmination ofan formula that was guaranteed tocome up with only one answer —disaster.

I recently watched a horribly tragicnews story about a killing that didn’thave to happen. A bogus posting onMySpace.com — our virtual cess-pool of gossip and societal intrigue

— indicated that a young black manwanted to do unspeakable things to awhite female student.

The brother of the girl, 17-year-oldDaniel Cicciaro, was understandablyoffended but instead of finding outwhat was truth and error, he and agroup of other teens went to theyoung man’s house late at night withan undeniable intent to inflict a littleretribution for the alleged infraction.They had been drinking, adding tothis formula for disaster.

John White, 54, the father of thewrongly accused young man, heardthe brother was coming, but insteadof rationally handing the matter overto the authorities, he got his gun andwent outside to “talk” to the angrybrother.

In the inevitable melee of misun-derstandings, emotional outrage andanger on both sides, White’s gunwent off and killed the brother.

Now White, convicted of second-degree manslaughter, faces a prisonsentence of up to 15 years, and theCicciaros no longer have their son.

In the aftermath of this debacle, doyou think anyone stepped back and

tried to figure out what was wrongwith the formula? No, indeed.

The defense denied any responsi-bility by saying that White’s behav-ior was a result of being traumatizedby a racial attack that occurred in hisfamily 30 years before he was born.

Cicciaro’s friends and family droveaway from the court chanting andhonking their horns in victory. Hismother said it meant that her son hadbeen “vindicated.” Little comfort,since he was also dead.

On Christmas Day, the CatholicPope Benedict XVI appealed toworld leaders to find the “wisdomand courage” to end the wars that areongoing in the world. Thousands at-tended the speech and it was broad-cast live to more than 40 countries,in at least as many languages.

This has been a yearly appeal bythe sitting Pope since long before Iwas born. I still don’t see anyone sit-ting up and taking notice. In fact, thenumber of conflicts and the intensityof their devastation has only in-creased in my lifetime.

We’re really good at making war.We’re just really bad at making

peace.So here we are again at the time of

year that humans want to invoke“peace on earth,” but what we havein reality is chaos, destruction, andneedless loss of life and property.

The FOX News headline would befunny if they weren’t so pitiful:“There’s nobody nice on this Christ-mas list: snowman stabbers, Grinchsnatchers, wreath-robbing weasels.”

In Yonkers, New York, a man stolestaff bonuses and money from theoffice safe during the office Christ-mas party. In South Carolina, a mo-torcycle-riding Santa Claus snatchedan eight-year-old girl from the side-walk and had to be chased down byher father at speeds exceeding 80 mph.

So much for the season for peaceand joy.

We need a lot more than lip ser-vice when we call for peace on earth.True peace requires personal respon-sibility and that’s something in shortsupply when it comes to actually do-ing unto others as we’d like to havedone unto us.

For the formula to work, we haveto work it.

Clint ISD board recognized for serviceTexas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Ex-ecutive Director, Dr. Johnny Veselka, paid a visit to ClintIndependent School District (CISD) on Dec. 13, 2007 torecognize the CISD Board of Trustees. CISD’s board wasnamed Outstanding School Board of Texas for 2007 onSept. 30, 2007. “You are an example for school boardsand school districts in this region as well as across thestate. More then 1,000 school districts and 7,000 boardmembers should look to you and what you have donein this community,” said Veselka. “I have often heard itsaid that with any great honor comes greater responsi-bility. The responsibility is to always be worthy of thisaward. The way we can always do that is by always keep-ing ourselves focused on doing what’s best for chil-dren,” said Jim Pendell, CISD Board President. At left,Veselka presented Pendell with a plaque commemorat-ing CISD’s selection as School Board of the Year. Eachboard member was recognized and given a plaque byVeselka from the TASA. “The 110 years of service ofthis board is a remarkable commitment in terms of ef-fective and stable leadership,” said Veselka.

— Contributed by Laura Cade

December 27, 2007 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

School board notes By Don Woodyard

See SCHOOLS, Page 4

EL PASO COUNTY — Area school districtsare on break, but it was business as usual forschool board trustees in the weeks prior to theholidays.

This week the Courier reports on threeschool board meetings.

