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Abilene News: April 1996
- 4/30 - Body Identified as That of Metroplex Man: A decomposing
body found near Lake Fort Phantom last Thursday has been tentatively identified
as that of a 22-year-old Metroplex man who apparently shot himself to death.
....Sgt. David Gage said investigators expect to positively identify the
man this morning. He said the man had no apparent ties to Abilene.
...."We do not expect foul play in the death," Gage said, adding
that the police do expect to file charges against a man believed to have
stolen some of the decedent's possessions after his death. In doing so,
the suspect tampered with evidence, he said.
....Detectives believe the suspect, who's 29 or 30, removed and hid the
dead man's vehicle, Gage said. The police recovered the vehicle and some
of the dead man's personal effects, he said.
....The body was discovered in a wooded area near the lake last Thursday
by a man and his dog. The animal had sniffed the body's scent and led its
master to the location just off Comanche Trail and east of West Lake Road.
- 4/30 - Hughes Takes Over Officially: Cassie Hughes won't be
acting as Abilene's building official any longer. She was hired late Monday
to formally fill the job.
....Hughes fills the shoes of Bob Fowler, who served as the city's building
official for 18 years until his January departure. She worked as Fowler's
top assistant from 1989 till he left, when she assumed his duties.
....She is responsible for all aspects of the building permit process. The
trial of a Baird man accused of shooting at several people has been postponed
a week.
- 4/30 - Trial for Baird Shooter Postponed: Richard Jaggers,
44, accused of pointing a gun and shooting at several people early on the
morning of June 24, 1995, was scheduled to go on trial Monday in 42nd District
Court.
....The trial was moved to 9 a.m. May 6.
....Callahan County Attorney Allen Wright said the trial was "passed"
because of an objection filed by the defense to several pre-trial motions.
....Jaggers remains in custody at the Callahan County Jail, where he has
been since the incident occurred last year.
- 4/30 (early) - 'Crumbling' Abilene Towers to be Evaluated: As
Abilene Towers crumbles inside and out, the city's building official is
awaiting an engineer's analysis and a landlord's response before plotting
the downtown landmark's future.
....Abilene Towers owner Paul Oman has until Wednesday to deliver to acting
Building Official Cassie Hughes engineer's reports evaluating the structural
soundness of the 17-story building's guts and of its stone facings, chunks
of which have broken off.
....Last week, Oman had a chain-link perimeter erected around the towers
to keep plummeting stone from beaning pedestrians.
....Inside, inspectors have fretted about rusting beams, buckling plaster,
creaky floors, leaky plumbing, suspect wiring and a faulty elevator.
....But Hughes assured the building is in no danger of condemnation, describing
it as "salvageable with a useful life."
- 4/30 (early) - MOA Gets New Director: John Collins, director
of the Hummel Museum in New Braunfels, will become executive director of
the Museums of Abilene "about June 1," Lee Hamilton confirmed
Monday.
...Hamilton co-chaired with MOA board chairman a search begun almost three
months ago to find a successor to Terry Keane, who resigned as MOA executive
director to accept directorship of the Western Heritage Museum in Omaha,
Neb.
- 4/29 - Gunman Evades Capture: A man who shot one victim and
stabbed another has avoided capture.
....The suspect, a 19 or 20-year-old Hispanic male, is being sought by police
for his involvement in an incident in north Abilene that occurred about
9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Police responded to North 7th and Merchant streets after receiving a report
of a victim being shot.
....After arriving on the scene, police learned a domestic dispute spurred
squabbles between friends and family members. Tension from the dispute apparently
fueled other attacks.
....Evaristo Ambris, 35, was shot in the stomach and Arturo Perez, 20, was
stabbed in the abdomen by the wanted suspect who is believed to have left
the scene in a dark vehicle resembling a Ford Escort. Both victims live
at 1724 North 7th.
- 4/29 - Early voting in local elections ends Tuesday: Area citizens
have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to cast early ballots in local races for school
trustees and city council members. Most of the voting is conducted at courthouses,
city halls, school offices and community centers.
....Election day is Saturday.
....Abilene voters today and Tuesday can cast ballots at the Taylor County
courthouse, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., or at the Mall of Abilene or Kmart, 4220 N. 1st.
Polls at the two branch locations are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
....Abilenians will elect a mayor, two City Council members and two school
trustees.
- 4/28 - Temple Dickson, Maestro of
the Rocks, Hasn't Slowed Down
- 4/28 - AHS Student Council Gets State Honor: Abilene High School's
student council will function as the secretary for the controlling body
of all Texas student councils.
....Abilene High members were chosen to fill the role by their peers in
the Texas Association of Student Councils.
