NEWSBRIEFS

A good memory test is to recall all thekind things you have said about yourneighbor.

— Quips & Quotes

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

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VOL. 30, No. 14 APRIL 3, 2003

See BRIEFS, Page 5

Socorro projectMayor Irma Sanchez of the City of Socorro,the Texas Department of Transportation andthe Mission Valley Business Alliance(MVBA) are holding a public meeting forthe unveiling of the Socorro Road modelfor the Mission Trail. The purpose of theSocorro Road development project is to in-crease tourism and economic development.The project plans include street medallionswith landscaping that recognize the histori-cal significance of the area. “This is the firststep in our plans to improve the area for tour-ism and make it more appealing for bothvisitors and business owners who are inter-ested in expanding to our area,” said MayorSanchez. The public meeting will be heldon April 4, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.at the Sombras del Pasado restaurant, 10205Socorro road. For more information call theCity of Socorro at (915) 858-2915.

Avoiding PAINThe El Paso County Traffic Warrant’s TaxForce is conducting Operation PAIN thisweek in an attempt to clear up the 10,000unpaid traffic tickets and warrants outstand-ing in the County. PAIN, an acronym for“Pay — Avoid Incarceration Now” will seeofficers visiting numerous residences andplaces of business throughout the County.A special amnesty period has been desig-nated for April 1-30 for those who volun-tarily go to the Justice of the Peace Court toclear up their debt. Except for JP Court 5,the other JP courts in the County will waive“Failure to Appear” warrants and fines forthose who voluntarily act on these mattersduring the amnesty period. Amnesty doesnot apply to those arrested and does not ex-tend past the April 30 deadline. The TaskForce will continue to conduct announcedand unannounced roundups, at least bian-nually, targeting traffic warrants, as a resultof an organized plan adopted by the El PasoCounty Constables and the El Paso CountySheriff’s Office. For more information callthe Sheriff’s office.

Community buildsCanutillo Elementary School is makingplans to put the finishing touch to its play-ground renovation project. A “CommunityBuild” party to assemble playgroundequipment is scheduled to start at 8 a.m.,Saturday, April 5, at the Canutillo Elemen-tary School campus, 651 Canutillo Av-enue. CES faculty, staff, parents, commu-nity members and business volunteershave been recruited to help with this spe-cial project. The renovated campus play-ground will also have walking paths, bas-ketball courts, and grassy, playing fieldsfor students to use during school hours aswell as for community residents to enjoyafter school and on weekends.

In other news■ A ceremony to honor the U.S. fightingforces will be held Friday, April 4, at 9:45

SOCORRO — Moon City in Socorro shines a little brighter af-ter an intensive clean-up effort by the crew shown here. Thehalf-day trash-assault was launched by Pct. 6 Justice of thePeace Ruben Lujan, Socorro High School assistant principalJesus Chavez, SISD police/security/attendance officers,Socorro High School students, and City of Socorro commu-nity leaders on March 29. Some 43 students, like the unidenti-

fied volunteer (above right) gathered about five tons of trash,filling four trailers with some 250 bags. Moon City Park wascleared of trash and weeds and the basketball courts wereswept clean. The Socorro Police Substation also benefited asten of the Socorro Police Department patrol cars were given agood scrubbing. Judge Lujan said a clean-up effort is beingcoordinated for Horizon City in April and one for Fabens in May.

— Photos contributed by Jesus Chavez

Cleanup effort brightens park and substation in Moon City

UPPER VALLEY — Canutillo High SchoolHealth Occupations students advance to statecompetition after placing among the top threefinishers in area contests during the annual AreaIV HOSA (Health Occupations Students ofAmerica) leadership conference held in Lub-bock recently.

Ruby Albidres, freshman, placed first in thespeaking skills competition. Claudia Iglesias,junior, placed second in the medical spellingevent. Last year, Iglesias went all the way toHOSA nationals where she won first place.

Canutillo HS sends five to OSHA competition

Canutillo High School Health Occupations students advancing tostate HOSA competition are, from left, Daisy Moreno, Ruben Sali-nas, Ruby Albidres, Claudia Iglesias, and Claudia Gonzalez.

By Alfredo Vasquez�Special to the Courier

Also qualifying for state with third place fin-ishes were: Daisy Moreno, sophomore, in pre-pared speaking, and Claudia Gonzales, sopho-more, in veterinary assisting.

Ruben Salinas, senior, was one of four re-cipients to be awarded a $500 scholarship bythe Area IV HOSA chapters.

Over 700 students and instructors from highschool and magnet school health occupationsprograms throughout West Texas including ElPaso, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa,Abilene and San Angelo participated in theArea IV HOSA conference.

The purpose for the conference was to de-velop individual and team leadership and medi-cal training skills through a variety of compe-

titions. Students com-peted in 46 health oc-cupations events dur-ing the two-day con-ference. The top threefinishers in each cat-egory advance to statefinals, which will beheld April 10-12, inDallas.

“Texas HOSA hasthe largest state asso-ciation in the UnitedStates with seven ar-eas and nearly 10,000student members,”said Julie Vinikoff,CHS health scienceteacher and HOSAsponsor.

CLINT — The Town of Clint will partici-pate in the Don’t Mess With Texas cleanupevent on Saturday, April 5, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.beginning at 200 San Elizario Rd.

More than 1,300 groups are expected to par-ticipate on April 5 in the Don’t Mess with TexasTrash-Off, one of the nation’s largest single-daycleanups. Last year alone, one million poundsof trash were picked up by more than 70,000Adopt-a- Highway and Keep Texas Beautifulvolunteers all across Texas, making it one of themost successful years in Trash-Off history.

“The large number of volunteers who turn

Clint volunteers ready for 17th Annual Trash-Offout for monthly cleanup events shows that citi-zens are genuinely concerned with beautify-ing the state and the town of Clint,” said MayorCharles Gonzalez.

This year volunteers in Clint will pick uplitter along three miles of FM Rd. 1110 from I-10 and four miles of Texas Highway 20(Alameda). Keep Clint Beautiful and four othercivic organizations will be participating.

Lunch and refreshments will be pro-vided for all volunteers. Information andreg is t ra t ion is at 851-3146 or visitwww.dontmesswithtexas.org.

By Velia B. Duran

SAN ELIZARIO — San Elizario will bethe site of “The Great Texas Sopaipilla Fes-tival” on Saturday, April 5 as the San Elizario

Middle School and Dis-trict 75 State Rep.Innocente “Chente”Quintanilla enjoy asopaipilla.

The event, 2-5 p.m.,at the SEMS cafeteria,will commemorateQuintanilla filing a bill(House ConcurrentResolution 92) onMarch 13, 2003 to es-tablish the sopaipilla as

the Official Pastry of the State of Texas atthe request of students participating in “TheGreat Texas Sopaipilla Exploration Project.”

The goal of the project is to study the originand history of the Texas sopaipilla as an after-school activity to inspire and motivate studentsto make achievements in reading. It was alsoto be their birthday present to the Great Stateof Texas. The project is sponsored by the StarDay Foundation of Galveston County to en-courage Texas public schools to celebrateTexas’ birth date annually on Feb. 19, helpingstudents think of themselves as future pioneersand leaders of our state.

There are 18 students of San ElizarioMiddle School and Socorro High School thathave volunteered to participate, as well as

Even more ambitiousthan claiming the FirstThanksgiving…

San Elizarioand Quintanillachallenge theTexas Capitolwith a pastry

�Special to the Courier

See SOPAIPILLA, Page 4

“Chente”Quintanilla

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 2 April 3, 2003

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

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

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2003 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

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ADDRESS:15344 Werling CourtHorizon City, TX 79928

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PublisherRick Shrum

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HomesteaderEst. 1973

Reyes Reports By U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

Life hurts.It is a fact so simple, so self-evi-

dent, you’d think everyone wouldrecognize and accept it. But theydon’t.

Most mature folks realize that be-coming an adult means little morethan learning how to handle pain,

disappointment and grief withoutbecoming a major source of pain tothose around us.