However, in coming issues, the Courier willstrive to expand its coverage of what’s impor-tant to residents of the Upper and Lower Val-leys to include not only the school districts,but also news of what’s going on in the townsof Anthony, Vinton and Clint.

In particular, we will continue coverage ofthe contentious pipeline issue that hangs like adark cloud over the Lower Valley

We will kick off coverage in January with aconversation with long-time Anthony MayorArt Franco.

We welcome suggestions for other stories inthe region.

However, before launching into a new year,we wrap up the old with coverage of Decem-ber school board meetings in Canutillo, SanElizario and Anthony.

Canutillo ISD - Dec. 11Taken from Board Notes, the district’s sum-

mary of board meeting action.Dr. Pam Padilla, CISD’s superintendent,

updated board members on projects which in-cluded Northwest Early College High School,the Mind Institute pilot program at ChildressElementary and campus facilities’ enhance-ments.

The board was to receive administration’srecommendation that week for principal of thenew high school.

She said the Mind Institute program is show-ing positive results.

She added that the focus of operations andsupport of campus facilities “is reaping ben-efits district-wide.”

The board approved the purchase of furni-ture, supplies and janitorial equipment forGarcia Elementary School.

Jorge Padilla, attorney with Delgado, Acosta,Spencer, Linebarger & Perez reported on hislaw firm’s delinquent tax collection efforts onbehalf of the school district. It had collectedmore than $510,000 in delinquent taxes, pen-alty and interest from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30,2007.

San Elizario ISD - Dec. 12As expected, trustees of SEISD approved a

resolution opposing the planned constructionof the PMI/Pemex pipeline through the LowerValley and across the border into Mexico.

The resolution explains its opposition andreads, in part:

“Whereas the proposed pipeline would likelypose health and safety risks to the residents ofEl Paso County and the students of the SanElizario ISD.” Opposition, the resolution goeson to state, “is in the best interests of the tax-payers and students in the school district.”

George Luevano, director of support ser-vices, reported on the status of school construc-tion projects which are nearing completion.

The library at Garcia-Enriquez MiddleSchool will be completed by end of January of2008. Carpeting has caused the delay. Themulti-classroom addition will be finished byend of the year and ready when students returnJan. 7. Eight crews will be moving classroomfurniture and other supplies during the Christ-mas break.

The new cafeteria at Alarcon Elementary willbe completed in mid-to late January.

Sylvia Hopp, assistant superintendent, high-lighted the Texas Education Agency’s AEIS(Academic Excellence Indicator System} re-port. It is a report card on campus and districtoperations.

“We have made very good gains, but we needto go further. We aren’t there yet.”

The board commended the district for itsefforts.

Ramon Holguin was elected the new presi-dent of the board, replacing Roberto Garciawho resigned because of requirements of hisnew job with the Border Patrol. ArmandoMartinez is the new vice president of the board,and Irene Jaquez is the new secretary.

Principal Joe Keith reported on the highschool receiving the $140,000 Texas Educa-tors Excellence grant for outstanding perfor-mance by teachers.

Anthony ISD - Dec. 18The Anthony board meeting was a mix of

entertainment and business.High school student Becky Salcedo took part

in both areas.Representing a group of students, she asked

the board to reinstitute royal blue to the school’scolors. “Royal blue has been a part of ourschool,” she said in the public forum portionof the meeting. “It is a part of our tradition; itis part of our memories.”

Later in the forum, she and fellow highschool drama student Paul Enriquez performedtheir winning duet from a recent speech tour-nament.

Anthony ISD may be getting new propane-fueled school buses in the new year.

It was reported that the Texas Railroad Com-mission has approached AISD with a grant pro-posal that could provide the district with up tofive new 72-passenger buses to replace out-dated vehicles.

“If we are approved for the grant, we couldpurchase each $90,000 bus for $18,000,” saidsuperintendent Ron Haugen said. The districtshould be notified by February or March if itqualifies for the grant funds. If approved, itcould have the buses by summer.

