SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO MARCH 8, 2007VOL. 34, No. 10

NEWSBRIEFS

See BRIEFS, Page 5

Science is only a tool. The harm or goodit does depends on how men use it.

— Quips & Quotes

1973

2007YEARS34

UPPER VALLEY — Anthony MiddleSchool in the Anthony Independent SchoolDistrict has received notification this week ofa Texas Educator Excellence Award grantaward, providing $40,000 to use as incentivesfor improved student performance.

An on-going challenge for school districtsis improving and maintaining academicachievement. The Texas Education Agency(TEA) is providing schools with an incentiveto do so through the Texas Educator ExcellenceAward. The AMS amount was based on thenumber of students enrolled at the school.

Based on the degree of improvement on the2005 TAKS scores, Anthony Middle School

became eligible to be a recipient of the award.After notification of eligibility, the faculty cre-ated a plan for continued academic successwhich was submitted to TEA for formal ap-proval. The faculty was also responsible fordetermining the distribution of the award predi-cated on measurable criteria.

The overall goal of the award is the on-go-ing improvement of TAKS (Texas Assessmentof Knowledge and Skills) test scores. Teach-ers are also being rewarded for improvementof student scores compared with last year’sTAKS results. One of the components of thisaward is for teachers to support each otherthrough cross-content teaching.

“This is an opportunity for teachers and sup-port staff to work collaboratively for the aca-demic success of all of our students,” said Dr.Terry-Ann Rodriguez, AMS Principal.

Anthony Middle School awarded teacher incentive grant

Special to the CourierBy John R. Carrillo

Early daylight savingsStarting this year, Daylight Saving Timehas been changed from its traditional cal-endar dates to a start three weeks earlier— Sunday, March 11 — and a finish oneweek later — Sunday, Nov. 4. DaylightSaving Time is practiced in order to gainan extra hour of daylight during the earlyevening, resulting in the conservation ofenergy by substituting natural sunlight forelectrical lighting. According to The OldFarmer’s Almanac (Almanac.com), Day-light Saving Time first began in 1918 dur-ing World War I to allow for more eveninglight and save fuel for the war effort. Sincethen, Daylight Saving Time has been usedon and off, with different start and enddates. Benjamin Franklin first suggestedthe idea in 1784. It was later revived in1907, when William Willett proposed asimilar system in the pamphlet The Wasteof Daylight. The Germans were the firstto officially adopt the light-extending sys-tem in 1915, followed by the British, andin 1918 the United States, when Congresspassed the Standard Time Act, establish-ing our time zones.

Guard meetsThe civilian volunteers that augment theUnited States Coast Guard and the CoastGuard Reserve in El Paso meet the sec-ond Wednesday of each month at Ranch-ers Grill, 7597 N. Meas St. at 6:00 PM.Their mission includes: public educationand training in safe boating, surface andair operations, communications, vesselsafety checks, public relations and otherspecialty courses. Applicants must be U.S.citizens and at least 17 years old. Activeor retired military are welcome. You areinvited to join us during our meeting or tocontact one of following members: DonRix, 915-637-2069; Frank Cornwell, 915-740-7953; or Bill Lockhart, 915-479-8303.

Tax reliefGov. Rick Perry has signed Senate Con-current Resolution 20, a measure that al-lows the state to deliver on the historicschool property tax cut passed in 2006.“This measure will allow the state to keepan important promise we made last yearto lower Texans’ school property tax ratesby one-third,” Perry said. “I applaud law-makers for sending me this resolution be-cause it means homeowners and employ-ers will see billions of dollars in tax relief,and more Texans will be able to achievetheir dream of owning their own home.”

In other news� The El Paso Police Department is par-ticipating in a statewide warrant roundupbeginning tomorrow, March 3, 2007 andending Saturday, March 10, 2007. Theroundup will focus on Class C warrants,such as unpaid traffic warrants; however,other wanted persons are also on the

See WRAM-TV, Page 4

SAN ELIZARIO — Maria Rosita Paradaand Itzae Facio are two students from SanElizario ISD’s Borrego Elementary Schoolwho are not camera shy. Recently, the twogirls traveled to Austin along with theirmoms, Josie Trejo and Maribel Parada andteachers Adriana Castruita and Eduardo Si-erra to present at the Texas Computer Edu-cation Association’s 27th Annual Conven-tion and Exposition on Feb. 7 and 8.

Their exhibit was titled The Magic of Tele-vision at Your Campus which highlightedtheir work with WRAM-TV, Borrego’s owntelevision station. This is the second year thatSierra has traveled with students to the con-ference to present an exhibit about the tinybut fully-functional TV studio located on theBorrego Elementary campus. The girls wereon hand to speak with convention attendeesat two separate sessions sharing tips aboutwhat they can do to start a television studioand providing their own insight and lessonslearned from operating television productionequipment for the first time.

Rosita and Itzae, both 5th graders atBorrego Elementary School, had a numberof good reasons to feel a little intimated.They were both overwhelmed by the size ofthe Austin Convention Center, the crowd at-tending the conference, not to mention thefact that they were probably the only elemen-tary school students presenting at the exhibithall. “I felt kind of nervous and shy when Istarted talking to people,” Itzae said. Rositawas also nervous at first but later realizedwhat she had accomplished by just being atthe conference. “I felt really proud of my-self and all my work. I told people that I re-ally liked what I do here,” Rosita said.

Itzae and Rosita showed convention at-tendees pictures of their studio, talked aboutthe equipment they learned to use such asvideo, audio, cameras, microphones, andplayed some of their WRAM-TV broadcasts.During the two to three hours that the girlswere presenting in the exhibit hall they wereapproached by teachers, student teachers,high school and college students who werecurious about their exhibit. Soon after warm-ing up, the girls grew a bit more confident inthe delivery of their presentation. “I had apositive attitude that I could explain thingsand what I do in the studio,” Itzae added.

Sierra is the Computer Lab Teacher at

— Photos courtesy San Elizario ISD

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES — Itzae Facioand Rosita Parada, both 10 years old,operate the production equipment atWRAM-TV.

Borrego’s WRAM-TVshowcased at AustinConvention Center

Special to the CourierBy Cynthia P. Marentes

— Photo courtesy Tornillo ISD

ONCE UPON A TIME — State Rep. ChenteQuantanilla reads to a 6th grade class aspart of Tornillo Intermediate’s Read AcrossAmerica Celebration.

By Rudy BarredaSpecial to the Courier

TORNILLO — Students at Tornillo Inter-mediate School were treated to a day full ofliterary enjoyment as part of the National Edu-cation Association’s 10th Annual Read Across

Tornillo Intermediate celebrates Read Across AmericaAmerican event. Over 20 business and com-munity people volunteered to read aloud to all4th, 5th and 6th grade classes.

The event took place on March 2, the birth-day of Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr.Seuss. For this reason, all the volunteers readDr. Seuss books. “I haven’t read Dr. Seuss inawhile”, joked TISD Board member RachelAvila, as she selected a couple of his books toread to two 4th grade classes. Other volunteerreaders included TISD Board Secretary OfeliaBosquez and state Rep. Chente Quintanilla.

Event organizer Adriana Cantu, TISD cam-pus support director, was pleased with theevent. Teachers, students and staff decoratedthe campus with illustrations from Dr. Seussbooks. Most impressive was the fact that ev-ery volunteer kept their commitment to readaloud to at least two classes. “Every person wecontacted showed up,” stated Cantu. “Our vol-unteers’ commitment to the students of Tor-nillo Intermediate is extremely impressive.”

Not only did the students enjoy the day, butthe adult volunteer readers also seemed to en-joy spending the day with Dr. Seuss. “Don’tforget to call me next year!” said AlfredoMeneses, a sales rep for SRA/McGraw Hill.