Other folks have made a career outof pretending that nothing can,should, or does hurt. And they willgo to almost any length to prove thatlie.

Realitycheck

As weknow all toowell in ElPaso, thebrave soldiersof our

nation’s armed forces are now en-gaged in the largest armed conflictin a generation. Some of our men andwomen have been taken prisoner,some have been injured, and othershave tragically perished while fight-ing for their country. Our thoughtsand prayers are with the troops andtheir families and loved ones, and wewill continue to keep them in ourprayers in the days and weeks ahead.

Over 4,000 brave soldiers fromFort Bliss have been deployed to theMiddle East in the past few months,leaving behind thousands of familymembers right here in El Paso. Weall know that the heart of our mili-tary strength is our people. Our sol-diers must leave behind their spousesand children each time they are de-ployed. In return, the very least wecan do is commit to taking good careof their families while they are awaydefending our nation.

Impact Aid is one program that is

Aid essential for military familiesessential to the well-being of ourmilitary families. Impact Aid pro-vides funds to school districts that areimpacted by a federal presence, suchas a military base. Because the localgovernments impacted by a federalpresence are unable to collect suffi-cient funds through income taxes,schools on or near military bases de-pend heavily on Impact Aid fundingto make up the difference. Shock-ingly, at the same time that our troopsare being deployed in record num-bers and for record lengths of time,the Administration proposed a 12percent, or $128.5 million cut in Im-pact Aid funding.

I’m a proud member of the HouseImpact Aid Coalition, a group com-prised of members of the U.S. Houseof Representatives committed to sup-porting Impact Aid funding. Facedwith proposed funding cuts, weworked with other members of Con-gress to restore funding levels forImpact Aid. As a result, funds in the2004 budget were restored at the lasthour, and increased by $20 millionover the 2003 funding level. As a re-sult, $1.9 billion in Impact Aid fund-ing is included in the budget resolu-

tion for the coming year, but there’sno guarantee that this program willnot be placed on the chopping blockonce again in years to come. Con-gress and the Administration have anobligation to fully fund Impact Aid.Even in these tough fiscal times, wemust make funds available for thisessential program.

The importance of Impact Aid hitshome in El Paso. Nearly 15 percent ofthe El Paso Independent SchoolDistrict’s annual budget comes fromImpact Aid funding. Ysleta ISD alsoreceives a significant amount of Im-pact Aid funding. Nationwide, 15 mil-lion students in 1, 331 school districtsbenefit from Impact Aid funding.

We often ask members of thearmed forces to do more with less.They must move often, compound-ing the stress felt by every family. Weare now asking our men and womenin uniform to do more — to possiblysacrifice everything to keep us safehere at home. It would be unthink-able for us to send our troops intocombat with substandard equipment.It is equally unthinkable to ask themto send their children to school withsubstandard support.

It is a pure and simple fact that ourbodies are designed to grow old, pro-gressively become more uncomfort-able and eventually just give out onus. This is a progression that takesplace if we are lucky. If we aren’t ourlives are probably going to be cut shortin some far less pleasant fashion.

No matter who we are — no mat-ter how rich, talented, or privileged— the ride is going to end for every-body, and it will be far shorter thanmost of us would like.

In our efforts to distract ourselvesfrom this unpleasant truth we willdress inappropriately, spend hoursand fortunes on ineffective cosmeticprocedures and products, and “re-new” ourselves through a variety ofphysical and mental gymnastics.Most of the aging actors and actresses

I knew growing up don’t look any-thing like they would if they had al-lowed nature to take its course. In-stead they have become weird cari-catures of themselves, haunting andpitiful and they fight a losing battlewith the inevitable.

Winona Ryder will shoplift. JohnTravolta will look to scientology asthe answer to all things unpleasantlike disease, aging and poor mentalhealth — it’s just that he says “noteveryone is equipped to be ascientologist.” Lisa Presley will par-take of some kind of herbal stuff shesays makes her intestines “pink as ababy’s bottom.” Others engage inexercise, extreme diets and yoga. Wedon’t have enough time to talk aboutall the less healthy distractions likebad relationships, illegal drugs, alco-

hol, fast cars, infidelity and breakingthe law, all of which are effectivemethods to put us out of our miseryeven sooner.

None of it will stop the relentlessmarch of time.

There are many people in thiscountry who believe we have an in-alienable right to never hurt at all. Orsacrifice. Or do without. Or be lonely,or uncomfortable, or have to struggle,or make hard decisions, or accept theconsequences of our personal behav-ior.

Some ethereal force known as TheGovernment (also sometimes re-ferred to as Parents) is supposed tohave taken care of all of this for us— in advance.

You see this attitude reflected in thenews these days, especially since wedidn’t somehow magically obliteratethe evil in Iraq in the first week —without spilling a drop of civilian orU.S. military blood. One young per-son lamented that he couldn’t believethe war was actually already in itssecond week — “I never thought itcould last this long,” he said.

Somebody forgot to assign this boya history lesson on World Wars I andII, not to mention Vietnam or Korea.

One genius of a young woman saidthat it is wrong to send U.S. soldiersinto combat because “not everyonejoined the military to fight.” That’sit! What we really need is a pain-freemilitary!

Unfortunately, we have created forourselves a generation so spoiled byour national blessings that they be-lieve the military is some kind ofgovernment job corps program.

I have to change the news channelwhen our self-anointed guardians ofnational virtue — otherwise knownas Hollywood — begin to chide ourPresident, lament over the sad fateof the Iraqi civilians, and otherwisedeclare How Things Should Be fromthe height of their ivory towers. I feelsorry for the Iraqi people, too. ButI’m nowhere stupid enough to be-lieve war doesn’t hurt all parties in-volved or that I’m qualified to lec-ture our leadership.

It would be interesting to watch therevelation take place if SusanSarandon suddenly was forced toswitch places with POW ShoshanaJohnson.

Talk about a reality check.

April 3, 2003 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 3

My parenting experience is oftenlike my experience with machinery:How does it work?

Before I had kids, I guessed thatall the information I’d need to be agood mother would be given to mebetween the epidural and final deliv-ery. It still amazes me that they letme leave the hospital with my chil-dren.

I may not always know what I’mdoing, but I don’t have to tell youabout the wonders of maternal in-stinct — that indescribable bond thattakes place and forever endears youto those children who when small,cling to your leg whenever you tryto walk out the door; the same chil-dren who nowadays take the last ofyour change before they walk out thedoor.

If I were to gather a group of moms(excluding those who can quote page10, paragraph three of “The Guide toPerfect Parenting.” The rest of us lostour copies somewhere between pottytraining and trips to the emergencyroom), I believe we’d find that manyof us in the world’s oldest professionhave been tempted to shout: Weshould get paid for this!

But nice moms aren’t supposed tosay things like that, are we? It goesagainst some mothering code of eth-ics to let on that we don’t have thisjob completely figured out. Thatthere are days when our blundersoutnumber the wonders of parenting,days when we flip on the radio totalk-show guru Dr. Laura and real-ize that, according to her parentingadvice, we’ve damaged our children

for life.Nor are we to admit that occasion-

ally we feel like running away fromhome, leaving notes, of course, toremind our families about dentistappointments and science-fairprojects.

Or that when the kids fight aboutan invisible turf line in the middle ofthe couch or over the last of thecrushed Doritos, that we dream abouta cozy, red brick empty nest, wherethe couch is ours and never again hascrud lodged between the cushions.

Sure, we’re more likely to tell youthat on a good day when our childrencall out “Mom” we beam with prideand think: That’s my kid. We’re lesslikely to tell you that on the day thechild said it, while rolling her eyesand giving tips on how to be a coolmom (meaning you’ve missed themark many times over), we wantedto find the nearest zoo and direct herto the lion’s den.

Nice moms don’t admit thesethings mostly because we have shortmemories. That’s why we don’t runaway, because we’d forget where weplanned to go. And home, althoughit’s full of sibling fights and endlesspiles of laundry, is where our heartsare. It’s where we’re going to haveour parenting mistakes and suc-cesses, where eventually, I’m told,we learn to do our job well and thewonders outshine the blunders.

