JANUARY 10, 2008VOL. 35, No. 2

NEWSBRIEFS

See BRIEFS, Page 3

The ability to say no is perhaps thegreatest gift a parent has.

— Quips & Quotes

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

1973

2008

35YEARS

A San Antonio company is voluntarily re-calling a third candy imported from Mexicoafter testing by the Texas Department of StateHealth Services (DSHS) found elevated leadlevels that could cause health problems.

Villa-Mex Imports, Inc., is recallingMiguelito Azucar Salada EnchiladaAcidulada. The candy is a reddish powder ina clear cellophone packet with blue lettering.The net weight is marked as 1.7 ounces. Thelabel also reads: Elaborado Por: Fabrica deDulces Miguelito, S.A. DE C.V. Totonacas No293 Col. Ajusco Coyoacan, Mexico.

Recent laboratory tests of Miguelito candysamples showed lead levels ranging from0.161 to 0.291 parts per million, above the0.1 parts per million lead level considered tobe a potential public health hazard by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration. The tests werepart of DSHS product surveillance conductedover the last several months.

Villa-Mex also has voluntarily recalledBarrilito, a dark brown thick syrup sold in 3.3

ounce glass barrel-shaped jars with white plas-tic lids; and Tarritos, a dark reddish brownpaste packaged in 3.3 ounce mug-shaped glassjars with a handle and white plastic lids. Bothlabels read: Productos Avila, S.A. de C.V.Puerto Malaque 1379 Col. Sta. MariaGuadalajara, Jal. Mexico. DSHS officials saidthe problem is with these products, not withthe distributor, Villa-Mex Imports.

Eating products containing lead can be es-pecially harmful to infants, young childrenand pregnant women. Too much lead intakecan result in delayed mental and physical de-velopment and learning deficiencies. Childrenwho have high blood lead levels may be tiredor cranky, not have much appetite, not be ableto pay attention, have headaches, vomit, beconstipated, be clumsy or weak or not be ableto sleep. Some children who have lead poi-soning may not look or act sick.

DSHS officials say consumers who havethe recalled products should not eat them andshould return them or throw them away. Theonly way to know if a child has a high bloodlead level is to have a blood lead test. Peopleconcerned about blood lead levels should calltheir doctor or health clinic about testing.

Third Mexican candy with lead recalled

Special to the CourierBy Emily Palmer

WASHINGTON — With millions of taxpackages beginning to arrive in mailboxes this

Special to the CourierBy Lea Crusberg

IRS tax packages to begin arriving in mail this week

See IRS, Page 8

Welcome homeThousands of soldiers returning to FortBliss received a warm welcome filled withbanners and goodies thanks to studentsfrom the Socorro Independent School Dis-trict. SISD Students joined others acrossthe county to create thank you cards andgoodie bags for returning soldiers as a wayto thank them for their service to the coun-try. A number of schools including HelenBall, Hurshel Antwine, Loma Verde andO’Shea Keleher schools packed and deco-rated thousands of goodies bags and thankyou cards as part of the District wide ef-fort in conjunction with Fort Bliss.

Texting hoaxText message warning going around ElPaso is a hoax. The El Paso Police De-partment learned many in our communityreceived text messages and or emailsclaiming the Department was giving awarning to the public. First, the El PasoPolice Department does not typically usethese forms of communications for safetyadvisories. Secondly, this type of threatmentioned in the messages is a hoax andhas been moving around the country. Thishoax is similar to other hoaxes in the pastand is intended to cause fear in the com-munity. The threat states gang memberswill ask women for directions and thenshoot them. These threats have been in-vestigated and are not true. The Depart-ment asks the public to disregard this mes-sage and to not forward it to anyone elseand unnecessarily spread this fear.

ACORN fairEl Paso ACORN will be hosting a citizen-ship fair on Jan. 19 at 6000 Welch in suite15. The fair will feature immigration at-torneys, trained volunteers to assist withthe N-400, and a photographer. The goalis to facilitate the naturalization processfor permanent legal residents. Interestedparties should contact ACORN toschedule an appointment for pre-regis-tration. Entrance to the fair will cost $25plus an optional $10 for photographs ifneeded. To register for an appointment,call 633-5412.

Crime StoppersBoth the County Commissioners Courtand El Paso City Council have proclaimedJanuary as Crime Stoppers Month in honorof the non-profit organization’s continu-ing work to bring together the community,law enforcement agencies and the mediato solve crime. El Paso is the second saf-est city of our size in the nation and lawenforcement agencies credit Crime Stop-pers for being a major contributor to crimereduction in our area. The program wasstarted in Nov. 1978. Crime Stoppers ofEl Paso was the first in Texas and only thesecond in the United States. Now in its30th year of operation, the program is the

week, the Internal Revenue Service today re-minded taxpayers to watch for commonly over-looked tax credits and late tax law changes thatcould affect their tax returns.

“The IRS will work to make this tax season assmooth as possible for taxpayers,” said Linda

Stiff, Acting IRS Commissioner. “We stronglyencourage taxpayers to file electronically, par-ticularly those affected by late tax law changes.Filing electronically makes things easier by re-ducing errors and speeding up refunds.”

The IRS is sending 16.5 million 1040 taxpackages to taxpayers this month who havefiled paper tax returns in the past. The numberof paper packages has dropped rapidly in re-cent years, falling from 34 million packages injust four years. The paper packages are be-coming much less common as the popular-ity of electronic filing soars. Last year,nearly 80 million tax returns used e-file, rep-resenting about 57 percent of all returns.

This year, the individual income tax pack-ages mailed to taxpayers do not include anytax credit forms and certain other forms due tolate tax law changes involving the alternativeminimum tax (AMT) “patch.” Copies of theseforms are available on IRS.gov. Taxpayers whoe-file should update their tax software to en-sure that they are using the updated forms.

