SANDERSON – Terrell County “will be” under a burn ban next week.
County Judge Leo Smith said this week the agenda for Commissioners
Court Monday will include a countywide burn ban to go into effect immediately.
“I think it will pass but if, for any reason it does
not, I will order an emergency burn ban,” he said. “As county judge, I have that authority.”
Smith said a lack of rain plus plenty
of fuel from rains last summer have created a “very dangerous” fire condition in the county.
He said with all the dry grass in the
county, it would not take much to set off a large grass fire “that will go all the way to Odessa if we’re not prepared.”
As these words
were being written, firemen around Hobbs, NM, were battling a 3,000-acre grass fire reportedly visible from space.
There have been
numerous other grass fires in the area.
Smith said Terrell County is only one of three counties in the area that is not already under a burn ban of some sort.
The county experienced
a fairly rainy spring and summer but a very dry fall and winter so far.
The rains and warm weather caused a lot of grasses to grow,
which then they dried out, leaving plenty of fuel for grass fires.
The county issued a burn ban two years ago that resulted in no fireworks
for the July 4, 2006, celebration.
Fireworks returned last year after the ban was lifted.
Smith said he caught “a lot of heat,” no pun
intended, over his last burn ban but he said the present fire danger requires action.
Two years ago, the county banned all outdoor burning but came back a month later and exempted welding torches and fires in barbecue
pits.
Smith said the exemptions would be included in the new burn ban for 2008.
SANDERSON – Terrell County “will be” under a burn ban next week.
County Judge Leo Smith said this week the agenda for Commissioners
Court Monday will include a countywide burn ban to go into effect immediately.
“I think it will pass but if, for any reason it does
not, I will order an emergency burn ban,” he said. “As county judge, I have that authority.”
Smith said a lack of rain plus plenty
of fuel from rains last summer have created a “very dangerous” fire condition in the county.
He said with all the dry grass in the
county, it would not take much to set off a large grass fire “that will go all the way to Odessa if we’re not prepared.”
As these words
were being written, firemen around Hobbs, NM, were battling a 3,000-acre grass fire reportedly visible from space.
There have been
numerous other grass fires in the area.
SANDERSON – The County Extension office and Terrell County 4-H have released a schedule for the 29th Annual Terrell County Fair Jan.
24 to 26, one of the biggest red letter days on the Terrell County calendar.
The event begins at noon Thursday, Jan. 24, when all arts
and crafts, 4-H school projects, food and displays are accepted at Terrell County Fair Hall.
The next day, booth and vendor exhibits
will be set up from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arts and crafts entries will be accepted until 11 a.m. and judging of entries will be from 1
to 4 p.m.
The Main Event Saturday, Jan. 26, begins with the arts and crafts show from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and livestock check-in at
the hall from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
The livestock show and judging will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon when a barbecue lunch will be served
until 1:30 p.m. at Fair Hall.
The livestock and crafts auction will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., followed by the pet show.
Arts and crafts
must be picked up from the hall and vendors booths removed from 4 to 5 p.m.
The event will be capped by the annual dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday at Fair Hall.
SANDERSON – For those who lamented the sometimes-nasty tone of the 2006 election in Terrell County, the 2008 campaign should be a completely different affair at least in Terrell County.
All candidates in the March 4 primary
election in Terrell County are unopposed. Filing deadline was last week.
Yolanda Lopez filed by petition for her Precinct 1 seat on
the County Commissioners Court. All others filed by paying the filing fee.
Running unopposed for Commissioner in Precinct 3 is incumbent
Charles Stegall.
County Attorney Marsha Monroe is unopposed for re-election as is Clint McDonald for sheriff and tax assessor/collector.
Chief
Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Turner filed for constable in Precincts 1, 3 and 4, a position he could hold in addition to his chief deputy
position.
That position is now vacant as is the constable for Precinct 2.
Consuelo Chávez Galván filed for Precinct 1 chair and Carolyn
Hutto filed for chair of Precinct 4.
No candidates filed for Democratic or Republican county chair or precinct chairs for 2 and 3.
A
listing of all candidates district and statewide will be in News Leader stories as the primary election date nears.
SANDERSON – The children in town are getting a new playground on Legion street just south of the baseball field.