And any amount of moneywouldn’t compare to the rewards ofthe world’s oldest profession.______________________________________________________(c) 2003 King Features Synd., Inc.

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The world’s oldest professionFor Sanity’s Sake By Taprina Milburn

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

Hola migente - Thismessage isaimed prima-rily at all ourelderly citi-

zens — especially to those who re-side in El Paso’s Lower Valley, theEastside, and those who reside in theDistrict I represent — District 75 —this is your friend Chente Quintanillabringing you the latest in legislativenews from our State Capital.

I’m still working to represent thebest interests of all my constituents.However, this time I am focusing onnews which will impact our seniorcitizens.

Today, I want to talk to you abouta bill which I recently co-authored. Ibelieve that House Bill (HB)136 willespecially help those of our citizenswho are elderly, retired, and whoneed a tax break where it counts themost — maintaining their homes ona fixed income.

HB 136 would extend the tax ceil-ings for qualified homeowners age 65or older to all counties and cities ortowns in our great state of Texas.Currently, the tax ceiling only appliesto those who reside within ISDs (In-dependent School Districts). How-ever, under this new legislation,which was introduced by Rep. FredBrown — this bill would amend theTexas Constitution to freeze propertytaxes for senior citizens.

Brown, who is a Republican fromCollege Station, assured me that heis confident the measure will pass this

Bill will provide tax help for the elderlyyear. If it passes, it would then go toa vote in the November general elec-tion. Again, the reason I signed on tothis bill as co-author is that I believethat we need to give some tax reliefto our elderly population — a popu-lation which subsists primarily onfixed incomes, and who struggle tosurvive with very little money com-ing in to their coffers.

Brown thinks that if people voteagainst this bill, they would essen-tially be voting against everything wehold near and dear to our hearts. Ipersonally believe that HB 136 willhave far-reaching consequences. Itwill even come in handy to me andto my colleagues in our later years— when we retire, also on fixed in-comes. Many of you might know thatsenior citizens in Brazos County arealready being protected from havingtheir taxes increased by school dis-tricts. Not only that, but they canclaim a $75,000 deduction on theircounty taxes. The situation for themis win-win. We want the same for thesenior citizens in our communities.

The way this proposed bill wouldwork is this: tax freezes would be setat the local level. Now, if it’s ap-proved locally, the taxes for residentsage 65 and older would not increaseas rates and property values go up incoming years. Not only that, but pro-tection from future tax increaseswould extend to spouses over age 55,should a property owner die.

This means, my fellow El Pasoans, thatif you are the property owner and youdie — your surviving spouse would also

be protected from having to pay outland-ish school property taxes. In these dayswhere legislators immediately thinkabout increasing taxes to take care of anynumber of problems, HB 136 should of-fer some protection to those who need itthe most.

At this time, we don’t know ex-actly how local tax revenues are go-ing to be impacted. We also under-stand that by freezing taxes for theelderly, the tax burden will be shiftedto businesses and younger residents— especially for those who are barelystarting up their families. This mightcreate difficult circumstances forsome, but it’s only fair to protect you— our elderly population. The way Isee it is that you too have been in-volved in paying taxes for so manyyears. Even though the vast majorityof you no longer have children inschool, you are still required to payfor educating someone else’s child.

The problem is that someone hasto pay the bill for educating our chil-dren — because our children are thefuture of Texas. They need to becomeas educated as they can be. It’s atough call, I know, but it’s a call thatneeds to be made. Of course, we stillhave a long way to go. Placing a ceil-ing on taxes for elderly property own-ers would have to survive severalchallenges before it takes effect.

That’s it for now, my fellow ElPasoans. Rest assured that I will do mylevel best to keep you informed of anyand all legislation that will affect you,my constituents. Until then, I remainyour friend, Chente for la gente

Dear Editor:Canutillo ISD voters are getting

ready to elect new board members.One of the candidates running forschool board (previously) resignedhis seat so his wife would get a sec-retary position at Central Office.

Carl Frietze should know thatboard members are elected to servethe community and children of thedistrict. But when a board memberresigns his seat for personal gain heis not fulfilling his obligation to thecommunity or the school’s needs. Heshould be ashamed of himself.

To think that voters would vote forhim — I know I wouldn’t vote forhim knowing that he is only there forpersonal gain.

Voters should know this beforethey go out and vote.

Johnny GaunaCanutillo

Dear Editor:In last week’s issue you printed a

letter from (Socorro City Representa-tive) Gloria Rodriguez outlining theaccomplishments that the council hasreached so far this year. What Ms.Rodriguez fails to mention is that with-out the support and diligent workMayor (Irma) Sanchez has done, these

goals would have never been met.Ms. Rodriguez also fails to men-

tion the actions of the other memberof the council. It seems their mainconcern is to find a way to sabotageany action which the mayor or theCivil Service Commission is in-volved in. It seems (they) are noteven prepared for weekly meetingsand have not read the agenda whichis made available to them days be-fore the meetings.

It has been brought to my attentionthat certain members of council areholding neighborhood meetings withthe residents of Socorro and blastingthe mayor and the job they say she isnot doing. The council members arepushing the blame to Mayor Sanchezfor things that are not being accom-plished when it is their incompetencewhich should be questioned.

The Civil Service Commission,please correct me if I am mistaken,is a commission which is appointedby members of the council to addressmatters regarding the employee’s ofthe city and to recommend actionwhich they feel should be taken.

It seems that council has forgottenthat they themselves appointed theserepresentatives. If you were to pullcouncil records, you would find thatthe Civil Service Commission hasmade multiple recommendations thathave been voted down without ex-planation.

At the last council meeting, Ms.Rodriguez addressed the council andread aloud a list of negative statementsregarding the Civil Service Commis-sion and the mayor. Not only was thisinappropriate, it was undocumented.

It should be noted that the CivilService Commission and the mayordo not have any voting power what-soever. The mayor never votes on anyissues before council unless there isa tie. So any actions the council takesor declines to take is due to the coun-cil members themselves.

I feel the citizens of Socorro de-serve an explanation from each andevery individual council member andthey in turn should be held respon-sible for their actions.

Also I would like for the councilto explain how they have come to theconclusion that the mayor is solelyresponsible for the way the city isbeing run.

The citizens of Socorro need towake up and smell the coffee. We areno longer a one-horse town. We needto hold our politicians responsible fortheir actions. If the council were tospend more time backing our mayorwhich we elected and less time un-dermining her efforts, the City ofSocorro would finally come out frombehind the shadow of the City of ElPaso.

Rudy OrtizSocorro

Write stuff

At least 21 Socorro High School se-niors have received scholarships to theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Of the33 students who applied for admission,23 were accepted — and 21 of thosereceived scholarships ranging from$10,000 to $20,000 per student.

“I understand we have the highestacceptance rate of any high schoolin the state of Texas,” says Ralph

Farmer, head counselor for SocorroHigh School. “We have worked to es-tablish a ‘culture of college’ here atSocorro High. The faculty has cer-tainly supported the counseling de-partment by teaching, and by encour-aging capable students. Another rea-son is the magnet programs we havehere, such as the Health Occupationsmagnet school.”

23 Socorro High seniorsaccepted at UT-Austin

CANUTILLO — Early voting forCanutillo Independent SchoolDistrict’s $12.3 million bond issueelection is currently underway.Canutillo ISD voters may cast theirballots by personal appearance week-

days until Tuesday, April 8.Early voting is from 8:30 a.m. to 4

p.m. at Canutillo Elementary School,651 Canutillo Avenue; and from 3 to6 p.m. at Vinton Town Hall, 436Vinton Road.

Election day voting is from 7 a.m.to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 12, atCanutillo Elementary School andVinton Town Hall.

Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees’bond issue proposal includes $7.3million to enhance the plans for thenew high school making it biggerand better and $5 million to pro-vide additions and improvementsto the other six existing schoolcampuses.

