canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

8
NEWSBRIEFS See BRIEFS, Page 5 Habits are either the best of servants or the worst of masters. — Quips & Quotes JULY 23, 2009 VOL. 36, No. 30 SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO 1 9 7 3 2 0 0 9 6 3 Years Prayer vigil A prayer vigil for peace and remembering Hiroshima will be held at San Jacinto Plaza in downtown El Paso on Thursday, August 6 starting at 5:00 p.m. The vigil is scheduled for 45 minutes. The program will include spoken prayers, speakers, singing, and time for silent reflection and prayers. People from all faith traditions are invited to attend the vigil. The vigil takes place on the 64th anniversary of the drop- ping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. Approximately 140,000 people were killed, many of whom were civilians. This event is sponsored by Pax Christi El Paso and the Peace and Justice Ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso. Pax Christi El Paso is associated with the na- tional Catholic peace movement, which seeks to promote the peace of Christ by exploring, articulating, witnessing and practicing Gospel nonviolence. — Karen Peissinger-Venhaus Back to school Coordinated Home Health (CHH) is host- ing a Back to School/Community Gather- ing for Anthony, NM residents on July 31, 2009 from noon to 3 p.m. CHH is located at 816 Anthony Dr. There will be hot dogs, burgers, chips, sodas, etc. School supplies will be given away and drawings will be held for back packs. — Jovonne R. Gooden Crime Stoppers Crime Stoppers of El Paso is assisting Deputies from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Special Traffic Investiga- tions (S.T.I.) unit in identifying the per- son who hit a motorcycle in Canutillo and fled the scene, leaving the driver of the motorcycle to die from his injuries, and making this the “Crime of the Week.” On Sunday night, July 5, about 11:15 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident involving a motor- cycle at the intersection of Doniphan and Holguin in Canutillo. There they found a red 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle laying on its side, and an unresponsive male with serious injuries lying nearby. The second vehicle in the collision left the scene prior to the arrival of the Deputies. The driver of the motorcycle was identi- fied as 38-year-old Juan Antonio Contreras of the 300 block of Miller in Anthony, N.M. Sadly, Contreras died at the scene before he could be airlifted to a hospital. Investigators believe the motorcycle was traveling north on Doniphan and that the second vehicle was traveling west on Holguin when it entered the intersection and was violently impacted by the motor- cycle. The second vehicle is believed to possibly be a light gray or silver Chevrolet 1500 series pickup truck, late 90s or early 2000 model. It is believed that this vehicle will show red paint and damage on the It doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive, all vehicles are a potential target of theft. Nearly 100,000 cars and trucks are stolen in the state of Texas each year, and thousands more are burglarized. Almost half of all vehicles stolen had the keys left inside. The Ford F150 and Chevy pick up truck top the list of top 10 most stolen vehicles in Texas. Regardless of year, make or model, every ve- hicle is a potential target for theft and burglary, especially when the keys are left inside. Fol- lowing these tips will help you hold on to your prized car or truck. Tips to protect your vehicle: • Hide your valuables. Items in the open make your car a bigger target. • Take your keys and never leave a second set in your vehicle. Twenty percent of stolen vehicles had keys inside them, making the theft Protect your vehicle from thieves even easier. • Lock your car. Almost half of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked. • Park in well-lit or heavily-trafficked areas. Thieves do not like witnesses. Find an attended lot or garage if possible. • Give parking attendants the ignition key only. Keep your trunk and glove box locked at all times. If possible, get separate keys for the ignition and the trunk and glove box • Never leave your car running unattended. Cars are often stolen at convenience stores, gas stations or when an owner leaves the vehicle running to warm it up. • Install an anti-theft device. Many insurance companies may give you a discount for cer- tain anti-theft devices. Check with your agent for details. — Source: TXDOT As the number of children with potentially fatal food allergies continues to grow, an in- creasing number of parents are learning not to take anything for granted. When inges- tion of even a tiny amount of a common food can be deadly, staying safe often means an extremely high level of vigilance. Here are 10 surprising places where food allergens are often found: 1. Pet Food: Toddlers may want to have a bite, or a food-allergic individual may get a slobbery “kiss” from a dog that has a mouth full of allergen-containing food. 2. Children’s Museums: Interactive exhib- its may contain food-related items, such as ground-up walnut shells (that look like coarse sand) in paleontology displays. 3. Stuffed Toys: The “stuffing” in stuffed animals, bean bags, and other stuffed items may actually be crushed nut shells. 4. Soaps and Shampoos: May contain milk, nuts, wheat, or other food ingredients. 5. Movie Theatre Seats: Likely to be cov- ered with butter and candy residue. 6. Play Dough: Contains wheat and pos- sibly other allergens. 7. Hotel Rooms: Bits of food may be The Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees confirmed the appoint- ment of David Peña as prin- cipal of Americas High School during its regular meet- ing today. Peña has served as the principal of Socorro Middle School since 2002. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal at Slider Middle School for four years. He also worked as an assistant principal at Socorro Middle School from 1996-1998. Peña began his career in the SISD in 1989 as a teacher at Socorro High School, a position he held un- til being promoted in 1996. A graduate of Socorro High School, he received both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in educa- tion from the University of Texas at El Paso. Peña is the schools fourth principal, re- placing Mary Ross who retired after six years as principal of Americas High School and 34 years in the SISD. They are preceded by James Kelch, 2000-2003, and Antonio Baca, 1996-2000. The school opened in September 1996. Socorro ISD board appoints new Americas High School principal Special to the Courier By Daniel R. Escobar David Peña Special to the Courier By Linda Coss Surprising food allergy dangers See ALLERGIES, Page 3 Cadets from Canutillo High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) program didn’t stop working for their unit when school ended. With summer programs such as shooting camp, basic lead- ership training, leadership academy, and the junior police academy along with projects such as re-decorating the classroom and preparing for the 09-10 incoming cadets, cadets had no problem with overcoming boredom during the summer. Aaron Trejo, CHS senior and newly pro- moted Cadet/Ensign, attended all three sum- mer programs and came in while the school was open to work out and help with projects. “This year we’re going to make ROTC a hun- dred times greater,” said Trejo Glendy Pineda, a CHS junior starting her first year as an enrolled cadet for the 2009-10 school year said, “We’re going to change it for the better.” Pineda, who attended the Basic Lead- Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer ership Training (BLT), where cadets got a small taste of what it was like to be in the military, stated, “It was a lot of fun!” “I met tons of new people and got into really good shape. I loved it,” she added. NJROTC offers leadership, discipline, team- work, and fun for every cadet. During the class, cadets learn the meaning of the Navy’s core valuesóHonor, Courage, and Commitment. As a cadet, students feel pride every time they dress in uniform and participate in engaging field trips, such as, visiting military bases, tour- ing downtown museums, repelling, or compet- ing against other ROTC units from across the state. During the camps held at Ft. Bliss, cadets from NJROTC units in West Texas and New Mexico, woke up at 0500 and commenced physical training to work towards passing the Navy physical fitness test. Cadets also learned about first aid and close order drill, among other classes, but concentrated in enhancing their skills in teamwork and leadership. The By Kim Guzman Special to the Courier — Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD STAYING ON TOP OF THE SITUATION — Glendy Pineda, junior, attempts to stay balanced during physical training exercise at Ft. Bliss. See CADETS, Page 4

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Page 1: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

NEWSBRIEFS

See BRIEFS, Page 5

Habits are either the best of servants orthe worst of masters.

— Quips & Quotes

JULY 23, 2009VOL. 36, No. 30 SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

1973

2009

63Years

Prayer vigilA prayer vigil for peace and rememberingHiroshima will be held at San JacintoPlaza in downtown El Paso on Thursday,August 6 starting at 5:00 p.m. The vigil isscheduled for 45 minutes. The programwill include spoken prayers, speakers,singing, and time for silent reflection andprayers. People from all faith traditions areinvited to attend the vigil. The vigil takesplace on the 64th anniversary of the drop-ping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima inJapan. Approximately 140,000 peoplewere killed, many of whom were civilians.This event is sponsored by Pax Christi ElPaso and the Peace and Justice Ministryof the Catholic Diocese of El Paso. PaxChristi El Paso is associated with the na-tional Catholic peace movement, whichseeks to promote the peace of Christ byexploring, articulating, witnessing andpracticing Gospel nonviolence.