Terrell County has
purchased a playground, if you will, from Frank and Kay Bartlett of Playgrounds, Etc., of Midland.
The structure has an “Alpine Thunder”
slide in which three kids can go at one time, side-by-side. There also is a tire climber.
An “education climber” throws in some learning
with the fun with a maze on one side and blocks on the other.
It is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which makes
it wheelchair accessible. It also has a huge spinning tic-tac-toe board for added fun.
It took two days for the Road and Bridge crew
to erect the structure with construction overseen by Bartlett.
A committee of Road and Bridge Supervisor Mike Sanchez, Terrell County
Treasurer Lynda Helmers, parent Katy Roberts and County Commissioner Yolanda Lopez was chosen to oversee construction for the county.
Sanchez
said the cost of the playground came in just under $20,000.
The Bartletts are in business for themselves. He is an ex police officer
and Kay taught school.
After a run with a feed store and pet store and leasing mobile homes, the two have devoted their time to selling
playgrounds for more than ten years, leasing mobile homes and spending time with their two Schnauzers, Lucy and Abby.
Another addition
in the same area are two rest rooms that have been put in at Legion Park, “soon to be operational,” Sanchez said.
By R.M. GLOVER
MNL Editor
ALPINE – For the most part, wintertime Big Bend resident Ronald Ericsson looks like your everyday Joe.
He
wears blue jeans and cowboy boots and can spin tales ‘til the cows come home.
But this family man who holds a Ph.D. in genetics from
the University of Kentucky is not your average rancher.
He is a scientist, entrepreneur and author of more than 70 publications and
books in the field of male reproduction.
He sat down for an interview with me last week in the mountains of Brewster County near Mount
Ord.
Glover: Dr. Ericsson, you were the first person to separate the X and Y chromosome in human sperm. How do you do that?
Ericsson:
There is a differential ability of X and Y sperm to swim downward in a test tube.
The head of X-bearing sperm is larger and the tail
longer. This allows the Y sperm to swim faster in a viscous albumin medium and reach the bottom of the tube quicker.
This fraction
of sperm is then isolated and used for artificial insemination.
The chances for the selected sex improve from around 50 percent to
78 to 85 percent. In our labs the entire process is completed in three to four hours.
Glover: You hold ten patents in the field of
semen analysis, sex selection, male contraception and rodent sterilization and have been studying sperm for 47 years? Why sperm?
Ericsson: Population.
Glover: Today, your Gametrics Ltd Sperm Centers are on five continents.
In three of the five, parents prefer males. In
America the preference is female.
Ericsson: Yes, women are generally the ones that decide to have artificial insemination and in America
today, mothers see daughters having a bright future.
Glover: You’ve had 13 Sperm Centers closed worldwide including China, Turkey,
Hong Kong and India. Why?
Ericsson; In the case of India, solicitors fitted with portable ultra-sound instruments provided door-to-door
sex scanning services for the pregnant. They also provided quick abortions.
My process fell victim to the laws designed to stop these
questionable practices.
In fact, our technology would have increased the preferred sex wanted by parents reducing number of abortions.
Glover: Your son Dr. Scott Ericsson teaches statistics and genetics at Sul Ross State University and is a co-inventor on some of the
patents with you.
What’s the probability of both father and son being scientists with Ph.D.s in the same field and both being left-handed?
Ericsson:
Scott calculated the odds to be 13 in ten million.
Glover: You live here in the border country of west Texas in the wintertime but
your main residence is your ranch in Wyoming where the Marlboro commercials are shot.
What’s the main difference between ranching
in west Texas and ranching in Wyoming?
Ericsson: We spend all summer putting up hay.
Glover: Your grandson and my stepdaughter are both
juniors at Alpine High. What makes a good school?
Ericsson: I can tell you what makes a bad school: when no competition exists to improve
the public school system.
They say, ‘No kid left behind.’ Well, what about those who are ahead?
They’re ignored in a system that doesn’t
teach for knowledge or how to reason but teaches primarily to pass tests.
When I look at resumes for my companies and see the 4.0
grad from Harvard, I think ‘test taker’ and throw it away.
I want those who are willing to take risks, the ones that sit in the back
of the class and ask why.
