June 6, 2008
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SANDERSON
– Sanderson High School graduation was last week as 10 high school seniors
accepted their diplomas and shifted their tassels to the other side of their
mortarboards to become graduates. The
students also took home nearly $50,000 in scholarships, topped by the $32,000
Rose Silverthorne award providing all tuition, books and living costs for
four years of college. Salutatorian
Davis Stumberg got the top scholarship along with $500 each from the Band
Boosters and the Alma Van Sickle Scholarship and the $300 Sybil McGee Savage
Scholarship. Winning
the Silverthorne was “amazing,” Stumberg told the News Leader. He
plans to attend the University of Texas at the Permian Basin on a
cheerleading scholarship and major in business management. Valedictorian
Danell Graham received full tuition for two semesters at any state university
by virtue of her top rank. She
also got a $1,500 scholarship from Sanderson State Bank, $1,400 from Cinco de
Mayo, two $1,000 awards each from Sams/Wal-Mart and the Tucker W. McLauglin
Memorial Scholarship and the $600 Rob McClellan Memorial Scholarship. Ben
Rubio was awarded a $2,200 Cinco de Mayo Scholarship and the $500 Melissa
Cruz Memorial Scholarship. Rosa
Gonzalez took home one of two new $1,000 awards, the Leslie Octavia Downie
Memorial Scholarship, along with $800 from Cinco de Mayo and a $500 Lions
Club Memorial Scholarship honoring the late Elida Hernandez and Speedy
Montalvo. The
other Downie scholarship went to Raul Salazar who also won $800 from Cinco de
Mayo. Isaac
Ramirez got a $650 award from the Big Bend Open Road Race. ‘great
success’ SANDERSON
– Organizers of Project Graduation 2008 said the after-graduation party in
the High School Gym last week was “a great success.” Area
businesses and individuals donated more than $10,000 for prizes and other
expenses in providing the all-night, chemical-free party for graduates. “Many
months were spent planning and raising the funds necessary to celebrate
graduation night and keep our graduates safe from injury or harm as they
celebrated this great milestone,” a statement signed by organizers Laura
Galvan and Sue Black said. “Statistics indicate that many teenagers are
maimed or killed on prom or graduation night. This was the sole purpose of
Project Graduation 2008 in Sanderson and we are proud to belong to a
community that supported this great cause.” The
Texas Department of Transportation and others endorsed the cause
by making grants. TxDOT prescribed rules to be followed to qualify. “The
success of Project Graduation is due to everyone’s donations and hard work,”
the statement said. “Terrell County ISD also supported this cause in everyway. On
behalf of the Senior Class of 2008 we would like to send a ‘Great big thank
you’ to everyone that helped out in any way.” A
list of contributors is on Page 4 of this week’s News Leader. “Thank
you to the community if you attended any of our fundraisers or entered a
drawing,” the organizers said. “Also to the parents and Terrell County ISD
employees that attended Project Graduation and stayed from 9:30 p.m. until
7:30 a.m. There is so much to be thankful for and we cannot express this
enough.” Students
taking part included Kelcee Hall, Alexa Davis, Taylor Johnson, Catherine
Villarreal, Julianna Larrinaga, Andy Milstead, Rosa Gonzales, Ernestina
Gonzales, L.A. Galvan, Davis Stumberg, Raqui Hinkley, Philip Lascano,
Hannah Black, Blakeney Chriesman, J.D. Brotherton, Raul Salazar, David
Shoemaker, Irma Nuñez, Noemi Nuñez, Miriam Nuñez, Isaac Ramirez, Daniel Rapp,
Mallory Raulston, Erin Corbett, Marie Ramirez, Danell Graham, Casey Couch,
Emily Wilson, Jenny Hernandez, Ashley Hernandez, Lauren Hamilton, Ben Rubio,
Jonathan Calzada and Victor Calzada Parents
and sponsors at the pool party kicking off Project Graduation included
Coaches Mark Dominguez, Adam Portillo, Marisa Aranda, Trisha Nichols and
Leighton Conway. Also
present at the main event were Gary Hamilton, Sue Black, Laura Galvan, Rene
Rubio, Rosalinda Salazar, Jon Tom Lowrance, Monica Graham, Kristie Carroll,
Gennie Merrifield. Lindy Stumberg, Rosa Gonzales, Marisa Hall, Archie Hall,