CANUTILLO — Students, teachers andstaff at Bill Childress Elementary School, inthe Canutillo IndependentSchool District recentlycelebrated Dr. SeussReading Day during theNational EducationAssociation’s (NEA)Read Across AmericaCelebration. The campusscheduled several activi-ties throughout the weekcommemorating Dr.Seuss Books.

Students dressed up asdifferent characters fromDr. Seuss’s books eachday such as wearing crazysocks to celebrate thebook “Fox In Socks”,

Bill Childress Elementary Schoolcelebrates Dr. Seuss Reading Day

By Kim GuzmanSpecial to the Courier

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

ONE FISH, TWO FISH… — The Cat In The Hat, Jerrie Wilson,Bill Childress Elementary School librarian, and Lupe Tejada,BCE third grade student, celebrate Dr. Seuss Reading Day.

dressing in yellow attire to celebrate “TheSneetches”, and wearing blue and red and mak-ing their hair like “Thing I & II”.

“Green Eggs and Ham” were served in the

See READING, Page 6

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER March 8, 2007

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

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

WITH

Wholesale Lumber

☛ Clint: 851-2804 ☛ Fabens: 764-3155 ☛ Socorro: 859-021212298 Almeda Ave. 206 N. Fabens 748 S. Horizon Blvd.

Free Carpenter’s ApronNo “strings” attached …

Just stop by and ask for one.

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

“Family Owned and Operated”

Open7AM - 8PM

Daily

My motherhas beenreading mymind for

years. All she has to do is take onelook at me and she knows prettymuch what I’ve been up to.

So why all the hoopla about recenttechnological developments in themind-reading field that are takingplace in Germany?

Well, the future is now and it isn’tpretty. It’s bad enough that mymother can already detect a guiltyconscience. I sure don’t want any-body else reading my mind becausethere is little chance they are goingto like what they see.

One of the greatest gifts our Cre-ator gave us, I believe, was the in-

Wink, winkability to know what someone else isthinking. Now we want to go andspoil it.

At the Max Plack Institute in Ger-many — a place that seems to sur-face in the news regularly — scien-tists led by a fellow named Dr. John-Dylan Haynes have developed theability to scan the brain waves ofvolunteers to actually determine whatthese people are going to do beforethey do it. And they are right at least71 percent of the time.

Not even my mother is that good.She usually had to wait until after I’ddone whatever it was I shouldn’t have.

There are people in various seg-ments of society who are overjoyedabout this. They can’t wait to have alittle hand-held device so they can

scan people’s minds like a they doyour grocery cart at Sam’s. Thesefolks include security and law en-forcement, governmental authorities,marketers, employers, insurancecompanies, and politicians.

The potential for the exploitationof such technology is what hasethnicists losing sleep at night.

Even though the technology is in-fantile, this research project has madesome really astonishing discoveriesin less than two years. For instance,based on the activity of brain wavesduring moments when subjects weregiven choices and asked to make adecision, they have concluded that aperson’s intentions are stored in theprefrontal cortex region, and they candecipher with uncanny accuracywhat those intentions actually arebefore the person acts.

In an Associated Press story postedMarch 5 by Maria Cheng, one psy-chology professor mused: “The bar-riers that we assumed existed in read-ing our minds keep gettingbreached.”

That is an understatement if I everheard one.

Just like the Biblical story of the

Tower of Babel, there is nothing leftin this world that is beyond the abil-ity of human beings to poke aroundin, mess with and eventually exploit.With history as my witness, I’d saymostly to no good. I wish we wouldpay this much attention to findingsolutions to some issues that reallyneed solving like cancer and air pol-lution and peace on earth instead ofsnooping around in the intention sec-tion of our neighbor’s brain.

I’d say that ethnicists have morethan a little reason to be concerned.For the first time, the door has swungwide for those who possess suchtechnology to peer into the thoughtsof an individual without the indi-vidual being able to stop them.

In our increasingly scary world inwhich the boogie man hides behindevery face on the street, pre-emptivesecurity measures are becomingmore and more acceptable, such asthe DNA database being created inBritain which will allow authoritiesto track people with genetic predis-position to violent behavior —whether they’ve ever done a singleviolent thing or not.

Another understatement by an ob-

serving scientist in Cheng’s AP storywas: “We need to start thinking abouthow far we are going to allow thesetechnologies to be used.”

I can answer that for him and I’mdon’t even have brain waves in thesame league with his. RememberPandora’s Box?

Of course, the fellow conductingthe research is full of assurances asthey always are. He says his researchhas “more benign practical applica-tion” such as improving technologythat allows paralyzed people to oper-ate electronic robotic devices and com-puter communication equipment.

Besides, he says, practical appli-cation is “years if not decades away.”

“We are making the first steps inreading out what the specific contentsof people’s thoughts are by trying tounderstand the language of thebrain,” Dr. Haynes said. “But it’s notlike we are going to have a machinetomorrow.”

Right. Just like we were never go-ing to drop an atomic bomb and thosepesky little cameras on traffic lightswere never going to be used for thepurposes of issuing traffic tickets.

Wink, wink.

EL PASO — National borders aretransparent to illusive global enemiessuch as air pollution, but Texas For-est Service and Mother Nature arecombating the problem in a way thatalso transcends the border betweenthe United States and Mexico: trees.

In an air quality mitigation effort,Texas Forest Service (TFS), TexasCommission for EnvironmentalQuality (TCEQ) and the Los TreeAmigos, a regional tree program sup-port council, worked with LasHormigas de rancho Anapra, a vol-unteer group in Mexico, to plant 1000seedlings in a small colonia nearJuárez, Mexico.

The seedlings, grown in TFS’s WestTexas Nursery and purchased by LosTree Amigos, were distributed amongthe residents of Anapra, Mexico andstrategically planted to serve as filtersin the common airshed of Juárez, ElPaso, and Sunland Park, N.M.

According to Texas Environmen-tal Profiles, a joint project of theTexas Center for Policy Studies andEnvironmental Defense, air pollutionoriginating in Juárez contributes asmuch or more to air pollution in ElPaso than pollution originating on theU.S. side of the border.

Two air quality monitoring stationsin Sunland Park, just across the

Border towns cooperate to fight air pollution

Special to the CourierBy Linda Moon

chain-link international boundaryfrom Anapra, consistently record airpollution levels that exceed nationalstandards set by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency.

The stations measure the amount ofparticulate matter in the air. Particu-late matter (PM), are very small par-ticles made up of mostly dust, smoke,ash and pollen. PM10 is matter that is10 micrometers or less in diameter.

In order to reduce PM10 levels inthe Rio Grande airshed, VictorValenzuela of TCEQ initiated a bi-national tree planting: Arbolitos poradopción (Little trees for adoption).

The Texas agencies worked withthe Mexican volunteer group, LasHormigas de Rancho Anapra, to dis-tribute seedlings to the Juárez coloniaresidents of Anapra. Each family reg-istered their seedlings and carriedthem home to be planted. The newseedling owners received plantingand care instructions in Spanish anda contract of adoption of their newbaby pines. Valenzuela documentedeach planting and will track the treegrowth success for years to come.

Trees directly reduce pollutants inthe air, absorb and store carbon, re-duce air temperatures, and reduce theamount of energy needed by build-ings for heat.

Texas Forest Service Urban For-ester Oscar Mestas chose to plantAfghan pine and Italian stone pinefor this project.

“Pines are typical in air qualitycontrol research,” said Pete Smith,co-author of Houston’s Regional For-est: Structure, Functions, Values.“Pine trees don’t lose their leavesannually, so they work as a naturalfilter against dust and other particlesyear-round.”

According to the study “DesertSouthwest Community Tree Guide:

Benefits, Costs, and StrategicPlanting,” a 20-year-old Aleppo pine,33 feet tall with a 27-foot crownspread will remove .16 pounds ofPM10 annually. That number, multi-plied by the 1000 Anapra seedlings,means that approximately 160pounds of unwanted particles will beremoved from the air each year whenthe trees reach maturity.