— Karen Peissinger-Venhaus

Back to schoolCoordinated Home Health (CHH) is host-ing a Back to School/Community Gather-ing for Anthony, NM residents on July 31,2009 from noon to 3 p.m. CHH is locatedat 816 Anthony Dr. There will be hot dogs,burgers, chips, sodas, etc. School supplieswill be given away and drawings will beheld for back packs.

— Jovonne R. Gooden

Crime StoppersCrime Stoppers of El Paso is assistingDeputies from the El Paso CountySheriff’s Office Special Traffic Investiga-tions (S.T.I.) unit in identifying the per-son who hit a motorcycle in Canutillo andfled the scene, leaving the driver of themotorcycle to die from his injuries, andmaking this the “Crime of the Week.” OnSunday night, July 5, about 11:15 p.m.,Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to amotor vehicle accident involving a motor-cycle at the intersection of Doniphan andHolguin in Canutillo. There they found ared 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcyclelaying on its side, and an unresponsivemale with serious injuries lying nearby.The second vehicle in the collision left thescene prior to the arrival of the Deputies.The driver of the motorcycle was identi-fied as 38-year-old Juan Antonio Contrerasof the 300 block of Miller in Anthony,N.M. Sadly, Contreras died at the scenebefore he could be airlifted to a hospital.Investigators believe the motorcycle wastraveling north on Doniphan and that thesecond vehicle was traveling west onHolguin when it entered the intersectionand was violently impacted by the motor-cycle. The second vehicle is believed topossibly be a light gray or silver Chevrolet1500 series pickup truck, late 90s or early2000 model. It is believed that this vehiclewill show red paint and damage on the

It doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive,all vehicles are a potential target of theft. Nearly100,000 cars and trucks are stolen in the stateof Texas each year, and thousands more areburglarized. Almost half of all vehicles stolenhad the keys left inside.

The Ford F150 and Chevy pick up truck topthe list of top 10 most stolen vehicles in Texas.Regardless of year, make or model, every ve-hicle is a potential target for theft and burglary,especially when the keys are left inside. Fol-lowing these tips will help you hold on to yourprized car or truck.

Tips to protect your vehicle:• Hide your valuables. Items in the open

make your car a bigger target.• Take your keys and never leave a second

set in your vehicle. Twenty percent of stolenvehicles had keys inside them, making the theft

Protect your vehicle from thieveseven easier.

• Lock your car. Almost half of all vehiclesstolen were left unlocked.

• Park in well-lit or heavily-trafficked areas.Thieves do not like witnesses. Find an attendedlot or garage if possible.

• Give parking attendants the ignition keyonly. Keep your trunk and glove box locked atall times. If possible, get separate keys for theignition and the trunk and glove box

• Never leave your car running unattended.Cars are often stolen at convenience stores, gasstations or when an owner leaves the vehiclerunning to warm it up.

• Install an anti-theft device. Many insurancecompanies may give you a discount for cer-tain anti-theft devices. Check with your agentfor details.

— Source: TXDOT

As the number of children with potentiallyfatal food allergies continues to grow, an in-creasing number of parents are learning notto take anything for granted. When inges-tion of even a tiny amount of a common foodcan be deadly, staying safe often means anextremely high level of vigilance.

Here are 10 surprising places where foodallergens are often found:

1. Pet Food: Toddlers may want to have abite, or a food-allergic individual may get aslobbery “kiss” from a dog that has a mouthfull of allergen-containing food.

2. Children’s Museums: Interactive exhib-its may contain food-related items, such asground-up walnut shells (that look likecoarse sand) in paleontology displays.

3. Stuffed Toys: The “stuffing” in stuffedanimals, bean bags, and other stuffed itemsmay actually be crushed nut shells.

4. Soaps and Shampoos: May containmilk, nuts, wheat, or other food ingredients.

5. Movie Theatre Seats: Likely to be cov-ered with butter and candy residue.

6. Play Dough: Contains wheat and pos-sibly other allergens.

7. Hotel Rooms: Bits of food may be

The Socorro Independent School DistrictBoard of Trustees confirmed the appoint-

ment of DavidPeña as prin-cipal ofA m e r i c a sHigh Schoolduring itsregular meet-ing today.Peña hasserved as theprincipal ofS o c o r r oM i d d l eSchool since2002.

Prior tothat, he was an assistant principal at SliderMiddle School for four years. He alsoworked as an assistant principal at SocorroMiddle School from 1996-1998. Peña beganhis career in the SISD in 1989 as a teacher atSocorro High School, a position he held un-til being promoted in 1996. A graduate ofSocorro High School, he received bothmaster’s and bachelor’s degrees in educa-tion from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Peña is the schools fourth principal, re-placing Mary Ross who retired after sixyears as principal of Americas HighSchool and 34 years in the SISD. They arepreceded by James Kelch, 2000-2003, andAntonio Baca, 1996-2000. The schoolopened in September 1996.

Socorro ISD boardappoints new AmericasHigh School principal

Special to the CourierBy Daniel R. Escobar

David Peña

Special to the CourierBy Linda Coss

Surprising food allergy dangers

See ALLERGIES, Page 3

Cadets from Canutillo High School’s NavalJunior Reserve Officer Training Corps(NJROTC) program didn’t stop working fortheir unit when school ended. With summerprograms such as shooting camp, basic lead-ership training, leadership academy, and thejunior police academy along with projects suchas re-decorating the classroom and preparingfor the 09-10 incoming cadets, cadets had noproblem with overcoming boredom during thesummer.

Aaron Trejo, CHS senior and newly pro-moted Cadet/Ensign, attended all three sum-mer programs and came in while the schoolwas open to work out and help with projects.“This year we’re going to make ROTC a hun-dred times greater,” said Trejo

Glendy Pineda, a CHS junior starting her firstyear as an enrolled cadet for the 2009-10 schoolyear said, “We’re going to change it for thebetter.” Pineda, who attended the Basic Lead-

Canutillo cadets stay busy during summerership Training (BLT), where cadets got a smalltaste of what it was like to be in the military,stated, “It was a lot of fun!” “I met tons of newpeople and got into really good shape. I lovedit,” she added.

NJROTC offers leadership, discipline, team-work, and fun for every cadet. During the class,cadets learn the meaning of the Navy’s corevaluesóHonor, Courage, and Commitment. Asa cadet, students feel pride every time theydress in uniform and participate in engagingfield trips, such as, visiting military bases, tour-ing downtown museums, repelling, or compet-ing against other ROTC units from across thestate.

During the camps held at Ft. Bliss, cadetsfrom NJROTC units in West Texas and NewMexico, woke up at 0500 and commencedphysical training to work towards passing theNavy physical fitness test. Cadets also learnedabout first aid and close order drill, amongother classes, but concentrated in enhancingtheir skills in teamwork and leadership. The

By Kim GuzmanSpecial to the Courier

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

STAYING ON TOP OF THE SITUATION — Glendy Pineda, junior, attempts to staybalanced during physical training exercise at Ft. Bliss.

See CADETS, Page 4

Page 2: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER July 23, 2009

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

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

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2009 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:Letter must not be more than 250words in length. They should bedated, must be signed and have anaddress and daytime phone number.Only the name and city will be printedwith the letter. The Courier reservesthe right not to print letters to theeditor or other submitted materials itconsiders inappropriate.

AD DEADLINE:Monday 4 p.m. for Thursdaypublication.

CLASSIFIED RATES$10 for 25 words, $15 for 40 words.Ad must be in writing and pre-paid.The Courier reserves the right not toprint classified advertising it considersinappropriate.