....The election occurred at an Austin-based convention Saturday.
The group will serve in all secretarial duties for the state student council,
made up of elected members drawn from all student councils in Texas.
....Each school had to present a dramatic presentation to its peers as a
condition of running for a state-level office.
....Abilene's presentation, which earned a standing ovation a school spokesperson
said, dealt with volunteerism and included scenes of those assisting at
the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing.
- 4/27 - Mysterious Package Found at
Airport Turns Out Fishy
- 4/27 - BBB Issues Telephone Soliciting Warning: The Better
Business Bureau is warning parents of area high school students to be on
the watch for telephone sales pitches.
....Salespeople have been calling students at home attempting to sell students
appreciation plaques for $29.95 to give as "thank you" gestures
to their parents, said Steve Abel, BBB president.
....When the plaques are delivered and payment sought, parents usually learn
about the transaction. Abel said several callers to the BBB have complained
that the plaque is overpriced.
...."These telemarketers are approaching unsuspecting students,"
Abel said. "They are taking advantage of the families by showing up
and presenting a large bill. This same type of offer came through town last
year at this time, and we have information about similar tactics in other
Texas cities."
....Abel said parents should not confuse this company with another fund-raiser
by the Hispanic Seniors Recognition Banquet committee. This committee offers
seniors a plaque with a photo and graduation invitation, with proceeds going
to pay expenses at the Hispanic Seniors Banquet.
..."It's really a shame that this out-of-town company is affecting
a student fund-raising effort," Abel said.
....Parents or students with questions may call the BBB at 691-1533.
- 4/26 - Body Found Near Lake Fort Phantom
- 4/26 - Dyess Honored for Pollution Prevention: Rep. Charles
Stenholm presented Brig. Gen. Larry Northington, Dyess Air Force Base wing
commander, with the 1996 Pollution Prevention Award in a ceremony Thursday
at the Pentagon.
....The base also received honorable mention in the Non-Industrial Installation
Recycling category. Dyess had received highest honors from the Air Force
in both categories, thus placing it in competition with all branches of
the military for the Department of Defense awards.
...."As someone who has been privileged to know and work with Dyess
officials over the years, it was not surprising that they would successfully
balance the need for sound environmental policy with common sense, and come
out with a winning strategy," ....Stenholm said. "Their ability
to be fine stewards of their plot of land in the Big Country is one of the
many reasons why folks of Abilene are proud to have them as neighbors and
friends."
- 4/26 - A&M to Study Swarming Bees: Bees swarming in Merkel
have attracted the attention of entomologists at Texas A&M University.
....In about two weeks, an inspector from A&M will examine a field near
Ron Circle in south Merkel to figure out why a cross of Africanized and
European bees ventured into the area.
....On April 18, a youth baseball team was practicing in the vacant field
near the new high school when players came across a mound of bees.
...."They were throwing rocks and you couldn't see the rocks,"
said Ronda Dye, who lives across from the field. "That's how thick
the mound was."
....Dye said the mound of bees, which was four feet long and several inches
deep, was apparently aggravated earlier in the day by a tractor plowing
the field.
....The next morning, the bees were swarming in her back yard, Dye said.
After firefighters sprayed the bees in the field with foam, a bee sample
was sent to Texas A&M.
....Last Tuesday, A&M's Dr. Paul Jackson, chief apiary inspector, informed
Dye about the laboratory analysis.
....John Fick, an assistant chief apiary inspector for the state who is
based at A&M, said this appears to be an isolated case.
- 4/26 (early) - Candidate for Mayor Arrested: Mayoral candidate
Wayne Curtis was arrested Sunday for public intoxication after his new pickup
wound up in a ditch missing a wheel.
....Though Curtis admitted drinking a glass of wine a half-hour before the
accident, he vehemently denied he was drunk, declaring, "I was wronged."
....According to limited information released by police, Abilene patrolman
Michael Rodgers arrested the 50-year-old Curtis at 5:50 p.m. at a Texaco
convenience store at 3158 E. Interstate 20. He was released four hours later
on a $100 bond.
- 4/26 (early) - Marquardt Wins Bernard Hanks Scholarship: An
Abilene High School senior was recognized by her peers and the Abilene Reporter-News
for excellence in journalism during the Reporter-News' annual journalism
breakfast Thursday.
....Katy Marquardt was selected by a vote of her peers as Top Staffer for
her high school newspaper, The Battery, for 1995-96. Marquardt also received
the $2,000 Bernard Hanks scholarship, which also provides an internship
for her at the newspaper during the summer of her junior year in college.