Although 20 years may seem likea delayed solution, Smith suggeststhat big problems need to be thoughtof over bigger periods of time. “Thebest time to plant a tree is 20 yearsago,” he said.

What Mestas has done is placethese trees in the most effective pos-sible place to impact the future of thecommunity,” said Smith.

Mestas plans to participate in thetree planting project again next year.

“Crossing borders and agendas,this was a successful project for twostate agencies and two non-profit or-ganizations in two countries workingtogether for the benefit of the wholecommunity,” he said.

EL PASO — Pifas Silva nevergave a second thought to pursuing acareer in public relations. Instead, hethought he’d spend his whole life re-porting on the daily lives of others.

“I always thought journalismwould be my lifetime career,” saidthe 36-year-old East El Paso resident.“I actually used to make fun of PR(public relations) majors at UTEP.”

But after a year and a half of work-ing as a news assistant for the El Paso

Silva begins term as local PR chapter president

Special to the CourierBy Pat Castillo-Garrett

Times and three years asthe Assignment Editor forABC 7 KVIA-TV, Silvahas finally found his truecalling, working as a pub-lic relations official. Heeven serves as president ofthe local professional pub-lic relations group, thePublic Relations Society ofAmerica - Rio GrandeChapter.

Silva began his presidency lastmonth and will lead the local chap-ter until his term expires in January2008. The PRSA is a local group of

public relations officialswhose vision is to unify,strengthen and advancethe profession of public re-lations. Silva became in-volved in the associationduring the six years that hewas the CommunicationsOfficer for the SanElizario ISD. But it wasn’tuntil he became the Com-munications Manager for

the El Paso Convention and VisitorsBureau in 2004 that he began to serve

Pifas Silva

See SILVA, Page 6

March 8, 2007 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Reyes Reports By U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

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

In thirty-two columns for the West Texas CountyCourier Newspaper, I have discussed issues of vital medi-cal importance to the general public. I have taken noneof those journalistic pieces as seriously, however, as whatI am about to tell you. Four minutes of your time heremay add 40 years to your life, as we slam the screendoor on cancer and infectious disease, allowing only whatis good and pure and healthy to bridge the mesh.

Let’s let the sunshine in on screening procedures forsome common cancers. Foremost among them, we turnour attention to breast cancer. On Oct. 2, 2003, I dis-cussed this uninvited guest in some detail. Years pass,words are wasted, and we are left with an ill-timedknock at the door. Monthly self-examination and anannual breast exam by a physician might have can-celed delivery. Mammography conducted every yearafter age 40-50 would certainly be more efficaciousthan do-not-call lists.

When cervical cancer comes a calling, we have onlyourselves to blame. A failure to seek an annual Pap smearstarting at age 18 or at the onset of sexual activity upsthe ante in a game of Russian roulette. It becomes use-less here to rant and proselytize on the subject, as I didin my piece on Feb. 9, 2006. A door blown open requiresmuch more than simple hinges. If we had only taken thetime to heed our health care providers, those three con-secutive, normal, annual Pap smears would have not onlyincreased the screening interval to every three years, butwould have provided more security and peace of mindthan double locks.

Colons and prostates are our friends, that is, when wecater to their needs. When the pizza boy comes a knock-ing, we leave him a tip. Such attention to detail in anencounter with a complete stranger makes little sense,when, on the contrary, we abuse and neglect those oldchums who have kept us going for a half century. After

Four minutes could add 40 years to lifeage 50, annual examination of the stool for blood andsigmoidoscopy every 3-5 years or colonoscopy every10 years can provide a pat on the tummy more potentthan surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. The welcomemat to prostate cancer prevention is a little more contro-versial. While some physicians recommend no screen-ing, others slide back the latch and peep favorablythrough the crack at yearly rectal examination and pros-tate-specific antigen (PSA) testing at age 45 for Afri-can-Americans and those with a strong family historyand at age 50 for all others.

On Dec. 2, 2004 and on Dec. 29, 2005, I discussedadult vaccines and immunizations, respectively. In themeantime, a revolving door policy in the medical com-munity has fed doubts as to our coming or going. Somesimple instructions will now go far to extending ourwarranties. While influenza and pneumococcal immu-nizations are messengers of hope for the 50-65-and be-yond age groups and those with HIV, splenectomy, or-gan transplant, or on chemotherapy, other vaccines tar-get a restrictive customer calling list. Hepatitis A (fortravelers to endemic areas), meningococcal (for use inoutbreaks), and smallpox (for laboratory workers directlyexposed) immunizations fall into the latter category.

Finally, accidents will happen, and, rather than trust afriendly voice behind a closed portal, we must proactivelyassume a defensive stance. Such is the case with tetanusand hepatitis B prevention. The former vaccine mandatesinitiation in childhood with boosters every 10 years.Hepatitis B immunization, on the other hand, is reservedfor all young adults and for IV drug users, health careproviders, and those with chronic liver disease.

Some simple guidelines will ensure unbruised derri-eres, as the screen door swings back on our golden years.______________________________________________________

© 2007, Albert M. Balesh, M.D. All rights reserved.

M a r c hmarks the

National Education Association’s(NEA) 10th Annual “Read AcrossAmerica” Day, which celebratesDr. Seuss’s birthday and is thenation’s largest reading motivationand awareness program. This im-portant education program aug-ments other literacy programs al-ready in El Paso, such as the “ReadEl Paso Read” reading initiative,which I coordinated with the ElPaso Empowerment Zone, and“The Big Read,” a National En-dowment for the Arts program atthe El Paso Public Library.

“Read El Paso Read” distributestens of thousands of books to El Pasostudents, and “The Big Read” at theEl Paso Public Library coordinateda community-wide campaign to readHarper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mock-ingbird. I applaud the El Paso PublicLibrary for seeking this federal fund-ing and educating El Pasoans aboutclassic literature and this particularbook’s message of racial harmonyand tolerance.

Unfortunately, while these impor-tant reading initiatives help promoteeducation and learning, the BushAdministration’s fiscal 2007 budgetrequest undermines these efforts andseveral other federal programs thathelp provide all students with basicaccess to a quality education. TheBush Administration proposed cut-ting funding for students at nearlyevery stage of learning:

Government should keepup educational funding

• A $100 million cut for Head Start,which could result in 13,500 childrennot being able to participate in thiscritically important program.

• A $1.5 billion reduction in dis-cretionary education funding, despiteincreased school enrollments anddemand placed on educators by NoChild Left Behind requirements.

• $1.5 billion less funding than infiscal 2007 for the 21st Century Com-munity Learning Centers Programthan was promised in No Child LeftBehind. This program provides fund-ing to low-income schools for inno-vative and effective before- and af-ter-school initiatives.

• An increase in the maximumPell Grant to $4,600 per student,but failing to provide funding forthe increase.

• A reduction in the availability oflow-interest loans for needy students.The Bush Administration proposedto slash $419 million from PerkinsLoan revolving funds this year, and$3.2 billion over the next five years,which would affect the ability of low-income students to afford college.

• An elimination of the $771 mil-lion Supplemental Educational Op-portunity Grant Program, and the $65million Leveraging Educational As-sistance Program, both of which aredesigned to assist needy students af-ford higher education.

• A reduction in support for spe-cial education. For the fourth year ina row, the Bush Administration iscutting funding for students with dis-

abilities, this year by at least $291million.

• A cut in funding for vocationaleducation by almost half, or by $582million; reducing funding for Safeand Drug-Free schools by 71 percent,or by $247 million; and eliminatingfunding for the Educational Technol-ogy State Grant Program.

The Read Across America lit-eracy initiative taking place thismonth, as well as Read El PasoRead and The Big Read make im-portant strides towards exposingchildren to the joy of reading andpromoting education in general.However, the education budgetproposed by the Bush Administra-tion has the potential to impede anyprogress they might make. Accessto quality education is a top prior-ity for the new Congress, and mycolleagues and I will work to keepour promise to our nation’s stu-dents to provide them a qualityeducation and ensure that no childwill be left behind.