Encourage creativity – that’s what makes a good school.
And failure? Schools don’t recognize the power of
failure – schools are programmed to prevent failure – if one does not try then one cannot fail.
Growing up on a ranch in South Dakota,
my Swedish father encouraged the work ethic of my five siblings and I.
When I tried something and failed he would suggest I try doing
it again, differently. But he would never put us down for failure.
And fail we did. But we never quit. There’s no backup in the wild.
Glover: The wild provides a sex ratio of slightly over 50 percent males at birth.
With the higher mortality rate for males, there
seems to be a mechanism to produce more males at conception.
How does nature get so smart?
Ericsson: Evolution. Species evolve to survive
to sexual maturity and then reproduce to perpetuate their genes.
Glover: All that from the carbon atom?
Ericsson: Don’t forget hydrogen
and oxygen.
Glover: What about global warming?
Ericsson: The question is whether it is variation in the planet’s long-term processes
or the effect of humans. But there is no control group to compare it with and therefore no valid answer.
There’s a positive side to
global warning that nobody talks about, like increased crop production.
Glover: It took you seven and a half years to re-register your
rodenticide product EPIBLOC ® with the Environmental Protection Agency. Why so long?
Ericsson: Have you ever attempted to deal with
a federal regulatory agency in Washington DC?
Glover: The product works like a chemical vasectomy. Is there any secondary poisoning?
Ericsson:
No, EPIBLOC is a sterilant only for rats and there is no secondary poisoning.
Glover: Your home-use medical device to test male fertility sells
for about $30 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Why isn’t it available here?
Ericsson: We need a US company willing to market it
before going through the regulatory process.
The arduous task of going through a regulatory process to register a pesticide, a new
pharmaceutical product or a medical device is time consuming and costly.
Small companies have the creativity but large established
companies have the organization and financial wherewithal to obtain registration.
Glover: Today in this country, more than 20 percent
of our manufactured goods are made overseas.
Most of your manufacturing is done in Europe. What do you think of import penetration?
Ericsson:
The USA is going through an economic adjustment. Isolation never works.
Glover: You mentioned your granddaughter was told that she
had your personality and wasn’t sure if that was a compliment.
Ericsson: Take no prisoners. I developed and marketed three products,
a lot for one lifetime, sex selection, male fertility tests and a rat sterilization product.
You can’t be Mr. Milquetoast and do that. I’m
pleased she has this ‘get out of the way I can do it,’ personality.
Glover: One more question Dr Ericsson. What was it like being interviewed
by Oprah?
Ericsson: I liked her, as I did most of the other celebrities that interviewed me over the years.
My 15 minutes of fame is going on 35 years.
Relatada por
SUSANA C. FUÉNTEZ
especial al News Leader
MARATÓN – Tal vez esta versión de “la Llorona” es algo diferente de la que algunos
de ustedes han oído, aún lleva el mismo tema.
Todos nosotros que hemos vivido en Maratón crecimos oyendo muchas leyendas bonitas
y al mismo tiempo espantuosas.
Casi todas estas ricas leyendes vienen de más alla de Mexico, y, afortunadamente, como todos
somos desendientes de padres, abuelos, tíos, etc., mexicanos, pues, nos las pasaron a nosotros y nosotros se las pasamos a nuestros
hijos, nietos, y así va nuestra cultura, rica de leyendas y dichos mexicanos favoritos.
Aunque mi mamá y mi papá, se hicieron ciudadanos
naturalizados de los Estados Unidos, por medio de cursos de correspondencia que tomaron de la Universidad de Tejas, ellos nunca
olvidaron su pueblo y su cultura rica de leyendas y dichos de Monterrey, México.
Guardaban estas leyenditas y dichos muy cerca de sus
corazones y no las contaban así a mí, y a mis hermanos: había una mujer que no tenía esposo, (la razón que no tenía esposo ha sido
un tema de ¡mucha especulación por algunas decadas!) pero tenía tres hijos chicos.
Sin embargo, ella comenzó una relacion con un tal
por cual hombre soltero, muy simpatico, y se enamoró de él locamente.
Siguió la relación durante un tiempo, y ella (¡no él!)
insistió matrimonio Poco hombre que era, la rechazó.