The AMT changes also mean that as manyas 13.5 million taxpayers using five forms re-lated to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)legislation will have to wait to file tax returnsuntil the IRS completes the reprogramming ofits systems for the new law The IRS has tar-geted Feb. 11 as the potential starting date fortaxpayers to begin submitting the five AMT-related returns affected by the legislation.

The February date allows the IRS enoughtime to update and test its systems to accom-modate the AMT changes without major

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

GIVING BACK — The C.T. Welch Intermediate Panther Paws Student Organization gather every week to serve their community bymaking fleece blankets for families in need. The material for the blankets is donated by parents, employees and other communitymembers. The students also prepare bags filled with toiletries and school supplies for families who have lost their home andbelongings due to fire. In the photo above, from left, students Gabriel Munoz, Clarissa Farmer, Anthony Meraz, Javier Chairez,Daiel Chavez, Isabel Nieto hold blankets they made and donated to the Horizon City Fire Department. Horizon City Fire Chief RonLarson (back row) was on hand to accept the blankets. for distribution to the community. The Panther Paws are sponsored by C.T.Welch Intermediate Counselor Denise Brewster (back row). The students will continue to make blankets and will donate them toother organizations throughout the year.

Horizon students learn the value of service

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER January 10, 2008

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

1973

2007

YEARS34

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

They don’tsay that they

should not be killed.They say the way they are going

to be killed might be painful.The issues involve some guys who

are on death row for doing somethingso heinous that our court system hascondemned them to death for doingit.

Our method of killing killers hashit another snag.

This hiccup is big enough that theU.S. Supreme Court has agreed tohear it, and as a result, executionsacross the nation have ground to avirtual standstill, at least until thissummer when the nation’s highest ju-dicial body expects to have some-thing definitive to say about it.

At stake is the assertion that thethree-drug protocol used by mostdeath-penalty states in the U.S. to putconvicted killers to death might in-volve some pain at various times dur-ing the execution.

The standard protocol involves in-jecting the convicted person with apowerful barbiturate, sodium thio-pental, in a much higher dosage thanwhat is used to put a person to sleepfor surgery. Then they administer asecond drug, pancuronium, which isa paralytic and prevents the con-demned from twitching and convuls-ing. This is intended to give the wholeprocess “a sense of dignity and avoiddistress for both the condemned manand the witnesses.” Then he receivesan injection of potassium chloride,which stops the heart.

Now the point of the argumentthese men and their lawyers havecome up with is that “if not properlyadministered,” the dying personcould “possibly feel as if he is suffo-cating” and the drugs could “make

the prisoner feel as if his veins areon fire.”

Well, I don’t mean to be rude aboutthis, but the person being put to deathis, in fact, suffocating and, yes, hisveins are experiencing chemicalburning.

After all, this is an execution. Thisperson is being put to death. I fail tosee how we can expect this undeni-able reality to be dignified, painlessor anything other than what it is.

The last time the Supreme Courtissued a ruling on the method of put-ting condemned people to death wasback in 1878 when it ruled that deathby firing squad was legal. Since thattime, it has pretty much been the pur-view of the states to decide how tokill a killer, and executions havemoved from electrocution, to gassingand, finally, lethal injection. Themethod was developed in Oklahomaand was first used in 1977.

Having watched a few documen-taries on those other methods, if I wassitting on the Row, I’d be prettyhappy if I had a shot as that finalchoice.

That’s not what any of this is about,though. It has nothing to do with hon-est repentance, or justice, or compas-sion. Many opponents of the deathpenalty are like unbalanced animal-rights activists who don’t believe thata wolf will eat you just for the sportof it.

They may have finally hit upon apolitically-correct nerve so sensitivethey might actually get their wish —abolition of the death penalty entirely.Why, you just can’t do that sort ofthing to another human being, canyou?

Or can you?Apparently, human compassion

didn’t stop the condemned person

from inflicting unspeakable degrada-tion, pain and suffering on anotherhelpless human being with no con-cern at all about whether it hurt whentheir life was ripped, stabbed and tornfrom their living bodies. The horrificdetails of the crimes that put inmatesin their cells on death row are enoughto keep you up nights.

The sad and simple fact of thematter is that our system of justice isbased on artificially “objective” le-gal interpretation, so it will neversatisfy the deep desire for justice andmorality that humanity vainly seeksto assuage. Because humans are in-herently subjective in all things, thedeath penalty issue becomes littlemore than another legal competition,

all about winning and losing.If a man commits the acts that

many are executed for doing, he isno longer a viable human being andrepeated appeals only pander to hisdesire to stay alive. Killing him, onthe other hand, offers little comfortto the survivors — it won’t bringback the victims nor will it blunt thegrief of those left behind.

I read recently that it costs the U.S.more to put a man to death than itdoes to maintain him in prison untilhe dies of natural causes, i.e. illnessor old age. We’re not discussing thosewho meet their premature demise atthe hand of a fellow inmate. The ad-dition of the death penalty to anyprosecution adds hundreds of thou-

sands to the cost of a trial. Theamount of time between sentencingand execution for a prisoner in 2006was about 12 years and in January of2007, there were approximately3,350 prisoners sitting on death row— each a personification of untoldsuffering, wasted humanity, expenseand unfulfilled potential.

None of it really makes sense.Whatever the Supreme Court comesup with won’t change the unpleasanttruth — as we are in this present age,humans kill and are killed. There’snothing humane or compassionateabout any of it.

Cruel and unusual is just the wayhuman beings generally treat eachother.

Cruel andunusual

Freezing temperatures, chillingwinds, ice storms and snow can cre-ate severe problems for Texans whoare more often used to dealing withheat waves. The Texas Departmentof State Health Services (DSHS)urges people to take extra precau-tions against hypothermia and otherwinter-related dangers.