DISPLAY RATES:Open rate — $25 per column inch.Call for more information or to set anappointment. The Courier reservesthe right not to print advertising itconsiders inappropriate.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS:52 issues for $35.Delivery via 1st class mail.

MAIL:15344 Werling Ct.Horizon City, TX 79928

Phone: 852-3235Fax: 852-0123

E-mail: [email protected]: wtxcc.com

PublisherRick Shrum

ContributorsDon WoodyardSteve Escajeda

Jan Engels

Member Texas CommunityNewspaper Association News, Inc.

HomesteaderEst. 1973

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

1973

2009

63Years

Canutillo Independent SchoolDistrict 2009-2010 Meal Policy

The Canutillo Independent School District serves break-fast and lunch every school day. All enrolled students inthe district will receive a reimbursable meal at no charge,regardless of income, through the academic year of 2009-2010. All children will receive free meals under the uni-versal free provision II program.

Canutillo Independent School District Food Service MealPrograms do not discriminate on the basis of race, color,national origin, sex, age or disability. Anyone who believesthat they have been discriminated against should writeimmediately to:

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,Room 326-W Whitten Building1400 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, D.C. 20250-9410

or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

For more information about your rights or grievanceprocedures, please call Adele Balesh, Director of FoodServices, at 915-877-7451.

Política sobre Alimentos para2009-2010 del Distrito Escolar

Independiente de CanutilloEl Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo ofrecedesayuno y comida todos días escolares. Durante todo elciclo escolar y sin importar el ingreso familiar, todos losestudiantes inscritos en el distrito recibirán alimentos sincosto alguno, bajo el programa universal de provisionesgratuitas II.

Los programas de alimentación del Distrito Escolar deCanutillo no discriminan en base a raza, color, origen,sexo, edad o discapacidad. Cualquier persona que considerehaber sido discriminada puede dirigirse por escritoinmediatamente a:

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,Room 326-W Whitten Building1400 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, D.C. 20250-9410

o llamar al (800) 795-3272 o al (202) 720-6382 (TTY)

El Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos enun proveedor y empleador con igualdad de oportunidades.

Para mas información de procedimientos sobre sus derechosy quejas, puede ponerse en contacto con Adele Balesh,Directora de Servicios de Alimentación, a 877-7451.WTCC: 007/23/09

$8,000Rebate*

(915) 630-4369Javier Ortega / Broker

* First Time Home BuyersMust Close by Nov. 30, 2009

• $0 Down / $0 Closing CostsOn Special Financing Programs

Villa Victoria CommunityOn Socorro Rd. just past the San Elizario Mission

• Low PricedHomes

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$90s

Veterans Post By Freddy Groves

By the time you read this, the De-partment of Veterans Affairs willhave a backlog of 1 million unproc-essed claims.

In January of this year, there were800,000 claims. In May it was morethan 900,000 claims. But there’ssomething about that big number —

One million and counting1 million — that makes you wonder:Where are the problems?

Let’s take a look at where some ofthe logjams are, with info taken fromthe VA’s Monday Morning WorkloadReports dated June 15, 2009.

For unprocessed Compensationand Pension claims at the various

centers:• Baltimore has 12,375 claims,

with 33.2 percent of those more than180 days. (In January 30.7 percentof its claims were unprocessed.)

• New York has 11,129 claims,with 33.2 percent past 180 days. (InJanuary 32.5 percent of its claimswere unprocessed.)

• Atlanta has 30,839 claims, with33.7 percent past 180 days. (In Janu-ary 35.5 percent of its claims wereunprocessed.)

• Montgomery, Ala., has 20,700claims with 30.6 percent beyond 180days. (In January 34.2 percent of itsclaims were unprocessed.)

On the positive side, Sioux Falls,S.D., has only 1,176 claims, witha mere 6 percent past 180 days, andBoise, Idaho, is about the same,with only 6.8 percent of its 2,004claims beyond 180 days. (In Janu-ary it was 6.1 percent and 8.3 per-cent, respectively.)

If you want to keep an eye on thoseweekly reports, go towww.vba.va.gov/VBA/ then click onReports, then click Monday Morn-ing Workload Reports.

In June, the House Committee onVeterans’ Affairs held hearings spe-cifically on the topic of whether theVA can handle 1 million claims. Toread what all the speakers had to say,go to www.veterans.house.gov, clickon Hearings, and scroll down to June18, 2009, to Addressing the Backlog:Can the U.S. Department of Veter-ans Affairs Manage One MillionClaims?______________________________________________________Write to Freddy Groves in care of

King Features Weekly Service, P.O.Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-

6475, or send e-mail [email protected]. (c) 2009

King Features Synd., Inc.

Hola, migente. It isunfortunatethat many ofthe good

achievements that occurred in the lastlegislative session do not get reportedto El Pasoans. Instead, the focus ison personalities and tabloid head-lines. The information about benefi-cial legislative does not attract asmuch attentive.

We lawmakers addressed a varietyof healthcare issues during the ses-sion. Physician and nurse shortagesmake it difficult to lower the numberof patients to doctors or nurses; es-pecially in areas that are consistentlyunderserved. There is no one easy so-lution to the problem but we did passimportant legislation intended to startthe process.

House Bill 2154, passed and signedby the Governor, creates a great incen-tive for doctors to set up practice inunderserved areas. Of course, thecounties along the international bor-der, including El Paso, are experienc-ing an acute shortage of doctors. Doc-tors who decide to receive educationloan repayment assistance from a stateprogram must set up practice in thoseunderserved areas. This is most ben-

Texas healthcare made strideseficial to El Paso County now that thePaul L Foster School of Medicine isnow a reality.

Many of the student doctors whoseek to graduate as doctors pay fortheir schooling via college loans.What better way for these doctors topay down huge loans than to providemedical care for needy El Pasoans.The doctors would receive from $25-55 thousand a year in assistance. Inexchange, they would serve patientswho are on Medicaid or theChildren’s Health Insurance Plan.This is a win/win solution.

Of equal impact on local healthcareis the nursing shortage. One bill thatdid not pass intended to require hos-pitals to maintain a strict patient tonurse ratio regardless of the availablenumber of nurses. Although it issomething well intended, mandatingthis on the private sector may haveunintended consequences.

The best solution is to increase thenumber of available nurses. HouseBill 4471 creates an incentive to nurs-ing programs with the intent of in-creasing the number of nurse gradu-ates. Nursing programs that committo achieving the benchmarks set outby the bill may be provided addi-tional educational funding by meet-

ing certain agreed to benchmarks. UTEl Paso has a fine nursing programand should be among the first to pur-sue the funds in this bill. Again, awin/win situation.

Another health care deficiency inthe Sun City deals with employeroffered health insurance. So manybusiness do not have the money toinvest in employee health. Now Sen-ate Bill 6 will bridge the gap by cre-ating a stabilization fund via a pub-lic-private partnership that will makeinsurance products more accessiblefor smaller businesses.

Previously, the El Paso 3 sharecollaborative, spearheaded by theGreater El Paso Chamber andThomason, set up a health programfunded by the employer, the state andnonprofits to provide healthcare. Thatprogram now may be enhanced byaccess to the provisions of SB 6.

These three pieces of legislationare indicative of a productive legis-lative session. All of the members ofthe legislature should be given ku-dos for supporting these bills. Everymember of the El Paso delegationvoted for them.

Gracias, mi gente, and I remainyour friend and public servant,Chente por la gente.

archives: www.wtxcc.com

Page 3: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

July 23, 2009 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

View from here By Robert Ramano

It is now projected that through 2080, morethan $104 trillion will be owed in unfundedliabilities to Medicare and Social Security —or $89 trillion and $15.1 trillion, respectively.

It’s an absurd figure to look at, let alone tobegin planning to somehow pay for. Yet, suchis the hidden cost of entitlements — at leastthe cost that the Board of Trustees for Medi-care and Social Security is now willing to ad-mit to.