Jake Hall, David Carrasco and Joey Carrasco. Galvan
said if any names were missing “it was not intentional.” WASHINGTON
– US Rep. Ciro Rodriguez has introduced legislation in the House Wednesday
aimed at benefiting Fort Davis National Historic Site and the Rio Grande
River inside and east of Big Bend National Park. It
also would remove the threat of condemnation in Terrell and Brewster
Counties. On
a conference call with the park superintendents for the affected National
Park areas Rodriguez discussed the proposed legislation. “This
National Parks Package will allow for further conservation, as well as boost
tourism and economic growth in and around communities where our national
parks are located,” Rodriguez said. “Since I have the pleasure and
responsibility of representing seven National Park areas in my expansive
district, I will urge my colleagues to pass this package and help preserve
our natural areas for generations to come.” “This
legislation would greatly enhance our ability to manage the river corridor,”
said Bill Wellman, superintendent of Big Bend National Park and The Rio Grande
Wild and Scenic River. “I’m
thrilled Congressman Rodriguez is working to save the scenery behind Officers
Row at Fort Davis National Historic Site,” said Chuck Hunt, superintendent of
Fort Davis National Historic Site. “We have photos from the 1890s that show
the scene just as it is today. It would be tragic to lose this historic scenery.” Terrell
and Brewster Counties could benefit by legislation affecting the Rio Grande,
which extends the boundary designation of the Wild and Scenic River upstream
from the current boundary to the west boundary of Big Bend National Park at
river mile 902.2. The
legislation would expand the protected river designation by approximately 50
miles. The
current Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River extends from the Mariscal Canyon on
the boundary between the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila in Big Bend
National Park and extends east to the Terrell County-Val Verde County line, a
196-mile section of the Rio Grande River in Texas. Of
the 196-total miles, 118 miles downstream of Big Bend National Park is on private
land. Rivers
designated in the Wild and Scenic River system of which the public land is 50
percent or greater, condemnation for fee title purchase of private lands is
prohibited. In
the case of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, by adding the approximately
50 miles within federal land, it would remove the risk of condemnation for
the property owners along the 118 miles East of Big Bend National Parks in
Brewster and Terrell Counties. The
legislation also would authorize the National Park Service to acquire up to
55 acres of land from those wishing to part with their land via sale or
donation and increases the acreage cap for the Fort Davis site. The
current acreage cap is 476 and the park currently occupies 473 acres of that
allotment. The
western view shed of Fort Davis Historic Site is protected on three sides by
state and federal land with the exception of a tract of land, which sits on a
prominent bluff that is approximately 250 feet from the site. The
land on the bluff was placed for sale by the private owner in early February. The
land was officially purchased by a conservation buyer last month with the
intention of holding on to the land until the National Park Service could acquire
it. In
order for the National Park Service to acquire the land from the conservation
buyer, an acreage cap increase is required. ALPINE
– One person was killed in a one-vehicle rollover about 21 miles north of
here The
Texas Department of Public Safety said Ramon Tesero Rodriguez, 32, a taxi
driver from Ojinaga, Chih., was killed when his pickup towing a trailer
rolled several times, throwing him out. He
was northbound when the truck drifted off the roadway. He overcorrected and
rolled several times. He
was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Gerald Sotello. The
accident was investigated by Troopers Jason W. Foss and trainer Jimmy Morris. SANDERSON
– Freshmen Ernestina Gonzales and Kelly Lomas made all As for the last cycle