Hypothermia, the severe orprolonged loss of body heat, be-gins when a person’s body tem-perature falls below 95 degrees.Because the temperature dropmay be gradual, and an earlysymptom of hypothermia ismental confusion, the victimmay not know a problem exists.

People most susceptible to hypo-thermia include those 60 and older,

DSHS offers cold weather health precautionsinfants and small children, the sick,those taking certain prescriptiondrugs or drinking alcohol, thehomeless, auto or boating accidentvictims and those unable to findtemporary shelter in cold weather.

To reduce potential dangers:• Watch for hypothermia symp-

toms including confusion, drowsi-ness, slurred speech, a drop in bloodpressure, shallow breathing and apinkish tint to the skin. Anyone withthese symptoms related to cold tem-peratures is in immediate danger.Get medical help right away.

• Check on elderly or ill people,especially if they live alone or inisolated areas.

• Wear several layers of loose-fit-ting clothing, mittens, hat and a facecover. Stay dry.

• Be extremely cautious in thewind. A strong wind, even in onlymoderately cool weather, can cause

a wind chill far below freezing.Winter storms also may cause

power outages, leading to foodsafety problems. If you lose powerfor more than four hours, take theseprecautions with refrigerated foodproducts:

• Keep refrigerator and freezerdoors closed as much as possible.

• Discard any potentially hazard-ous foods such as meats, eggs, dairyproducts and leftovers that mayhave exceeded 40 degrees. When indoubt, throw it out.

• Any frozen food that has thawedbut not exceeded 40 degrees shouldbe prepared as soon as possible. Donot re-freeze.

DSHS officials warn that peopleshould not underestimate coldweather and should dress appropri-ately. Anyone planning outdoor ac-tivities in cold weather shouldcheck local weather forecasts.

Special to the CourierBy Emily Palmer

What do “Twinkle, Twinkle, LittleStar,” hand washing, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) have in common?

Plenty, according to Texas physi-cian leader Gary N. Butka, MD.Given recent news about the spreadof MRSA, a few extra seconds ofmusical prevention is worth asymphony’s worth of cure, theBrownwood internal medicine spe-

cialist says.The physician chimes in with

this simple prescription: Peopleshould sing a simple tune whilewashing their hands, because do-ing so can help minimize passinggerms on.

“The most important thing wecan do to prevent the spread ofstaph and MRSA is wash ourhands,” notes Dr. Butka, a formermember of the Texas Medical As-sociation (TMA) Committee on In-fectious Diseases. “I’m not justtalking about running your handsunder the faucet.” Hand washingreduces the risk of spread of thestaph infection, but only if it isdone for at least 15 seconds andthoroughly. “I recommend hum-ming a tune like ‘Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star’ or ‘YankeeDoodle Dandy’ while washing yourhands. When you finish the song,you have finished washing yourhands,” Dr. Butka says. Preventionis important because tougherstrains of MRSA are showing upoutside of health care settings.MRSA spreads primarily throughperson-to-person contact. “An or-ganism that was usually seen onlyin the hospital is now becomingvery common in the community,”says Jaime E. Fergie, MD, past chairof TMA’s Committee on InfectiousDiseases. Dr. Fergie specializes intreating pediatric infectious diseasesin Corpus Christi. Physicians andother health care experts are con-cerned over the spread of MRSA, a“superbug” that is a drug-resistant

Special to the CourierBy Brent Annear

Hand washing helps thwart MRSAinfection of the skin.

Some super-strains like MRSAare difficult to treat. MRSA is re-sistant to methicillin, penicillin,and similar antibiotics, but it canbe treated effectively with otherdrugs, including nonpenicillin-re-lated antibiotics.

While thorough hand washing isfar from a new prescription, peoplemay have become more compla-cent than they once were. “Part ofthe situation that we’re in today isa sense of false security that hasbeen created by the advent of anti-biotics,” adds Dr. Butka. “Beforewe had penicillin, hand washingwas really emphasized.”

Therefore, better to revert to oldways to prevent MRSA, physicianssay, since it can be as easy as handwashing — for a song.

Texas physicians also recommendthat people take these steps to pre-vent contracting MRSA:

• Use running water, soap, and pa-per towels or hand sanitizer or anti-septic wipes for proper hand hygiene.

• Routinely wash hands withsoap and running water before eat-ing, after using the bathroom, whenhands are visibly dirty, and beforeand after physical contact withpeople — particularly if they havesores or wounds or if contact ismade with blood, body fluids, ormucous membranes.

• Use liquid soap, which is effec-tive in killing staph; antibacterialsoaps are not necessary.

• Do not share razors and otherhygiene supplies.

January 10, 2008 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

only crime fighting, non-profit agency thatserves El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson

Counties. Since its inception Crime Stop-pers of El Paso has paid out over $820,000in cash rewards to bring about the arrestsof more than 3,500 suspects, cleared over4,200 cases, and has caused the removal ofmore than $47 million dollars worth of nar-cotics from the streets.

BriefsFrom Page 1______________________

www.wtccourier.com

Answer Page 6

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER January 10, 2008

NO FEE REQUIREDNOTICE TO TAXPAYERS

Jerry R. Griffin, RPA, Executive Director/Chief Appraiser, El Paso Central Appraisal District, iscurrently accepting application(s) for the following:

RENDITIONS1. Business Personal Property (mandatory as of 2004 — failure to file a business personal property

rendition will result in a 10% penalty).2. Real Estate

DEADLINE FOR FILING OF RENDITIONS, PROPERTY INFORMATION REPORTS, ANDREPORTS OF DECREASED VALUE IS TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008.A filing extension will be allowed for business renditions upon receipt of a written request receivedby the filing deadline, Tuesday, April 15, 2008.