The board voted to accept the resignation ofvice president Bertha Silva-Holguin who nolonger resides in the district. The board will

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 27, 2007

PUBLIC NOTICE OF A FINDING OFNO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

El Paso County Water Control December 18, 2007and Improvement District No. 4P.O. Box 3880Fabens, TX 79838-3880(915) 764-2212

TO ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS, ANDINDIVIDUALS:

The USDA Rural Utilities Service has received an applica-tion for financial assistance from the El Paso County WaterControl and Improvement District No. 4. The proposedproject consists of:

DESCRIPTION OF OWNER’S PROJECT(Water System)

WELL NO. 4:

The project for Well #4 consists of furnishing and installingequipment to pump water from Well No. 4 including pump,shaft, column piping, discharge head base, pump appurte-nances and the motor for the well. The obligations underthis contract shall consist of delivery, furnishing and install-ing the well equipment, materials, manufacturer’s shop draw-ings, submittals, articles, mechanical completion, training,delivery, and other appurtenances and items for completeand functional system of the Well, cement-lined ductile ironpiping, controls, valves and related appurtenances; constructretention pond; construct a Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU)building to house all electrical and miscellaneous equipment,AC unit, a steel structural steel canopy, gravel driveway withheader curb, furnish and install 12-inch ductile iron wellcollector line and connect to the existing well transmissionmain inside the fenced area, all associated above ground yardpiping and appurtenances, trench safety system, all labor andmaterials necessary for an operational well site.

10th STREET BOOSTER STATION SITE:

The booster station water system improvements consist offurnishing and installing filter treatment unit including back-wash, inline booster, and reclaim pumps, reclaim tank, pre-fabricated metal building including ventilation, lighting, ar-chitectural fascia, controls and all related appurtenances; con-struct retention pond; provide and install centrifugal boosterpumps, valves, cement-lined ductile iron piping, meter, re-lated appurtenances, CMU building expansion attached toexisting booster station; furnish and install 0.5 MG steel res-ervoir, and all associated above ground yard piping and ap-purtenances; construct site improvements including site grad-ing, retention pond and gravel driveway with header curb,trench safety system, and a Supervisory Control and DataAcquisition system, all labor and materials necessary for anoperational site.

The work covered under this contract will be performed atWell No. 4 site located at 1220 Camp Northeast; the 10thStreet Booster Station site is located at 990 Walker Ave.

DESCRIPTION OF OWNER’S PROJECT(Wastewater Treatment Plant)

The overall project will consist of the following improve-ments to the wastewater plant: The construction of a new1.2 million gallons per day (mgd) pre-engineered extendedaeration wastewater treatment plant located approximately1.5 miles southeast of the intersection of State Highway 20(Alameda) and Fabens Road adjacent to the existing waste-water treatment plant. The site is located at 17154 AlamedaAvenue. The existing wastewater treatment plant will be aban-don in place.

The new plant will be located adjacent and east of the exist-ing Fabens Wastewater Treatment Plant. Work shall include,but not be limited to, all equipment and installation, com-plete in place, 10 feet beyond the existing limits of the exist-ing fence, according to the plans and specifications as fol-lows: site work, grading, and site finish work; chain link fence;controls, valves and related appurtenances; architectural fas-cia and noise attenuation blankets, controls and related ap-purtenances; plant water booster station including pumps,controls, valves, stainless steel piping and all related appurte-nances, headworks system including controls, valves and allrelated appurtenances; extended aeration system includingcontrols, valves, PVC piping, stainless steel piping, slide gates,blowers, silencers, filters, and all related appurtenances; beltpress system including controls, sludge pump, polymer feedsystem, piping and all related appurtenances; chlorine disin-fection system including controls, valves, chlorine equipment,stainless steel weir, jib crane and all related appurtenances;plant drain station including controls, pumps, PVC piping,and all related appurtenances; Plant water station includingcontrols, pumps, and all related appurtenances; effluent flowmeter, controls and all related appurtenances.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, theRural Utilities Service has assessed the potential environmen-tal effects of the proposed project and has determined thatthe proposal will not have a significant effect on the humanenvironment and for which an Environment Impact State-ment will not be prepared. The basis of this determination isthat the original Environmental Information Document(EID) that was conducted in January 2001 for the specificupgrades and expansions to improve the water and wastewa-ter infrastructure within the current District boundaries hasnot changed. Therefore, no changes to the EID are required.A Supplemental Information Record was conducted on Sep-tember 2007 to address any changes on the existing environ-ment based on the proposed improvements. No environmen-tal impacts were found to affect the environment receptorsin the study area.