For more informat ion, cal l877-7481.

Canutillo ISD bond election early voting underwayBy Alfredo Vasquez�Special to the Courier

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 4 April 3, 2003

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGEl Paso County Water Authority

The El Paso County Water Authority (EPCWA) will holda BOND ELECTION on May 3, 2003.

A PUBLIC MEETING concerning the bond election isscheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2003, at theOz Glaze Senior Citizen Center, 13969 Veny Webb,Horizon City, Texas. The purpose of this public meetingwill be to allow the EPCWA Board of Directors to discussthe bond issue and answer any questions.

All citizens are encouraged to attend this public meetingand present their views to EPCWA Directors. The OzGlaze Senior Citizen Center is accessible to the disabled;individuals should contact Mildred Way to arrange forspecial assistance or a translator. If you cannot attend inperson, written comments may be submitted and will beaccepted by the EPCWA until this public meeting is concluded.

For further information concerning the bond electionplease contact Mildred Way at (915) 852-3917 duringnormal business hours. The EPCWA office is located at1539 Pawling, Horizon City, Texas 79928.WTCC: 04/03/03

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

Town of Clint West Texas County CourierPO Box 350 April 3, 2003Clint, Texas 79836

TO: All Interested Agencies, Groups and Persons:

Seventeen (17) days after this publication, the Town of Clint, Texas, intends to request theTexas Ofice of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) to release Federal funds under Title I ofthe Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-383) for Project No. FY2002 PENDING.

Environmental Assessment Activities

New Water Line Installation in the Burbridge Acres and Eubank Subdivision,being within the incorporated limits of the Town of Clint includes:

Water and Sewer System Improvements and Connections:

Installation of approximately 3,475 LF of 6” PVC pipe.Installation of approximately 2,865 LF of 8” PVC pipe.Installation of approximately 2,000 LF of sewer PVC pipe.32 water service connections/hook-ups and all related valves and appurtenances.12 sewer service connections/hookups and all related valves and appurtenances.

Finding of No Significant Impact

It has been determined that such a request of release of funds will not constitute an actionsignificantly affecting the quality of the human environment and accordingly the Town ofClint has decided not to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement under the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190). The reason for such a decision not toprepare such a Statement is based upon the fact that all environmental concerns couldeither be minimized or mitigated.

An Environmental Review Record for the proposed project has been made by the Countyof El Paso which documents the environmental review of the project and more fully setsforth the reasons why such a statement is not required. The Environmental Review Recordis on file and comments may be forwarded to Town of Clint, Town Hall PO Box 350,Clint, Texas 79836, and is available for public examination and copying upon request be-tween the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Public Comments on Findings

All interested agencies, groups and persons, disagreeing with this decision are invited tosubmit written comments for consideration by the Town of Clint to the address as set forthabove. Such written comments must be received at the address specified within sixteen (16)days after this publication. All such comments so received will be considered and the Townwill not request the release of funds or take administrative action on the project prior to thedate specified in the proceeding sentence.

Release of Funds

The Town of Clint will undertake the activities described above with Small Town Environ-ment Program funds under Title I from its Program Year 2002 under grant number PEND-ING from the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The Town of Clint iscertifying to ORCA that Mr. Charles E. Gonzalez, in his official capacity as Mayor, con-sents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforceresponsibilities in relation to environmental reviews, decision-making and action; and thatthese responsibilities have been satisfied. The legal effect of the certification is that upon itsapproval, the Town of Clint may use the STEP Grant funds, and it will have satisfied itsresponsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. ORCA will acceptan objection to its approval only on one or more of the basis and the procedures describedin 24 CFR Part 58.75. Objections are to be addressed to the Office of Rural CommunityAffairs, P. O. Box 13941, Austin, Texas 78711.

Objections to the release of funds on basis other than those stated above will not be consid-ered by the Office of Rural Community Affairs. No objections received later than thirty-three (33) days after this publication will be considered by ORCA.

Chalres E. Gonzalez, MayorPO Box 350

200 N. San Elizario Rd.Clint, Texas 79836

Public NoticeTown of ClintOrder of CancellationThe Town of Clint hereby cancels the election scheduledto be held on May 3, 2003, in accordance with Section2.053(a) of the Texas Election Code. The following can-didates have been certified as unopposed and are herebyelected as follows:Orden de CancelaciónEl Pueblo de Clint por la presente cancela la elección que, delo contrario, se hubiera celebrado el dia tres (3) de mayo deconformidad, con la Sección 2.053(a) del Código de Eleccionesde Texas. Los siguientes candidatos han sido certificados comocandidatos únicos y por la presente quedan elegidos como sehaya indicado a continuacíon:

Candidates (Candidatos)Francisco Montes and Steven Cheatum

Office Sought (Cargo a que presenta candidatura)Alderman

A copy of this order will be posted on Election Day at eachpolling place that would have been used in the election.El día de las Elecciones se exhibirá una copia de esta orden entodas las mesas electorales que se hubieran utilizado en laelección.

Jessica GarzaSecretary (Secretario)

March 25, 2003Date of Adoption (Fecha de adopción)

SopaipillaFrom Page 1______________________

four Tigua Indian middle school stu-dents.

The project received a gift of afour-volume set of books featuringthe origin and history of the TiguaIndian Nation from the Tigua IndianReservation of Texas to help guidethe students in their quest to learnabout the origin and history of theTexas pastry. The students learnedthat the sopaipilla has its earliestTexas roots in the present-day ElPaso County area. It was pioneeredas Tigua Indian Fry Bread based onthe early use of wheat flour and lardintroduced to this region in the 17th

century by the Spanish Mission Fri-ars. They also learned that the Texassopaipilla may be considered as theearliest well-known Texas pastry.

The community of El Paso Countyis invited to visit the Festival, to en-joy sopaipilla and learn more aboutthe student’s project. It will also bean opportunity to become involvedas donations are being sought to helpa delegation of students who will visitthe State Capitol in Austin and giventestimony in support of the bill.______________________________________________________Velia B. Duran is the San ElizarioMiddle School sponsor of The GreatTexas Sopaipilla Exploration Project,assisted by Vicki Cebollero, a teacherat the Tigua Indian Reservation. Forfurther information, Duran can bereached at 872-3939, ext. 3324.

April 3, 2003 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 5

CITY OF HORIZON CITYPUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC ELECTIONIn accordance with the laws of the State of Texas and theHorizon City Charter, a public election will be held inthe City of Horizon City, El Paso County, Texas on May3, 2003, for the purpose of:

Electing one (1) Mayor and three (3) Aldermen forthe City of Horizon City as required by the Charterfor the following places:

Mayor for two (2) yearsPlace 3 for two (2) yearsPlace 5 for two (2) yearsPlace 7 for two (2) years

EARLY VOTINGEarly voting by personal appearance will be conductedfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 16 - April 29, 2003 on eachday which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or an official stateholiday at:

Oz Glaze Senior Center13969 Veny Webb, Horizon City, Texas 79928

THIS IS NOT AN ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACE.

EARLY VOTING BY MAILRequests for early voting ballots by mail must be signedby voter and sent to:COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR500 E. SAN ANTONIO AVE.EL PASO, TEXAS 79901or faxed to: 915-546-2220For information call 915-546-2154

ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACES: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Polling location for voters in Part of Precinct 147 -Horizon Heights Elementary School, 13601 Ryderwood Ave.

Polling location for voters in Part of Precinct 157 andPart of Precinct 167 - Desert Hills Elementary School,300 Eastlake Dr.