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER March 8, 2007

COMBINED NOTICE FROM THE TOWN OF ANTHONY, TEXASNOTICE TO PUBLIC OF THE FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTON THE ENVIRONMENT and NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASEOF FUNDS in connection with the HOME Investment Partnerships ProgramTOWN OF ANTHONY401 Oak St.Anthony, Tx 79821(915) 886-3944

TO: All Interested Agencies, Groups, and Individuals

On or about sixteen (16) days after this publication, theTown of Anthony intends to request that Texas Departmentof Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) release fed-eral funds under Title II of the National Affordable Hous-ing Act of 1990, for the following project:

HOME Program Contract Number 1000298Program/Project Description:

Owner-Occupied Housing Assistance Project con-sisting of rehabilitation and reconstruction of hous-ing the following locations in the Town of Anthony,Texas: (1) 501 Jamie; (2) 912 Poplar; (3) 904 Elm;(4) 808 Tamarisk; (5) 402 Franklin.

Total HOME Contract Award: $187,546.00

Finding of No Significant Impact

It has been determined that such a request for release offunds will not constitute an action significantly affectingthe quality of the human environment and, accordingly, theTown of Anthony has decided not to prepare an Environ-mental Impact Statement under the National Environmen-tal Policy Act of 1969 (PL 91-190). The reason for the deci-sion not to prepare such a statement is based upon the factthat all environmental concerns could either be minimizedor mitigated.

The Town of Anthony has made an Environmental ReviewRecord addressing the project referenced above and docu-menting the environmental review status of the project.

That Environmental Review Record is on file in the Townof Anthony City Hall, and is available for public examina-tion and copying, upon request, between the hours of 8:30A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday.

Public Comments on Findings

All interested agencies, groups, and individuals disagreeingwith this decision are invited to submit written commentsfor consideration by the town at the address set forth above.

Such written comments must be received at the address speci-fied within fifteen (15) days after this publication.

All such comments so received will be considered by theTown of Anthony. The town will not submit the Requestfor Release of Funds or take further administrative actionon the project prior to the end of the comment period speci-fied. Comments should specify which notice they are ad-dressing.

Release of Funds

The Town of Anthony will undertake the project referencedabove with funds from the HOME Investment PartnershipsProgram of the Texas Department of Housing and Com-

munity Affairs under Title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na-tional Affordable Housing Act of 1990.

The town is certifying to Texas Department of Housing andCommunity Affairs that the Town of Anthony and the Hon-orable Art Franco, in his official capacity as Mayor, con-sents to accept the jurisdiction of the federal courts if anaction is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation toenvironmental review, decision-making, and action; and thatthese responsibilities have been satisfied for this project.

The legal effect of the certification is that, upon its approval,the town will have satisfied its responsibilities under theNational Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and 24 CFRPart 58, and may use HOME Program funds.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Af-fairs will accept an objection to its approval of the release offunds and acceptance of the certification only if the objec-tion is based on one of the following reasons: (a) That thecertification was not, in fact, executed by the chief execu-tive officer or other certifying officer of the Contract Ad-ministrator approved by the Texas Department of Housingand Community Affairs; or (b) That the responsible entity‚sEnvironmental Review Record for the project indicatesomission of a required decision, finding, or step applicableto the project in the required environmental review proce-dures (24 CFR Part 58); or (c) That the program grant re-cipient has committed funds or incurred costs not autho-rized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of fundsby the Texas Department of Housing and Community Af-fairs; or (d) That another federal agency acting pursuant to40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that theproject is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environ-mental quality.

Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordancewith the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58) and shall beaddressed to the Texas Department of Housing and Com-munity Affairs. Potential objectors should contact the TexasDepartment of Housing and Community Affairs to verifythe actual last day of the objection period.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Af-fairs will not consider objections to the release of funds onbases other than those stated above. Objections will be re-ceived for a period of fifteen (15) days following the antici-pated submission date or the actual receipt of the request,whichever is later.

Any objection must be made in writing to the Texas De-partment of Housing and Community Affairs, P. O. Box13941, Capitol Station, Austin, Tx 78711-3941. Objectionsto the release of funds on bases other than those stated abovewill not be considered by the Texas Department of Housingand Community Affairs. No objections received later thanthirty-three (33) days after this publication will be consid-ered by the Texas Department of Housing and CommunityAffairs.

Art Franco Date Published:Mayor March 8, 2007

WRAM-TVFrom Page 1______________________

Borrego Elementary who sponsorsWRAM-TV providing guidance andtechnical assistance to the students.

“It (the trip) was a great experience.I’m very proud and I wish I couldhave taken other students. They wereshy at the beginning but after two orthree presentations, they took overand handled the exhibit on theirown.”

Itzae and Rosita were selectedfrom about eight other students to goon the trip to Austin. All the studentsthat form part of WRAM-TV wereasked to write an essay describing thereasons why they thought they should

be chosen to present at the conven-tion. According to Sierra, Itzae andRosita were not only chosen becausethey wrote the best essays but alsobecause they show initiative and arevery charismatic.

Students that work at WRAM-TVusually arrive to school early beforethe start of classes to begin workingon the five to seven minute newscastthat airs every morning at 7:50 a.m.throughout the Borrego campus andlasts anywhere between 5 to 7 min-utes. Each morning students preparescripts, operate video and soundequipment, and deliver the day’s an-nouncements on camera. In order tobe part of the WRAM-TV crew, stu-dents have to be recommended byteachers when they are in the 4thgrade and if selected, they begintraining under the tutelage of the ex-perienced 5th graders who are al-ready part of the WRAM-TV crew.

“We are looking for students whopossess a combination of social skillsand good academics,” said Mr. Si-erra. Starting next year, students willhave to complete an application ifthey are interested in being part ofWRAM-TV. WRAM-TV is verymuch like a student club with twogroups of students taking turns pro-ducing the daily newscast. “It’s niceto do it, everyday you keep learning.I’ve always liked computers and Isaw the shows and thought it wasnice,” Itzae said about joiningWRAM-TV. Itzae was persuaded tojoin WRAM-TV after hearing aboutit from her friend Rosita. “It was nice,I told Mickey (Itzae). I told her thatit was easy to learn and she liked it,”Rosita said.

The Texas Computer EducationAssociation (TCEA) Convention isprimarily aimed at technology in-structors and educators looking forideas or best practices related to theintegration of technology in the class-room. Usually Sierra and other in-structors from San Elizario ISD at-tend the convention for professionaldevelopment purposes but in order topresent, schools have to submit a pro-posal to be accepted. Sierra took overWRAM-TV in October 2006 fromJoe Zavala, now Assistant Principalat Sambrano Elementary. It was un-der Zavala’s leadership that WRAM-TV was created and it was his initia-tive to submit the first exhibit pro-posal last year.

“Getting the students to exhibit ontheir own and showcasing what SanElizario can accomplish in a smallschool district really shows that any-thing is possible. I have to give Mr.Zavala credit for realizing thisdream,” Sierra said.

While both girls stated that attend-ing the convention itself was anamazing experience, they also saidthey would never forget visiting his-toric landmarks such as the StateCapitol. The trip was especiallymemorable for Rosita because it wasthe first time she traveled on an air-plane.

“Taking students to the conferenceexposes them to what is out there.Although it’s stressful, just takingthem out of San Elizario is great.Imagine visiting the Capitol and pre-senting in front of all those people,”Sierra said.

Rosita and Itzae are now lookingforward to training the 4th graderswho will soon join the ranks ofWRAM-TV. In the future, both girlswould like to continue working withtechnology in some way while Rositais already contemplating a career atNews Channel 9.

NEVER TOO YOUNG TO PRESENT— Rosita Parada and Itzae Faciopresent to two student teachers inAustin.