Copies of the Environmental Assessment can be reviewed orobtained at the USDA-Rural Development Office, 11930Vista Del Sol, Suite C, El Paso, Texas 79935, (915) 855-1229. For further information, please contact Anita Sprankle,Rural Development Manager at (915) 855-1229.

Geri de la Torre West Texas County CourierInterim General Manager December 27, 2007

advertise for applicants to replace herand is expected to make a selec-tion prior to its Jan. 15, 2008 boardmeeting.

There was also discussion of im-proving recreational opportunities forhigh school and middle school stu-dents to play in during their lunchhour. Haugen said he’d meet with theprincipals about what can be done inthis area.

Attorney Carmen Perez withDelgado, Acosta, Spencer,Linebarger and Perez, reported thather law firm had filed16 lawsuits andsubsequently collected $30,061 indelinquent taxes.

Virginia Murillo was honored asthe outstanding support staff mem-ber for December.

SchoolsFrom Page 3______________________

director said. The FHS marchingband an outscored the other twoschools in their class. “We knew thatwe had the power to beat the two bandsif we all did our part”, said JonathanReyes, a senior drum major.

The FHS band was one of the ear-liest bands to perform, arriving atNMSU at 7:30 a.m. Tournament ofBands is held at NMSU every yearin late October or early November.It showcases bands from around theregion including Texas, Colorado,and Arizona.

About 35 bands compete each yearthe top ten go on to perform in thesecond part of the competition begin-ning at 8:00 p.m. The Tournament ofBands is an all day event usually end-ing past 10:00 pm. “I think that thestudents who are in band this year andthe ones to come, have the potentialto succeed one more in this and inthe next years competition and gobeyond,” Reyes said.

BandFrom Page 1______________________

may want to use the nearby and lessheavily traveled Fabens or SantaTeresa ports of entry instead of theEl Paso port.

• Visit the port of entry to obtainI-94 travel documents in advanceof the busiest holiday travel peri-ods. This will allow travelers whorequire I-94 documents (thoseplanning to travel beyond the bor-

der zone or stay in the U.S. formore than 30 days) to bypass thoselines when they formally enter theU.S. They will still be subject tothe inspection process.

• Regarding I-94’s, travelersshould not attempt to obtain thisdocument at the Paso Del Nortecrossing. Because of an ongoing$26 million renovation project,space is limited and travelerswould be better served by obtain-ing this document at an alternatecrossing point.

• Drivers should insure that the

vehicles they use to cross the bor-der are properly maintained andmechanically sound and that occu-pants avoid riding in areas of ve-hicles not specifically designed tocarry passengers. Failure to followthese steps can expose crossers/passengers to carbon monoxide.

CBP officials continually monitortraffic and border crossing times andwill employ various traffic manage-ment operations to maintain the flowof traffic during periods of exception-ally heavy usage.

The principal mission of U.S.

Customs and Border Protection(CBP) is anti-terrorism. CBP offic-ers at border ports of entry arecommitted to identifying and stop-ping terrorists and the tools of ter-ror. As a result, border crossersshould continue to expect a thor-ough inspection process when theyenter the U.S. from Mexico.

LanesFrom Page 1______________________

December 27, 2007 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

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

“As we are truly fortunate toenjoy these holidays with lovedones, let’s remember our menand women in uniform — andtheir families — who safeguardour freedoms and our country.”

Congressman Silvestre Reyes16TH Congressional District

“Happy

Holidaysto all!”

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 27, 2007

Classified Ads

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

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

1973

2007

YEARS34

What in the world is going on in the worldof college football?

Every player on every team plays his heartout to make it to a bowl game at the end of theseason. That’s the ultimate reward a team (andits players) can receive at the end of the regu-lar season.

And yet, all we hear about is the epidemicof bowl-bound players who are now ineligible

to play in their team’s bowl game for one rea-son or another.

The biggest culprit is Florida State.The Seminoles, of the legendary but aging

Bobby Bowden, outdid themselves. Seemsabout three dozen football players did extraor-dinarily well in their music history exam.

Problem is, the guys were great because theywere provided with the answers. Not a badscam — until you get caught. And boy did theyget caught.