Sandra SierraCity Clerk

WTCC: 04/03/03

Municipio de Horizon CityAviso Publico

ELECCION PUBLICADe acuerdo a las leyes del estado de Texas y la cedula delMunicipio de Horizon City, se llevara acabo una eleccionpublica en el Municipio de Horizon City, Condado de ElPaso, Texas el dia 3 de mayo 2003, el proposito de estaeleccion es para lo siguiente:

Elegir un (1) Alcalde y tres (3) regidores para que sirvan alMunicipio de Horizon City como lo indica la cedula paralos siguientes lugares:

Alcalde por dos (2) añosPosicion 3 por dos (2) añosPosicion 5 por dos (2) añosPosicion 7 por dos (2) años

VOTACION TEMPRANAVotación temprana por aparencia en persona se llevara a cabode 8 a.m. - 5p.m. abril 16 - abril 29, 2003, en todos losdias que no sean sabado, domingo, o dia oficial de vacacionesestatales, en el:

Oz Glaze Senior Center13969 Veny Webb, Horizon City, Texas 79928

ESTE NO ES UN SITIO O DIA DE ELECCION

VOTACION TEMPRANA POR CORREOPeticiones de balotas para votación temprana por correodebe ser firmado por el votante y ser enviado al:County Election Administrator500 E. San Antonio Ave.El Paso, Texas 79901o lo puede hacer fax al numero: (915) 546-2220Para mas información por favor llame al numero:(915) 546-2154

SITIO DE VOTACION Y HORARIO DE 7 A.M. - 7 P.M.El sitio de votación para dentro parte de el recinto 147 selocaliza en la escuela Horizon Heights Elementary, 13601Ryderwood Ave.

El sitio de votación para parte de el recinto 157 y parte deel recinto recinto 167 se localiza en la escuela Desert HillsElementary, 300 Eastlake Drive.

Sandra SierraCity Clerk

WTCC: 04/03/03

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

a.m. at the Horizon City TownHall. The city has joined with theHorizon City Fire Department ininviting schools in the area to par-ticipate by releasing yellow bal-loons at 10 a.m. The public is in-vited to attend the ceremony andto pickup yellow ribbons to showsupport for the troops.

■ Canutillo Independent SchoolDistrict Wellness Program willhost its Eighth Annual WellnessWalk, from 7 to 11 a.m. on Satur-day , April 12, at the FranklinMountain State Park. The eventis an open walk activity to allowparticipants to complete theirwalking exercises any time dur-ing the scheduled event. Free doorprizes, water bottles, and healthyfood snacks will be available. Thewellness walk is free and open tothe public. T-shirts will be pre-sented to the first 300 partici-pants. For more information, call877-7433.

3:30 p.m. For more informationcall 852-4881.

■ Hueco Elementary schoolhosted a ceremony Monday in trib-ute to the U.S. soldiers missing inaction or killed in recent weeks.Students, teachers and communitymembers gathered to hear wordsof dedication and view a com-memorative wall featuring picturesof community members serving inthe military, according to HuecoPrincipal Keith McClellan. AtBenito Martinez Elementaryschool they are collecting personalcare items to be sent on to troopsfighting in the deserts of Iraq, ac-cording to Principal JesseBombach. Walter E. Clarke MiddleSchool, meanwhile, wants to helpthe soldiers stay in touch by gath-ering pens, pencils, stationery, en-velopes and other supplies to besent to the soldiers, said PrincipalDebbie Livingston.

■ Marine Corps Pvt. Carlos R.Barraza Cabrera, son of Maria andVicente Barraza, recently com-pleted 12 weeks of basic trainingin San Diego, learning about hand-to-hand combat and water survival,

marksmanship, weapons, first aid,uniform regulations and more.Cabrera is a 2002 graduate ofSocorro High School.

■ Navy Hospitalman Maria G.Arroyo, daughter of Herminia andManuel Arroyo of San Elizario,was recently named Junior Sailorof the Year at the Naval Hospitalin Charleston, South Carolina. Shewas recognized with the “GiraffeAward,” which is given to staffwho “sticks their neck out” to goabove and beyond to serve the pa-tients and facility where they work.Arroyo is a 2001 graduate of SilvaMagnet High School in El Paso.

■ Lorenzo G. Loya PrimarySchool, 13705 Socorro Rd., ishosting it’s annual Career Aware-ness Day on Friday, April 25 from8-12 p.m. The school is extendingan invitation to any San Elizariograduate or resident to be a careerawareness presenter. The campusserves children from early child-hood (three years old) to kinder-garten (six years old.) Call CharlieGuerra at 872-3940 for more in-formation. Meanwhile, the stu-dents at Loya School raised over

$1,500 for the Leukemia & Lym-phoma Society’s annual Penniesfor Patients program. The programis sponsored by the New Mexico/El Paso Leukemia & Lymphomachapter. Mrs. Alyssa Cadena’s pre-kindergarten class won a pizzaparty for collecting over $500.

■ The Socorro High Bulldogshave been busy the last few weeks.Socorro’s dance troupe, theMissionettes, won a sweepstakesfor team officers, best in class formedium ensemble and runner-upfor duet with Miguel Mendoza andAngie Rubio during the recentcompetition in San Antonio. BrizaAlvarado won public speaking atthe Future Business Leaders ofAmerica’s state competition andwill now advance to national com-petition. Patrick Carillo won a sec-ond place in the Future BusinessLeaders of America’s state compe-tition and will advance to nation-als. Ten SHS students have beenplaced for honors from the StateBoard of Education’s Celebrationof Educational Excellence Award.Three SHS students, Ivette Jasso,Jennifer Tapia and Erika Marquez,have been selected to participate in

the Rotary Club of El Paso YouthLeadership Camp in Albuquerquethis summer.

■ A new ordinance regulatingfalse alarms was passed by theHorizon City Council on Feb. 11requiring all existing alarm hold-ers and new installations to ob-tain an alarm permit from thetown of Horizon City. The three-year permit fee is $30 for residen-tial alarms and $60 for commer-cial. If there are no false alarmsreported within those three years,the renewal permit is free. Fivefalse alarms within the preceding12 months is cause for a fine of $50for each occurrence after the fifthalarm is confirmed. Continuousviolations may result in revocationof the alarm permit by the Chief ofPolice. The enforcement date bythe Police Department is May 5,2003. Copies of the new ordinanceare available at the Town Hall Mu-nicipal Building. All permits arebeing issued by the Public WorksDepartment after approval of theapplication and payment of thealarm fee. All existing must alsobe approved and registered with theTown of Horizon City.

■ Ken Osmond, President ofthe Board of Directors of the ElPaso County Water AuthorityMUD will be the guest speakerat the regular meeting of theHorizon City Kiwanis Club onSaturday, April 5 at 8:30a.m. Osmond will discuss thelong-term plans of the EPCWAincluding the upcoming bondreferendum. The club meets atthe Oz Glaze Senior Center andthe public is invited to attend.

■ Membership has its privi-leges, the saying goes. On March1 the U.S. Border Patrol becamepart of the Bureau of Customsand Border Protection, a newagency within the Department ofHomeland Security. On March28 the El Paso Sector unveiledtwo high-tech helicopters in aspecial ceremony — the Ameri-can Eurocopter AS350 “A-Star”and the UH-1H “Huey.” The A-Star was made available throughfunding provided by Congressearmarked for increased bordersecurity and counter-terrorism.

■ The El Paso County Libraryin Fabens will celebrate NationalLibrary Week with live music,punch and cookies on April 10from 2-4 p.m. at 1331 N. FabensSt., (915) 764-3635. National Li-brary Week which runs April 14-20, highlights all the benefits athriving library system can pro-vide to a community.

■ Friends and co-workers ofJerry L. Armstrong gathered atCattleman’s Steakhouse onMarch 28 to bid the DeputyChief of the El Paso Sector ofthe U.S. Border Patrol their bestwishes in his retirement. Anagent for 32 years, Armstrong’sservice included four years withthe U.S. Marine Corps as a deco-rated veteran of the Vietnam war.Armstrong will retire to SierraVista, Arizona where he plans toranch with his wife, Carmen.