March 8, 2007 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

El Paso County EmergencyServices District #2

Notice of Public HearingThe Board of Commissioners for the El Paso CountyEmergency Services District #2 will conduct a public hear-ing during its next regular meeting on the 13th day ofMarch, 2007, at 7 p.m., at the Socorro Fire Department,11440 North Loop Rd. for the purpose of:

1) Discussing and voting on making mutuallyagreeable changes in its boundaries with the ElPaso County Emergency Services District #1 pur-suant to §775.056, Texas Health and Safety Code.The Board of Commissioners will also set a mu-tually agreeably effective date for the changes inthe boundaries.

Maps which detail the proposed changes may beviewed at the office of the El Paso County Emer-gency Services District #2 at 13976 Montana Ave.,El Paso, TX 79938, each day, Monday throughFriday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The facility is wheelchair accessible and accessible park-ing spaces are available. Requests for accommodation forinterpretive services must be made 48 hours prior to thismeeting. Please contact the District’s offices at (915) 857-0999 for further information.

WTCC: 03/08/07

PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF ANTHONY, TEXASNOTICE OF APPLICATION AVAILABILITY

TEXAS CAPITAL FUND PROJECT

The Town of Anthony is giving notice of intent to submitan application to the Texas Department of Agriculturefor grant assistance in the amount of $1,000,000 fromthe Infrastructure Fund and the Real Estate Fund of theTexas Capital Fund Program. The grant requested willfinance an infrastructure and real estate project insupport of the Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Company.The grant application will be available for review at theAnthony Town Hall during regular business hours afterMarch 8, 2007.

Art Franco Date published:Mayor March 8, 2007

Town of Horizon CityPUBLIC NOTICEA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 6:30 p.m. onTuesday, March 13, 2007 during the Regular CouncilMeeting at City Hall, 14999 Darrington Road, HorizonCity, Texas. Purpose of the public hearing is to allow anyinterested persons to appear and testify regarding thefollowing proposed ordinances:

1) Amendment 014 to Ordinance 0102 to addSection 812 — “Yards” to address yard regulationsof buildings permitted within required setbacks.

Amendment 015 to Ordinance 0102 to amendSection 502 “A-1” — Chapter 5 (Apartment Dis-trict) to increase allowable residential density andto institute a site plan review process for apart-ment developments.

2) Amendment 016 to Ordinance 0102 to amendChapter 1 “Administration”, Section 101.6 “Re-zoning”, Subsection C “Public Hearings; Notice”to reduce the number of signs required for rezon-ing when such rezoning is initiated by the City.

3) Amendment 017 to Ordinance 0102 to amendChapter 6 “General Commercial Districts”, Sec-tion 603 “C-1” to allow the sale of alcoholic bev-erages for on-site consumption within restaurantsby specific use permits.

4) Ordinance 0158 — An ordinance establishinga curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. of the fol-lowing day for minor children under the age of17 years.

Those who are unable to attend may submit their viewsin writing to the City Clerk of Horizon City. Accommo-dations for handicapped persons will be available and in-dividuals in need of special assistance for attending thehearing are encouraged to contact the City Clerk at 915-852-1046, forty-eight (48) hours prior to this meeting.Ordinances are available for viewing or copying upon re-quest from the City Clerk at the above address or call915-852-1046, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fidel MoralesInterim City Clerk

WTCC: 03-08-07

list. This will be the first of sev-eral warrant roundups planned for2007. Future roundup operationswill include publishing the namesof wanted persons in a local news-paper. Officers are advising any-body with an unpaid traffic war-rant is encouraged to take care ofhis or her responsibility now toavoid the embarrassment of offic-ers going to your home or work,or having your name published ina newspaper.

� Brody Moore, a 5th grader atHorizon Heights Elementary, willcompete in the El Paso Times

Spelling Beeon March 9.He has beenthe schools p e l l i n gc h a m p i o nfor twoyears andwill com-

and children. The home underwentextensive restoration over the pasttwo years and now is not only anhistorical point of interest, but agenuine “thing of beauty.” Fiverooms were restored to circa 1898,the year when El Paso made a sud-den growth spurt, economicallyand socially, and it is easy to imag-ine living in that era. Wallpaperfragments found under the wood-work were replicated, custom or-dered, and hand printed. The cop-ies of the Brussels carpets that areon the floors are also faithful to theoriginal. The canvas ceilings arereproductions of the 1898 ceilings.A family history gives a briefglimpse of the main characterswho occupied the home, while thevirtual tour is the most innovativepart of the site. One enters theGreat Hall and sees the entireroom. From there one enters theformal parlor, the family parlor,and three bedrooms. All containfurnishings of the period which areoriginal to the home and which areclearly and easily seen.

� Ten free white flowering dogwood

trees will be given to each newperson who joins the National Ar-bor Day Foundation during Marchas part of the Trees for Americacampaign. The six to 12-inch treesare shipped postpaid, with instruc-tions at the right time of the yearfor planting, between March 1 andMay 31 and, if they fail to grow,will be replaced free. Membersalso receive a subscription to themonthly Arbor Day, and The TreeBook. To become a member, senda $10 contribution with your nameand address to Ten Free DogwoodTrees, National Arbor Day Foun-dation, 100 Arbor Ave., NebraskaCity, NE 68410 by March 31 orjoin online at www.arborday.org.

� An estimated 4 million Ameri-cans are living with Alzheimer’sdisease — a progressive brain dis-order that causes gradual memoryloss, a decline in thinking abilities,and changes in personality and be-havior. As the baby boomer popu-lation ages, this number is ex-pected to quadruple, along with theassociated health care costs. Al-though there’s currently no cure for

this disease, scientists are workinghard to find one. Learn more abouttheir research with Alzheimer’s:Searching for a Cure from the U.S.Food and Drug Administration.For a free copy, send your nameand address to the Federal CitizenInformation Center, Dept. 551P,Pueblo, CO 81009. Or call toll-free1 (888) 878-3256 and ask for Item551P. And visitwww.pueblo.gsa.gov to read orprint this and hundreds of otherFCIC publications for free.

� The Internal Revenue Serviceis urging taxpayers to check to seeif they qualify for the telephone ex-cise tax refund after more than 10million early filers did not requestthe one-time refund. In the firstrelease of this year’s weekly filingseason statistics, about 30 percentof all taxpayers did not request thetelephone tax refund. “Many tax-payers are overlooking this specialrefund and the chance to get a big-ger refund,” said IRS Commis-sioner Mark W. Everson. The gov-ernment stopped collecting thelong-distance excise tax last Au-

gust after several federal court de-cisions held that the tax does notapply to long-distance service asit is billed today. Federal officialsalso authorized a one-time refundof the federal excise tax collectedon service billed during the pre-vious 41 months, stretching fromthe beginning of March 2003 tothe end of July 2006. The tax con-tinues to apply to local-onlyphone service. The IRS estab-lished a standard refund amount,based on personal exemptions,ranging from $30 to $60. If tax-payers have phone bills and otherrecords, they can request the ac-tual amount of excise tax paid.Though using the standard amountis optional, it is easy to figure andapproximates the eligible amountfor most individual taxpayers. Tax-payers only have to fill out one lineon their return, and they don’t needto present proof to the IRS. Out ofthe tax returns filed through Feb.16, more than 10 million taxpay-ers did not request the telephonetax refund. And nearly half of thosereturns — over 4.8 million — werecompleted by a tax preparer.

www.wtccourier.com

pete in thecity com-petition forthe second

time. He is the son of BarbaraWarwick and Dr. RonnieBrooker and Lauretta and DeanMoore. He is a member of theG/T Program, the UIL NumberSense Team, plays the bass clari-net for the Ensor Middle Begin-ning Band where he is currentlyfirst chair. He is also active inbaseball, basketball and numer-ous other outdoor activities.