¿Por qué? Pues, parece que él tenía un problemita con los niños de
ella. No eran de él, así que no los quería para nada.
Casi se quizo volver loca al oír ésto, porque lo queria locamente,
pero ¿que hacer que los niños?
En un momento horrible, decidió llevarlos a un lago, o río, que se encontraba cerca del pueblo,
y allí los aventó entre el agua y allí fue donde esos niñitos inocentes pasaran sus últimos minutos de sus vidas.
Al realizar
lo que había hecho, angustiada, la madre se tiró al lago, para rescatar a sus hijitos, pero era muy tarde, se los había llevado la corriente y nunca los encontró.
Sus cuerpecitos nunca fueron encontrados. La madre, al oír a sus hijitos llorar, realizó
su hecho tan horrible.
Angustiada y llena de mordimiento, se tiró al lago y se hundió ella misma.
Otros dicen que murió,
que se volvió loca, y hasta la fecha, donde se encuentra un lago, o un río, etc., se puede oír un llanto espantuoso de una madre que
llora por sus niños muertos.
Otra versión dice que su espiritu (o espanto) se mira en muchos lagos y vuela por arriba del agua
(¡Sí, también dicen algunos ancianos que han oído el llanto y han visto el espanto en nuestro parque, Peña!)
Mi mamá ha veces
nos asustaba . . . “si no se portan bien ¡va a venir la llorona!” (Hay veces que trabajaba.)
Ojalá que esta “leyendita” les
halla traído una poca de alegría en sus vidas personales.
(¡Hasta la otra leyenda!)
By KIM RAPP
SANDERSON – Jonathan Calzada spent his Christmas break recovering from knee surgery.
He had
the surgery on December 27. His visit to the doctor on January 7 was “very good” and found him to be well on his way to recovery,
his mom Laura Galvan said.
He will spend the next six months rehabbing his injury.
Jonathan was injured playing football for the
Eagles in the second round of the play offs November 23 against Grandfalls in Ozona.
He said he wants to thank everyone who called
and came by.
Jonathan told the News Leader he would spend the rest of this school year recuperating but will be ready for track next
year.
He is undecided at this time about football.
Returning home after the holidays was Yolie Connelly.
She spent eight days in Katy
with son Jay Rubio, wife Holly and their children Leah Trinidad & Eric.
Making the trip from Hobbs, NM, for the Sanderson Eagle
basketball game in Imperial last week was Jeremiah Jacks with wife Amy and their charges “little Jeremiah” and Daisy.
Jeremiah is the
cousin of Eagle Jimmy Rapp and makes all the games he can.
Jimmy’s dad, Robert Rapp of Hobbs, also made the trip to support his boy.
SANDERSON – The honor roll for the third six weeks of the first semester at Terrell County Schools was released this week.
Making the
all “A” honor roll in high school were seniors Hannah Black, Erin Corbett, Danell Graham and Davis Stumberg and tenth grader Vicky
Busch.
Junior high students were eighth grader Taylor Roberts and sixth graders Jalen Chriesman, Micaela Fuéntez and Daniel Luevano.
Sanderson
Elementary students making the all “A” honor roll were fifth graders Abby Carrasco, Joey Carrasco, Grace Jahn and Alexis Olivares,
fourth grader Jesse Roberts and third grader Michael Shoemaker.
Second graders were Luke Carroll and Noah Aguilar and first graders
were Kailey Do-minguez and Elijah Carrasco.
Making the “AB” honor roll in high school were 12th graders Rosa Gonzalez, Isaac Ramirez
and Ben Rubio and eleventh graders J.D. Brotherton, Phillip Lascano and Carver Tate.
Tenth graders were Blakeney Chriesman, Jessica
Garza, Ashley Hernandez, Travis Roberts, Darren Seidel and Sarah Sivils.
Junior High students were eight grader Ashley Haglegans, seventh
graders Daniella Garza and Ryan Johnson and sixth graders Mason Blackmon, Bailee Everett and William Johnson.
Elementary students making
the “AB” honor roll were fifth graders Megan Seidel, Luis Garza and Anthony Fuéntez, fourth graders Mayra Rodriguez, Andrew Portillo
and John Pierce and third graders Austen Stepp, Shyanne Mills, Al Johnson and Jacob Helmers.