Now Florida State will go into the Dec. 31Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl against Ken-

tucky, severely short-handed.

And they should. Buttheir selfish behavior hurtsthe school, it hurts theirfans, and it hurts theirfamilies.

And I bet you thoughtcollege players and staffmembers didn’t deal inthat sort of underhanded-ness.

Another big school togo to its bowl game with-out its entire team are theTennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee will be without six players forits Outback Bowl shootout with Wisconsinon Jan. 1.

I guess these guys didn’t have the senseto cheat. They merely forgot to pass theircourses.

I guess its no secret that Florida State’sBobby Bowden and Tennessee’s Phil Fulmerhave a history of scandal at their respectiveschool.

But then isn’t that where sports are today?Why work hard when you can cheat or takethe easy way out.

New Mexico won its bowl game againstNevada without starting running back RodneyFerguson, who failed to meet his academicrequirements.

Ohio State also had one of its players ruledacademically ineligible for the Buckeyes’ up-coming national title game against LSU.

And of course, there will be more playersruled ineligible for either failing classes, cheat-ing, breaking team rules or breaking the law.

Why would anyone work so hard just tothrow it all away?

I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask Barry Bonds.

Breaking recordsStefon Jackson topped the 30-point mark last

Saturday for the third time this season, whichis only 10 games old.

By doing so, Jackson also toped the 1000-pont mark for his career with the Miners, whichis only two years and 10 games old.

What this means is that Jackson is on paceto be the Miners’ all-time leading scorer. Hecould even be the first UTEP player to crackthe 2000-point barrier.

Of course, that’s if he stays at UTEP afterthis season. There is some speculation whetherJackson will skip his senior season for thegreener pastures of the NBA.

For very selfish reasons, I hope he stays.Next season could be one of the best in yearsfor the Miners. And by the way, they’re notdoing too bad this year.

Defying the oddsMaybe I’m getting old — my memory isn’t

what it used to be. I don’t remember too muchof what happened three months ago.

But there was an incident which happenedback on Sept. 9 that I do remember vividly. Itwas the sight of Buffalo Bills reserve tight endKevin Edwards lying on the field.

It was Edwards who collided with a DenverBroncos player on a kick return, and never gotup, at least not on his own.

The helmet-to-helmet hit left Edwardsparalyzed, with very little hope for any kindof recovery.

At the time, doctors hinted that there wasvery little hope that Edwards would ever walkagain — if he lived through the next few days.

Well Edwards lived. And believe it or not,last Sunday before the Bills’ game with theNew York Giants, he walked into the lockerroom on his own.

Talk about a miracle. The sight of Edwardswalking will probably stay with me for yearsto come.

Can you imagine how he feels today? Canyou imagine how his family feels today?

The Buffalo Bills may not make the play-offs this season but every player, coach andemployee of the organization may have expe-rienced something far more valuable than par-ticipating in any playoff game.

They all witnessed what can be accom-plished when like-minded individuals strivetoward a common goal.

You may or may not beat the Packers,Colts or Cowboys, but you can never beatthe human spirit.

College athletes risk losing eligibility by taking academic shortcuts

LEGALS

PUBLICNOTICE

THE TOWN OFHORIZON CITY

ORDINANCENO. 0163

AMENDMENTNO. 006

Section I

WHEREAS, an or-dinance was en-acted on the 25thday of September,2007, whichadopted a budgetfor the fiscal year ofOctober 1, 2007 toSeptember 30,2008 for the Townof Horizon City, and

WHEREAS, it isnow necessary toamend said budgetfor items not previ-ously considered,

BE IT ORDAINEDBY THE TOWNCOUNCIL OF THETOWN OF HORI-ZON CITY, TEXAS,THAT:

The following fundsare to be trans-ferred as follows:

From: Acct. #400615 — Prior

Year Excess$200.00

To: Acct. # 400605— MiscellaneousRevenue $200.00

Explanation: Torecord previousyears unspent allo-cated amount forthe 2006 ChristmasParty.

The following fundsare to be trans-ferred as follows:

From: Acct. #400615 — PriorYear Excess$352,938.00

To: Acct. # 500818— Contingencies$352,938.00

Explanation:To record the prioryear difference be-tween expenseamounts budgetedand expenses actu-ally spent.