EXEMPTIONS*1. Residential Homestead Exemption2. Over-65 Exemption**3. Over 55 Surviving Spouse of a person who received the Over-65 Exemption4. Medical Disability Exemption**5. Veteran’s Disability Exemption6. Widow of Disabled Veteran Exemption

*If you previously received a Homestead and/or an Over-65 Exemption, or an Over-55 Surviving Spouseof a person who received the Over-65 Exemption, a Disability Exemption, or a Disabled Veteran’sExemption, it is not necessary for you to file again this year. However, if the level of certified disabilityfor the Veteran’s Exemption has changed, you may file a new application.

**The Over-65 School Homestead Exemption or Medical Disability Exemption can be transported toanother home within Texas on a percentage basis.

TAX DEFERRAL OR ABATEMENTEligible persons may obtain a deferral or abatement.

PLEASE CONTACT THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT FOR EXEMPTION(S) AND DEFERRALOR ABATEMENT FORMS AND EXPLANATION.

SPECIAL USE VALUATIONSAgricultural Valuation - Applications are being accepted for Ad Valorem Tax purposes as provided underArticle III, Section 1-d and 1-d-1 of the Texas State Constitution. Properties qualifying under theseAmendments are valued on the basis of Agricultural Productivity rather than their market value. The taxthat would be levied on market value is deferred. Information on agricultural use valuation is available inthe State Comptroller’s Publication, Taxpayers’ Rights, Remedies & Responsibilities. Copies areavailable at the Appraisal District office.

DEADLINE FOR FILING EXEMPTIONS AND APPLYING FOR SPECIAL USE VALUATIONSIS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008, FOR ALL TAXING JURISDICTIONS. ALL OF THE ABOVEAPPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED EITHER IN PERSON OR BY MAIL AT THE EL PASOCENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT, 5801 TROWBRIDGE, EL PASO, TEXAS 79925. TOOBTAIN APPLICATION(S) CALL (915) 780-2131 OR WRITE TO ABOVE ADDRESS OR VISITOUR WEBSITE AT www.elpasocad.org.

ACCURACY & EQUITY — OUR GOALS.

NO FEE IS REQUIRED FOR FILING ANY OF THE ABOVE RENDITIONS,EXEMPTIONS OR SPECIAL USE VALUATIONS. SERVING YOU IS OUR JOB.

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The Socorro High School NavalJunior ROTC battalion receives highscores during its annual military in-spection. The 161-member unit wentthrough its annual inspection on De-cember 13 at the football field atSocorro High School. The day-longinspection included personnel in-spection, marching drills and pass-in-review.

“We received the highest score wecould get,” said Lieutenant Com-mander Ben Spaulding, CEC, USN(Ret.), Senior Naval Science Instruc-tor. “Our students are more than ex-cited. Several received individualawards for appearance.”

“Our NJROTC program has con-sistently been ranked among the topteams in the nation,” said SISD Su-perintendent Dr. Sylvia P. Atkinson.

“We are very proud of Socorro andexpect our other units to perform justas well.”

Sixty medals were awarded toNJROTC cadets for their perfor-mance. Spaulding explained the in-spections check for personal appear-ance, uniforms and grooming. Headds the students spent several hoursafter-school and on weekends to pre-pare for the inspection.

“We are very proud of these stu-dents for this accomplishment,” saidSISD Board President CharlesGarcia. “They have worked very hardwith their instructors to get ready forthis inspection.”

Socorro High NJROTC receives top scores in inspectionBy Irma Flores

Special to the Courier

The day began with CommanderPamela Holland, Commanding Of-ficer for the Navy Recruiting Districtin Phoenix. Commander Holland in-spected minor property, spaces, se-curity and financial records ofSocorro’s NJROTC Battalion. Shethen conducted a personnel inspec-tion of the battalion which was fol-lowed by basic Marching Drills byeach of the six platoons.

Along with the six platoons, theColor Guard and NJROTC Staff,which is comprised of officers andchief officers, were reviewed as well.Following the pass-in-review andDrill Team performance, Com-mander Holland completed her in-spection with a final review of cadetrecords and uniform inventory.

“We received the maximum points.We broke a record,” said Chief Os-car Reyes. “Our cadets were out-standing across the board. They re-ceived favorable comments from theinspectors. This puts us on the topline.”

The annual inspection is to reviewthat the 663 NJROTC battalionsthroughout the US, including SocorroHigh School, and those located oninternational military installationslive up to the Navy and communitystandards. The Socorro Battalion’sscore will go toward a goal of receiv-ing Distinguished Unit honors.Socorro High School had receivedthe honor for 19 out of 20 years.

“We put this in the hands of thecadet leadership,” said Spaulding,LCDR, CEC, USN (Ret). They arerunning this like the military does.”

— Photo by Stacy Hendrick/SISD

PROUD CADETS — From left, CPO Cordova, PO-FC Espinosa, EnsignMolina, Ensign Ortiz and Ensign Ortega.

— Photo by Stacy Hendrick/SISD

SPEAK UP CADET — Navy Commander Pamela Holland smiles as cadets answer her questions.

January 10, 2008 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

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Clint Independent School DistrictNotice of Public Hearing

Clint Independent School District will hold a public hear-ing for the discussion of the 2007 district Annual Reporton Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at the Clint Indepen-dent School District Administration building board room,located at 14521 Horizon Blvd., at 5:30 p.m. during theregularly scheduled School Board meeting. All interestedindividuals are welcomed to attend. The report will beavailable to the public after the hearing at all Clint Dis-trict School Campuses, the Clint Public Library and theClint Post Office.

Audencia públicaEl distrito escolar de Clint tendra una junta para descutirel Reporte Annual del Distrito de 2007 el miercoles, 16de enero del 2008 en las oficinas administrativas localizadas14521 Horizon Blvd. a las 5:30 p.m. Todos individuosinteresados estan invitados a asistir. El Reporte se puedeobtener en estos lugares; todas las escuelas publicas deldistrito, la biblioteca publica de Clint, y el Correo de Clint.WTCC: 01/10/08

Canutillo High School NJROTC received an outstand-ing rating in its annual Military Inspection held recentlyat the CHS Julius & Irene Lowenberg Eagles Stadium.CHS military science program has 107 cadets.

