December 11,
2009 Use Back button
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SANDERSON – The
Seventh Annual Hunters Feast at St. James Hall Saturday fed more than 350
hunters and guests and many took home hand-outs from small door prizes to
guns and hunting equipment to a brand new Kawasaki Mule all-terrain vehicle. There was no final
tally at press time but last year, a smaller year than years past in terms of
total turnout, more than $15,000 was collected from raffle tickets. At $8 per plate, the
350 diners would have brought in an additional $2,800. More money came in
from donations and items donated for a silent auction. There was one fist
fight early in the evening when two men fought over a seat at the tables. But
the rest of the evening passed without incident. Some of the profits
have already been spent for ten new tables for the Fair Hall. They were used to feed
people Saturday and, in spite of the dispute over a seat, all appeared to
have had a place at the table as opposed to past years when one diner would
finish, vacate his seat and let someone else sit down to eat. Profits from the feast
in years past have provided a new stock trailer for Terrell County 4-H,
equipment for the Terrell County Emergency Medical System, provisions for
youth baseball, new heaters and air conditioning for the Girl Scout Hut, fire
department equipment, provisions for the school’s industrial arts program and
rebuilding tables and benches at Legion Hall. The top prize of a
brand new Camo Kawasaki Mule went to Bert Hargrove,
Jr., of Lott east of Master of Ceremonies
Darrel Seidel also announced a drawing for the winner’s choice of a white
tail deer hunt on the Steve Forest Ranch in February or a two-hour ride on Raffle tickets at $10
each will benefit Cactus Health Services, Inc. SANDERSON – A one-inch
snowfall set the mood as people went from shop to shop Friday night to celebrate
the annual business open house known as Christmas on Well, the snow was
gone by the time shops opened at 7 p.m. but the temperature never got above
30 degrees Fahrenheit, providing a real winter atmosphere for the evening. Each business offered
its own version of hospitality from cookies and hot chocolate to Christmas wassail
to wine and beer, including a wine tasting at one of Sanderson’s newest
business, Papalote and Thangs
in the old El Tio’s building. Most shops also
provided a drawing or other promotion and all drawing slips were combined for
an overall drawing of a $50 gift card, provided by the Chamber of Commerce. Eight-year-old Kailey Dominguez, daughter of Coach Mark and Kim
Dominguez, took home the top award for the evening. Maria Galvan was the
lucky winner of two drawings. One at the RoundHouse
Café was for a Valentine’s Day dinner for two and the other for a hamburger
meal at the Eagles Nest Café. Galvan’s granddaughter
Violita McDonald also won two door prizes. She has
her choice of a haircut or a Christmas nick-knack from Haircuts by Janis and
she was the proud winner of a picture frame from Tis’
the Reason. Winning make-up brush
sets from Tis’ the Reason were Tammy Carrasco and
Erica Guadarrama. Kathy Stanford took
home a keepsake box from the ladies at Tis’ the
Reason. Kenn Norris said he had several
winners at his Schoolmaster Realty and Auctions. Julianna Larrinaga won a
decorative ceramic plate, Doodle Odgers got a gift
set, Glen Bob Hinkle won a die-cast Texaco bank and Shawn Stegall
took home an “I Love Cats” sign. And Randy Feille, co-owner of Papalote
won the drawing for a year’s subscription to the News Leader. He already had
a subscription so it will be renewed for another year. New this year, and
perhaps only this year, was a mini-carnival
“We have tweaked the
event each year since we started about five years ago,” He said the idea was
borrowed from a similar event in “People seemed to
really enjoy the fellowship from visiting people they may not see on a
regular basis,” Street said. “If nothing else, this is a chance to have a
party and to get to know each other a little better.” SANDERSON – The 2010
political season is now under way and all One is not running and
one has not yet made her intentions known. Candidates have until Jan. 4 to
file for office. “I have loved serving
the people of the county,” Helmers said. “But it’s
time to move on.” Leila Cash has filed
for the Democratic nomination to that seat.