� The Socorro IndependentSchool District joins school dis-tricts across Texas in celebratingTexas Public Schools Week,March 5-9, with the theme: OneVision, All Children. SISD Su-perintendent, Dr. Sylvia P.Atkinson, said that “teaching ismore than a job, it’s a calling.We have an opportunity tochange the world every day, onechild at a time.” Texas PublicSchools Week was established in1950 by the Masonic Lodge ofTexas to recognize the contribu-tions made by the state’s freesystem of education.

� The first student to sign a let-ter of intent to play collegiatesoccer during Eldorado HighSchool’s four-year history did soon Tuesday, March 6. SeniorSasha Ortiz will play soccer forTexas A&M International Uni-versity after being selected MVPof district 2-4A. She played for-ward, midfield and sweeper fortwo years at El Dorado and is amember of the first graduatingsenior class at her school.

� The Casa MagoffinCompañeros have launched thenew Magoffin Home website atwww.magoffinhome.org. Com-missioned and built with the co-operation of the Magoffin HomeState Historical Site, the new siteincludes a general history of thehome and of the Magoffin fam-ily, an interactive virtual tour ofthe home, and information onthe Casa Magoffin Compañeros,as well as features for students

Brody Moore

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER March 8, 2007

Classified Ads

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

CLASSIFIED AD FORM15 words - $5 per week; 35 words - $10 per week

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35

STOP HEREFOR $5 AD.( )

Please print.Send form andpayment (no cash) to:

West Texas County Courier15344 Werling Ct.

Horizon City, TX 79928

Deadline: Mondays

Contact Information:

Name: ________________________

Phone: ________________________

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

1973

2007

YEARS34LEGAL

El PasoCollaborative

for Community& EconomicDevelopment

Invitationfor Bids

The El Paso Col-laborative for Com-munity & EconomicDevelopment is arecipient of aTDHCA Contractfor Deed Conver-sion with Rehabgrant contract num-ber 1000530. TheEl Paso Collabora-tive will receivesealed bids for resi-dential rehabilita-tion for ten (10) resi-dences until 4:00p.m. (local time) onthe March 26, 2007at the One StopBusiness ResourceBusiness Center,1359 LomalandSuite #538, ElPaso, Texas 79935.Bid packets areavailable at the OneStop Business Re-sources Centerstarting March 9,

2007 from 8:00a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Monday throughFriday. Bidders willbe required to leavea $25.00 refund-able deposit. Allsubmittals must besealed and re-ceived by 4:00 p.m.March 26, 2007.Submitted enve-lopes must bemarked “CON-TRACT FORDEED/ REHABBid” on the lowerleft hand side of theenvelope.

A pre-bid confer-ence is scheduledon March 12, 2007at 1:30 p.m. at 1359Lomaland Suite538 El Paso, Texas.Bids will be openedon March 26, 2005at 4:30 p.m. at 1359Lomaland in thePaloma Room, ElPaso, Texas 79935.

The Contractormust ensure thatemployees and ap-plicants for employare not discrimi-nated against be-cause of their race,

Indian CliffsRanch, Inc.

SECURITY GUARD

Steady job for mature, older person.From 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. with overtime.Very good pay and very good work-ing conditions. Must live in lower val-ley or Horizon. Ideal candidate willbe bilingual and will be able to ride ahorse. Our last security guard waswith us for over 12 years, when heretired. Must pass thorough back-ground check. We can furnish atrailer home for right person. Fax re-sume to 764-4168 or call Jose Vegaat Indian Cliffs Ranch, 544-3200.

color, religion, sex,or national origin.The El Paso Col-laborative reservesthe right to rejectany or all Bids or towaive any informali-ties in the bidding.El Paso Collabora-tive is an AffirmativeAction/Equal Op-portunity Employer.

Delia ChavezExecutive DirectorWTCC: 03-08-07______________________________

COUNSELINGSERVICES

D A M I A NM A U R E I R A ,LCSW - Profes-sional Counseling/Therapy: Youth,Adults, Marital,Family. Health in-surance and feescale accepted.657 Winn Rd. inSocorro, Texas.Call 858-3857 forappointment.3/08________________________

HELPWANTED

Part-time bartenderneeded at the Hori-zon City AmericanLegion. Call 852-4823 after 3 p.m.3/29________________________

STORAGE

20X45' SPACEFOR LEASE

HORIZON SELFSTORAGE

418 S. Kenazo852-9371

3/29________________________

SELF-HELP

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

Tiene problemascon el alcohol? Hayuna solucíon.Informacion: 838-6264.________________________

SERVICES

“WindshieldDing —

Gimme a Ring”JIFFY GLASS

REPAIRWindshield Repair

SpecialistsBy appt. at yourhome or office:

R.V. DickHarshberger

915-852-9082________________________

BERT’SAUTOMOTIVE

REPAIRDomestic and

Foreign852-3523

1558 Oxbow,Horizon City

________________________

HORIZON CITYPLUMBING852-1079

•Electric rooterservice for sewers

and drains•Applianceinstallation

•Many otherplumbing servicesLicensed, bonded

and insured foryour protection.

________________________

The college football season ended a monthago when the Florida Gators shocked the OhioState Buckeyes in the national title game. Andas far as I know there are no more of thosecollege all-star games left on the schedule.

So now that the season is over some col-lege football players are going through springpractice sessions at their respective schools— and some are busy hitting the books tomake sure they keep their grades up and keeptheir eligibility status in tact.

And still others are engaging in what isquickly becoming the most popular endeavorof the modern college athlete — breaking thelaw.

Here are just a few examples.• A couple of former Montana State Uni-

versity athletes, a football and a basketballplayer, aren’t thinking too much about theirsport right now, they’re thinking more abouttrying to avoid the death penalty.

Seems they had a misunderstanding with asuspected cocaine dealer and allegedly shothim to death. Now prosecutors say they mayseek the death penalty for John Lebrum andBranden Miller.

The two are also charged with aggravatedkidnapping and tampering with evidence.

• How about the actions of Washington Uni-versity running back Michael Houston. Here’sa class individual if you ever saw one.

All I can say about this guy is that he isresourceful. Turns out he didn’t have his ownride one night so he did the next best thing.He stole a cab.

Houston, two other guys and a womanhailed a cab in the early morning hours afterexiting — where else? — a strip club. Theysoon had the driver stop at a fast food joint.

In a calculated move, the woman spat onthe cab window and when the frustrated cab-bie got out to call 911, Houston jumped intothe cab and drove away.

I don’t know who disgusts me more —Houston or his expectorating female friend.

• Then there are the recruiting practices ofthe University of Cincinnati.

I guess when you are recruiting from thegutter, you’ve got to take your program to thegutter.

Seems recruiters are enticing perspective

Athletes contending for ‘Most Likely to Do Time’ awardfootball players with sex and booze. Onlyproblem is the acts were supposedly video-taped and are currently circulating around thecampus.

Ouch! Talk about being caught with yourpants down.

Of course, university officials are in denialand calling the allegations anonymous, andthus highly questionable.

Ah, the great enablers.• How about the driving habits of some Uni-

versity of Illinois basketball players? RichMcBride recently pleaded guilty to drivingunder the influence, which is a fancy way ofsaying he was drunk and driving a car.

This comes on the heels of an incident in-volving another Illinois player, Jamar Smith,who was driving a car with his teammateBrian Carlwell.

Smith made the mistake of getting drunkbefore getting behind the wheel. He lost con-trol of the vehicle and crashed it into a treecausing his buddy Carlwell to be hospitalizedfor four days with a severe concussion. ButSmith didn’t know how badly his buddy washurt because he didn’t stick around longenough — he left the scene of the accident.

Why didn’t he stick around? Well, Smithtold authorities he thought Carlwell had diedin the accident. It’s good to know you’ve gota teammate that will split in your greatest hourof need.

• The University of Miami suspended itssecond basketball player in a month for vio-lating team rules. Denis Clemente andRaymond Hicks have been suspended for therest of the season for behaving badly.

At least Miami went against its norm andgot tough with its difficult players. It wouldbe nice for the football team to take that sameapproach.