...In a letter of recommendation, Kay Dillard, The Battery faculty adviser,
said in her three years on the staff, Marquardt "has provided excellent
leadership to her fellow staffers. Her leadership style is one of example
and support for others ... She will be an excellent representative for the
Abilene Reporter-News."
....The scholarship is given in honor of the man who helped to establishHarte-Hanks
Communications Inc., the parent company of the Reporter-News. He was president
and publisher of the Abilene paper until his death in 1948.
- 4/25 - Locals: Texas Monthly Writer's
Article on B-1, Abilene Unfair, Inaccurate
- 4/25 - Blaze at Old Nucorp Keeps Firefighters Busy: Hot coals
from an incinerator may have started a blaze that destroyed about 6,000
wooden pallets Wednesday afternoon at the old Nucorp oilfield service yard
between Tye and Merkel.
....Firefighters from Abilene, Merkel and Tye along with 13 pieces of equipment
were used to control the flames, which also burned two power poles and patches
of grass on Interstate 20.
....A westbound Santa Fe train was halted for several minutes until the
fire on the south side of the railroad tracks could be contained.
....M.T. Lott, president of Mid-West Pallet Inc., was in the process of
relocating his inventory to another site at Nucorp when the fire started.
Estimating his losses at between $30,000 and $50,000, Lott said he had just
canceled the insurance on the property Tuesday.
- 4/25 (early) - City vs. Vendor Fruit
Stand Saga Produces Closure
- 4/25 (early) - V.O.T.E. Expands to Abilene: Abilene public
school students will get help learning about voting as a statewide teaching
project expands in the school district, state officials said Wednesday.
....Secretary of State Antonio Garza, discussing the year-old Project V.O.T.E.
with Austin schoolchildren, announced three new districts using the program
and expansion in seven districts, including Abilene.
...."Abilene is very important," Garza said. "I think that
people are far more likely to vote if they understand the importance of
voting in their daily lives."
....Project V.O.T.E. (Voters of Tomorrow through Education) is the state's
attempt to get children interested in participating in politics to encourage
voting later in life.
- 4/24 - Yisrayl Hawkins' Daughter
Refutes Food Stamp Denial
- 4/24 - Expo Center Committee Seeks
$7.94 Million in Bonds
- 4/24 - Panel Will Decide Fate of Roscoe
School Trustees
- 4/24 - Area Courthouses to Be Designated: Courthouses in three
Big Country counties deemed historically significant by the state will be
documented for posterity.
....The Texas Courthouse Alliance Project, part of the Texas Historical
Commission, recently chose 55 of the state's most historic county courthouses
to be researched and documented.
....Shackelford, Erath and Throckmorton counties, where the three courthouses
represent close to 300 years of combined history, are among the 55.
....Courthouses are chosen to participate in the project based on architectural
significance, age, and existing records about the courthouse.
- 4/24 (early) - Excel Giving AISD Student and Alternative: More
Abilene ISD students are chosing a better alternative to falling behind
or dropping out of school, according a report presented to school trustees
during Monday night's board meeting.
....The Excel Education Center, an alternative high school for students
who have been unsuccessful in a traditional school setting, is finishing
up its first full year of operation with a student body that has doubled
in a year's time.
....So far, 23 students have earned diplomas through Excel, many of whom
were once at risk for dropping out.
....The school opened its doors January 8, 1995 to just under 100 students
and six teachers. Today, enrollment is at 216 students and three teachers
have been added, including an art teacher.
....Excel was created after years of planning and investigation by school
and community leaders to cater to students who are behind in credits and
in danger of dropping out. The program is small, allowing for more individual
attention, and students are able to work at their own pace.
- 4/24 (early) - East's Latest Appeal Rejected: Condemned killer
Wayne East's latest appeal has been rejected by a federal judge.
....U.S. Magistrate Judge J.Q. Warnick on Friday found East's claims that
he was denied a fair trial 14 years ago were baseless and recommended that
U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings deny his appeals. Cummings is expected
to rule on the matter in the coming weeks, after which a new execution date
may be set.
....East was sentenced to death in August 1982 for slaying Abilene artist
Mary Eula Sears in November 1981 while burglarizing her home. The 77-year-old
woman was tortured and stabbed with a hunting knife and left to bleed to
death in her bedroom closet.
....East claimed the state violated his right to due process by letting
a private prosecutor control his prosecution.
....But Warnick, citing testimony from Dallas attorney Rusty Ormesher, the
special prosecutor, and then-district attorney Patricia Elliott, said the
private prosecutor acted merely as an assistant and adviser to Elliott,
who made all of the final calls.