■ Desert Hills Elementary inHorizon City will hold registra-tion for pre-kindergarten andkindergarten for the 2003-2004school year on April 2-3 from 1-6 p.m., and on April 4 from 1-

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 6 April 3, 2003

King Super Crossword

By Steve Escajeda�Special to the Courier

BEFORE AND AFTERACROSS

1 Warts and all 5 Model Beverly 10 Desert growth 15 27th president 19 Comic Carvey 20 Fills the hold 21 TV’s “Full _” 22 Sutherland solo 23 HEAD STARTS 27 Dogpatch’s Daisy _ 28 Patriot Nathan 29 Sherwood sight 30 Moscow moola 31 Workbench attach-ment 32 Croce’s Mr. Brown 34 Expert 36 Writer Rand 37 Medical measure 40 Chalice accessory 41 Hammer feature 42 “_ go bragh!” 43 Pres. Bush, e.g. 44 Ubiquitous infinitive 45 Loser’s locale 48 PRE SETS 55 Make wine divine 56 Diminish 57 Tic 58 Bob of 21 Across 59 _ polloi 60 Join the leisureclass? 62 Let up 63 “SNL” bit 67 “Gross!”

69 “Marathon _” (’76film) 70 Unduly 72 “Como _ usted?” 73 Most docile 75 Joins forces 78 Lear, to Cordelia 80 Missouri mountainrange 81 Jergens or Astaire 82 Intimate 84 _ kwon do 87 HAPPY ENDINGS 91 Long or Peeples 92 Caffeine effect 93 “Trinity” author 94 A speck with wings 95 Connecticut cam-pus 96 Cardiff’s country 98 French philosopher100 Light touch103 Silence a squeaker104 He had a goldentouch105 Insect stage106 Soothe108 Welles role109 Clothing110 Sound like a hound113 GRAND FINALES119 Geraint’s lady120 Crazy as _121 ActressWitherspoon122 At any time123 Contradict124 Neon _

125 Mideast nation126 “Saving Private _”(’98 film)

DOWN 1 Eliot’s “_ Bede” 2 Writer Paretsky 3 Memo start 4 _ Tome 5 Delight 6 Scout rank 7 Add fringe 8 Aspin or Paul 9 Sixth sense 10 Rose of _ 11 Actor Wendell 12 Discourteous 13 Take advantage of 14 “Golden Girl” Arthur 15 Forbidden 16 Antilles isle 17 Stable youngster 18 Spoken for 24 British pol 25 Raison d’_ 26 Sleuth Nancy 31 Delivery trucks 32 Cavalry soldier 33 Decorate glass 34 Philatelist’s pur-chase 35 Columnist Herb 37 _ vu 38 Northwestern st. 39 Location 40 Brad of “The Mexi-can” 41 Pamper

43 Cook Claiborne 44 Obsolete title 45 Musty 46 Summons elec-tronically 47 Actor’s actor? 49 _ -jongg 50 Approximately 51 They’re what’s left 52 Book part 53 Vane dir. 54 Sundance’ssweetie 61 Post or Dickinson 62 Sunday supper 63 Stash 64 “On the Waterfront”director 65 Japanese porcelain 66 _ firma 68 Act like Vikings? 71 Effluvia 74 Enjoy the Alps 76 Uncluttered 77 A great many 79 Strauss’ “_Rosenkavalier” 81 On _ (doing great) 83 Baseball’s Aparicio 84 Add color 85 Fruit-tree spray 86 Punta del _ 88 California resort 89 A shake in thegrass? 90 Taj town 95 Mr. Ma 96 Actress Ryder

97 125 Across’ city 98 Unexpected 99 Lhasa _100 Sealed101 Skirt shape102 Unadorned104 Hardy’s “The _ ofCasterbridge”105 Vital sign107 He’s Devine108 It may be square109 See 118 Down110 Bunch of birds111 Bailiwick112 Knitter’s need114 Purrfect pet?115 Barley beverage116 Summon mommy117 Bray beginning118 With 109 Down, away to pay

Answer Page 7

Any time you put all the NFL owners in aroom together you’ve got a collection of someof the best business minds in the world… un-fortunately, they’d get no further than themailroom when it comes to their knowledgeof football.

During the recent NFL owner’s meetings theba-zillionaires had a chance to fix somethingthat needed fixing — the NFL’s overtime rule.

You know the rule I’m talking about, if ateam wins the coin flip it can receive the kick-off, go right down the field and kick a fieldgoal and win the game.

That’s it, game over. The other team doesn’teven get a chance. Doesn’t sound fair does it?

The owners were considering changing therules to let both teams have possession of theball at least one time each. But they couldn’teven agree on that.

So far, the only thing the owners have unani-mously agreed upon is that they love moneymore than anything else on the planet.

What’s so hard? One team wins the coin flip,they receive the ball or they kickoff, the team

that gets possession either scores or punts orwhatever. Then the other team gets the ball,they score or punt or whatever. If both teamsremain tied after they’ve each had a posses-sion, then the game goes to sudden death fromthat point forward.

What is so hard? This is football, not incometax preparation.

The owners also failed to come to an agree-ment on whether they should increase the num-ber of playoff teams. That one’s a no-brainer…(no, I won’t, that’s too easy).

Puhleeeeze, do not increase the playoff struc-ture. The playoffs are fine the way they are.

Let’s face it, with the likes of Jerry Jones, AlDavis and Daniel Snyder, I’m just surprisedthey found a venue large enough to hold allthat ego-overflow.

Owners, fix the overtime rule, leave the play-offs alone, and give this message to JerryJones…“No more facelifts.”

Don’t be like MikeMike Hampton could have been one of the

great ones.A young pitcher who rose to fame with the

Houston Astros, Hampton was considered oneof the top five starting pitchers in the National

League.But like most of the young players of today,

Hampton was loyal to one thing and one thingonly…his wallet.

After compiling a 69-40 record with Hous-ton, Hampton got greedy when his contract wasup and signed with the highest bidder, the NewYork Mets.

After spending just one season with the Mets,Hampton then signed for two seasons with theColorado Rockies. In those three seasonsHampton won 36 games and lost 38. Heck,Hampton was so bad that his ERA balloonedto 6.15 last year.

Well, Hampton is trying it again this seasonwith the Atlanta Braves. With all the pitchingsuccess the Braves have enjoyed over the lastdecade, a lot will be expected from the lefty.

You know Hampton is going to do every-thing he can to prove that he’s still got it.

So what does Hampton go out and do on theeve of the Braves opener this season? He goeson the 15-day disabled list after suffering —and I’m not kidding — a treadmill accident.

I don’t know about you but I’ve been on atreadmill many times and I’ve never even hadto wear a seatbelt.

How does one suffer a treadmill accident?

Well, Hampton said he was on the 17th minuteof a 20–minute workout when he felt some painin his right leg.

We’ll see you in a couple weeks, Mike, andplease, think about having an airbag installedinto your treadmill.

Win a few, lose a fewIt’s no secret that Lenny Wilkens has re-

corded more coaching victories than anyoneelse in NBA history, which is a record to beproud of.

A not-so-prestigious record will soon belongto Wilkens as well. Wilkens will now be thecoach with the most losses in NBA history.

As of last Sunday, Wilkens’ team, theToronto Raptors (22-49), were just one lossaway from recording their 50th of the year. Thatloss will also be the 1,106th of Wilkens’ careertying him with Bill Fitch.

Wilkens, who has won 1,290 games, has nevercoached any really great teams in his career, he’sjust coached a lot of games in his career.

I’ve never thought of Wilkens as a particu-larly good coach but I’ll give him this, the factthat he is in the Hall of Fame is all well and good,but to put up with today’s selfish athlete for thismany games, he should receive a purple heart.

NFL owners’ meeting requires extra room to hold the egos

Town of Horizon CityPUBLIC NOTICEA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 6:30 p.m. onTuesday, April 8, 2003 during the Regular City Coun-cil Meeting at City Hall, 14999 Darrington Road, Hori-zon City, Texas. Purpose of the public hearing is to allowany interested persons to appear and testify regard-ing the following proposed ordinance(s):

1) Proposed Ordinance No. 0105, an ordinanceregulating school zones and speed limits withinthe territorial limits of the Town of Horizon City.