Second graders on the AB list were Hunter
Truesdell, Chris Ibarra, Andrew Cavender, Lauryn Carroll and Arlena Blanco and from first grade was Justin Flax.
Elementary students
making “Perfect Attendance” were fifth graders Abby Carrasco, Anthony Fuéntez, Luis Garza and Megan Seidel and fourth graders Mayra
Rodriguez, Jesse Roberts, Andrew Portillo, Elias Hafner and Olivia Adauto.
Third graders not missing a day of school were third grader
Michael Shoemaker, second graders Daniel Rodriguez, Andrew Cavender and Luke and Lauryn Carroll, first graders Justin Flax, Elijah
Carrasco and Jacobi Campos and Pre-kindergartners Michelle Cobos and Anthony Rodriguez.
ALPINE – A free workshop, “Starting a Successful eBay Business,” will be offered Wednesday, Jan. 16, by the Big Bend Region Minority
Small Business Development Center.
The workshop will be from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Centennial School Building here.
The eBay corporate
mission statement said its mission is “to provide a global trading platform where practically anyone can trade practically anything.”
Today, the site has more than 150 million registered users worldwide who trade goods and services in more than 50,000 categories.
Participants
will learn what it takes to establish themselves on eBay and other auction sites through smart buying and selling practices – basic
information to begin making a profit from home.
Pre-registration is required and space is limited. To pre-register or for additional
information, call 432/837-8813.
By EVANS KOTT
Extension Agent, FCS
SANDERSON – Whether you have diabetes or are just trying to loose or maintain your weight, meal management
is the same whether for everyday meals or special occasions.
The most important thing to remember is that you may have to put a little
more effort into planning your schedule and meals but you can enjoy the experience just as much.
We may be eating less healthful foods
nowadays.
Foods eaten in restaurants and fast-food places are generally higher in fat, saturated fat and calories and lower in fiber
and calcium.
It’s not too difficult to choose healthful items from restaurants. What you must be willing to do is to permanently give
up high-fat choices in favor of more healthful foods.
To help develop this fine art of healthier eating out, here are some basic rules
of the road to success.
Keep up with how often you eat out because, when eating away from home, you lose control over how much salt,
butter, oil and mayonnaise you use.
Many people eat out five or more times a week, which can lead to an excess of fat and calories
if you do not learn to order healthfully.
When health is a concern, such as for those of us who have diabetes, we need to establish
a frequency of eating out that fits our lifestyles and our health needs.
Select restaurants with care. Choose establishments that provide
a flexible menu.
Consider what is served, the variety of choices and the way the food is prepared.
Fortunately, many restaurants and
fast food establishments have recognized that Americans are more health conscious than they were a few years ago.
For this reason,
fresh salads, salad bars, baked potatoes, soups, milk and sugar-free sodas have been added to most restaurants’ standard menu.
These
welcome additions make it possible for you to order a meal that is low in calories, sodium and fat and rich in fiber, vitamins and
minerals.
How can your remain on your meal plan even when you eat away from home?
Never starve before going to eat. Avoid over-ordering
and, if you know the menu, plan before arriving so you are not tempted by seeing all the less healthful choices on the menu.
Some
people even bring dishes that will be appropriate for their meal plan or carry food to supplement the menu.
Make savvy menu choices.
Ask the server for information about preparation methods, serving sizes and options for special requests.
Order foods that will satisfy
both your taste buds and your health needs.
Avoid starving before you go so that you don’t over-order.
Keep fat grams in check. When
choosing a restaurant, carefully consider your choices, getting input from others eating with you.
Beware of excess fat and calories
that can be added to healthful vegetables.
Learn where fat creeps into restaurant selections, from appetizers to desserts.
We have
already seen the excess in calories that fat provides. Be a good fat detective.
Order food the way you want it. Restaurants that neither
welcome nor honor your special requests should be replaced with more accommodating ones. Always be courteous when making special requests,
and ask for help from the wait staff.
Use portion control. To keep your portion sizes in check, visualize what a proper serving is
like.