- 4/23 - Report: AISD Does Good Job of
Educating, Recruiting Minorities
- 4/23 - Strong, Fast-moving Storm Spares
Abilene
- 4/23 - B-1s Flying Sorties, Not Grounded:Reports that the nation's
B-1B bomber fleet has been grounded for a equipment problem are not true,
Dyess Air Force Base officials said Monday.
...."Dyess B-1s are flying 11 regularly-scheduled sorties today,"
said Brig. Gen. Larry Northington, 7th Wing commander.
....Rumors apparently traced back to an incident that occurred during a
routine training mission over West Texas on April 10. On that date, a Dyess-based
B-1B made a "precautionary" landing at the Midland-Odessa airport
after an alarm alerted the crew to a possible problem, Dyess officials said.
....There was no fire and the decision to terminate the flight short of
Dyess did not constitute an in-flight emergency, officials said.
....Upon inspecting the aircraft, technicians found that a metal tube used
to carry air to cool some electronic equipment had malfunctioned. Out of
an abundance of caution, the Air Force then ordered a "one-time maintenance
inspection" of the same part on the remainder of the nation's 94 B-1B
bombers, Northington said.
- 4/23 - Former Mayor Minter Dies: George Lockett Minter Jr.,
a former Abilene mayor and longtime businessman, died at his home Monday
afternoon.
....Memorial services will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at First Central Presbyterian
Church with Dr. Clifford Stewart officiating. Interment will be in Elmwood
Memorial Park. Services are under the direction of Elliott-Hamil Funeral
Home, 542 Hickory.
- 4/23 - Popular Restaurateur Has Heart Attack: Joe Allen, local
barbecue entrepreneur, is progressing well in Hendrick Medical Center following
a Saturday afternoon heart attack.
....His wife, Sharon, said Monday that he was making good progress, and
remains in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
...."We were loading up the food for Polo on the Prairie when Joe sat
down and asked for a glass of water," she said. "I brought it
to him and he said his chest was really hurting. I rushed him to the hospital."
- 4/23 - 4/23 (early) - Abilene to Sell $2.3 Million in Certificates:
City Manager Lanny Lambert foresees Abilene benefiting from the lowest
interest rates in 30 years when it sells $2.3 million in certificates of
obligation Thursday.
....The City Council will issue the certificates to the lowest bidder at
11 a.m. Thursday. The resulting revenue will fund capital improvements ranging
from street upgrades to the purchase of a fire truck.
....Lambert said interest rates for repaying the 15-year certificates could
slip below 5 percent, the lowest level since the 1960s.
...."We anticipate an excellent rate," he said. "It's the
lowest interest rates I've seen in my 18-year career. With a low interest
rate, we should be able to access a greater amount of money."
....The $2.3 million is the maximum amount the council could approve without
raising the tax rate.
- 4/23 (early) - Van Rheenen Next ACU Provost: A man with experience
on both coasts has been selected Abilene Christian University's next provost.
....Dr. Dwayne Van Rheenen assumes ACU's chief academic officer duties June
1.
...."With all the challenges we face in the years ahead to prepare
our students for Christian service and leadership, we must have capable
leadership in the academic area, which is the primary focus of the university,"
said ACU President Royce Money, who made the announcement Monday. "We
believe that Dr. Van Rheenen is the person to lead us in getting the job
done."
....The Pepperdine University dean was picked to fill the slot being vacated
by Dr. Dwain Hart, who is becoming director of ACU's Visiting Committee
program.
...."Dr. Van Rheenen brings a wealth of academic and administrative
experience to the position of provost at ACU," Dr. Money said.
....Van Rheenen went to Pepperdine in 1985 and has served as dean of the
faculty of Seaver College of Letters, Arts and Sciences since 1992.
- 4/22 - Age-old Earth Day Question:
Paper or Plastic?
- 4/22 - AISD Board to Hear About Students' Progress: Abilene
school trustees will hear a report on the progress of black students in
the district during tonight's board meeting.
....Information on test scores, the dropout rate, and the hiring and promoting
of black faculty and staff will be released to the board, along with the
district's priorities for the future.
....Melba Miller, principal of the Excel Alternative Education program,
will also present an overview of the center's first full year of operation.
....Also on the agenda, the board will consider approving an oil and gas
lease to Schkade Brothers at Mann Middle School, similar to the one recently
approved at Ortiz Elementary.