“Overall the naval cadets looked very sharp, especiallythe color guard and the cadet officers staff,” stated Com-mander Pam Holland, who traveled from the Naval Re-cruiting District in Phoenix to serve as the inspectingofficer. Included in the inspection party were Chief PettyOfficer David McAllister, Senior Chief ArturoDornantes, Petty Officer First Class Omar Ramirez, andPetty Officer Second Class Carlo Flores.

Among the special guests invited to observe theannual event were members of the 4th Brigade Com-bat Team from Fort Bliss Army base, which returnedrecently from Iraq. The soldiers representing thefourth brigade were Pv2 Michael Rhyder, ofHyndman PA; Pfc. Brenda Jones, of Bronx NY; Sgt.Griselda Wilson, of Ontario CA; Pv2 Michael Tutaj,of Chicago Il; and Pfc. Hans Vehmeier, of Midland

Members of 4th Brigade Combat Team 1st Calvary Divisionattend Canutillo High School’s NJROTC military inspection

By Alfredo VasquezSpecial to the Courier

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

Canutillo High School NJROTC Cadet Staff Corp undergoes inspection (from left) Brian Boehm, AngelitaDe Leon, Sarahi Moyers, Crystal Grado, Commander Pam Holland, Commander Gerry Mangrum, ChiefMcAllister, Senior Chief Arturo Dornantes.

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

Canutillo High School NJROTC Color Guard (from left) Kevin Kruger,sophomore; Brisa Lopez, sophomore; Ruth Vasquez, junior; and BlaineCrossland, sophomore.

TX. They were presented each in a special recogni-tion ceremony with a bouquet of flowers created byCHS Ag-Science Horticulture students. Making thefloral presentation were CISD Superintendent Dr.Pam Padilla and FFA Officer Anne Newfeld, junior.

Also in the stands were the Big Brother Big Sister(BBBS) Littles from Bill Childress ElementarySchool, about 80 fourth graders who have Bigs (men-tors) in the NJROTC program. CHS’s NJROTC hasparticipated in the BBBS program since its introduc-tion into Canutillo ISD schools three years ago. Sev-eral CHS cadets are Bigs for students in the district’sfive elementary schools.

“Although we have many freshmen in the program,we did really well ,” said Cadet CommanderRaymundo Duran, senior, “next year, they will doeven better.” The cadet staff corp also includes Ex-ecutive Officer Crystal Grado, senior; Supply OfficerAngelita De Leon, senior; Chief Petty Officer BrianBoehm, sophomore; and Chief Petty Officer SarahiMoyers, sophomore.

CHS’s NJROTC military science program is under thedirection of Navy Commander Gerry Mangrum and PettyOfficer First Class Pete Soto.

Apprentice naturalists can receivein-depth training in wildlife and natu-ral resource management by enroll-ing in the 2008 Texas Master Natu-ralist program. Certified students cango on to volunteer in community out-reach, research, and service projects.

This is a nationally recognizedprogram whose mission is to developand certify a group of well-informedvolunteers to provide education, out-reach, and service dedicated to thebeneficial management for natural re-sources and natural area within thecommunity. The Texas CooperativeExtension, Texas Parks and Wildlife,and the Texas Forest Service jointly

Special to the CourierBy Susan Petty

Master Naturalist program begins February 20sponsor the program here in El Paso.

The program is a 13-week coursewith training topics ranging from ge-ology to botany, archaeology todesert ecology. Experts from univer-sities, museums, special interest or-ganizations, and government agen-cies will jointly teach the course.

The course will begin on Feb. 20and classes held Wednesday eveningsfrom 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for 13 weeks atthe TECH H2O Center, 10751 Mon-tana at the Kay Bailey HutchinsonDesalination Plant. Some classes willbe help at UTEP in university class-rooms. Five Saturday morning fieldtrips will take place throughout thesession.

Application forms and informationare available by calling The TexasCooperative Extension, (915) 851-

2515. The deadline for submission ofapplications is Feb. 9.

With such support, we have servedthe community of El Paso througheducational and service projects. Wehelp at Rio Bosque, Keystone Heri-tage Park, Franklin Mountain StatePark, Feather Lake, Wyler Tramway,McKelligan and McKittrick Can-yons. We impact approximately 450acres.

We help with Wildscapes, MissionPossible, Waterfest, Celebration ofthe Mountains, Raptor Control, andGift to the River. At educational fairsand exhibits, classroom presenta-tions, and as trail guides we meet 120youth and 140 adults each month.Our program supports lowering wa-ter use and appreciating theChihuahuan Desert in which we live.

To Advertise Call 852-3235

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER January 10, 2008

Classified Ads

By Steve EscajedaSpecial to the Courier

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As per Article V,Sec. 5.05(a), allowners andlienholders haveten (10) days fromthis date to reclaimtheir vehicles atS o u t h w e s tWrecker, 1401Darrington Rd.,855-1900, 851-2091-fax, or it willbe sold at publicauction for charges:VIN -JHMBA7444GCO83872,1986 Honda LXI,grey, NM license

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As a new year of exciting athletic and en-tertainment events kicks off at the Universityof Texas at El Paso, officials would like toremind the public of its temporary ticket cen-ter locations and encourage advance ticketpurchases.

“With tickets to upcoming athletic events,concerts and entertainment sure to be in highdemand, we’d like to remind the public of ourtemporary ticket center locations and providethem the information necessary to ensure theirexperience is a positive one,” said Carol-Rob-erts-Spence, director of UTEP’s Office of Spe-cial Events. “Our old building off Mesa Streetmay be gone, but we’re still here to serve thepublic.”