Ordinances are al-ways available forviewing or copyingupon request fromthe City Clerk atTown Hall, 14999Darrington Road,Horizon City, Texas,Monday throughFriday from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. or call

915-852-1046.

Karen EllefsonCity Clerk

WTCC-12/27/07______________________

PUBLICNOTICE

THE TOWN OFHORIZON CITY

ORDINANCENO. 0163

AMENDMENTNO. 005

Section I

WHEREAS, an or-dinance was en-acted on the 25thday of September,2007, whichadopted a budgetfor the fiscal year ofOctober 1, 2007 toSeptember 30,2008 for the Townof Horizon City, and

WHEREAS, it isnow necessary toamend said budgetfor items not previ-ously considered,

BE IT ORDAINEDBY THE TOWNCOUNCIL OF THETOWN OF HORI-ZON CITY, TEXAS,THAT:

The following funds

are to be trans-ferred as follows:

From: Acct.#500818 — Contin-gencies $ 3,500.00

To: Acct. #504303— Street Depart-ment Materials andSupplies $ 3,500.00

Explanation: To ad-just for the materi-als and suppliesneeded to repair/pave Veny WebbStreet.

Ordinances are al-ways available forviewing or copyingupon request fromthe City Clerk atTown Hall, 14999Darrington Road,Horizon City, Texas,Monday throughFriday from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. or call915-852-1046.

Karen EllefsonCity Clerk

WTCC-12/27/07________________________

PUBLICNOTICE

As per Article V,Sec. 5.05(a), allowners andlienholders haveten (10) days fromthis date to reclaim

their vehicles atS o u t h w e s tWrecker, 1401Darrington Rd.,855-1900, 851-2091-fax, or it willbe sold at publicauction for charges:VIN -IGCECI4W84ZI97167,2000 ChevyPickup, white, TX li-cense plateP527841.VIN -KNJPTO5H5M6I47449,1991 Ford, yellow,NM license plateGRM751.WTXCC-12/27/07________________________

EDUCATION

JUMP START yourchild’s education.C E R T I F I E DTEACHERS for tu-toring. Call Eddie,526-1739, orMaribel, 525-9656.________________________

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Persons who havea problem with al-cohol are offered afree source of helplocally. AlcoholicsAnonymous - call562-4081 for infor-mation.________________________

STORAGE

National SelfStorage

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10’x20' - Special$85/mth for 3months. CallBlanca or Gina.852-8300.________________________

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By appt. at yourhome or office:

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Montwood High School senior JesusUrbina was honored by area wrestlingcoaches during the 2nd Army Strong Invita-tional held at Fort Bliss. The 18-year Varsity team member wasnamed outstanding wrestler dur-ing the two day meet that fea-tured teams from 31 schools inEl Paso, West Texas and South-ern New Mexico. Urbina andthe Montwood team wereamong the 800 wrestlers thattook part of the tournamentwhich kicks off the wrestlingseason. Held at Stout Gym atFort Bliss, the tournament fea-tured four divisions and allowedschools to include junior varsitymembers.

Urbina took 1st place in the 119 divisionwhile the Montwood team placed 8th over-all in the tournament. During the meet,coaches vote on the wrestler that impressedthem the most. Urbina who has been on thewrestling team for four years was happy withthe honor and is looking forward to a win-ning season.

“The meet went pretty well for us. We hadthree team members place in their divisions,”said Urbina. He along with 15-member var-

sity team, the 18-member jun-ior varsity and girls team willgo up against 10 schools at theEl Dorado High School TeamDuals/Girls Individual Tourna-ment on November 30 and De-cember 1.

During his junior year,Urbina posted a 30-8 record,took 1st place District-wide,had a 4th place finish in re-gional competition and com-peted at the state level. Urbinahas been wrestling since he wasa child has taken what was ahobby into a lifestyle.

“He has been with me for the last fouryears and he has been growing in techniqueand motivation. He knows what to expectand what to do,” said Montwood HighSchool’s wrestling Coach Leo Garcia.“When our kids beat other wrestlers on aregional level other coaches take notice andthey saw what Jesus can do.”