Place Two County
Commissioner Della Fuentes and Place four Commissioner Kenn
Norris both filed with Democratic Party Chair Lea Hawn for re-election. County/District Clerk
Martha Allen and Justice of the Peace Abby Roberts both filed for their
seats. JP Corina Castro has not made her intentions
known. No one has filed yet
in opposition in the Democratic Primary, though several have been rumored as
planning to oppose Smith. County Republican
Chair Heather Gully said no one has filed in the GOP primary. Steve Martin
told the News Leader he would run as a Republican for county judge but he had
not filed as of press time. Statewide, the most
interesting race will likely be for governor, both in the March Republican
Primary and the November General Election. Incumbent Gov. Rick
Perry and Hank Gilbert of Whitehouse, and Farouk Shami of And Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst filed for re-election this week in the
Republican Primary. There is considerable
interest in Congressional races this year and several have filed for the US
House seat current held by Democrat Ciro Rodriguez
of Francisco “Quico” Canseco of Mike Kueber was also reportedly running for the Republican
nomination and Victor Luebker of Other statewide races
and new developments will be reported here as they occur. By ANNA
La FLEUR News
Leader Writer RANKIN – Comstock was first for
elementary with 655 points. Sanderson Elementary came in second with 575
points. In eighth-grade
competition, Mason Blackmon was first in mathematics and modern oratory. He
was second in number sense and art, fourth in impromptu and social studies,
fifth in dictionary skills and sixth in ready writing. Jalen Chriesman
tied for first with Santana Tarango of Comstock for
the social studies event. Jalen also placed first in
dictionary skills and maps, graphs and charts. He scored second in calculator
applications, third in number sense, editorial writing, listening skills,
oral reading and mathematics. He took fourth place
in modern oratory, ready writing, and science and fifth in spelling and art. Daniel Luevano came in second in spelling and fourth in
listening skills. He was fifth in calculator applications, impromptu and
maps, graphs and charts and sixth in social studies. Kayla Fuéntez was first in
art, second in dictionary skills, fourth in editorial writing,
mathematics, spelling and maps, graphs and charts. Kayla was fifth in modern
oratory and oral reading. Seventh graders Grace Jahn, Joseph Carrasco, Luis Garza, Megan Seidel, Abby
Carrasco, Mikayla Baker, Cassie Woosley,
Chris Berkinfeld, Brianna Lozano and Anthony Fuéntez all scored in the top six. Chris was first in art
and Brianna was second. Megan was first in
social studies and fifth in science. Grace came in first in
spelling, editorial writing and impromptu. She tied for second in maps,
graphs and charts with Amye Templeton from Rankin. She was third in oral
reading, fourth in ready writing and sixth in number sense. Luis was first in
number sense, listening skills, dictionary skills and maps, graphs and
charts, second in editorial writing and third in spelling. Joseph placed first in
calculator applications, second in spelling, fourth in art and fifth in
impromptu. Abby placed first in
oral reading. She placed second in modern oratory and dictionary skills,
fourth in editorial writing and sixth in ready writing. Mikayla was second in oral
reading and fifth in modern oratory. Cassie came in third
in art and sixth in modern oratory. Anthony was fifth in
art for the seventh graders. In sixth grade
competition, Jesse Roberts scored first in spelling, mathematics, and listening
skills. He was second in calculator applications, social studies, number
sense, music memory and maps, graphs and charts and third in art, ready
writing and dictionary skills. Mariah Aguilar came in
first in oral reading. John Pierce was second
in spelling and third in music memory. Aundria Hopkins was third in
number sense and music memory and sixth in oral reading, dictionary skills and
calculator applications. Sage Sisson was third
in listening skills. Valentine Shindel was third in mathematics. She was fourth in
listening skills, and number sense. She was also fifth in music memory. Mariah Aguilar was
fourth in art and fifth in maps, graphs and charts. Brandee Stegall
was fourth in oral reading. She was sixth in mathematics and music memory. James Castro was fifth
in social studies. Mayra Rodriguez placed
sixth in ready writing. In fifth grade, Mikey Shoemaker came in first in spelling, art,
dictionary skills, and music memory, third in number sense and social studies
and fifth in listening skills. Kenney-Mae Pacheco
placed second in music memory, third in spelling, ready writing, and art,
fourth in dictionary skills, fifth in social studies and sixth in maps,
graphs and charts. Chuy Lopez was first among
fourth graders in spelling and number sense. He was fifth in art. Lauryn Carroll was second in
oral reading and fifth in spelling. Twin brother Luke was
second in spelling, fourth in ready writing and fifth in number sense. Hunter Truesdell was third in number sense and fourth in oral
reading. Chris Ibarra was sixth
in music memory. Among third grade
students, Wyatt Mills placed first in spelling. Elijah Carrasco was
first in ready writing, second in storytelling, fourth in spelling and sixth
in music memory. Kailey Dominguez was in
third place in ready writing and sixth for storytelling. Justin Flax came in
fifth in storytelling and fourth in ready writing. Sanderson second grade
only placed in one category. In creative writing,
Jason Woosley placed first, Brooklin
Zuniga was second and James Bon came in fifth. Sanderson first
graders. Cisco Fuentes placed
third and Dohnavon Anaya placed sixth in the
first-grade storytelling event. Katy Jahn came in first and Natalie Lopez was sixth in the
storytelling event for kindergarten. By ANNA
La FLEUR News
Leader Writer Most of the shops and
galleries were open for visitors and customers. The Chisos Gallery offered a banquet of goodies. There were,
in my opinion, delightful sandwiches made with rye bread and meat and
something creamy that had pineapple in it. There were also chips
and a variety of dips, cookies and, of course, punch. The next stop on my
journey of treats was to take a ride on a Marathon Volunteer Fire Department
fire truck with my family. Fireman Daniel Eaton
was quick to assist in buckling little ones in their seats. He drove us
around for a few minutes, showing off the decorated houses. Next on the way down
the main strip was the TransPecos Bank. There we
managed to locate Santa in all his regalia. Santa gave all of
children, both the brave and the afraid, a goody bag
full of treats. Santa was represented by J.D. Albus.