The old ticket center was torn down to makeroom for the construction of a basketball prac-tice facility and a new ticket center.

Event-goers can purchase tickets for vari-ous events at the Sun Bowl temporary ticketcenter at the north end of the stadium off GloryRoad by the Larry K. Durham Sports Center.

Customers are encouraged to access the SunBowl temporary site through Sun Bowl Driveas access through Mesa Street is often lim-ited due to the construction. The hours of op-eration during regular business days are 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

On event and game days the Don HaskinsCenter ticket trailer located on east side of thatbuilding off Mesa Street by the constructionsite is open until halftime or intermission.

Officials highly recommend that custom-ers purchase tickets in advance and pick themup at the designated “will call” windows ateither temporary site on event day.

To help ease traffic jams and better servethe public, university officials are workingto improve signage in the area and will pro-vide additional and more visible signage dur-ing events.

Upcoming shows include Texas Versus theNation, Monster Jam and Linkin Park, as wellas an array of athletic events including men’sand women’s basketball.

For information, visit www.utep.edu/tickets or call the UTEP Ticket Center at(915) 747-5234.

UTEP sets up temporary ticket center

Special to the CourierBy Laura Cruz Acosta

The UTEP Miners open Conference USAplay at home this week, and though they’recoming off two disappointing losses, they havea great opportunity to finish the opening weekof league play in first place.

The Miners have played three top qualityteams so far this season, Texas A&M, NewMexico and Texas Tech. And with five min-utes to go in each game, it appeared TonyBarbee’s bunch was on its way to victory.

Unfortunately, college basketball games goon for more than just 35 minutes.

Losing these important games could comeback to haunt the Miners at the end of the sea-son, but until then, all they can do is try to winconference basketball games.

And because the Miners open at homeagainst two teams with losing records, they

have an excellent chance to save their season.UTEP takes on SMU (6-7) and Rice (3-10)

this week and should come away with a 2-0 C-USA record by the time you read your Sundaymorning newspaper.

Even though they should win, these gameswon’t be easy. It’s obvious that the Miners don’trebound, make lay ups or shoot free throwsvery well. But they do cause turnovers becausethey can defend.

The one thing the Miners can expect is fortheir remaining opponents to copy what the Lo-bos and Red Raiders did to neutralize starStefon Jackson.

Both New Mexico and Texas Tech frustratedJackson by muscling him around the court anddouble-teaming him when he got close to thebasket.

Taking Jackson out of the game forced theMiners to shoot way too many 3-pointers. Butbecause they have no inside game, they don’thave to many other options.

And let’s face it, the Miners are just tooyoung and inexperienced without Jackson onthe floor. They aren’t the same team and theystruggle to stay in any kind of an offense.

Any way, Barbee, being the eternal optimist,knows that the Miners have a great opportu-nity. The only problem is that there are another14 conference games left after these two homegames.

And the Miners still look like they’re a yearaway from making a real name for themselves.

There’s no doubt that the Miners will con-tinue to give it their all. But if they want tohave any chance of playing any postseasonbasketball, it will start with two wins this week.

BCS snoozerAll in all, it was a pretty bad year for college

football.Not the way it began and progressed through

the regular season, but the way it ended withits antiquated bowl system.

Case in point: Were any of you looking for-ward to the BCS national championship gamebetween LSU and Ohio State? Did any of youreally consider the game between LSU andOhio State a true championship game?

Me neither.In fact, I remember driving home after work

on the day of the game and hearing on the radiothat the title game was that evening. I totally for-got about the national championship game.

I didn’t even watch it. Oh, I checked in fromtime to time to catch the score, but the gamedidn’t interest me at all.

I guess it was my little protest vote over theBCS — by far the dumbest system in sports.

LSU won the game. Do any of you feel LSUis the best team in the country?

Me neither.If there were an eight-team playoff we could

have seen Missouri, Kansas, USC, Georgia,LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and West Virginiago at on the field.

You think that would have generated somefan interest?

Me too.

He said, he saidSo who do you believe, Roger Clemens or

Brian McNamee?Clemens, who was named as a user of ste-

roids and HGH in the Mitchell report, wasturned in by his former trainer, McNamee.

McNamee implicated pitcher Andy Pettitteand Pettitte verified his story by admitting hehad taken HGH from McNamee. Of course,this gave the trainer instant credibility.

But Clemens has accused McNamee of ly-ing, saying he never used steroids. Clemens isso upset that he is filing a lawsuit againstMcNamee.

Word is that McNamee is going to file acountersuit against Clemens.

So who is lying? Why would McNamee lieabout Clemens and not about Pettitte?

Who knows, but I have a distinct feeling thatClemens is being less than truthful.

Proving it, however, is a much differentmatter.

Miners need to close out games

FABENS — Receiving a bid to Nationals ata NCA cheer camp during the summer has theFabens High School cheerleading squad veryexcited. “This is something that has never beendone in Fabens history,” said René King, FHScheerleading sponsor. Winning the chant divi-sion at cheer camp got the squad to Nationals.

“The events at camp were extremely chal-lenging,” said Donny Quiroz, co- captain ofthe squad. The squad went through a vigorousroutine where they had to cheer, dance, stunt,and jump for eight hours a day, three days in arow. As tough as it was, the squad pulledthrough and made the best out of it.

Preparing for Nationals being held on Apr.8 in Daytona, Florida, the squad is learning newroutines and trying to stay in shape. A NCAcheerleading coach has been hired to trainthem. The squad feels confident — they have

already accomplished a lot this year and planto keep the momentum going.

Quiroz stood out from the many participantsat the camp and received an opportunity to tryout for the NCA All-American Squad. “I wasso excited to try-out, it was very nerve-rack-ing but it all paid off when I found out I hadmade the squad, it’s cool to be part of a na-tional team,” Quiroz said.