Montwood’s Urbina named outstanding wrestler

Jesus Urbina

December 27, 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 FloodSay what you will about our edu-

cational system, but a recent, ab-solutely true headline gave mehope: “Young Chimp Beats Col-lege Students.”

According to an AssociatedPress story, Japanese researcherspitted chimpanzees against adulthumans in a test of short-termmemory. The chimps won.

I assume this is because the col-lege students were too busy textingeach other to pay attention to thetest.

(Typical text: “Did u c what an-swers the monkey had?”)

But who cares? The importantpoint is: We are successfully train-ing chimps to take tests!

What’s more, they’re better thanwe are. Soon we should be abletrain chimps to take over the mun-dane machinery of our modernworld, starting with relativelysimple tasks such as managing theU.S. Congress and gradually build-ing up to more critical areas suchas pizza delivery.

(Note to Homeland Security of-ficials: We can’t let the chimps takethat over until we are sure they canhandle it.)

This would allow our youngpeople to pursue other importantmatters, such as, well, each other.

As can be seen from another ac-tual headline: “Singles Will CheckOut Eligible Candidates at ObamaRally.”

And no, those attending the rally,with the possible exception of WolfBlitzer, weren’t checking out po-litical candidates. They werechecking out each other.

Here’s the invite taken from therally story: “Join us at Jay-Z’s Clubon Thursday as we ride the windsof change from the hottest rally inNew York. Move to the music, so-cialize with friends, and let yourvoice be heard as we celebrate withaudacity.”

Not exactly your grandfather’spolitical rally.

Unlike other candidates, Obamahas tapped into a generation thatseeks something more meaningfulfrom our government, i.e., datingservices.

For generations, Americans havesent politicians to Washington,only to recoil in disgust as theirtawdry affairs became public.

Today’s Americans expect more.They ask, when’s the governmentgoing to help us get involved in ourown tawdry affairs?

It’s all a part of our New Age.A couple of generations ago, we

lived in the Industrial Age. Thatchanged to the Space Age, whichwas pretty exciting for a while un-til we found out that outer space isfar away and cold and lacking inimportant tourist attractions suchas air and water.

(A recent survey listed “air” and“water” among the most desirablevacation features, right behind“reasonably priced hotel mini-bar,”which is more rare than waterfountains on the moon.)

We’re now enjoying (at least,sort of) the Information Age, whichallows us access to — with just afew simple keystrokes — a veri-table cornucopia of information,some of which may even be accu-rate.

Not that it matters. After all, thisis the Information Age, not the Ac-curate Information Age, and we’requickly morphing into the Drown-ing in Information Age, at whichpoint the accuracy of all informa-tion becomes irrelevant.

(For a preview of this excitingfuture, watch the presidential de-bates.)

But don’t worry. Luckily, wehave those chimps to help us sortthings out.______________________________________________________(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

dflood287@comcast.net

Planet of the chimps may be future

M&MSACROSS

1 It may be tipped 4 W.C. Fieldsquote? 7 Poisonous plant 12 Social groups 18 Palindromic name 19 Important numero 20 Ages 22 Lama or imam 23 Singer Shannon 24 CEO, e.g. 25 Silent performer 27 Like Donne’spoetry 30 Aquatic mammal 31 Slight 32 Zombie ingredient 33 Memphis deity 36 Obligation 39 Famedanthropologist 44 _ fin 48 Scand. nation 49 Summarize 50 Computeracronym 52 Kitchen utensils 54 _ one’s time(waits) 57 Weber’s “_Freischutz” 58 ’98 home run king 60 Praise 62 Female goat 64 “O Sole _” 65 Sour fruit

66 Like somewatches 68 Bradley or Epps 70 “Heat and _” (’83film) 73 Writer Rand 74 Education pioneer 78 Woods’ grp. 81 Indication 82 Wordsworth works 83 Magazineemployee 86 Air bear? 88 _ Gatos, CA 90 MA hours 91 Winter wear 93 Beardedbandleader 97 Lamb’s dam100 Wear away101 Illinois city102 Financial abbr.103 What trumpets do105 Diarist Anais106 Homericcombatants108 5th Dimensionmember112 Farmer’s place114 Yemeni city115 Bond rating116 Lhasa _120 Ocean vessel123 Glass’ “_ on theBeach”128 “Full Metal Jacket”star133 Team scream