Remember the ordinary objects that can help us estimate how much food to eat — a tennis ball, cassette tape, computer
mouse, hockey puck, etc.
There are other restaurant strategies as well. Ask for a container to use to take home excess food. Or split
an order with a friend.
Look for menu words denoting small, such as lunch, petite, regular, single and kid.
You can also order
an appetizer to eat as the main course.
Eating out in traditional or fast-food restaurants require special consideration.
It is very
easy to consume large amounts of calories from foods served at fast-food operations.
The foods there are usually concentrated sources
of carbohydrates and fats but you can eat at any restaurant if you choose foods that fit your meal pattern.
Several guides are available
to assist you with making wise selections at restaurants and fast-food establishments.
They are “The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat &
Carbohydrate Counter 2006 Edition at www.calorieking.com/shop/11-The-CalorieKing-Calorie-Fat-Carbohydrate-Counter-2006-Edition.html and Nutrition in the Fast Lane at http://www.fastfoodfacts.com/contact.asp
For more information me at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service office at 432/837-6207.
SIERRA BLANCA – Two Arkansas men are in custody after their 18-wheeler was stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10
about midnight Wednesday.
The trailer contained 61 boxes containing 1,890 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $1,512,000. The
men, the drugs and the truck were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
SANDERSON – The proposed Terrell County Convention Center is one more step closer as a house in the way of progress is quickly disappearing.
Matt
Lusk of Sanderson is removing the old home at the corner of Second and Downie on what will be the southeast corner of the convention
center property.
He agreed to pay $623 for salvage in removing the old home and told the News Leader this week it would be done “in
a few days.”
The county plans a convention center on property it has acquired at Oak and Second Streets on the main highway through
town.
Plans call for a banquet facility seating up to 500, a visitor center, senior citizen and youth facilities and other amenities.
The
convention center was a requirement in an attorney general’s opinion over the use of funds from a quarter-cent Venue Tax approved
by the voters in 2000.
The county is now seeking another AG opinion on whether it can borrow money against future Venue Tax proceeds
to build the facility now so it doesn’t have to be built is stages as tax revenues come in.
ALPINE – A basic newswriting course featuring hands-on training in a newsroom setting will be offered during spring semester at Sul
Ross State University.
Journalism 2301: News Writing will introduce students to the basic tenets of news, sports and feature writing
in a writing laboratory.
Steve Lang, director of News and Publications at Sul Ross and a veteran journalist, will teach the three-credit
course.
Class sessions will be from 3:30 top 4:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in ACR Room 203.
The class is open to enrolled students
as well as interested community members.
The first class meets Thursday, Jan. 17.
“Much of the class time will be devoted to writing
stories from information gathered and interviews conducted as assignments between class sessions,” Lang said.
As part of the curriculum,
students will cover Sul Ross and Alpine community athletic events, governmental meetings and special functions as well as conduct
interviews with local residents and visiting artists, lecturers and dignitaries.
Interested students may register on-line or at the
Sul Ross Registrar’s office in Room 202 of the Briscoe Administration Building.
By RAQUEL HINKLEY
News Leader Intern
IMPERIAL – Both Sanderson Eagle basketball teams suffered losses to the Buena Vista Longhorns here
last week.
The Lady Eagles were defeated by a score of 52 to 25 and the boys came out second best 58-28.
The Ladies Eagles started out
with a close run in the first quarter but fell behind as the game moved on.
The top scorer of the game for Sanderson was Hannah Black
with 12 points and for Buena Vista was Cat Olivas with 17 points.
The boys kept up through the first half but lost hold in the third
quarter.
The top scorer for Sanderson was Darren Seidel with 12 points while Joey Acosta of the home team dumped in 15.
In junior varsity
action, Big Bend defeated the Sanderson JV girls team 20-12 at the Fort Davis JV Tourney last weekend.
Juliana Castro, Lizette
Ramirez, and Ashley Hernan-dez had four points apiece.
The Lady Eagles played Fort Davis for second place in the round robin
play and defeated the Indians 24-13.
Alexa Davis and Roxanna Rodriguez shared game high points with six apiece. Erin Corbett
had five points while Juliana Castro, Julianna Larrinaga and Lizette Ramirez finished with two points apiece.