That’s not all the cheerleaders have accom-plished this year, Vivian Manzano, AdrianaCastro and Evelyn Nunez are cheering on theEl Paso All-City Cheerleading Squad. Thesquad participates in various events around thecity, the latest being the Sun Bowl half-timeshow that was held on Dec. 31. “I feel hon-ored to have made the All-City Squad becausemy talents as a cheerleader are recognized,”said Manzano.

FHS cheerleaders receive a bid to Nationals

January 10, 2008 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 Don FloodThis just in: Pamela Anderson is

getting a divorce after two months.Or maybe she isn’t. Whatever.But of perhaps more interest is

a surprising scientific break-through by none other than Jenni-fer Lopez: Pregnant women put onweight.

Recently a Web site released thenews that, according to an in-formed source (as opposed to anuninformed source, who are bestto stay away from, unless of courseyou want to make the story moreinteresting), “Jennifer loves beingpregnant, but she’s not happy aboutthe weight gain.”

The weight gain, apparently,took Lopez by surprise since it’snever been noted before in the sci-entific literature. Interestinglyenough, further study by Lopez hasdetermined that virtually all preg-nant women suffer from this mys-terious malady.

This isn’t Lopez’s first scientifictriumph. Physicists are still shak-ing their heads over how herbarely-there dress for the 2000Grammy Awards managed to stayon for the ceremonies.

(Recently, the J-Lo Dress Co-nundrum, as the problem is re-ferred to by scientists, was takenon by the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology, which has secureda federal grant to pay for Lopez tomodel the dress for a group of topMIT physicists. Lopez’s preg-nancy, unfortunately, has stalledthis important project.)

But the Big Word in Hollywoodis: (Silence.)

That’s right, the writers’ strikemay actually affect America’sleading industry: self-congratula-tory awards shows.

The writers have threatened notto write those clever bon mots thatstars read while introducing theGolden Globe and Academy

Award categories.Imagine the horror. Without the

writers, we could be in for a nightof awful jokes, inane banter andpathetically self-serving blather.

Wait, that’s what we have now.Here’s a thought. Maybe they

could just… present the awards. (Iknow it’s crazy, but it just mightwork!)

The show would be over by 10p.m., which is about the time theOscars usually starts gettingwarmed up with its more highlyanticipated awards, such as thehotly contested Best CateringAward for a Foreign CartoonDocumentary Featuring CentralAsian Midgets.

And it could get done even ear-lier if they would simply tweak therules a little to allow snipers toshoot award winners who prattleon too long. (This is pretty muchall of them.)

Not that I don’t support the writ-ers. After all, I have my own per-sonal stable of 15 writers whowork night and day to produce thiscolumn, allowing me to hang outin Monaco sipping champagne allday with Snoop Dogg.

(His new reality show, “SnoopDogg’s Father Hood”? I helpedSnoop create, write and executethat blank space in the middle offatherhood. Totally makes theshow. And that’s not the only blankspace I’ve been responsible for.)

Would I be the same writer with-out my team? It’s hard to say, es-pecially since I’m not writing this.You’d have to ask them.

But I do know this. I think thewriters deserve whatever revenuestreams they have coming to them,especially if they write a movie forme.Maybe a bio of Pamela Andersen.______________________________________________________(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

dflood287@comcast.net

We may suffer the sounds of silence

TAKE A HIKE!ACROSS

1 Surrounded by 7 Nimoy role 12 Clout a cad 16 _ Vicente, Brazil 19 Stew ingredient 20 _ firma 21 Top-of-the-line 22 Prom wear 23 Start of a remarkby 108 Across 25 Reserve 27 Rep. opponent 28 Savor the squid 29 Pin part 31 Powell or Quinn 32 Orwell’s “Animal_” 34 Chastised, with“out” 37 Nick of “I LoveTrouble” 38 Archaic affliction 41 Cotton cloth 42 _ tape 43 Cognizant 44 Spoil 45 Part 2 of remark 48 Deface 49 Bunch of bees 51 Bulldog feature 52 Shady character? 54 English statesman 56 A deadly sin 57 Masters’ “_ RiverAnthology” 59 Cary of “Hot

Shots” 61 Diva Renata 63 Trigger Trigger? 64 Game-showgiveaways 65 Part 3 of remark 69 With 6 Down,John Cleese sitcom 71 Grapefruit serving 72 Tableland 74 Tex-Mex favorite 75 Sturdy fabric 77 Goes (for) 78 556, to Flavius 80 TV’s “Top _” 81 Trunk, inTewkesbury 82 “She _ YellowRibbon” (’49 film) 84 Holidayless mo. 85 End of remark 88 Brewer or Wright 91 _ Park, NJ 93 Birthday buy 94 Danson’s “Cheers”role 95 Greek poet 96 Emerson’s middlename 98 Word in aHawthorne title 99 Sell100 Rock’s _ Trick101 A swan was herswain102 “The Gold Bug”author103 “_ been ages!”