And make no mistake about it: It is a costthat will bury the public treasury — along withthe taxpayers expected to foot the astronomi-cal, insurmountable bill.

The basic lesson here is that when something— whether it be health care or retirement funds— is guaranteed to everybody, it goes everdeeper into the red.

Far, far into the red. That is why entitlementsare not — and never can or will be — deficit“neutral.” The total cost is not how muchmoney is allocated by Congress, but how muchmoney Congress promises to continue payingout through the entitlement for decades anddecades to come.

The irony is that the $104 trillion price tag,horrendous as it is, may actually be small incomparison to what Americans will really beforced to pay once the new government-runhealth care plan is implemented.

Consider this: Under the House version ofthe so-called public “option,” individuals upto 400 percent of the poverty level, or makingapproximately $43,320 or less annually, willbe eligible for some level of health coverageunder the plan whether through the public “op-tion,” Medicaid, or otherwise.

There’s a small problem. As of 2006, therewere approximately 91.5 million people aged25-65 who fell into that income bracket, ac-cording to the U.S. Census Bureau. Factor inthe nearly 35 million who were 65 and older atthat time, and the total figure comes to over125.8 million who will be eligible for govern-ment-administered health care.

And once the new so-called public “option”crowds out and eliminates all other private

The hidden cost of public healthcarehealth options (as the program’s sponsors fullyexpect it to do according to page 16 of the bill),sooner or later the total entitlement will ex-tend to all Americans.

The cost to taxpayers? Far, far more than wecan possibly bear.

Presently, the average premium for singlecoverage is $4,700, according to the NationalCoalition on Health Care. If all 125.8 millionof those eligible received fully-funded “aver-age” health plans, the total burden to taxpay-ers would rise to a staggering $591.26 billionannually.

But let’s just deal with the 91.5 million aged25-65. They alone would cost the taxpayers$430.05 billion annually. This means that ifnothing else changed — the population, infla-tion, the average cost of premiums, etc. — by2080, the unfunded liabilities would rise to$30.1 trillion above the Board of Trustees’ cur-rent $104 trillion estimate. But, of course, that’sa low-ball figure, since the population will rise,inflation will increase, and undoubtedly so, too,will the cost of the average premium.

Of course, Barack Obama is ever-optimis-tic. Or, perhaps, simply duplicitous. Just a weekago, he said, “I’ve said that it’s got to be bud-get neutral, it’s got to be deficit neutral, and sowhatever bill is produced has to be paid for,and that creates some difficulties becausepeople would like to get the good stuff with-out paying for it.”

Well, that’s one way of putting it. The factis, once the hidden costs of these entitlements— Social Security, Medicare, and the public“option” — are fully realized over the nextcentury, the American people will not be get-ting anything good at all — including the mostbasic health care we now take for granted. Acountry that has been plunged into decade af-ter decade of half-trillion dollar annual defi-cits won’t have a plug nickel left for adequatehealth care — and barely enough left for fu-neral expenses.______________________________________________________

Robert Romano is the ALG Senior NewsEditor (getliberty.org).

hiding under the bed, behind the furniture, etc.,where a baby or toddler is likely to find them.

8. Bird Feeders: Birds tend to spread the birdseed — which can contain nuts, seeds, wheat,milk, and other allergens — all over the yard.

9. Clowns’ Pockets: Clowns and other en-tertainers at children’s events often throw

candy to the crowd.10. Open Containers of Otherwise Safe

Food: Someone who had allergenic food resi-due on their fingers may have put their hand inthe bag or box, thereby “contaminating” theentire batch.

Don’t make any assumptions about whereallergens may or may not be. Ask a lot of ques-tions. Read the ingredient label on anything thathas one, including non-food items. And alwaysmake sure your emergency medication is closeat hand.

AllergiesFrom Page 1______________________

Page 4: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER July 23, 2009

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Carlos E. AguilarBroker(915) 269-1251

Houses For Sale• No Down• Low Interest• Financing Available

LOW INCOME

Houses available in Horizon, San Elizario and Fabens

Address B/B Sq. Ft. Price

13400 Ingram 3/2 1,281 62,80013566 Inspiration 3/2 1,005 60,8001412 Coronel Dr. 3/2 1,013 77,400672 Danube 4/2 1,300 82,400629 Orchid 3/2 1,179 83,250

Address B/B Sq. Ft. Price

1218 Colina Bella 4/2 1,292 76,5001437 Imogene 3/2 1,013 59,200329 Tierra Linda 4/2 1,345 82,400657 Orchid 3/2 1,067 67,600

This institution is an equal opportunity provider, and employer.

CryptoQuipAnswer

If a notorious gangsterbecame a psychoanalyst,

should he be namedPretty Boy Freud?

Fort Bliss leadership reaction courseand the Essential Skills Training2000 course, which provided a funchallenge for each of the cadets, wasan event that tested their abilities.

The El Paso Police DepartmentJunior Youth Police Academy pro-vided cadets an overview of being apolice officer. They learned about theSWAT and narcotics units while par-

ticipating in activities. One such ac-tivity was room clearing, which in-volved two armed individuals run-ning into a building and cadets hadto make sure it was safe to continuewith a mission.

Trejo stated, “I learned a lot aboutwhat it takes to be a police officer. Itinspired me to pursue this career laterin life.”

“The instructors of this unit aremore than just teachers. LieutenantCommander Mangrum and GunnerySergeant Maldonado are mentors tomany cadets and make NJROTC

more than just another class. WhenGunny came in, he brought the Ma-rine Corps with him and got thingsdone,” Stated Cadet Chief Petty Of-ficer Kristina Aziz, CHS junior. “Buthe also takes time to just talk to usand tell us anecdotes of what it waslike in the Corps,” she added.

“During July, our cadets will alsobe participating in the Military Or-der of World Wars Youth LeadershipCamp in Sante Fe, New Mexico andthe Civilian Marksmanship Programshooting camp at Del Valle highschool, said Commander Mangrum.

CadetsFrom Page 1______________________

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

Canutillo High School’s NJROTC cadets receive certificates for completing the El Paso Junior Policy Acad-emy. From left are CHS cadets Aaron Trejo, senior; Megan Higgason, junior; Chief Greg Allen, EPPD; LorenaLeyva, junior; and Robert Miller, senior.

AUSTIN — The Texas Legisla-ture, in House Bill 8, gave TexasComptroller Susan Combs the re-sponsibility of reviewing the perfor-mance of each county appraisal dis-trict (CAD) at least once every otheryear. In the off years, theComptroller’s office will conduct aproperty value study to determinethe taxable value in each school dis-trict. The new law goes into effectJan. 1, 2010.

“We look forward to workingwith appraisal districts in our re-views and value studies to ensurefair and accurate appraisals,”Combs said. “Texas taxpayers ex-pect and deserve efficient serviceand uniform appraisals so prop-erty taxes are shared equallyamong taxpayers.”

The reviews will cover eachCAD’s governance, taxpayer assis-tance, operating and appraisal stan-dards, procedures and methods. Ifan appraisal district fails to complywith the Comptroller’s recommen-dations within one year, the Boardof Tax Professional Examiners or a

Comptroller responsible for CAD reviewssuccessor agency must take actionnecessary to ensure compliance.

HB 8 also changed theComptroller’s school district Prop-erty Value Study from an annualstudy to a study that must be con-ducted once every two years, exceptwhen the study finds invalid valuesfor a school district, at which time astudy will be conducted annuallyuntil the values are valid. The re-quirement for a biennial — ratherthan an annual — study will free upComptroller resources to do a moreintensive Property Value Study inapproximately half the school dis-tricts each year.

The bill created a nine-memberComptroller’s Property Value StudyAdvisory Committee to consult withthe Comptroller prior to the adop-tion of study rules. The Speaker ofthe Texas House of Representativeswill appoint one member from theHouse; the Lieutenant Governorwill appoint one member from theSenate; and the Comptroller willappoint two members representingCADs, two members representingschool districts and three memberswho are Texas taxpayers or haveexpertise in school district taxationor ratio studies.