Those who are unable to attend may submit their viewsin writing to the City Clerk of Horizon City. Ordinancesare too extensive to print. Ordinances are always availablefor viewing or copying upon request from the City Clerkat the above address.

Sandra SierraCity Clerk

WTCC: 04/03/03

UPPER VALLEY — Students inthe Canutillo High School FFA (Fu-ture Farmers of America) programgained valuable experience as partici-pants of the Houston Livestock Show& Rodeo that was held in March atthe Reliant Center.

Canutillo High senior AmandaGarcia and juniors Ferrell Searls,Felix Barron, and Leo Rivera partici-pated with students throughout thesouthwest in the goat and calf shows.Searls earned a fifth place in the calfscramble and a ninth place in the Jun-ior Breeding Heifer show. He re-ceived $250 for his efforts.

Assisting these students was RonGil, Canutillo Ag-science teacher andFFA sponsor. “Preparing for live-stock shows always helps develop asense of discipline, cooperation and

MAKING A GOOD SHOW — Canutillo High School FFA students par-ticipate in Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show. Shown from left are FelixBarron, Leo Rivera, Amanda Garcia, and Ferrell Searls.

pride within students,” Gil said.“This was my second year partici-

pating in livestock shows and they

have helped me become more re-sponsible — now, I am planning tomajor in animal science in college,”

Canutillo High School students represent El Paso County at Houston Livestock ShowBy Alfredo Vasquez�Special to the Courier

April 3, 2003 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER Page 7

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

Classified Ads

By Don FloodNew Mexico recently took a

bold step to promote diversity.According to CNN.com, Rep.

Dan Foley, a state lawmaker, hasintroduced legislation “to enhancerelationships among all citizens ofthe cosmos, known and unknown.”

The idea is to have a special day“to celebrate and honor all past,present and future extraterrestrialvisitors” to New Mexico.

Foley, I must report, is fromRoswell, N.M., which is wherealiens crash-landed in 1947.

It is entirely possible that Foleyis himself an alien, though up tonow he has only identified himselfas a Republican.

But his idea is sound, for tworeasons:

First, while we all agree on theimportance of greater understandingand international siblinghoodamongst all the people of this wideand wonderful world, there is one bigobstacle in achieving that goal: people.

People, unfortunately, can bedifficult.

I’m not talking, of course, aboutthe readers of this column, who bydefinition are intelligent, reason-able souls whose veins surge withthe cholesterol-reducing soy milkof human kindness.

But those other folks — perhapseven those in the room with youright now — they’re a problem.

Which is why our time would bebetter spent promoting peace andunderstanding with space aliens.

Second, we might need thealiens’ help some day in finding usa new planet.

I don’t want to ruin anyone’sbreakfast, but according to Univer-sity of Washington scientists, theend of the world is coming soon toa planet near you.

Our Earth, the story says, hasalready “begun the long process ofdevolving into a burned-out cin-

Weather forecast for thefuture: Continued hot

der” — much like OzzyOsbourne’s brain.

In “The Life and Death of PlanetEarth,” the authors say that the sun,like many a baby boomer, will ex-pand enormously as it grows older,eventually engulfing Mercury andVenus. (By which I mean the sunwill engulf Mercury and Venus, notone of the baby boomers.)

This will have a catastrophicimpact here on Earth, includingfewer viewers for The WeatherChannel, which won’t be able tocount on snow blizzards to goosewintertime ratings.

Here’s how a typical weatherreport will sound in the year4,000,000,003 A.D.:

ANCHOR: So, Bob, how’s theweekend shaping up?

IDIOT PRETENDING TO BEREAL METEOROLOGIST: Well,Dan, we can expect mostly sunnyand hot, as we have for the last bil-lion years. On Thursday, a coldfront is moving in that will bringthe temperature down to an unsea-sonably chilly 7,000 degrees, butcome Friday we can expect brightsunshine and temperatures above10,000 degrees. If all the oceanshadn’t dried up it would be a prettygood beach weekend.

ANCHOR: I understand peopleshould take precautions before go-ing out in the sun, Bob.

METEOROLOGIST: Abso-lutely, Dan. Folks planning a pic-nic this weekend should wear sun-screen with a minimum SPF of 35gazillion, except for those luckyenough to be descendants ofGeorge Hamilton.

ANCHOR: Ha ha ha! Who’sGeorge Hamilton?

(Note to younger readers:George Hamilton is a space alien,famous for being famous, as wellas for his swell tan.)______________________________________________________(c) 2003 King Features Synd., Inc.

LEGALS

SOCORROINDEPENDENT

SCHOOLDISTRICT

Invitation to Bid/Respond:

Sealed bids/pro-posals/CSP to fur-nish the District withthe following prod-ucts and/or ser-vices will be ac-cepted at the fol-lowing times:

READINGINTERVENTIONCURRICULUM

CSP NO199-0414-0353

MONDAY,APRIL 14, 2003,

2:00 P.M.

Proposals will bereceived at Busi-ness ServicesDept., 12300Eastlake Drive, ElPaso, Texas 79928until the specifiedtimes. Detailedspecifications areavailable from theabove office be-tween 8 a.m. and 4

p.m. Mondaysthrough Fridays.WTCC-4/3/03________________________

BARGAINS

2002 Honda AccordDX, A/C, 5-speed,4-cylinder. 23,000miles. Asking$14,000. 505-546-4286.___________________________

Moving SaleFurniture, windowA/C, dishwasher,household items,clothes, dishes, allsorts of goodies!14012 Tuckey Ln.,Horizon City. Fri/Sat. the 3rd and 4thfrom 7a.m. to 4p.m.________________________

ESTATESALES

15089 Homesteadin Horizon City,Jerry (J.B.) Brewer.Friday and Satur-day, April 4-6, andSunday if neces-sary. 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Entire con-tents priced to go —

tons of golf equip-ment, Southwestitems, art, some-thing for everyone.Please come —25¢ and up.________________________

GARAGESALES

HUGE YARDSALE: 15353Werling Crt. in Ho-rizon City, April 4-5,8 a.m. till done.Crafts, supplies,toys, clothing,household items,etc. Come see tobelieve!________________________

HELPWANTED

Texas BollWeevil

EradicationFoundation

NOW HIRING!

SEASONAL POSI-TIONS AVAILABLE• Airport Recorder• Trapper• Ground Observer• Mist-Blower Op-

eratorTeam environment,outdoor work. Atleast 18 years old.Must have validdriver’s license andbe insurable underfoundation fleet in-surance policy. Noexperience neces-sary, ag. back-ground helpful. Formore informationapply in person:• Tornillo, 451 O.T.Smith Road• Pecos, 2206Bickley Ave.www.txbollweevil.orgPre-employment

drug testingrequired.

Equal OpportunityEmployer/Drug-Free Workplace

WTCC-4/3/03________________________

Texas BollWeevil

EradicationFoundationField Scout

TornilloDistrict

www.txbollweevil.org

The Texas BollWeevil Eradication

Foundation is re-cruiting for FieldScouts in the ElPaso area. Desir-able qualifications:agriculture experi-ence degree pre-ferred, entomologyexperience pre-ferred. Ability to re-late to public, havefield experience.Must be an insur-able driver accord-ing to foundationfleet insurancepolicy.

Submit yourapplication to:

Texas Boll WeevilEradicationFoundation

451 O.T. SmithRoad

Tornillo, TX 79853Pre-employment

Drug TestingRequired.

Equal OpportunityEmployer/Drug-Free Workplace

WTCC-4/3/03________________________

REALESTATE

148 Lago Lindo -

$74,950. Horizon, 3bedroom, 2 bath,double garage.Beautiful yards, re-frigerator, freezer,and home warrantyavailable. Ask meabout 0 Down & 0Closing! Angela C.Ochoa 252-7943 orSuccess Realty594-33394/3/03________________________

FOR SALE byOWNER - 7.1 acresin Socorro SchoolDistrict, establishedyard, outbuildings,older home. 406-557-2400.4/24/03________________________

Residential lot, cul-de-sac, 15311Woodhill, HorizonCity. Owner fi-nance. 633-6684.5/8/03________________________

SELF-HELP

Alcoholics Anony-mous Group PasoDel Norte meets at8501 Kingsway in

Westway, Monday-Saturday, 8 p.m.Call 886-4948 forinformation.