There was a banquet to sample at the bank as well. Elsewhere on the
sidewalk were things for parents and kids alike, including tamales, hair bows
and other trinkets as well. Outside of the Johnny
B’s soda shop, there was a live band, a group of guys that said they just
threw a band together for the event. I was also told that there was not even
a name of the group. The only name that was
given to me was Billy Mather, a member of the group. In front of the famous
Gage Hotel, there were candied apples, popcorn balls and jalapeno margaritas. There were so many
people gathered in places that some said it was a comfort because the crowds
blocked the cool air. It was truly an
evening the whole family could enjoy and plenty of treats to also enjoy. ‘Toys for Tots’
programs offer Christmas cheer By KIM
RAPP Production
Manager SANDERSON – In
addition to Toys for Tots, local families and children will also receive toys
clothes and food from the congregation at Sanderson Bank, the
News Leader and the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office sponsor an annual Toys for Tots and food for the needy program. People wanting to
donate for needy families can leave off a new wrapped or unwrapped toy at any
of the three sponsors. The bank and the
Sheriff’s Office also distribute food to needy families just before
Christmas. This will be their
second trip here. Last year, they provided food boxes and toys such as
repaired bicycles. “The children in
Sunday School send toys for the needy while the adult Sunday School classes
provide what’s needed to adults,” Little said. Some families in the
church will “adopt” a family here and buy specifically for that family. They also bring needed
items such as blankets, shoes and electric heaters. He was asked why
Sanderson. “The Lord put
Sanderson on my heart,” he said. He contacted Jerry Davenport of Little and the group
will return to Then it’s on to Iraan to play Santa to needy families there. This year, RN Leisha Sanchez will make the trip, checking blood
pressure, glucose levels and providing health information in English and
Spanish. Food boxes will
provide a turkey among some other goodies. “It is a blessing to
us to do this, to share the Lord’s love,” Little said. Those knowing of needy
families can get sizes and ages to Lea Hawn or Also spreading some
Christmas cheer is the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office Tonight, Dec. 11, from
6:30 until they run out, a new unwrapped toy or $7 will buy a chicken fried
steak dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse. Lane Williams will
donate all the food and the wait staff. Musical entertainment
will be donated by Bake Turner and Doyle Bramhall. Toys, of course, will
be distributed to The Sheriff’s Office
will join forces with a local motorcycle group in their first annual “Toy
Run.” On Saturday, Dec. 12,
bring a $15 “unwrapped” toy to the Antelope Lodge in Alpine and make a
child’s Christmas a little merrier. Those planning to ride
in the event should bring a $25 toy. Registration begins at
11 a.m. with free refreshments at the Antelope Lodge. The ride will begin at
1 p.m., weather permitting. The scenic run will
head through Alpine, Marfa and If Mother Nature says
there will be no run, there will at least be an escorted parade through
Alpine, courtesy of the Sheriff’s Department. There will also be a
50/50 drawing to assist others during this holiday season. At Harry’s Tinaja, there will be brisket plate with all the
trimmings available, for a price, of course. Those who wish to
donate early or can not make the event can drop toys off at The Antelope
Lodge. For more information,
contact Albert Ledezma at 915/667-6866 or e-mail at albertledezma@gmail.com. Braves
top Eagles in basketball By ANNA
La FLEUR News
Leader Writer SANDERSON – The
Sanderson Eagles varsity boys hosted Iraan in
basketball Tuesday, coming out second best in a 60-33 contest. Travis Roberts was top
scorer for the Eagles with ten points. Darren Seidel was not far behind with
nine points and Cordell Lawson added another five. Tim Hopkins scored
four points in the second half. William Roberts, just moved up from junior varsity,
dumped in a pair of points. Coach Luis Martinez
said there were not enough students to continue with the JV. Coach Brad Conway’s
Eagles hosted Comstock the week before, losing to the visitors who eked out a
54-50 victory. Travis again was top
scorer for the home team with 15 to his credit. Darren Seidel scored
11 points and Hector Urias and Cordell Lawson tied
with eight each. Tim Hopkins scored six and L.A. Galvan scored a couple. The Eagle JV edged
Comstock 21-20 the same night. Robert Montalvo scored ten for the home team. Kelly Lomas dumped in eight and William Roberts scored three
points in the first quarter. Earlier, the Junior
High Eagles hosted Grandfalls Nov. 30, losing to
the visitors 17 to 21. It was a close game until the final quarter. Jaylen Chriesman
scored 12 points for the Eagles. Luis Garza added four and Mason Blackmon contributed
a free throw. The Still more visitin’ goin’ on By ANNA La FLEUR News
Leader Writer SANDERSON – Last
week’s Chat could not possibly cover every family that had visitors for Thanksgiving.