Special to the CourierBy Allen Spelce

San Elizario Independent School DistrictSpecial Education Services

San Elizario Independent School District provides the following educational program/ser-vices to identified disabled children who reside within the district beginning on the thirdbirthday through age twenty-one.

1) Instructional Program: including Early Childhood (beginning on the third birthdaythrough age five), Resource (grades K-12) and Self-Contained (grades K-12); 2) DiagnosticServices; 3) Transportation Services; 4) Speech Therapy; 5) Counseling Services; 6) Adap-tive Equipment Services; 7) Physical Therapy; 8) Occupational Therapy; 9) School HealthServices; 10) Homebound Services; and 11) Dyslexia Services.

Services are provided to identified auditorial and visually impaired children who residewithin the district from birth through age twenty-one.

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and Public Law105-17, parents and adult students have the right to inspect educational records. Districtpolicies FL and FL-E provide for record access, confidentiality, and complaint procedures.

If you would like more information or know of a disabled child who is not receiving educa-tional services, please contact: Special Education Director, Amanda G. Sanchez, 1050Chicken Ranch Rd., Special Education Office , San Elizario, Texas 79849, (915) 872-3926. Mail: PO Box 920, San Elizario, TX 79849.

Servicios de Educacion EspecialEl distrito escolar de San Elizario provee los siguientes programas/servicios educacionales a niñosque son identificados como desabilitados que viven dentro del distrito comenzando con el tercercumpleaños hasta los 21 años.

1) programa de instrucción: infancia temprana (comenzando con el tercer cumpleaños hasta laedad de cinco años), cuarto de recurso (K-12), y clases contenidas (K-12); 2) servicios diagnósticos;3) servicios de transportación; 4) terepia de habla; 5) servicios de consejo; 6) servicios de equipajeadaptivo; 7) terapia fisica; 8) terapia ocupacional; 9) servicios de salud escolar; 10) servicios declases en el hogar; y 10) servicios de dyslexia

Se provee servicios a niños identificados como desabilitados audible y visualmente que vivendentro del distrito desde nacimiento hasta la edad de 21 años.

Conforme al Acto de Derechos y Confidencia Educacionales de Familia de 1974 y Ley pública105-17, padres y alumnos adultos tienen el derechos de ver los archivos educativos. Polizas FL yFL-E explican los derechos, la confidencialidad, y el proceso para quejarse.

Si usted desea mas información o sabe de un niño/niña desabilitado que vive en el distrito escolar deSan Elizario que no esta recibiendo servicios educacionales, favor de comunicarse con: Directora deEducación Especial, Amanda G. Sanchez, 1050 Chicken Ranch Rd., Special Education Office, SanElizario, Texas 79849, (915) 872-3926. Mail: PO Box 920, San Elizario, TX 79849.WTCC: 07/23/09

Page 5: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

July 23, 2009 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

£ L&S CONSTRUCTION SERVICESCOSTUMER SATISFACTION IS JOB ONE

915-219-0305LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED — SE HABLA ESPAÑOL

➣ COMMERCIAL ➣ CUSTOM RESIDENTIALWelding Structural Steel Oriental Steel

Concrete Metal Studs Drywall Painting

Fax: 915-849-1172Email: [email protected]

Canutillo Independent School DistrictPublic Notice

Notice of Non-Discrimination in Career and Technical Education Programs

Canutillo Independent School District offers Career and Technical Education programs inAgriculture Science Technology, Business Education, Career Investigations, Diversified CareerPreparation, Family and Consumer Science, Health Science Technology, Technology Education, andTrade and Industrial Education. Admission to these programs is based on career counseling,interests and aptitudes, age appropriateness, eligibility, and class space availability.

It is the policy of Canutillo Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex or handicap in its vocational programs, services or activitiesas required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the EducationAmendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

It is the policy of Canutillo Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age in its employment practices as required byTitle VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the EducationAmendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and Section 504of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Canutillo Independent School District will take steps to assure that lack of Englishlanguage skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational andCareer and Technical Education programs.

For information about your rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX Coordinator,Renee O’Donnell, at P.O. Box 100, Canutillo, Texas 79835, (915) 877-7423,[email protected] and/or the Section 504 Coordinator, Karen Judd, at P.O. Box100, Canutillo, Texas 79835, (915) 877-7433, [email protected].

Aviso al PúblicoNotificación de Prohibiendo Discriminación en los Programas Educatives de Carrera y Tecnicos

El Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo ofrece programas Educatives de Carrera yTecnicos en Tecnológia en Ciencias de Agricultura, Negocios, Investigación de Profesiones,Consumo Familiar, Tecnológia en Ciencia de la Salud, Educación de Mercadeo, EducaciónTecnológia y Desarrollo de Oficios Industriales. La admisión a estos programas se basa enrecomendación de consejeros escolares, interés académico, aptitudes, edad apropiada,eligibilidad, y disponibilidad de lugares en las clases.

Es norma del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo no discriminar la participaciónen estos programas por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, impedimento o edaden sus programas, servicios o actividades vocacionales, tal como lo requieren el Título VI dela Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en laEducación, de 1972, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.

Es norma del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo no discriminar por motivos deraza, color, origen nacional, sexo, impedimento o edad, en sus procedimientos de empleo,tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda;el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, la ley de Discriminación por Edad,de 1975, según enmienda, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, segúnenmienda.

El Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo tomará las medidas necesarias para asegurarque la falta de habilidad en el uso del inglés no sea un obstáculo para la admisión yparticipación en todos los programas educativos y Educatives de Carrera y Tecnicos.

Para información sobre sus derechos o procedimientos para quejas, comuníquese con elCoordinador del Título IX, Renee O’Donnell, en P.O. Box 100, Canutillo, Texas 79835,teléfono (915) 877-7423, correo electrónico: [email protected], o el Coordinadorde la Sección 504, Karen Judd, en P.O. Box 100, Canutillo, Texas, teléfono (915)877-7433, correo electrónico: [email protected]: 07/23/09

PUBLIC NOTICEVillage of Vinton, TexasA PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 6:00 p.m.during a Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting onThursday, July 30, 2009 at the Vinton Village Hall, 436E. Vinton Rd., Vinton, Texas. Purpose of the public hear-ing is to allow any interested persons to appear and testifyregarding the following proposed item(s):

1) Consider and recommend action on requestfor Special Permit to allow for 1 RamirezAddition, Lot 2, Village of Vinton, El PasoCounty, Texas (also known as 100-122 ChickenFarm Rd.) for the purpose of installing publicwater service connection.

Those who are unable to attend may submit their viewsin writing to the Village Clerk at 436 E. Vinton Road,Vinton, Texas 79821. Persons with disabilities that wishto attend this meeting should contact City Hall at(915)886-5104 to arrange for assistance. Individuals whorequire auxiliary aids or services for this meeting shouldcontact City Hall at least two days before the meeting sothat appropriate arrangements can be made.

Jessica GarzaVillage Clerk

WTCC: 07/23/09

driver’s side. The investigationcontinues. If you have any in-formation at all about thiscrime, either the vehicle or thesuspect driver, call Crime Stop-pers of El Paso immediately at566-TIPS (8477) or submit yourtip online atwww.crimestoppersofelpaso.org.You will remain anonymous and, ifyour tip leads to an arrest, you couldearn a cash reward up to $1,000.