• Then there’s more from that thug sport oflacrosse.

The University of Syracuse has suspendedsophomore Sean McGonigle for punching afellow student several times after a party.

After treating the student’s face like a ma-raca, McGonigle has not been allowed to playwith the team, but he can practice and he cansit on the bench during games.

Wow, way to be tough Syracuse! Maybeyou can go a step further in your punishmentand force this creep to eat all his broccoli.

How long will it take for “most arrests” tobe an official stat in college athletics?

cafeteria for breakfast, and cupcakes were de-livered to classrooms to celebrate the “Cat InThe Hat” on his 50th birthday. Posters of Dr.Seuss characters created by students in theMother/Daughter and Father/Son programwere hung throughout the campus. Studentswere also encouraged to enter the Dr. Seussgreeting card drawing contest.

The Cat In The Hat was on hand all day, asguest readers came to the library throughout

the day to read to students. Readers were com-munity members, parents, teachers and admin-istrators including J.R. Grijalva, El Paso Com-munity College Chief of Police and Dr. PamPadilla, CISD Superintendent.

All students from pre-kindergarten throughfifth grade were taken to the library to meetthe Cat In The Hat and have a guest reader readto them. Childress ES librarian Jerrie Wilsoncoordinated the event as a way to impress uponstudents the importance of reading.

“Having individuals from different walks of liferead to the students and participate in this eventhelps stress the importance of literacy in ourschools as well as our community,” said Wilson.

ReadingFrom Page 1______________________

on the board.Silva is quick to credit the longest-serv-

ing superintendent in the county, MikeQuatrini and the 3,800-student San ElizarioISD as the reasons for his success. “I oftenjoke with people, but truly mean it, when I

To AdvertiseCall 852-3235

SilvaFrom Page 2______________________

say that Mike (Quatrini) and San Eli mademe who I am today.”

And it’s that mentoring aspect which Silvawould like to give back in return. Silva saidanyone wishing to join the group could con-tact the local chapter via e-mail(prsariogrande@yahoo.com) or by calling himat the El Paso Convention Center at 534-0638.The group meets the third Wednesday of ev-ery month and has two membership catego-ries: student or professional.

March 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 FloodHere’s a subject I never thought

would come up in my column:talking urinal cakes.

In fact, I have never, as I some-times do when a potential topicsprings to mind, made a note tomyself saying something like:“Urinal cakes — what if they couldtalk?”

But now the topic presents itselfbecause the New Mexico Trans-portation Department recently be-gan distributing talking urinalcakes to bars that say: “You drink,you drive, you lose.”

Note to readers of the femalepersuasion: Urinal cakes are placedin urinals, allegedly to improve thesmell of men’s public bathrooms.There is no known recorded in-stance of this actually havingworked.

Some establishments, sadly,seem to think the urinal cake com-pany slogan is: You’ll never haveto clean the bathroom again!

You have to admit, this is a prettygood marriage of message andmedium: a captive audience thatmight well benefit from hearing thestate anti-DWI motto.

But there is also the depressingthought that talking urinal cakeswill soon be used for regular ad-vertising. Some drug companies,for example, might see them as aperfect vehicle for those men’s “per-formance” products that make up,along with beer, 185 percent of theadvertising during football games.

The next step, of course, is tomake urinal cakes “interactive.”It’s all well and good to have thetechnology to make them talk, butif you can’t talk back to them, ifyou can’t use them to connect tothe Internet, download music, takepictures, instant message, etc., thenyou have consigned talking urinalcakes to the level of novelty andnot made full use of their potentialto change and enrich our lives.

(Follow-up note to readers of the

female persuasion: Sorry, you’reout of luck on this one. This is amen’s product, though I’m suresome portable female version, invarious colors and designs andshapes, will be developed.)

And interactive urinal cakescould serve uses other than thepurely commercial.

Men, for example, are notori-ously reluctant, out of embarrass-ment, to seek help from a counse-lor or therapist.

Imagine the relief of being ableto confide directly to your own per-sonal urinal cake. No more embar-rassment!

Elsewhere in the news abouttalking inanimate objects, there’sthe item about the woman whoused part of her embezzled $6.9million to purchase six talkingtrees based on characters from the“Wizard of Oz.”

This Massachusetts bookkeeperalso bought, and none of these ismade up:

• A life-sized statue of AlCapone.

• A 20-foot smoke-breathingdragon.

• 35 vehicles of various kinds,including a Model T Ford custom-ized to look like a green goblin.

That’s what makes this case sosad. Here, obviously, was a womanof great vision and talent. A womanwho, in another time, anotherplace, could have been in chargeof all purchasing for the federalgovernment.

Now, though, she’s going to jailand being forced to pay back all$6.9 million.

My guess, though, is that not allthe funds — in other words about$6.8 million — will be immedi-ately available, but who knows?Maybe talking “Oz” tree charac-ters have been appreciating invalue — more than talking urinalcakes, anyway.______________________________________________________(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

The medium is the message

DISCOUNTING DADACROSS

1 Bargain 5 Sagan orSandburg 9 Actress Arlene 13 Trite 18 _ podrida 19 Spread in a tub 20 Jai _ 21 Brimmed hat 22 Move like ahummingbird 23 Runner Zatopek 24 “The _ Is High”(’80 hit) 25 Cashew kin 26 Start of a remarkby Bob Phillips 30 Catchall abbr. 31 Echidna’s tidbit 32 Sharpen 33 Prune 36 School subject 40 “Beat it!” 42 Dandy 45 Simpson offashion 47 Sausage segment 48 TV’s “_ & Greg” 50 Tax shelter 51 Wolsey’ssuccessor 52 Green house? 53 Pianist Glenn 54 Light beer 56 Monstrous 58 Worries

59 PR concern 60 Shuffleboard stick 62 Bovine bellow 63 Swarm (with) 66 Word with man ormaiden 67 Middle of remark 74 New York county 75 Borscht ingredient 76 A Stooge 77 Slip up 78 Michael of“Dynasty” 80 Dietary need 82 Harvest tool 87 Sans emotion 88 Heaped 89 Entice 92 _ price 93 Flagon filler 94 Actress Plummer 96 Wet blanket 97 Highlight hair 98 Rock’s _ Zeppelin 99 Bailiwick100 Make a mistake102 Ewe said it!103 Summer top105 Actress Leoni106 It may be split108 End of remark118 Golden girl119 Bustle120 Glum drop?121 Taj town122 Shrink back123 Mighty mite124 Concerned with

125 Indigent126 Put on a pedestal127 Skirt shaper128 PlaywrightO’Casey129 HumoristBombeck

DOWN 1 Take off a toque 2 Fitzgerald orGrasso 3 Landed 4 Woodworking tool 5 Force 6 Charity 7 Actor Wallace 8 Entertainer Falana 9 Archaeologicalactivity 10 “He’s making _ …” 11 Muslim pilgrimage 12 Place 13 “Ma _ Amie” (’70tune) 14 Fess up 15 Cranny’scompanion 16 “Rule Britannia”composer 17 Youngster 21 Comprehend 27 Raison d’_ 28 Pull sharply 29 Damocles’ dangler 33 Writer Charles 34 Bouquet 35 Neighbor of

Bolivia 37 Pie _ mode 38 Uproar 39 Calligraphy supply 40 Move to and fro 41 WWII admiral 42 Barber of Seville 43 Beaver State 44 Rear 46 Permit 48 Female goat 49 Campbell of UB40 52 Caption 53 Cared for aClydesdale 55 In the thick of 57 Expert 58 Eddie ofvaudeville 61 Nationality suffix 62 “Waltzing _” (1903song) 64 Pupil’s place 65 Dotty inventor? 67 Servile 68 Prophet 69 Neatened (up) 70 Sock part 71 Characterize 72 Negativecorrelative 73 Psychic Geller 79 Rug type 81 Arthur of “Maude” 83 Mongrel 84 Handle 85 Kudrow of“Friends”

86 James or Jones 88 Cozy coat 89 “Hulk” Ferrigno 90 Decorative vase 91 Chianti color 95 Comic Howie 96 Dull 97 Set loose100 Suit101 Screenwriter Nora103 High-toned guy?104 ActressMacDowell105 Henry VIII’s house107 Dumbstruck108 “Citizen Kane”prop109 Somewhat, to Solti110 For men only111 Lorre role112 Patriot James113 Hawaii’s state bird114 “Cheerio!”115 Perpetual labassistant116 Starting at117 Binchy’s “_ Road”118 It may be strapless

Answer Page 3

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER March 8, 2007

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

Q: When will I receive my annualSocial Security Benefit Statement forthe 2006 tax year?