And we probably will miss a few more here. Edelmira & Tony Calzada, Sr., had visitors for Thanksgiving. Edelmira recently returned home after eight days in the
hospital. She had double
pneumonia and a broken rib. She says she is doing well now. Their daughter Yolanda
Connelly was one who joined the couple for the holiday. Jay Rubio and his wife
Holly and their children Rose, Peter & Sheryl
Villa visited from Monahans with children Ari Ybarra, Danielle Villa & Eva Villa. Tony Calzada, Jr., with children Jeremy & Victor also
visited from Monahans. Rene Rubio and kids
Ben, Katie & Analise drove across town to
visit. Catherine Ellmer of Ellmer stayed there a little
longer than she had intended because her niece, Jennifer, had a baby while
she was there. Dave & Jennifer
Pham had a baby girl on Oct. 8. Baby Caitlyn Pham was born a seven pound,
four ounce bundle of joy who was 20.5 inches long. The Pham couple and
new baby reside in “I am from Ellmer said the community
she is from is predominantly Amish. “The kids there only
go to school till they are 14 years old and then they are graduated and they
go home and help on the farm,” she said. “They go to school in a one room
school house.” Ellmer drove 1,950 miles in
three days to get back home to Sanderson with four cats and a dog as companions. ALPINE – Sul Ross State University Professor of Criminal Justice
Dr. Raymond G. Kessler is one of the “amici,” or
friends of the court, in a brief filed in the Supreme Court case of McDonald
v A decision is expected
by June as to whether or not the Second Amendment applies against the states
and Kessler joined the
brief for petitioner Otis McDonald, et. al., filed by attorney David Kopel of the Independence Institute. Among others joining
the brief were the Congress of Racial Equality, the International Law Enforcement
Educators and Trainers Association and the Texas Police Chiefs Association. The brief presents
data and analyses showing that handgun bans are not effective against violent
crime. Such bans are, in
fact, counterproductive as they deprive potential victims of an effective
means of self-defense. The brief also
responds to the Seventh Circuit’s opinion not applying the Second Amendment against
the states, which argued that self-defense was merely a legislatively-granted
privilege. The brief demonstrates
that self-defense is a fundamental right. Finally, it argues
that the handgun is, overall, the most practical, effective and widely used
weapon for self-defense. Previously, Kessler
joined a Supreme Court brief for respondent Heller in the Supreme Court’s
2008 DC v Heller case, which invalidated DC’s civilian handgun ban and held
that the Second Amendment gives individuals not connected to an official
militia a right to keep and bear arms.
Heller did not decide
whether or not the Second Amendment applied against the states. Kessler also joined a
brief for Emerson in the Fifth Circuit’s Second Amendment case, Kessler predicts a
victory for McDonald. The final tally will probably be the same 5-4 lineup of
Justices as in the Heller decision. SANDERSON – A Deputy Eddie Evans
clocked a rented four-door pickup going through Sanderson from east to west
at 39 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone. He said the driver
failed to stop and he followed the vehicle north on US Highway 285 where,
four miles north of Sanderson, the truck crashed through a fence. The two occupants fled
and were still at large but Evans recovered the truck, which was traced to a
car rental agency in Sheriff Clint McDonald
said the pot is worth about $800 per pound on the street, making the stash
worth about $322,400. He said the truck and
drugs will be turned over to the US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. SANDERSON – Tis the season for Christmas Carols and the Sanderson ISD band program hopes to fill that bill with a Christmas
music program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the High School Auditorium. Band Director Eric
Cooksey said the five students in fifth grade band will open the program. The class has two
baritone horns, two clarinets and a trumpet. “We’re a long way from
a full band but we are learning some instruments,” he said. The youngest group
will play “Jingle Bells” and, perhaps, one other. “I’m hoping they can
play ‘First Christmas March’ and join sixth graders,” he said of the tune
arranged by John O’Reilly. The sixth grade group
will play “A Holly, Jolly Christmas” and “First Christmas March.” “We’ve been working on
secondary instruments,” Cooksey said. “I hope we can figure a way to demonstrate
our skill on a secondary instrument. “They [students] are
high on it and I hope I can be as high,” he said. There are about 11
students in sixth grade. “We hope the seventh
graders can play a tune of theirs, as yet not pinned down,” Cooksey said.