A l c o h ó l i c o sAnónimos GrupoPaso Del Nortesesiones lunes asabado, a 8-9 de latarde, 8501K i n g s w a y ,Westway. 886-4948para informacion.________________________

Persons who havea problem with al-cohol are offered afree source of helplocally. AlcoholicsAnonymous Group8 de Enero meetsat 15360 HorizonBlvd. in HorizonCity on Mondaysthrough Saturdaysat 8 p.m. Call 859-0484 for informa-tion.

Tiene problemascon el alcohol? Hayuna solucíon.V i s i t e m o s .A l c o h ó l i c o sAnónimos, Grupo 8de Enero, 15360Horizon Blvd., Hori-

zon City, sesioneslunes a sábado a 8de la tarde.Informacion: 859-0484.________________________

SERVICES

“WindshieldDing —

Gimme a Ring”JIFFYGLASSREPAIR

Windshield 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 rooter ser-vice for sewers anddrains• Appliance installa-tion• Many otherplumbing servicesLicensed, bonded

and insured foryour protection.

________________________

WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIERPage 8 April 3, 2003

THURSDAY

Windy and warmwith a good deal of

sunshine.

80°▲ ▼

THUR. NIGHT

Mainly clear;breezy and mild.

FRIDAY

Sunny, breezy andcooler.

76°▲ 46°▼

SATURDAY

Brilliant sunshine.

78°▲ 46°▼

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny andwindy.

72°▲ 44°▼

MONDAY

Sunshine and afew clouds.

76°▲ 44°▼

TUESDAY

Partly sunny.

78°▲ 46°▼

WEDNESDAY

Partly sunny.

80°▲ 46°▼

WEATHER AccuWeather .com

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST FOR EL PASO

TEXAS WEATHER TRAVELERS CITIESUV INDEX

REAL FEEL TEMP™

AGRICULTURE

Statistics for noon.

Thursday ............ 9 ............Very HighFriday ................ 9 ............Very HighSaturday ............ 10 ..........Very HighSunday .............. 9 ............Very HighMonday .............. 9 ............Very HighTuesday .............. 9 ............Very HighWednesday ........ 9 ............Very High

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

Albuquerque 66/40/s 68/40/s 67/39/s 63/37/s 65/30/sAtlanta 80/54/s 78/56/pc 74/54/c 72/52/c 72/56/pcAtlantic City 66/50/pc 70/40/pc 56/36/pc 51/34/s 57/42/cAustin/San Antonio 82/61/pc 82/61/pc 82/63/c 80/56/pc 79/60/pcBaltimore 74/50/pc 74/46/pc 58/36/pc 50/36/s 63/45/cBoston 48/43/sh 50/38/c 46/34/pc 42/32/s 48/38/cChicago 68/42/t 52/34/sh 46/32/pc 50/40/c 59/39/cDallas/Ft. Worth 84/60/pc 82/60/pc 81/62/c 76/55/c 74/54/sDenver 60/30/pc 54/28/pc 64/35/pc 57/31/pc 54/19/pcFlagstaff 48/22/s 50/24/pc 47/27/c 44/21/pc 49/20/sHouston 82/64/pc 82/64/pc 82/66/c 79/62/c 78/58/cKansas City 74/44/pc 60/42/pc 60/46/pc 70/46/c 63/31/sLas Vegas 66/44/s 66/46/pc 64/46/pc 66/46/pc 69/48/sMiami 83/70/pc 84/70/pc 87/72/sh 86/74/pc 86/71/pcMinneapolis 49/34/sh 42/24/pc 44/32/pc 43/31/c 50/18/cNew Orleans 80/64/s 80/64/pc 80/64/c 80/65/pc 78/57/cNew York City 57/48/c 65/42/pc 54/40/pc 46/40/s 53/47/cPhiladelphia 69/50/pc 72/44/pc 57/38/pc 50/36/s 53/45/cPhoenix 74/50/s 76/52/s 72/53/pc 72/52/s 76/47/sPortland 50/40/sh 54/40/sh 56/40/pc 58/41/pc 57/33/cSan Francisco 56/48/pc 54/46/sh 58/44/c 60/44/pc 61/35/cSeattle 50/38/sh 52/38/sh 52/40/pc 55/40/c 56/35/cTucson 74/42/s 76/44/s 73/47/pc 71/44/pc 73/44/sWashington, DC 76/54/pc 76/48/pc 58/40/pc 52/40/s 61/49/c

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

Windy and warm across the area Thursday with 8-10 hours of sunshine. Winds southwest to west at 15-30 mph with a few gusts to35 mph. Areas of blowing dust are possible. Breezy and cooler Friday in the wake of a cool front with 10-12 hours of sunshine. Sunnyand seasonable Saturday, then windy and cooler Sunday. Weather (W): s -sunny, pc -partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh -showers, t-thunderstorms,

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

Thursday .................................... 78°Friday .......................................... 71°Saturday ...................................... 70°Sunday ........................................ 66°Monday ........................................ 76°Tuesday ...................................... 72°Wednesday ................................ 74°

The exclusive AccuWeather composite of theeffects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine,precipitation, and elevation on the human body.

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

All forecasts and maps provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2003

Anthony 77 51

Canutillo 78 52

Fabens 77 52

Clint 77 52

E. Montana 80 50

Socorro 79 49

Horizon 78 52

San Elizario 74 49

Tornillo 77 52

Vinton 78 52El Paso80/50

Santa Fe62/29

Albuquerque66/40

Alamogordo74/44

Las Cruces76/48

Deming72/44 Carlsbad

79/49

Amarillo76/41

Lubbock80/47

Alpine78/47

Odessa82/51

Lajitas84/50

Ruidoso65/40

Cloudcroft49/20

CiudadJuárez77/50

50°

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Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

Q: My mother gets a Social Securitywidow’s benefit. Her bills are pilingup and I want to help her out finan-cially. But a neighbor told me thatany money I give her would reduceher Social Security check. Is thistrue?

A: No, it’s not. Your neighbor isconfusing Social Security with acompletely separate programcalled Supplemental Security In-come. You could give your mother

a million dollars and it wouldn’treduce her Social Security benefitsby a nickel. But because SSI is aneeds-based program for low-in-come people, we generally have tocount all income, including gifts ofcash from relatives, when deter-mining eligibility.

Q: I was born in February 1938 so Ihave to be age 65 and 2 months toget my Social Security. Do I sign upfor Medicare at the same time?

A: No. Make an appointment to seeus sooner to file for Medicare. That’sbecause the Medicare age is still 65.At the same time, we’ll discuss yourretirement plans and you may be ableto sign up for Social Security at thesame time.

Q: Is the Social Security tax rate 6.2percent or 7.65 percent? I’ve seen itlisted both ways.

A: It’s 6.2 percent of your gross in-come, up to $87,000 in 2003. But youalso pay an extra 1.45 percent of allyour income in Medicare taxes. If

you add the Medicare rate to the So-cial Security tax, the total is 7.65 per-cent. And your employer kicks in amatching tax payment. Self-em-ployed people pay 12.4 percent oftheir net profit up to $87,000 into So-cial Security and an additional 2.9percent of all their net profits into theMedicare program.

Q: I was born in 1940, so I under-stand I can’t get my full Social Secu-rity benefits until I’m age 65 and 6months. Does that mean I have towait until 62 and 6 months if I wantto take early retirement?

A: No. Although the full retirementage is going up for people born after1937, the early retirement age re-mains at 62 for everyone. But re-member: if you retire at age 62, yourmonthly benefit will be reduced per-manently.______________________________________________________For more information visit your lo-cal Security office, see www.ssa.govor call 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.