- 4/21 - World's Largest Barbecue Celebrates
Base/Community Relationship
- 4/21 - Abilene Wins Make-A-Difference Day
Encore Award
- 4/20 - Dyess Personnel to Increase 20
Percent
- 4/20 - Ex-lawman from Brady Gets 50
Years
- 4/20 - Low-Rate Mortgages Easier in
Texas Midwest Now
- 4/20 (early) - Yahweh Case To Be Considered Next Month: Charges
against a man who took his son and a stepson out of the House of Yahweh
compound will be considered next month by a Callahan County grand jury.
....The grand jury concluded its session late Thursday without considering
the case against David Richardson and three other cases, said county attorney
Allen Wright.
....The grand jury will reconvene in about a month, he said. Richardson
was charged with family violence and assault, a misdemeanor, and interfering
with child custody, a felony.
....Richardson, of Maryland, is a former member of the religious cult. His
wife and her 14-year-old daughter still are at the compound. Richardson
was met by security guards on Saturday, April 6, when he tried to get them
to leave the compound located between Clyde and Eula.
....The charges against him stemmed from a previous encounter with sect
members when he removed his 6-year-old son and is wife's 12-year-old son
from the compound.
....The couple is now going through a divorce, Wright said.
- 4/19 - Pistol-Whipping Ex-lawman Pleads
for Leniency
- 4/19 - Sweetwater Remebers Big Twister
of 10 Years Ago
- 4/19 (early) - Air Force Secretary in Town: Air Force Secretary
Sheila E. Widnall will visit Dyess Air Force Base Friday and Saturday.
....The longtime Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty member will
arrive Friday afternoon for a news conference at the base, and will later
observe base operations at different locations.
....Dr. Widnall, who became secretary in August 1993, earned bachelor's,
master's and doctoral degrees from MIT. She joined the faculty of the Cambridge,
Mass., school in 1964 and was named associate provost in 1992.
....The Washington state native is an internationally-recognized authority
in fluid dynamics.
- 4/19 (early) - New Black Educators Alliance Starts: A group
of black educators is chartering a new organization it hopes will promote
a more equitable education for all students in the Abilene ISD.
....The West Central Texas Alliance of Black School Educators will be officially
chartered during a banquet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Embassy Suites.
Dr. Joseph Drayton, president of the National ABSE, and Dr. Gwen Morrison,
president-elect of the Texas ABSE, will present the charter to the new group
during the event.
....Interest in forming a group like this surfaced only a year ago, when
Superintendent Charles Hundley received an overwhelming response from AISD
teachers to attend a TABSE conference.
....Clem Mathis, AISD curriculum specialist and co-president of the WCTABSE,
said this organization formed only after a careful discussion of the reason
for its existence.
- 4/18 - House of Yahweh Supporter Responds
- 4/17 - Zora Brown to Speak Here: Zora Kramer Brown of Washington,
D.C., founder and chairwoman of both the Breast Cancer Resource Committee
and the Cancer Awareness Program Services, will be in town April 25 for
National Minority Breast Cancer Awareness Week.
....Sponsored by the Abilene YWCA Breast Cancer Awareness program, Brown
will speak at an 11:45 a.m. luncheon at the Civic Center and at 6:45 p.m.
meeting at New Light Baptist Church.
- 4/16 - Izzard Strikes Tax Nerve by Signing
"Pledge"
- 4/16 - Rock-Throwing Woman Committed: A 42-year-old woman was
committed to the Big Spring State Hospital after she broke $2,000-$3,000
worth of glass at the southeast entrance of City Hall Saturday evening.
....She was initially arrested for felony criminal mischief and resisting
arrest, but no charges were filed because of her mental state.
....Three glass doors and several surrounding glass panels at the entrance,
plus second-story windows, were broken, said Gene Cook, the city's internal
services administrator.
....The doors and most of the panels had been replaced by 5 p.m. Monday,
he said.
....Cook described the stones thrown through the City Hall glass as heavy,
round rocks, probably from a river bottom.
....Sunday afternoon, County Court-at-Law Judge Barbara Rollins ordered
the woman to the Big Spring hospital on a temporary 72-hour commitment.
- 4/16 (early) - AISD Teachers and Inclusion: A group of Texas
teachers asserts general education classrooms may not be the best places
for special education students to learn, but many Abilene ISD teachers say
otherwise.
....The Association of Texas Professional Educators, the state's second
largest educators' group, recently released findings of a member survey
in which 71 percent of teachers said they have had special education students
in their classrooms.
....Of those, 62 percent said they have no training in teaching special
education students, and 68 percent said inclusion is not the best policy
for all special education students.
....Federal law requires special education students - defined as having
mental, physical, emotional, speech or learning disabilities - to be taught
in the "least restrictive" environment.
All content copyright 1996, The Abilene Reporter-News and
Reporter OnLine
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