— James Klaes

WantedThe hunt is on for Jose AdrianCastillo. He has a long wrap sheetof forgery,tamper ingwith gov-e r n m e n trecords, de-c e p t i v eb u s i n e s sp rac t i ce s ,n u m e r o u sthefts andeven falselypresenting himself as a lawyer.His aliases include Jose Chavez,Jose Zaragosa and El Pesado.Castillo is really a local con-art-ist who continues to deceitfullyscheme people or businesses outof money. Castillo is 46-years-old, described as Hispanic male,5-foot 10-inches tall, 200 pounds,

with a light complexion, browneyes and brown hair. He has aneagle tattooed on his upper rightarm. Castillo is charming and isknown to claim numerous busi-ness relationships with prominentmembers of society. In somecases, Castillo claims to be diag-nosed with terminal illnesses in aneffort to receive sympathy from hisvictims. Sheriff’s Officials are ask-ing anyone who has seen or knowsthe whereabouts of Castillo to callCrime Stoppers of El Paso at 566-TIPS (8477). Callers will remainanonymous and may be eligiblefor a reward if the informationprovided leads to the apprehen-sion of the individuals featured.

— Deputy Jesse Tovar

DeployedNavy Petty Officer 3rd Class Vic-tor M. Cabral, son of Maria L. andJose M. Cabral of Fabens, Texas,and more than 7, 500 sailors ofthe Ronald Reagan Carrier StrikeGroup relieved the EisenhowerCarrier Strike Group as Com-mander, Task Force (CTF) 50 andlaunched its first aircraft sortiesfrom Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14in support of Operation EnduringFreedom in Afghanistan. Thismarks the fourth deployment forthe Nimitz-class aircraft carrierUSS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)San Diego, Calif., commissionedin July 2003, and its return to Af-ghanistan. Cabral is a 2004 gradu-ate of Fabens High School. Hejoined the Navy in April 2006.

Jose Castillo

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

Page 6: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER July 23, 2009

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By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

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

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1973

2009

63Years

When you think of Akron, Ohio —and I know you do — you think of itas being the rubber capital of theworld or the birthplace of Alcohol-ics Anonymous. But on July 25, Ak-ron becomes the home of the self-proclaimed “greatest amateur racingevent in the world” — the All-Ameri-

A sporting view By Mark Vasto

All eyes on Akroncan Soapbox Derby.

Derby Downs is the place for therace, and has been (with the excep-tion of World War II) held there since1935, a year after former newsmanturned opportunist Myron Scott de-veloped the concept. Covering a lo-cal soapbox derby event in Dayton,

through the efforts of the WorksProgress Administration, which wasthe “stimulus package” of its day. Sotake note, would-be entrepreneurs,maybe you can take some of thetaxpayer’s money and make the Pin-ewood Derby into an internationalextravaganza.

Think big… it’s not like it’s yourmoney.

If you think I’m making fun, I’mnot. The event is a serious one andhas the backing of NASCAR: DriverJimmy Johnson is the celebrityspokesman for the All AmericanSoapbox Derby Association. Theevent used to be witnessed by morethan 70,000 fans per year. It was eventelevised in its earlier days on NBC.

It’s not easy getting to Akron, de-spite its central location. To competein the Derby, racers must win theirregional contests, and they must pur-chase their soap-box cars from the AllAmerican Soap Box Derby Associa-

tion. Depending on the stock level(stock, super stock and masters), of-ficial soap-box derby racer kits costbetween $450 to $650 to start. Andthere’s a pedigree, a standard to liveup to: Several Indy racers have wonat Akron, but so have folks likeJohnny Carson. Presidents RonaldReagan and Richard Nixon, celebri-ties like Tom Hanks and racers suchas Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewarthave also made the trip to DerbyDowns.

This summer, more than 500people representing 43 states andthree foreign countries will be inAkron. If you don’t have any plansthis summer, why not lather up andpoint the ol’ Airstream towards Ohiofor some clean, all-American fun?______________________________________________________

Mark Vasto is a veteran sports-writer and publisher of The Kansas

City Luminary. (c) 2009 KingFeatures Synd., Inc.

Scott saw the possibilities of an eventon national scale and copyrighted theidea for a tournament based on setrules and uniform parameters. Afterthe inaugural race took place in Day-ton, Scott moved the event to Akrondue to its hilly terrain (more Akrontrivia: Akron means “summit” inGreek). Akron embraced the event,and has run the race ever since.

Derby Downs has modern-day sig-nificance, too: The racetrack — threelanes of asphalt that (as you can prob-ably imagine) runs downhill for 989feet at a 48 feet elevation — was built

There have been many great inventions overthe years that make our lives better.

The remote control may make most Ameri-cans fatter then they otherwise would be butwhat a great thing — changing the channel orraising the volume without ever leaving thecomfort of your favorite couch.

How about the microwave, I know it’s re-ally only good for warning things and produc-ing that quick bag of popcorn, but at least Ican warm things about 30 minutes faster thanthe oven.

Another good invention was the personalcheck. Just picture it — you don’t have anycash in your pocket and you really want thosezesty jalapeno cheese doodles and that bottleof purple passion punch.

No problem, you pull out the old checkbook,sign your name and vuala, your hands are cov-ered with orange powdery goodness and yourlips are bright purple.

Only one potential problem — you musthave enough money in the bank to cover the$3 check for the doodles and punch.

That’s a crucial concept of the personal checkthat former NBA star Antoine Walker appar-ently never learned.

You see, Walker, who gained most of hisnotoriety playing beside Paul Pierce with theBoston Celtics a few years ago, likes some-thing just as much as he loved playing basket-ball — gambling.

Seems an arrest warrant was issued for the32-year old Walker a few days ago and he wasrecognized and arrested just a day later.

Where was he caught? You guessed it — ina Las Vegas casino bar.

I guess the 6-foot-9 former Boston Celtic All-Star thought he could just blend in.

Walker is being held on writing over $1-mil-lion in bad checks at Caesars Palace, PlanetHollywood and the Red Rock Resort, all inVegas.

I guess the big guy is kind of lucky. Some-times those Vegas types take care of these mat-ters without the help of the police — if youknow what I mean.

If you don’t know what I mean — let’s justsay there’s a lot of empty desert out there.

Any way, Walker could face multiple yearsin prison if he is convicted on these charges.

But this is not the first go-around with Walker

and some bad guys, or with the police for thatmatter.

Walker has been involved in some bizarreincidents over the years and his love for gam-bling may now shed some light.

He was the victim of an armed robbery backin 2000 and was bound and robbed again, thistime at gunpoint, in 2007.

Walker was also arrested for drunk drivingin Miami back in January.

All this is quite troubling, but not as trou-bling as what he was doing last weekend.

I don’t know about you but if were facing abunch of jail time I’d probably spend most ofmy time curled up in the fetal position on mybed not wanting to speak to anyone.

I guess Walker is more comfortable on the wildside. He spent last weekend playing in a celeb-rity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

I heard he hit the ball fairly well, and why not— his real handicap is located between his ears.

Just one of the boysI feel kind of bad because I never write any-

thing about the WNBA.Not because you couldn’t get me to watch a

game at gunpoint, but because it’s no secret thatthe sport is kept on life-support by the NBA.

I believe a sport that cannot sustain itself fi-nancially, just like the AIG’s, CitiCorp’s andGM’s of the world, should be allowed to fadeaway with dignity and let something better takeits place.

But no, the WNBA continues to be one ofthose sports people respond with, “I didn’tknow they were still around.”

Well I finally found a story about the WNBAI found compelling — but not positive.

Seems one of the league’s stars, DianaTaurasi — doing her best NBA-player imper-sonation, picked up three drunk driving-relatedcharges, including a new one in my book: ex-treme DUI.

Taurasi, who is suspended for a whoppingtwo games without pay, had over twice the le-gal limit of alcohol in her system while shewas speeding.

Not surprisingly, Taurasi pleaded not guiltyto the DUI charges and not responsible to thespeeding citation.

As for the two games without pay, that seemsa little harsh to me — didn’t Donte Stallworthget just 24 days in jail for driving drunk, speed-ing and killing a man?

I guess the laws in this country are still dis-proportionately biased against women.