of school. In sixth grade, Jalen Chriesman had all As. Over
at the Elementary school, making all As were Alexis Olivares, Grace Jahn,
Abby Carrasco, Jesse Roberts, Mikey Shoemaker, Luke Carroll, Noah Aguilar,
Elijah Carrasco and Kailey Dominguez. Having
all As and Bs were seniors Erin Corbett, Rosa Gonzales, Jenny Hernandez, Ben
Rubio, and Raul Salazar. Juniors
with As and Bs were J.D. Brotherton, Raquel Hinkley, Phillip Lascano, Jimmy
Rapp and Carver Tate. Sophomores
making the grades were Clarissa Brotherton, Vicky Busch, Blakeney Chriesman,
Alexa Davis, Jessica Garza, Travis Roberts, Ryan Rosas, Darren Seidel and
Sarah Sivils. Freshmen
having all As and Bs were Cameron Baker, L.A. Galvan, Andy Milstead and Noemi
Nuñez. At
the junior high, eighth grader Taylor Roberts made As and Bs. In
seventh grade was Daniella Garza. In
sixth grade making As and Bs were Mason Blackmon, Kayla Fuéntez, Bill Johnson
and Daniel Luevano. Over
at the Elementary, students with all As and Bs were Luis Garza, Joey
Carrasco, Shyanne Mills, Al Johnson, Jacob Helmers, Hunter Truesdell, Jacob
Luevano, Chris Ibarra, Andrew Cavender, Arlena Blanco and Justin Flax. |
Jenny
Hernandez got a $500 scholarship from Pecos County State Bank. And
Hannah Black took home the $300 Louise Causey Memorial Scholarship. “Heart”
is the most important commodity, Valedictorian Danell Graham said in remarks
at the ceremony. “Without
heart and soul, no goal is attainable,” she said. Danell
said she greeted graduation with “mixed feelings,” excitement because she
would face “new experiences” and sadness because she would be leaving
“family, friends and my own bed.” She
also spoke on the importance of family love. “When
we achieved goals, it was because we were loved with your type of love,” she
said. Salutatorian
Davis Stumberg looked back at the “many opportunities” he got growing up in a
small school system. SANDERSON
– Did it look to you like last week’s News Leader was a bit bigger
than it has been? You were not seeing things. We
grew by one inch in length, not because there was any advantage to doing so.
We had no choice. Being
at the bottom of the food chain, as it were, we are controlled by the much
bigger papers. A
while back, several larger papers decided to reduce their size in the belief
that using less paper would save them money. Those
savings were illusory at best but corporate America seems to like paper
savings that don’t amount to much when all is said and done. Faced
with buying smaller paper rolls, the Ozona Stockman that presses the News
Leader shopped around and found some bigger paper. So
now the Stockman and the News Leader are bigger. But
because they still have two rolls of “dinky” left, some of the inside pages
will still be the old size for the time being. It
gets a bit esoteric but the News Leader is a “tabloid,” i.e., half the
size of a “broadsheet” paper. Like all papers today, it is printed on a “web”
press using large rolls. To
get the “tabloid” size, it is printed “four up,“ or four pages per plate.
Thus, eight pages are printed on each press – four on each side of the paper. If
we are eight, 16 or 24 pages, it will all be the same size. But
for multiples of less than eight, the machine uses what is called a “dinky,”
a roll half as wide as the others. It
can print four tabloid pages on one press but never less. That’s why we can
never be 10 or 14 pages, for example. We can only grow in multiples of four. So,
until those two rolls are used up, papers of 12 pages – our normal size –
will have some inside pages smaller than the others. Understand?
Good, now explain it to us. for
St. Jude’s SANDERSON – Kayla Fuéntez paced her Sanderson Junior High School math classmates to the most successful Mathathon ever for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital last week. Kayla
edged Mason Blackmon as top, earner bringing in $510 compared to Mason’s
$500. “As
quickly as TAKS was completed, the SJHS math students began work on their annual
St. Jude’s Mathathon,” teacher Becky Norris said. “Fourteen students made
this year’s Mathathon the most successful ever by collecting $1,862 for St.
Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.” Other
results included Dryden Baker with $250, Michael Dillard with $125, Ashley Barron
with $80, Daniel Luevano and Melissa Gonzales with $75 each, Daniela Garza
with $37 and $35 each for Jalen Chriesman, Abraham Orozco, Ryan Johnson,
Ashley Hagelgans and Sourbh Bhakta. Kayla
earned a CD player and Mason selected a tent for his prize. Dryden
earned a football and Michael earned a set of headphones. All
participants earned t- shirts and free passes to Six Flags. Many also
received backpacks. “The
SJHS math students have participated in the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital’s
Mathathon the past five years now and have raised over $5,000 during that
time to help the children of St. Jude’s,” Norris said. “I am very proud of
each of these young adults for working so unselfishly to help others and for
each of you who helped through your donations.” St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its
pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other
catastrophic diseases. Founded
by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely
shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the
world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and
families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially
supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. in
sights By KIM RAPP News Leader
Production Manager SANDERSON
– Jessica Garza will soon leave on her long-awaited trip to Europe as a
People to People Student Ambassador. Jessica
has been fundraising for some time, having bake sales, wrapping gifts at
Christmas and many other activities. Next
week she will leave for London, where she will visit sites including Hampton
Court Palace, the home of King Henry VIII. She
will get a full tour, complete with guide, of the city’s historic sites and
activities including the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. She
will catch a ride on the London Eye, which is a 443-foot-ferris wheel, to
view the skyline and nearby Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Jessica
will pay a visit to the famous Covent Garden before boarding a ferry to Caen,
France. While
there, she will visit the Normandy American Cemetery, the Memorial Museum and
an exhibition about the Cold War. Jessica
will then head for Paris where she will explore the Chateau de Versailles,
the Montmartre area, which was a haven for artists before WWI, and the white
Basilique du Sacre Coeur, the second highest point in Paris. And
of course, who goes to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Mona Lisa
at the Louvre Museum? She
will then be off for Bruges, Belgium, where she will visit the Flanders
Fields Museum, the Menin Gate and even taste the famous Belgian chocolates
after a demonstration of how they are made. As
if that weren’t enough, Jess will also go to The Hague, Netherlands. She
will view Kinderdijk, a Dutch heritage Windmill Park and take a look at the
International Court of Justice, the main judicial body of the United Nations. Then
it’s on to Amsterdam to see how “clogs” are made and witness a demonstration
of cheese making. She
will explore the canals and bridges and see the house of Anne Frank. In
Germany, Jessica will take a cruise on the Rhine River before meeting her
“home stay family,” her European home away from home. She
will spend a few days learning about the home life in Germany. In
Freiburg, Germany, she will participate in an environmental project on a
local river before taking off for Scuol, Switzerland. There
she will learn how the famous German “cuckoo” clocks are made as well as
visit a glass factory. She
will get see more cheese making techniques, while exploring the oldest mill
still functioning in Switzerland. After
river rafting, Jess is off to Zurich, Switzerland, for a day of sightseeing
and fun before she hops on a plane and comes home. After returning,
Jessica plans to have a gathering at the Pavilion to share pictures and to
say thank you to the community who helped her take the summer trip of a
lifetime. Back By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager SANDERSON
– Graduation always brings visitors to town and last week was far from an
exception. Here
last week were William & Rutha
Corbett of Fort Stockton. William
is the father of graduate Erin Corbett. This
family represented one third of the class of ’08. There
was Carol Carlisle, Erin’s mom, and her sister Samantha, both from Thomson, GA. Another
sister, Tamisha Crawford, came
from Kermit with her charges Bradley, Jr., & J.D. Erin’s
older brother, Luke, was here with
his family, wife Crystal,
five-year-old Adrian and
five-month-old Tristin. Luke is in the
United States Navy where he is a second class petty officer and they live in
Virginia Beach, VA. Uncle
Tommy Corbett was here from Odessa
and uncle Mickey Corbett made the
trip from Eagle Pass where he works for Sul Ross Rio Grande College. Isaac “Bubba” Ramirez,
another graduate and Erin’s cousin,