106 Notable108 Speaker of remark114 Plastic _ Band115 Sausage segment116 Proofreader’smark117 “Bewitched” role118 Energy119 Signor Ferrari120 Pound the podium121 Sheena of song

DOWN 1 Copied 2 Budge 3 List entry 4 _ es Salaam 5 Pig’s digs 6 See 69 Across 7 Dele dele 8 _ diem 9 Galena, e.g. 10 Dernier _ 11 Disputed territory 12 Bar food? 13 Burden 14 “_ Day Now” (’62hit) 15 NBC logo 16 Circus prop 17 Heroic Murphy 18 The yoke’s onthem 24 Overdramaticthespian 26 Maestro Georg 30 Velvet finish? 32 In place of

33 Olympic hawk 34 Card game 35 Kreskin’s letters 36 Stout relative 37 Worthless 38 Temptress 39 Watch for 40 Gave up 41 Pugilist Hagler 42 Time to crow? 44 Black and whitedelight 45 Wine and dine 46 Hillary’s home 47 Mirth 50 Author Eudora 51 Victor of “Papillon” 53 Mag. submissions 55 Govt. security 57 Slosh theschnapps 58 Dragon of song 59 Part of Q.E.D. 60 Resided 62 _ Spumante 63 Circus barker 64 Part of a process 66 Voucher 67 Block 68 Marine leader? 69 TV watchdog 70 At the drop of _ 73 Soft-palateextension 75 “Come Softly _”(’59 song) 76 Distress 77 Buck or Jesse

79 Violinist Oistrakh 81 South Africanactivist 83 Exiled dictator 86 Renown 87 Frog-to-be 88 Hot stuff 89 Building wing 90 Caviar 92 Gridiron position 94 Beyond balmy 95 Comic Herman 96 Complain 97 Famed fabulist 98 Little lizard 99 Harry _ Zell100 Karate blow101 City on theDanube102 Rose or Rozelle103 “_ You Babe” (’65song)104 Archaicpreposition105 Cartoonist Lee107 _ Tin Tin109 Benzene source110 Significant years111 Donkey doc112 Cell stuff113 Drivers’ lics., e.g.

Answer Page 6

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER January 10, 2008

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

disruptions to other operations re-lated to the tax season. Although asmany as 13.5 million taxpayers willnot be able to file their returns untilFeb. 11, the effect of the delay maybe lessened by the fact that based onprevious filing patterns only 3 millionto 4 million taxpayers file returns withthe five affected forms during theseearly weeks of the filing season.

The Feb. 11 delay caused by the

IRSFrom Page 1______________________

AMT patch will affect any taxpayerusing any of these five forms:

• Form 8863, Education Credits;• Form 5695, Residential Energy

Credits;• Form 1040A’s Schedule 2, Child

and Dependent Care Expenses forForm 1040A Filers;

• Form 8396, Mortgage InterestCredit; and

• Form 8859, District of ColumbiaFirst-Time Homebuyer Credit.

Although these five forms requiresignificant additional reprogrammingdue to the AMT patch, the IRS hasbeen able to reprogram its systems

to begin processing seven otherAMT-related forms, includingForm 6251, Alternative MinimumTax - Individuals. Taxpayers filingthese seven forms should not experi-ence delays in filing, and the IRS ex-pects to begin processing those re-turns starting on time.

Electronic returns involving thosefive forms will not be accepted untilsystems are updated in February.Similarly, paper filers should wait tofile as well. All other e-file and pa-per returns will be accepted startingin January.

The IRS urges affected taxpayers tofile electronically in order to reducewait times for their refunds. E-file withdirect deposit gets refunds in as littleas 10 days, while paper returns takefour to six weeks. Especially for tax-payers affected by the AMT changes,e-file with direct deposit is the fastestway to get a refund.

Indeed, the IRS expects continuedgrowth in IRS e-file, which is nowin its 22nd year. Taxpayers can filetheir returns electronically one ofthree ways: through their taxpreparer, through over-the-countersoftware or through IRS Free File.

IRS Free File is a partnership be-tween the IRS and a consortium of taxsoftware manufacturers who offer freesoftware and free electronic filing totaxpayers who meet certain criteria.For 2008, taxpayers who earned$54,000 or less will be eligible for FreeFile. Approximately 70 percent of alltaxpayers, or 95 million people, willmeet the income criteria. Taxpayersmust access Free File through IRS.gov.

Taxpayers also should be aware ofimportant tax credits such as theEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC),the Saver’s Credit and the Child TaxCredit. Taxpayers must meet certainincome limits for all three but taxcredits such as these can significantlylower tax bills or increase refunds.

The IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, isthe round-the-clock source of infor-mation. Taxpayers can go to 1040Central on IRS.gov to find the lat-est tax news, information about taxlaw changes, up-to-date publica-tions and information about valu-able tax credits.

The IRS also has issued an increas-ing number of warnings over the lastfew years about e-mail scams target-ing individuals, businesses, exemptorganizations and other taxpayers.The scams, popularly known as“phishing” scams, use phony e-mailsthat falsely claim to come from theIRS. As a rule, the IRS does not sendunsolicited e-mails to taxpayers. Tax-payers who receive an unsolicited e-mail communication claiming to befrom the IRS can forward the mes-sage to phishing@irs.gov using in-structions posted on IRS.gov.

To AdvertiseCall 852-3235 Q: I will be eligible for my company’s

pension at age 60. But I also haveSocial Security coverage, havingpaid into the system for the past 36years. Will my Social Security retire-ment benefit be reduced because ofmy pension?

A: No. But the earliest that you canstart collecting Social Security retire-ment benefits is age 62. If you startyour Social Security at 62, your ben-efit will be reduced — not becauseyou get a pension, but because youare collecting Social Security earlier

than your full retirement age. How-ever, you should check with yourpension office to find out whetherSocial Security benefits will reduceyour company pension once yourbenefits start. Learn more about So-cial Security by visiting our websiteat www.socialsecurity.gov, or call usat 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Q: I get Supplemental Security In-come (SSI) for a physical disability.I would like to try going back to work.Am I allowed to get a part time job

without risking loss of benefits?

A: If you start to work, a portion ofyour income may affect your SSI ben-efit amount and eligibility. Social Se-curity encourages recipients with dis-abilities to try working. Also, in manycases you are able to keep your medi-cal coverage. Social Security has anumber of work incentives to help youattempt working without taking awaythe security net of your benefits. Learnmore about them by visiting ourwebsite at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. If you do decide to work, be sureto call or visit your Social Securityoffice to report the change before youbegin. Call us at 1-800-772-1213(TTY 1-800-325-0778).