“And maybe they can join the sixth graders on “First Christmas March.” The 28 students in
seventh and 12th grade make the high school group, which will play next. “We’re going to play a
piece entitled “Ukranian Bell Carol,” he said. “It
is one everyone will recognize.” The high school group
also plans to play a piece called “Stille Naght,” a contemporary German version of “Silent Night.” “This is a
contemporary arrangement of the song as recorded by Mannheim Steamroller,” he
said. And the high school
group will play “Jingle Bells Around the World,” a playing of the popular
tune with “different cultural spins on it,” he said. “There will be at
least one musical surprise for the finale,” Cooksey said. “We hope to have
everyone one out by 8” p.m. As always, there is no
charge for the program and everyone is welcome. By KIM
RAPP Production
Manager SANDERSON – Christmas
on “Thrill of They offered two game
booths and a train ride and some high school kids thought that looked like
fun as well. For a price, kids of
all ages could find such delicacies as cotton candy and candy apples. And
what’s a carnival without funnel cakes? In fact, next morning,
they were back with the funnel cakes for breakfast. Retired school teacher
Alice Foss, along with hubby Ron, travel the country bringing joy and fun to
kiddos everywhere. They call They stopped in
Sanderson on the way through, heard about the annual business open house and
decided to stay. Canyon’s RV Park
provided a space for their touring bus and the lot between the News Leader
and Haircuts by Janis was just the right size for their little extravaganza. The snow didn’t deter
many and carnie “Ron has been doing
this since he was 15 years old and knows all about the business,” Alice Foss
said of her husband. The two senior
citizens travel with two crew members, Forest left He “absolutely loves
it,” and has been with them for a-year-and-a-half with no intention on
leaving. Bonelli jumped on the
carnival train in Van Horn about three weeks ago. “It’s like being on
vacation,” he said. With snow on the
ground, Candlelight ceremony
to honor vets SANDERSON – A candle
lighting and prayer meeting has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17,
to honor A monument of sorts
was erected on The marker is on the
lot with the old With the addition of
Emily Wilson, who recently graduated from boot camp in the US Navy, and Phillip
Lascano, who recently left for Backers of the sign
have asked the News Leader to suggest new names for the sign but it’s been a
while since any others have been added. Anyone knowing of a
service person not on the sign is asked to call the News Leader at
432/345-2676. This is a night where
student councils and honor societies in Tickets and meals are
offered at a low cost to the groups. After the game, the kids got to go
down for a "chalk talk" with Spurs player Matt Bonner and former
Spurs player Sean Elliot. Bonner told them in
order to be successful you must work hard, never quit and never give
up. Bonner reflected on
his life and how he was valedictorian of his class and that he strived to be
the best at whatever he did. The kids said they
really enjoyed the game and their trip to A highlight of the
trip was eating at Big Lou's Pizza, which boasts the biggest pizza in “It was huge but we
managed to finish it in the end,” sponsor Tami Carrasco said. Other sponsors were
David Carrasco and Trisha Nichols. Elijah Carrasco went along for the ride. SANDERSON – For the
first time in several years, Sanderson residents awoke to a blanket of snow
Friday morning. By 7 a.m., there was a
light “dusting” but two hours later, about 1.25 inches were recorded at the
News Leader office on East Oak. It was part of a
system moving east which went on to dump snow in Several towns in the Parts of This week, it warmed
up, reaching 79 degrees in Sanderson Tuesday, but the problem was high winds,
primarily north and west of here. US 62 and 180 was
closed from east of El Paso at Hueco Tanks to the
New Mexico State line east of Guadalupe Pass. The Pass itself also was
closed. High winds caused
damage from A cold front moved
through the area Wednesday but only resulted in some slightly lower
temperatures. But a warming trend
was predicted by the weekend. Deputy Tax Assessor
Juanita Hamilton said she had issued new voter registration cards this month
and several were returned because of a change of address that was not recorded. She said anyone not getting a new card
that should have can contact her office at 432/345-2499 and provide the
correct address. |
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