was joined by his father Freddy Ramirez
and little Canyon from Odessa. Shasta Merrifield
& Marie Ramirez, both of Odessa, were in
attendance to watch little brother receive his diploma. Aunt
Shirley & Mike Carlton brought
Holt & Brylee from Crane. Grandpa
Juan Ramirez made the trip from El
Paso. Ben Rubio
was the third cousin in this group to walk the stage. Enjoying it was mom Jeri Rubio & sister Katie
Rubio of Fort Stockton. Most
of this family are former Sandersonites and said they enjoyed seeing friends
and family for a few days before going back to real life. Weddings
also bring in the visitors. The
wedding of Angela Salazar to Jesse Martinez brought in several
more visitors. Among
them were Angela’s father, Robert Salazar, his wife Rhonda and their son Robert David from Troy, MI. From San
Antonio were Hector & Debra
Salazar. Hector
& Robert are the sons of Alicia Salazar of Sanderson and Debra is sister to Karen
Sanchez of Sanderson. They
also said they enjoyed visiting family, especially grandsons Andrew & Braydon. Also
here to watch the two tie the knot was Annette
Ramirez of Houston with kids Jesus,
who is 15, nine-year-old Savannah,
Alonzo, who’s six, two-year-old Derek
and the twin girls Allyana & Alyia
who are all of one and a half. Dorian,
who’s 14, opted to stay home this time. Yvette Ramirez Peck
was also in town. She brought Jasmine,
who’s 15, Alexis, age 13 and
12-year-old Christian. They hail
from Barstow, CA. Also
from Barstow was Nanette Ramirez
with boyfriend Isaac Beltran. Nanette
left this week for the United States Army. Annette, Yvette
and Nanette are the daughters of Ofelia & Jimmy Ramirez and cousins to Angela. Logan Means
was also spotted in town last week. The
former Sandersonite is in Alpine, attending Sul Ross where he also works. |
“I have been able to do almost everything I
have wanted to do,” he said. A
cheerleader with local and national championships to his name, Davis said he
learned a lot by being “the only boy cheerleader in a town where football is
king.” Both
good and bad experiences have contributed to the kind of person he has
become, he said. “We
would not be who we are without letting life happen to us,” he said. “It has
helped me grow. SANDERSON – There is no “precedent” for giving a $1,000 Band Booster scholarship and no “guarantee” the only senior in band would get the full award, Booster Secretary Laura Galvan said Monday. The
club voted last month to award $500 to Davis Stumberg and two officers
resigned because they had expected a $1,000 award. President
Lindy Stumberg and Vice President Corina Castro resigned. A
week later, newly appointed president Kathy Lawson became
the third club officer to resign. “I
do not feel qualified to be president over an organization with no written
by-laws,” she said. Galvan
said the club is organized under University Interscholastic League rules and
operates under UIL guidelines. “We
have not given $1,000 every year,” she said. ”It started out with $250 for a
few years.” She
said club minutes do not reflect any promise that the award would be $1,000. That
figure was mentioned in stories in the News Leader but Galvan said
there is nothing in the minutes about an amount of the scholarship. The
boosters also need to fund band camp and the group voted $1,500 for that at
its meeting last month, she said. “We
started the year with $20,” Galvan said. “We don’t want to do that again.” She
said the group voted for the smaller award because, while Davis was in band,
he seldom took part in band activities. “We
just felt he didn’t deserve the full $1,000,” she said. Rosa
Gonzalez was also in band but did not attend for part of the year because of
grades in other subjects. Being
in band all four years in high school is one of the stated requirements of
the scholarship. SANDERSON
– A possible solution may have been reached Monday in the simmering debate
over maintenance of Independence Creek Road in far east Terrell County, in
particular a “low water” crossing of the creek. Terrell
County voted last summer to “discontinue” maintenance on the county-owned
road and then rescinded the action in March. The
county has claimed ownership and provided maintenance since before 1981. The
Commissioners Court affirmed that commitment in September, 2004. Calvin
Rode of Fredericksburg, who owns property at the end of the road, offered to
find an engineer and seek bids on a permanent crossing. “If
you can get an engineer and a cost estimate, I would be very interested,”
County Judge Leo Smith said. He
said he is opposed to leaving the road in its present condition because the
county has spent money several times repairing the crossing. “There
is no way I will support continuing to maintain that crossing where it’s at,”
he said. “It is not fair to the taxpayers of the county.” Smith
said the creek changes course frequently requiring continued repairs and
making a permanent bridge very expensive. “I
have had two engineers out there looking at it and they said for less than
half a million dollars it could not be anything permanent,” he said. Rode