134 Humorist George135 Babbled136 Mame, for one137 Consumed a knish138 Gender139 Lady of Spain140 Moshe of Israel141 Contemporary142 Use a shuttle

DOWN 1 Muslim pilgrimage 2 Lost 3 Soft mineral 4 “Bah! _!” 5 Boxer Johansson 6 Baird orWitherspoon 7 Theological sch. 8 _ tree (cornered) 9 Sulky 10 Part of 12 Down 11 Atkins or Huntley 12 Calculatingperson? 13 O’Hare info 14 Incites Rover 15 Rock hound? 16 Jacob’s twin 17 Pencil piece 21 “Ethan Frome”prop 26 Eloquent equine 28 Rink legend 29 Caroline, to Ted 34 Celebrity 35 Little devil 37 Comice kin

38 Math subject 39 Shearer of “TheRed Shoes” 40 “As You Like It”setting 41 Silly Skelton 42 Periodontists’ org. 43 Campus digs 45 Whips up awaistcoat 46 Spanish city 47 Croce’s Mr. Brown 48 Leno’s network 51 Loses control 53 Noted 55 Dutch treat? 56 Patriot Deane 58 Ramble 59 Animal thatroared? 61 Singer Amos 63 Melville novel 67 Tenor Beniamino 69 Hwys. 71 Fountain order 72 Threefold 75 “I’m _ Cowhand”(’36 song) 76 Getty or Parsons 77 “Take _ leave it!” 78 Heart, e.g. 79 “Peer Gynt”composer 80 “Maltese Falcon”actress 84 Maine town 85 Chatter box? 87 Square measure

89 Actor Pickens 92 Berry or Olin 94 Sped 95 Construct 96 Bartok or Peron 98 One of theOsmonds 99 Directional suffix103 Command104 Stem107 “_ Hand” (’81 hit)109 One in a million110 Salted snack111 Purrfect pet?113 South Americancapital116 Current amount117 Unwind a rind118 Mikita of hockey119 ConductorKlemperer121 Stentorian122 Writer O’Brien124 Neighbor ofPakistan125 - Haven, CT126 Brainstorm127 Casanova’s cry?129 “_ Alibi” (’89 film)130 Author LeShan131 Nicole on “Fame”132 Browning’sbedtime?

Answer Page 4

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 27, 2007

Low Prices and Daily Specials1330 Fabens St. • Fabens, TX • 764-2215 or 851-3149

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Notice of Public HearingFabens Independent School District

A Public Hearing on the A.E.I.S. Report(Academic Excellence Indicator System) will beheld at 4:00 P.M., Wednesday, January 9, 2008in the Fabens Independent School District’sBoard Room at 821 N.E. “G” Avenue, Fabens,Texas.WTCC: 12-27-07

www.wtccourier.com

Social SecurityQ&A By Ray Vigil

Answer Page 4

Q: Which Preventive Services arecovered by Medicare?

A: The following Medicare coveredPreventive Services are listed onMyMedicare.gov:• “Welcome to Medicare” PhysicalExam• Cardiovascular Screening• Screening Mammography• Cervical and Vaginal CancerScreening (Pap Test and PelvicExam)• Colon Cancer Screening (includesFecal Occult Blood, Sigmoidoscopy,Colonoscopy, and Barium Enema)• Prostate Cancer Screening (PSA)• Pneumococcal Vaccine• Diabetes Screening, Supplies andSelf-Management Training

Q: I am a 62-year-old woman whowas married for almost 30 years be-fore my divorce several years ago. Iexpect a relatively small Social Se-curity retirement check, since I mostlyworked part-time jobs. However, I amthinking of remarrying my ex-hus-band. He is 69 and already gettingabout $1,800 per month from SocialSecurity. Would I be entitled to wife’sbenefits if I remarry him?

A: Yes, you would. But you alsoshould know that you would be duethe same benefits even if you donot remarry. Under Social Security,a divorced wife who was marriedfor more than 10 years and is cur-rently unmarried is entitled to thesame benefits as a wife. Learnmore by visiting our website atwww.socialsecurity.gov, or call usat 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).