A: You should have received yourSocial Security Benefit Statement(form SSA-1099) already. All SSA-1099 forms for tax year 2006 weremailed by January 31, 2007. If youdid not receive yours, you may re-quest a replacement. You can do thatonline by visiting our website —www.socialsecurity.gov — and click-ing on the link to the “What you can

do Online” section, and request a newSSA-1099. You may also request areplacement SSA-1099 by calling ustoll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Q: I retired early and my only incomehas been withdrawals from my Indi-vidual Retirement Account (IRA). Iplan to apply for Social Security thisyear. Will my IRA income reduce mySocial Security benefits?

A: No. In calculating your retirement

benefits, we count only the wagesyou earn from a job or your net profitif you’re self-employed. Non-workincome such as pensions, annuities,investment income, interest and capi-tal gains are not counted and will notaffect your Social Security benefits.

Q: I’ve worked for more than 10years now and each year I earned themaximum number of credits: four.Does this mean I’ll get the maximumbenefit when I retire?

A: No, not necessarily. The 40 cred-its are the minimum number youneed to qualify for a retirement ben-efit. The amount of the benefit, how-

ever, is not based on those credits; itis based on your lifetime of earnings.We determine your average earningsover your working years, in mostcases the 35 years you earned themost, and use a formula to determineyour benefit amount.

Q: My husband recently had his legamputated as a result of his diabe-tes. He applied for disability benefitsbased on his diabetes a few years agoand was denied because he could stillwork. Now that his condition has wors-ened, can he get disability benefits?

A: He should certainly apply for So-cial Security disability benefits if his

condition prevents him from work-ing. We will need to make a new dis-ability determination. Your husbandis eligible for disability benefits if hehas a severe medical condition thatis expected to prevent him fromworking for at least 12 months, or toend in death.______________________________________________________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.

Yard Care Made Easy!

stihlusa.com

copy

right

© 2

006

STIH

L A

BM

11W

TCC-

21-6

1855

-11

All prices are BME-SRP. Available at participating dealers.

Exclusively at Your Local STIHL Dealer.

This lightweight saw is designed for occasional wood-cutting tasks

around the home.

14” bar

MS 170 Chain Saw

$16999BG 55 Handheld Blower

$13999

$12999FS 45 Trimmer

Great Value!Great Value!

Makes cleanup work much easier. Optional vacuum and

gutter kits available.

Easy to use, well-balanced homeowner trimmer.

Top ratedby a leading

consumermagazine

Fabens, TXRyan Supply, Inc.117 N. Fabens(915)764-2239

El Paso, TXDyer Cycle4501 Dyer(915) 566-6022

The patented RealFeel Temperature® is AccuWeather's exclusive index of the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine, precipitation, and elevation on the human body.

7-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO, TX

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2007

Thu. 6:25 a.m. 6:08 p.m.Fri. 6:24 a.m. 6:09 p.m.Sat. 6:23 a.m. 6:10 p.m.Sun. 7:21 a.m. 7:10 p.m.Mon. 7:20 a.m. 7:11 p.m.Tues. 7:19 a.m. 7:12 p.m.Wed. 7:18 a.m. 7:13 p.m.

Thu. 10:41 p.m. 8:33 a.m.Fri. 11:40 p.m. 9:05 a.m.Sat. none 9:43 a.m.Sun. 1:40 a.m. 11:28 a.m.Mon. 2:38 a.m. 12:21 p.m.Tues. 3:33 a.m. 1:21 p.m.Wed. 4:23 a.m. 2:28 p.m.

SunRise Set

Last

3/11

New

3/18

First

3/25

Full

4/2

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 67 45 pc 60 44 pc 60 46 c 64 46 cBoston 24 9 s 29 22 pc 45 38 pc 49 36 rChicago 38 24 pc 45 31 r 48 31 pc 48 32 pcDenver 62 32 pc 58 30 pc 57 34 pc 62 36 pcDetroit 30 18 s 37 31 c 48 31 r 48 30 pcHouston 75 54 pc 75 59 pc 74 56 c 72 54 pcIndianapolis 46 29 s 51 39 c 52 37 c 55 36 cKansas City 56 37 pc 56 35 r 58 35 c 59 36 sLos Angeles 70 52 pc 74 55 s 77 57 s 78 59 sMiami 78 66 pc 80 66 pc 81 67 pc 83 68 pcMinneapolis 32 22 sn 37 23 r 40 26 pc 42 26 cNew Orleans 72 52 s 72 55 pc 73 57 c 70 52 cNew York City 28 17 s 32 29 s 46 38 pc 48 36 rOmaha 46 31 pc 48 29 r 54 35 pc 59 34 pcPhoenix 83 57 s 83 56 s 87 59 s 90 61 sSan Francisco 61 46 pc 62 49 pc 65 52 pc 68 52 sSeattle 48 43 r 52 43 r 54 44 r 54 45 rWashington 38 22 s 43 30 s 53 40 r 55 42 r

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

Abilene, TX 73 55 pc 74 48 s 71 51 pc 68 45 sAlbuquerque, NM 66 40 pc 67 41 s 68 41 s 68 43 sAmarillo, TX 69 40 pc 68 38 pc 64 37 pc 68 39 sAustin, TX 75 51 pc 73 56 pc 76 54 pc 70 50 pcBrownsville, TX 79 64 pc 80 64 pc 82 67 pc 82 65 pcDodge City, KS 64 39 pc 65 35 pc 59 34 c 69 37 sJackson, MS 71 42 pc 72 48 pc 70 48 c 67 46 cLaredo, TX 78 61 pc 78 64 pc 83 65 pc 83 65 pcLittle Rock, AR 64 44 pc 67 49 pc 65 45 c 63 44 pcLubbock, TX 73 46 pc 76 44 s 68 42 pc 69 41 sMemphis, TN 62 45 pc 67 49 pc 65 48 c 63 47 rMidland, TX 75 48 pc 76 46 s 77 46 pc 70 46 sPueblo, CO 66 30 pc 64 30 pc 64 30 pc 67 32 pcRoswell, NM 75 43 pc 77 42 s 75 41 pc 71 42 sSt. Louis, MO 53 38 pc 55 43 r 56 40 c 60 42 pcSan Antonio, TX 74 54 pc 74 58 pc 77 60 pc 74 54 pcTexarkana, AR 69 50 pc 68 52 pc 69 49 c 67 47 pcWaco, TX 74 52 pc 73 56 pc 74 52 c 69 47 pcWichita, KS 64 45 pc 64 41 pc 64 38 c 64 40 s

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

REGIONAL CITIES U.S. CITIES

Rise Set

Mainly clear

Thu. night

48°

46°RealFeel

Sunny to partlycloudy

Friday

RealFeel

48°79°

44°81°

Mostly sunny andwarm

Saturday

RealFeel

46°76°

44°77°

Mostly sunny andpleasant

Sunday

RealFeel

46°76°

40°77°

Sunny

Monday

RealFeel

49°77°

42°77°

Plenty of sunshine

Tuesday

RealFeel

54°75°

58°81°

Sunny and warmer

Wednesday

RealFeel

53°82°

57°87°

Sun and someclouds

Thursday

78°

77°RealFeel