challenged that amount. He said he would donate enough steel beams to “cross
it twice.” The
beams could be anchored at bedrock on either side of the channel and once in
the middle and the bridge would “stay there till hell freezes over.” Joe
Chandler suggested property owners that use the road “pay our own way. “If
Calvin donates the material, maybe I can provide a check,” he said. Jason
Wrinkle of the Nature Conservancy urged the road be abandoned and turned into
a private road. “The
Nature Conservancy has invested over $6.7 million to date into our
Independence Creek Project,” he said. “A public road through our nature
preserve would have a negative impact on the rare species that we strive to protect.” He
said the road passes through 4.9 miles of the preserve, 1.5 miles of the
Chandler Ranch and 459 feet of the Buchanan Ranch. “Thus,
75 percent of the road is within the Nature Conservancy’s property,” Wrinkle
said. “While we object to a public road through the preserve, we do not
object to our neighbor’s limited use of the road for accessing their properties. “If
the county is not going to maintain it, we will,” he said. Smith
asked Wrinkle if the conservancy would be willing to maintain the entire
road, not just up to its Oasis Ranch. “I’ll
go buy a maintainer,” he said. Others
cautioned against dealing with the Conservancy because new staff members may
not honor earlier agreements. “We’d
be making a deal with the Devil,” Chandler said. While
Rode offered to provide materials for a new bridge, he said he would settle
for the status quo for the time being “but I want to see something permanent
in the future.” There
was no action at the meeting, which was an informal work session. Only
Smith and County Commissioner Kenn Norris were present, not enough for a
quorum. County
Attorney Marsha Monroe and Road and Bridge Supervisor Mike Sanchez also
attended. world
record By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager SANDERSON
– Andy Raney and Jeremy Make of Denver, CO, are attempting to enter the
Guinness Book of World Records by traveling across the country in a golf
cart. The
trip started in Rialto, CA, and will finish in Denver. The two will cover
12,000 miles around the country and it will take approximately 130 days. The
golf cart averages 40 miles per hour and they travel about 200 to 250 miles a
day, depending on the weather. Currently
there is no record for traveling the furthest in a golf cart so the two feel
confident that they will hold the record “no matter how long it takes,” Raney
said. While
on this joy ride the two plan to film a documentary entitled “What is Art in
America.” They
will seek out different types of art including dancing, music, acting and
even etch-a-sketching. In
search of art, they will visit places like Sing Sing Correctional Facility in
New York to check out their annual show where inmates perform a play or
musical every year as a form of rehabilitation. They
will also visit the Ford Motor design team in Detroit, MI. And
they will meet up with George Vlosich, III, who amazes audiences with his
etch-a-sketching skills. ALPINE
– More than 200 law enforcement officers and members of the public attended a
memorial service last week for area law enforcement officers who have given
their lives in the line of duty. The
service at Sul Ross State University was a project of the Big Bend Area Law
Enforcement Officer’s Association. About
half of the crowd included law enforcement officers from local, area, state
and federal agencies. Police
officers from as far away as Midland and Border Patrol Agents from as far
away as El Paso and Laredo were present. The
event marks the beginning of an effort to build a permanent memorial for law
enforcement on the Sul Ross campus. The
memorial will honor officers killed in the line of duty in West Texas or officers
from West Texas who have been killed in the line of duty elsewhere. A
temporary memorial board has been created that lists the fallen officers on
individual plaques. That
board will reside in the Sul Ross Department of Criminal Justice. As
part of the ceremony Friday, US Border Patrol Assistant Chief Dan Harris read
the roll call of 111 officers who are currently listed on the memorial. State
Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine was the keynote speaker and US Border Patrol
Chief John J. Smietana, Jr., was the master of ceremonies. The
national anthem was sung by Penny Hardaway of Sul Ross. Ed Jennings, chaplain
for the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department, provided the invocation and
benediction. Carla
Smith, whose son is a Midland policeman, provided a special musical number. A
Texas Department of Public Safety Honor Guard fired a 21-gun salute before
Sergeant Jerry Harvell of the Odessa Police Department played taps. US
Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine furnished a helicopter
flyover. Tax-deductible
donations can be made to the BBALEOA in care of John Carter, PO Box 512,
Pecos, Texas 79772. |