Bad passing off the court lands Antoine Walker in court

LEGALS

PUBLICNOTICE OFINTENT TOREQUEST

RELEASE OFFUNDS

July 23, 2009

TexasDepartmentof Housing

& CommunityAffairs (TDHCA)

221 East 11th St.Austin, Texas 78711

(512) 475-0430

On or about July31, 2009 theTDHCA will autho-rize the Adult andYouth United De-velopment Associa-tion (AYUDA) tosubmit a request tothe HUD for the re-lease of HOMEfunds under Title IIof the CranstonGonzalez NationalAffordable HousingAct of 1990, asamended, to under-take a projectknown as Contractfor Deed Conver-sion, for the pur-pose of convertingcontracts for deedto conventionalloan mortgagesand rehabilitating orreconstructing fivehomes.

The activities pro-posed are categori-cally excluded un-

der HUD regula-tions at 24 CFRPart 58 from Na-tional Environmen-tal Policy Act re-quirements. An En-vironmental ReviewRecord (ERR) thatdocuments the en-vironmental deter-minations for thisproject is on file at221 East 11thStreet, Austin,Texas 78711 andmay be examinedor copied week-days 8:00 A.M. to4:30 P.M.

PUBLICCOMMENTSAny individual,group, or agencymay submit writtencomments on theERR to the TDHCA.All comments re-ceived by July 30,2009 will be consid-ered by the TDHCAprior to authorizingsubmission of a re-quest for release offunds.

RELEASEOF FUNDSTDHCA certifies toHUD that SandyGarcia in her ca-pacity as SingleFamily ProgramAdministrator TeamLeader consents toaccept the jurisdic-tion of the FederalCourts if an actionis brought to en-force responsibili-ties in relation to theenvironmental re-

view process andthat these responsi-bilities have beensatisfied. HUD’sapproval of the cer-tification satisfies itsresponsibilities un-der NEPA and re-lated laws and au-thorities, and allowsthe AYUDA to useProgram funds.

OBJECTIONSTO RELEASEOF FUNDSHUD will considerobjections to its re-lease of funds andthe TDHCA certifi-cation received byAugust 17, 2009 orfor a period of fif-teen days followingits actual receipt ofthe request (which-ever is later) only ifthey are on one ofthe following bases:(a) the certificationwas not executedby the CertifyingOfficer of theTDHCA; (b) theTDHCA has omit-ted a step or failedto make a decisionor finding requiredby HUD regulationsat 24 CFR Part 58;(c) the grant recipi-ent or other partici-pants in the projecthave committedfunds or incurredcosts not autho-rized by 24 CFRPart 58 before ap-proval of a releaseof funds by HUD; or(d) another Federalagency acting pur-

suant to 40 CFRPart 1504 has sub-mitted a writtenfinding that theproject is unsatis-factory from thestandpoint of envi-ronmental quality.Objections must beprepared and sub-mitted in accor-dance with the re-quired procedures(24 CFR Part 58)and shall be ad-dressed to JackPipkin at 801Cherry St., FortWorth, Texas76102. Potentialobjectors shouldcontact HUD/Texasto verify the actuallast day of the ob-jection period.

Texas Departmentof Housing andCommunity AffairsSandy GarciaSingle Family Pro-gram AdministratorTeam Leader

WTCC: 07-23-09_______________________

TOWN OFHORIZON CITY

PUBLICNOTICE

A PUBLIC HEAR-ING will be heldduring a RegularPlanning & ZoningCommission Meet-ing on Monday,August 17, 2009 at6:30 p.m. at 14999Darrington Road,

Horizon City, Texas.The purpose of thepublic hearing is toallow any interestedpersons to appearand comment re-garding a proposedrezoning of the fol-lowing property:

Rezoning applica-tion #09-002RZ:Two undevelopedlots described as:

Tract or parcel ofland east ofAntwerp Drive, onHorizon Boulevard,shown as a plattedparcel, recorded inthe Office of theClerk of El PasoCounty, Texas, be-ing known as Hori-zon City Subdivi-sion, all of lots eight(8) and nine (9),Block Four Hun-dred Eighty-Four(484), Unit Sixty-Three (63), an ad-dition to HorizonCity, Texas, an areaof 1.0 acre (43,560sq. ft.). Central Ap-praisal District PID#H77906348400080.

Proposed is the fol-lowing change ofzoning:

Current Zoning: R-2 — Single-FamilyDwelling

Proposed Zoning:C-1 — LightCommercial

Those who are un-able to attend maysubmit their viewsin writing to the CityClerk at the aboveaddress or call 915-852-1046. Accom-modations forhandicapped per-sons will be avail-able; and individu-als in need of spe-cial assistance forattending the hear-ing are encouragedto contact the CityClerk at 915-852-1046, forty-eight(48) hours prior tothe meeting.

Karen EllefsonTown Clerk

WTCC: 07-23-09___________________________________

HOMES

12748 Quijano,$87,600 reducedto $84,000. CarlosAguilar, (915) 269-1251. Broker.________________________

CLASSIFIEDSContinued Page 8

Page 7: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

July 23, 2009 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

By Taprina MilburnThere are some books that you

read and you’re not any differentbecause of them. It’s just a way topass time at the pool or in thedoctor’s office.

Then there are some books thatmake you look at the world in adifferent way, that encourage youor make you feel uneasy about theway you’ve been living — or per-haps not living.

I discovered two of those booksrecently. One was passed on to meby a friend, “Same Kind of Differ-ent as Me.” And one I picked upfrom the library, “Mrs. Astor Re-grets,” the biography of BrookeAstor, a wealthy philanthropistwho died at the age of 105 in 2007.

Let me compare the books foryou. “The Same Kind of Differentas Me” is written by two friends,Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Twounlikely friends. Denver is aformer sharecropper, and Ron is awealthy art collector. Denver’s lifeincludes poverty, prejudice andhomelessness. Ron’s life includesan education, wealthy clients andluxurious homes. Both lives, how-ever, include Debbie, Ron’s wife.

Without giving away too muchof the story, Debbie wanted to livea deeper life than cocktail parties,a large bank account and materialthings. She wanted to give back toGod by loving people… forgottenpeople… people like Denver, whowas dirty, homeless and unfriendly.

Debbie and Ron became dedi-cated, faithful volunteers at thehomeless mission where they metDenver. Ron’s life was changed aswell as Denver’s. That friendshipand faith in each other was slow-growing but life-changing for both

Books give uspause for thought

men.Debbie’s persistent love toward

both Ron and Denver, as well asothers at the mission is an exampleof how we are to live: not hung upon pretenses or material belong-ings, but willing to give of our-selves — time, money, energy, ac-ceptance — to our family and thosewhom society casts aside. This isa true story that leaves you buoyedand reminds you that our time, re-sources and love are not ours tokeep to ourselves, but to give backto others.

The Brooke Astor biographyalso is about giving back. Mrs.Astor loved her community andgave millions of dollars to impor-tant causes. She is described asAmerica’s favorite aristocrat. Butthe thing that is different about herstory is that her life, at least accord-ing to the posthumous biography,centers on fashion, cocktail parties,jewelry and the Who’s Who inSociety. She spent a lot of timewriting people in and out of herwill, and her family life was inshambles — barely a relationshipwith her only child, a son who waslater accused of taking his mother’smoney.

I finished the first book and wasleft with a feeling of lives livedabundantly. Mrs. Astor biographygave me the impression of anempty life built around things thatdon’t last.

Both books made me look at theworld in a different way.______________________________________________________Write to Taprina Milburn in careof King Features Weekly Service,P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL

32853-6475. (c) 2009 KingFeatures Synd., Inc.

R U READY?ACROSS

1 Wished undone 5 In fact 10 Vance orMcCormick 15 Callao’s country 19 Proverbpreposition 20 Rene of “BigTrouble” 21 Annual award? 22 Authentic 23 “My _” (’65 hit) 24 Romance 25 Host a roast 26 Forearm bone 27 Monotony 29 States briefly? 31 Hit man 33 Actress Schneider 34 Touches 36 Pecs’ partners 37 Clark of “Finian’sRainbow” 40 Usually 42 Considerscarefully 46 Bouquet 47 Green and Gore 48 Interstate exit 50 Cowboy star Lash 51 Young boxers 52 Navigationhazards 54 Fireplace fragment 56 Valueless 57 Zoo attraction

58 Greeted thegeneral 60 Jason’s wife 62 Ram’s remark 63 Acted like apeacock 65 Scoffed at 67 Orchestra section 69 Neighbor of Nev. 70 Keep an eye on 71 Destroy 72 Show indifference 74 Model Beverly 75 “Wall $treet Week”host 79 Mauna _ 80 Michelangelo work 82 Potsdam pastry 84 Lilly of pharma-ceuticals 85 Not give _ (beindifferent) 87 Actress Samantha 89 Adjusted an Amati 90 “Educating _” (’83film) 91 Certain sharks 93 Actress Sharon 94 _ -de-lance 95 Jabber away 96 Impacts 98 _ oxide101 Dentistry material102 Use a phaser103 Standards104 Iran’s Abolhassan_ -Sadr105 Swedish turnip

110 Trams transport it111 Like Schonberg’smusic114 Turgenev’sbirthplace115 Plot117 Pianist Gould120 Got off122 “Zip- _ -Doo-Dah”123 Uneven124 It comes from theheart125 Eye drop?126 Tamblyn orWestover127 Celtic cultist128 Pancake topping129 Stocking shade

DOWN 1 Bad hair, everyday? 2 Element 3 Raison d’_ 4 Stagnant state 5 Shock 6 Card game 7 Troop grp. 8 Shreveport coll. 9 Nigerian native 10 Animal 11 Root vegetable 12 Costa _ 13 Manipulates 14 It has its ups anddowns 15 Franco- _ War 16 Elver’s folks

17 Rampur royalty 18 - Bator 28 Kansas city 30 Big _, CA 32 Explorer Tasman 34 Desirable quality 35 Shut forcefully 37 Irene of “Zorba theGreek” 38 Let out the lava 39 Sot 40 Viva voce 41 Inlay 43 Baby beetles 44 Sinuous dances 45 Actress Ward 47 “Go!” to Gounod 49 Word form for“foot” 52 Exhaustion 53 Smooth transition 55 Told off 58 Play the mandolin 59 Pushbuttons’predecessors 61 Sharon of Israel 64 Mideast letters 66 “The Sun AlsoRises” heroine 68 Some 70 Semisolid protein 71 More uncouth 72 To date 73 Terse verse 74 Heathen 75 Ancient characters 76 Notre Dame’s river 77 Singer John

78 Laughing 79 It becomes ewe? 81 Mil. group 83 Sewell of “AKnight’s Tale” 86 Tennis greatPancho 88 Updated thefactory 90 Ponder 92 Use a poniard 95 Tahoe town 97 Set apart 99 Registered mailabbr.100 Zeno’s zees101 Afternoonrefresher104 Swahili, e.g.105 Serengeti sound106 Pakistanilanguage107 Some shirts108 Teri of “Tootsie”109 Hunt’s “_ BenAdhem”112 Composer Wilder113 Inventive sort?116 “A Fool Such _”(’59 hit)118 Powell co-star119 Muff121 Capote, on stage

Answer Page 4

Page 8: Canutillo cadets stay busy during summer

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER July 23, 2009

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

HOMES

New homes avail-able in Horizon,Anthony and SanElizario. Pricesstarting from the90s. USDA pro-gram available forZERO down pay-ment and ZEROpercent closingcost. New homesalso available inother areas. CallPete at 633-6179.________________________

SELF-HELP

Persons who havea problem with al-cohol are offered afree source of helplocally. Alcoholics

Anonymous - call562-4081 for infor-mation.

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

STORAGE

National SelfStorage

BRAND NEWUNITS

Specials - ClimateControl Units: 5x5and 5x10 just $1first month. Regular5x10 and 12x30units just $1 firstmonth. Call Blanca- 852-8300.

Classified AdsFrom Page 6

Retired with children?The idea of someone being “retired

with children” may seem like theseed of another television sit-com orreality show. But the fact is that it’sbecoming more and more commonfor older people to have minor chil-

dren in their care — whether bybringing new children into the world,taking over the care of grandchildrenor adopting children who need nur-turing parents.

So it’s important to know that if

you receive Social Security benefitsand have minor children who dependon you, you might be able to receivebenefits for them, too. This is truewhether you receive benefits as a re-tiree or you receive Social Securitydisability or survivors benefits.

To get benefits, a child must havea parent (or in some cases a grand-parent) who:

• is disabled or retired and entitledto Social Security benefits; or

• died after having worked longenough in a job where he or she paidSocial Security taxes.

The child also must be:• Unmarried; and• Younger than age18; or• 18-19 years old and a full-time

student (no higher than grade 12); or18 or older and disabled. (The dis-

ability must have started before age22.)

Within a family, a child may re-ceive up to one-half of the parent’sfull retirement or disability benefit,or 75 percent of the deceasedparent’s basic Social Security ben-efit. However, there is a limit to theamount of money that can be paidto a family. The maximum familypayment can be from 150 to 180percent of the parent’s full benefitamount. If the total amount payableto all family members exceeds thislimit, each child’s benefit is re-duced proportionately until the to-tal equals the maximum allowableamount.

For example, if you are retired witha minor child and your benefit pay-ment is $1,000 a month, your minorchild could get up to half of that eachmonth, or $500. However, if you hadtwo minor children in your care, themaximum your entire family couldreceive would be between $1,500 and$1,800 — that’s $1,000 for you andbetween $250 and $400 per child.

Whether you receive Social Secu-rity benefits because you have a dis-abling condition, due to the death ofa spouse or because you’ve reachedretirement, if you have minor chil-dren, you’ll want to read SocialSecurity’s online publication, Ben-efits for Children atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10085.html.

Canutillo Independent School DistrictPublic Notice of Non-DiscriminationCanutillo Independent School District does not discrimi-nate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age,or disability in its employment practices or in providingeducation services, activities, and programs, includingCareer and Technical Education programs.

For additional information regarding Canutillo Indepen-dent School District’s policy of nondiscrimination con-tact: Renee O’Donnell, (915) 877-7423, 7965 ArtcraftRoad, El Paso, Texas 79932.

Notificación PúblicaEl Distrito Escolar Independiente de Canutillo no discriminaen cuanto a raza, color, origen, sexo, edad o discapacidad enlo que se refiere a sus prácticas de empleo o a proveer servicios,actividades y programas educativos y Educatives de Carrera yTecnicos.

Para mayor información respecto a la política de nodiscriminación del Distrito Escolar Independiente deCanutillo, favor de contactar a: Renee O’Donnell, (915) 877-7423, 7965 Artcraft Road, El Paso, TX 79932.

WTCC: 07/23/09

Public NoticeSan Elizario Independent School District

504 Child FindPursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate and ifeligible, provide a free, appropriate public education todisabled students. For additional information about therights of parents of eligible children, or for answers to anyquestions you might have about identification, evaluationand placement into Section 504, please contact the District’sSection 504 Coordinator, Amanda G. Sanchez, at 872-3926,or mail at P.O. Box 920, San Elizario, Texas 79849.

Aviso de Identificación deEstudiantes Incapacitados bajo la

Sección 504Bajo la Sección del Decreto de Rehabilitación de 1973, elDistrito Escolar esta obligado a identificar, referir, evaluar, ypropocionar servicios educativos apropiados y gratuitos a losestudiantes incapacitados que califican bajo esta ley. Si usteddesea mas información sobre los derechos de padres de niñosincapacitados, o si tiene preguntas sobre la identificación,evaluación, y colocación de niños en el programa de Sección504, favor de ponerse en contacto con la Coordinadora de504 del Distrito Escolar Independiente de San Elizario,Amanda G. Sanchez, al numero 872-3926, o por correo a lasiguiente dirección: P.O. Box 920, San Elizario, Texas 79849.WTCC: 07/23/09